OTTAWA VALLEY AQUARIUM SOCIETY - FORUM RULES

The Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society, further on referred to as OVAS, list the following objectives in its constitution:

 
1. to further the study of all forms of aquatic life

 
2. to promote interest, exchange ideas, and distribute information  concerning the hobby

 
3. to encourage the breeding and display of aquatic life

 
4. to work toward the conservation of endangered species.

Section 1 - Overall Community Attitude

    
1. 
          OVAS is an aquatic club local to Ottawa.
   
           We are NOT an online-club; the Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society is a non-profit, educational, and
           recreational organization. We encourage social meetings, in which we share our experiences and learn
           from each other.
          
   
   
           This forum is provided by the club to discuss aquatic topics beyond our regular meetings.
   
           Please keep this in mind when becoming active on this forum.
      


   
   
2. 
          Always display a positive, friendly attitude.
   
           Always treat fellow posters with respect and courtesy. Always. Be respectful of others' opinions.
           Allow your fellow members to voice their opinions.
           DO NOT deliberately start arguments. Debates are great, as long as they remain respectful!
      



     
3. 
          Think before you post.
   
           Please refrain from posting meaningless threads, one word (or short) non-sense posts, or any
           that do not contribute to the discussion!
   Responses should be on-topic whenever possible.



     
4. 
          Always try to "give" back to our community.
   
           For each time you find help or answers here, try to help someone else out in return. Even a little "thank you"
           is encouraging. You may find that what goes around comes around...
      


   
     
5. 
          Please post in letter style.
   
           Use paragraphs, punctuation, and capital letters appropriately. Netspeak and shortcutting (b4, str8, etc)
           are difficult to read and should be refrained from.
   Do not use irritating  posting styles, including use of all caps and excessive punctuation.

     

Section 2 - Inappropriate Behaviour

   
1. 
         Flaming.
    
           We adhere to a zero-tolerance policy against ANY personal attacks. Insulting another
           individual's opinion, name calling, accusations and disrespect towards anyone will result in the suspension
           or revocation of your account and/or membership. Flaming a moderator/webmaster will result in an automatic ban from the forum.
      


   
   
2. 
         Swearing, Vulgarities, and Profanities are not permitted.
    
          Do not post anything distasteful or anything you feel might offend someone else. This includes creative spelling of banned
           words, using special characters, spacing out the letters and images with questionable content. Think  carefully
           if you would say this in a face-to-face conversation before you post, and keep in mind that this is a family oriented forum.
           When in doubt, don't post. If you are unsure, contact a moderator or the webmaster for help.
          
   
           This applies in ALL forums!
         


   
   
3. 
         Stalking, Threats, or other Harassing behaviors.
    
           Will result in permanent removal from the forum and/or termination of club membership. OVAS is obligated to contact law enforcement
           authorities in the event we believe any criminal activity has taken place.
      



   
4. 
         Right to Privacy.
    
           You will not violate a person's privacy by publishing information that
           is private and personal against another members will.
      



 
   
5. 
          No SPAM.
   
           Do not spam! Also, do not repost the same message
           in multiple threads or folders. Definition of "SPAM" lies solely with the moderators.
      



   
6. 
          Copyrighted Material.
   
           Do not post a copyrighted article or other material in its entirety on the forum, without written permission
           from the copyright holder. Instead, post interesting selections/quotations, citing the source, and a
           link to the full article if it's available on the Web.
      



   
7. 
          Political and Religious Content.
   
           Please keep in mind that this is an aquatic forum. Refrain from discussions of political
           and religious nature unless they relate in some way to our hobby. In this case reflect cultural awareness.
   
          
   
           Racism is not acceptable and will be treated with zero-tolerance!
      



     
8. 
          Arguing about Company/Store Policies.
   
           Posts arguing about company/store policies are NOT allowed. This includes especially local fish stores (LSF),
           irrespective of them being sponsors or not.
          
   
   
          There is to be absolutely no store or product bashing on any forum, including the sponsors’ forums.
           Bashing  consists of making unsubstantiated claims or bad-mouthing a store or an entire  chain of stores for
           an incident you may have had with one particular person or store. Remember that if you have an unhappy
           experience at a store, talk with a supervisor, manager or owner of that store and try to resolve the problem.
          
   
   
           Stores and manufacturers can only improve if  they are made aware of problems with the staff and products.
           The responsibility  is yours, the end user of these products, to try to resolve any issues you  have with
           the person who can make the change needed to fix the problem.  It is not appropriate to voice these
           opinions on a public forum.        
        




     
9. 
          Adult Content.
   
           Do NOT post any messages with adult content such as: porn and sexually oriented material, illegal substances, gambling
           and links to sites containing such content.
        



     
10. 
           Obey the Law.
    
            The discussion of illegal activities is not permitted. Do NOT post any messages that
            violate any applicable Canadian law(s).
         


