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Guidelines

Bristol City Fans' Forum (OTIB)

Site Rules

Threads/Posts must be civil and tasteful.

Threads/posts considered to be offensive to other members, or considered to be in bad taste may be edited/deleted by one of the forum moderators. This includes signatures, avatars & links to other websites.

There is no limit to the number of posts a person can make, though we do ask that any posts made add to the debate. Repetitive comments, short replies, posts that are deemed to be intentionally antagonistic etc. may result in the moderators restricting a user's posting privileges.

Text Talk / Short Replies

On OTIB you are not limited to 180 characters like in a text message, so please do not use 'text talk' in your posts. Please don't just reply with one word answers or smilies - give your opinions. If a member continues to use text talk or continues to use short replies or smilies then they will be warned and, in extreme circumstances, banned.

Abusive Comments

Members may not use OTIB to abuse any other member of the forum. If a member does abuse another member then they will be issued with a warning, along with details of why they have been warned. If a member persistently repeats the offence, this will result in a permanent ban (see  'Warning Procedure' below).

If, however, you feel that you have been unfairly treated, then contact a member of the Admin team via help@otib.co.uk, and they will review the situation.

Reporting

If you feel a topic or post breaks the site rules please use the report button found on the bottom left of each post - this will enable the moderators to review the topic/post and take appropriate actions.

Discrimination

Discrimination is not tolerated on this forum. Discrimination can take the form of the use of specific words or phrases or can be in the form of a general attitude towards an individual or group of people. For example, making a statement that all black people are criminals is discrimination on the basis of race, is illegal and is unacceptable. Discrimination can be on the basis of (but not limited to) race, sex, disability, religion, family ties, sexual orientation or political persuasion.

Copyright Material

Members are not permitted to exhibit (either through posting or providing a link) material that they are not the copyright holder of in accordance with UK law. This includes the linking to highlights & clips of UK football matches on video hosting websites such as YouTube.

Promotion of other sites.

Members are not permitted to promote another site on OTIB, without the express permission of the Supporters' Trust. If a member is found to promote/spam the site with another site then they will be warned/banned. All posts will be removed.

Age Range

OTIB is open to ALL ages, therefore posts need to be respectful. No images or URLs of a pornographic or indecent nature are welcome and will be removed. If you feel that you are unable to find a suitable word to replace a swear word, please use the '#' symbol to replace the letters in your swear word. If a post is found to contain inappropriate language, then the moderators have the ability & right to edit/delete the post and warn/ban members.

Inappropriate language embedded in images will be treated in the same manner as above.

Usernames

If a member is found to have multiple accounts, then the user runs the risk of having ALL of their accounts suspended/banned.                 

If you wish to have you name changed, please contact an administrator who will be happy to review your request. Please note that one name change per year is permitted. Anyone found to have abused this by means of re-registering will be dealt with in the same manner as a multiple account situation.

Supporters From Other Clubs

Supporters from other clubs are welcome to join otib.co.uk. However, they should remember this is a Bristol City forum and should post in a polite and respectful manner. Posters from other clubs who the moderators feel have only signed up to this forum to be disrespectful, will have their account dealt with in a manner the moderators consider appropriate.

Signatures

Members are given the ability to create their own signature. However signatures slow the loading of the site down, and therefore need to be kept to a minimum and within the limits of the member group.

If your signature exceeds these parameters, then a moderator will edit your signature and can issue a warning.

Warnings/bans

Warnings/bans will be issued if a member breaks these simple rules, or causes disruption to the forum.

Warnings/bans can be issued for the following reasons (though not limited to):

Text Talk                                  

Short/Pointless replies

Overuse of Smilies

Off-Topic Posting

Adult/explicit content

Libellous comments

Personal Insults

Strong Language

Racist Comments

Spamming

Re-opening a locked/deleted topic (will result in you being placed on ModPreview)

In serious cases, a warning will not be appropriate and the account will be suspended for a period of time determined by the Admin team. Persistent offenders will have their I.P. address blocked.

Warning Procedure

1. Any post containing personal abuse will be deleted and the member responsible for posting the abuse will be sent a PM regarding their post and, where necessary, the member will be issued with a warning. This warning will be visible to the member and the moderating team on their profile.

2. Any warning will result in the member's warning bar increasing by 20%.

3. Warnings will be kept in place for a period of two months.

4. If a member receives a further warning within that two month period, the initial warning will remain and another will be added. All warnings will be kept in place for a period of two months from when the most recent warning was issued (Please note that this does not supercede immediate suspensions where the situation requires it).

5. If a member's warning bar reaches 100% under the above system, the member will be suspended pending a review by the Admin team, who will then determine the length of suspension based on the evidence of the member's posting history and any other information deemed relevant.

6. The member will be contacted with the Admin team's decision and reminded of their responsibility to improve their posting style on their return.

7. A member returning from a suspension will be expected to post responsibly. If they choose to continue to post in a style deemed unacceptable by the Admin and moderating team, they can have a second lengthier suspension imposed or, in extreme circumstances, have their account removed.

8. The Admin team's decision is not up for debate on this forum and, whilst a certain amount of discussion with a member may be considered acceptable via email, a lengthy exchange will not be entered in to.

Complaints

If a member has a complaint against another member/moderator/admin, or a post/thread, the contact a member of the admin team via e-mail or PM. Complaints made public on the forum will be removed. Failure to do so in the correct manner may result in you receiving a warning.

Suspensions

Moderators have the power to suspend your account for a maximum of 14 days without consulting the Administrators of OTIB. 

Banned Members

If a banned member wishes to return to OTIB after being away from OTIB for a long period of time, then they need to send an e-mail to help@otib.co.uk explaining that their ban is due for review. Anyone contacting moderators using their personal e-mail addresses or other contact details will not receive a reply and may risk further time being added to their ban.

OTIB will do its best to keep all messages on this forum respectful and within the forum rules, but it is impossible for us to review every message. All messages expressed by the poster are views of the author, and OTIB or Bristol City Supporters Club & Trust will not be held responsible for the content of any message.

OTIB administrators reserve the right to change the rules at any time, to implement these rule changes retrospectively and to ban or warn members as they see fit when their actions are not covered by the above rules.

An Admin or moderator decision is not for public debate. If a Member has something to say about a decision, they must use the email forum@bristolcitysupporters.org. Any attempt to use the forums to discuss a decision will be deleted without any notice. Furthermore, the Admin & Moderators of this site are volunteers. Any personal attacks against the administrators as a collective or individuals in any open forum, website or other media will also not be tolerated.

The laws and regulations of the United Kingdom will be applied over and above all rules listed above.

We encourage all forum members to use the 'Report' button when they believe any of the above rules have been broken and allow the moderators to take any necessary action, rather than respond publicly on the message boards.

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