 
   
11. 
            Links.
    
            If you post a link to another web site, it is YOUR responsibility
            to ensure that the website follows the guidelines set out by these Forum Rules.
            Links to any undesirable sites (i.e. pornographic, hate literature, indecent material
            or any site that the  administration deems inappropriate) or sites that violate any of
            these rules or Canadian laws are not permitted.
       


   
   
12. 
             Thread Crapping or Hijacking.
    
             Thread crapping or hijacking is prohibited. If you wish to deviate from the discussion
            then start your own thread.
          



   
13. 
             Single Accounts.
    
             Each member is allowed one login account. Registering with multiple accounts is not allowed unless a
            second account is approved by the moderating team due to exceptional circumstances. Members
            risk having all accounts closed permanently if they create multiple accounts without prior approval.
          

Section 3 - The  Classified Section

   
1. 
           Private Ads.
        
           The general [Classified Ads] board is for private, non-commercial, ads ONLY. Posts of a
           commercial nature, including those from OVAS sponsors, are NOT permitted and will be moved or deleted.
           Any posts deemed to be commercial are subject to immediate removal.
         
          
   
      
   
          Non-commercial breeders who sell on OVAS regularly are strongly requested to be a member of OVAS or any sister-club
           organized within CAOAC. These types of ads are still considered private sales and are permitted in the [Classified Ads] board.
   


   
   
2. 
            Ad format.
        
         Any post must in this board must state clearly in the subject line the category of the ad:
   
   
              
   1. LF  (looking for)
   
              
   2. FREE
   
              
   3. FS  (for sale)
   
              
   4. FT  (for trade)
   
      
   5. WTB (willing to buy)
   
          
   
          
         
   
           It is advisable to have a clear description of any item, as well as contact information inserted.
           Pictures say more than words.
          
   



   
3. 
            Asking Price.
        
          Each items posted for sale MUST list an asking price. The marking of items as best offer as well as an auction-based declaration is NOT permitted.
   



   
4. 
             Bumping.
        
            Any ad posted in the classifieds shall not be prematurely moved up in the board (bumped) for at least
          3 days. Within this period, any changes to the ad shall be made by modifying the original
           post. Please note that only OVAS club members can bump their ad.
   



   
5. 
             Expiration.
        
          Any ad is valid for 30 day. Ads may not be re-posted within this period. However, modifications to the original ad can be made at any time.
   



   
6. 
             Ad Removal.
        
         Any ad can and shall be deleted by the originator after it becomes obsolete. You can do that by using
           the "Remove Topic" button on the bottom of the
           last post in your ad.
    





   
       Any post in the classifieds board that violates these rules is subject to removal without further notice.
 

Section 4 - Housekeeping

   
1. 
          Stay on Topic.
   
           If your post is drifting from the thread topic, please start a new thread in the appropriate board!
           Off-topic discussion will be split into a new thread or deleted at the discretion of the moderators.
      




   
2. 
          Multiple Posts.
   
           Do not post the same topic in multiple forums. If you are unsure of which board a thread should go on,
           contact a moderator. Multiple posts are unnecessary and will be deleted.
      




     
   
3. 
          Images in Posts.
   
           When sharing your pictures on the forums, please try to keep files small, as not everyone has a fast
           high speed connection. Preferred picture dimensions are in the range of 800x600 to 1024x726; the size shall be
           smaller than 500kB.
          
          
   
   
           Pictures included in post shall be preferably hosted on image servers or the OVAS gallery. You can choose to attach images to your post.
           However, posts with attached pictures that exceed the above limitations will be rejected automatically by the forum.
          
          
   
   
           If you don't know how to resize your pictures, ask a moderator or webmaster for help before posting your message.
      


   
   
4. 
          OVAS Gallery.
   
           The OVAS gallery feature is only available to OVAS club members. Pictures can not exceed 1500X1500 pixel and a file size of 1.5 MB.
          
          
   
   
           If you don't know how to resize your pictures smaller, ask a moderator or webmaster for help before posting your message.
      


   
   
5. 
          Avatars.
   
          Animated avatars are not allowed.
      



   
   
6. 
          Signature.
   
          Please try and keep your signature brief, to keep the page loading time, and visual annoyance factor
           to a minimum.  
   
           A signature shall not contain:
          
   
              
   1. more then 4 lines text
   
              
   2. any images and/or animations
   
              
   3. any links and/or references to external websites
   
          
   
        
          
   
          
           If these limits are exceeded you may be contacted by a moderator requesting an amendment to
           your signature. If none is made within a reasonable period of time a moderator may remove your
           signature from your profile.
      



   
7. 
          Group Orders.
   
           You may organize group orders by using the [Group Orders] board. The arranged group orders may be with any vendor;
           however vendors themselves, including those sponsoring OVAS, may not start or interact with threads here.
      



   
8. 
          Post counts.
   
           This number is in place only to acknowledge contributions made by our members. We are in no way biased to
           the amount of posts our members make. Please do not misinterpret post counts for anything other than what
           they are intended.
      



 
9. 
          Advertising and unsolicited Messages.
   
         Are not permitted. Posting of advertisements (other than in the appropriate sponsor board and designated advertising areas), chain letters,
       pyramid schemes, and solicitations are inappropriate on this forum.

   


   
10. 
           Public Events.
    
           OVAS-sponsored or -endorsed events may be posted in any board deemed appropriate by the
            executive committee. If you would like to host an aquarium related gathering or workshop that is not affiliated to a commercial vendor,
            please post that event in the appropriate board. Non-Aquatic events may not be published on this forum. Please contact any moderators in advance if you
            are unsure about the nature of your event.
       

Section 5 - Sponsor Posting

       Part of our forum has been setup as a place to  allow local stores who support the Ottawa Valley Aquarium  Society
        to have a place of their own to post their store specials, social  events, hours of business or anything else related to their business. It is yet
        another way OVAS shows its support of our local and area  retailers.
   

   
1. 
          Any OVAS sponsor sale, affiliated event or social gathering at their place of business (or private residence) may only be promoted in their specific board.
   


   
   
2. 
          Members  who wish to discuss any event, sale or social gathering that is being hosted by  an OVAS Sponsor must post any relating discussions
           in that sponsor’s specific board.
   


   
   
3. 
          No OVAS Sponsor may post the availability of any product or service they provide in ANY board on this forum other than in their own specific board.
   


   
   
4. 
         Sponsors may post in general discussion boards to share their experiences where relevant. However, such post shall not include promotions or recommendations of any product and service they or their competitors may carry.
    

   


   
5. 
         Any question or topic directed towards a forum sponsor by any user of the forum shall be posted in the appropriate sponsors board.
      


   
   

Section 6 - Forum Moderation

   
1. 
          The moderators and the webmaster have the right to delete any posts, parts of posts or entire threads if
           necessary, should they be considered abusive, offensive or in violation of the rules. Each individual
           forum has a focus on a certain topic. Questions outside the scope of a certain  forum will
           either be moved to the appropriate forum, closed, or deleted. Please post your topic in the
           most appropriate forum. Non-aquatic related topics do NOT belong on the forum.
      



   
2. 
           If a member's post is removed, they will either receive a private message or an email to the account
           listed in their profile to explain the reason why (with the exception that classifieds post can be
           deleted without further notice). If you do not understand the specifics behind the post
           removal please contact a moderator privately. The public forum is not the place to discuss these
           situations and such posts will be removed by the moderators.
      


       
   
3. 
          As a member of our forum you must respect the  authority of ALL moderators and the webmaster.
           Public discussions  of moderator or webmaster actions are not allowed on the forum. Do not
           to protest moderation actions in forum posts. If you don't like something that a  moderator has done
           please send a Private Message or E-mail to the moderator and try your best
           to resolve the problem directly with them. The final link in the chain is to discuss the
           problem with the webmaster.
      
 

   
   

Section 7 - What happens if I break the rules?

   
• 
            1st Offense.
       
          The moderators will be politely pointing out these forum rules, and if required your post will be edited or deleted.
   
     
          Should you have already been pointed to these forum rules and continue to break them, then it may be elevated to 2nd Offence.
     



   
• 
            2nd Offense.
       
        A moderator will issue a warning via private message pointing out the repeated violation of the
          forum rules. Any post in question will be deleted. In addition, the account will be temporary suspended from
          the forum for a period of up to 3 month. This is referred to as a ban.
         
     
   
          If a member is under
          suspension and registers a new account in an attempt to evade the suspension they will then be permanently
          banned from the forum and all accounts will be closed.
     



   
• 
            3rd Offense.
       
        Will lead to your account being put "On Hold" immediately. Moderators and Web Master will discuss and possibly delete the user from the OVAS forum
          and/or revoking of OVAS membership.
     

DISCLAIMER

 
 
OVAS reserves the right to change these rules at any time without prior notice. It is your responsibility to read any and all announcements regarding policy changes for this forum.



OVAS does NOT have any knowledge as to the accuracy of any posting or transaction and is not responsible for any business transactions that originate from posts in this forum or site.



OVAS does not receive any financial remuneration for any transactions on this forum.



You agree not to hold OVAS, it's members and executive responsible for any material posted on this forum. The moderators and webmaster are here voluntarily, because we are trying to maintain a forum worthy of the tradition started with our club. Please show your appreciation for the venue we are providing.



By continuing to use our forum, you agree to abide by these rules.  If you have any questions regarding the forums or how things work, please contact a moderator or webmaster with your question.  We will answer these questions as promptly as possible.