For obvious reasons, this kind of thing is only fun as long as people play fair. And we want this to be fun as well as informative. Therefore, we've come up with a few basic guidelines that we are requesting users to respect. We aren't trying to impose rules so much as simply counting on you folks out there to do a lot of self-policing. So here are some guidelines that we think will keep this place vibrant and enjoyable:
* If you spot somebody out there who is obviously posting in direct violation of the rules and spirit of the forum, then let us know right away. If proven, our moderators will let them know that their attitude is ruining your experience. If that doesn’t help the situation, then consider ignoring those posters from now on.
* Regarding slanderous posts. As mentioned above, we will be notifying readers if we think a particular post is nothing more than unsubstantiated slanderous crap.The post will be deleted.
* Try to be civil. Sometimes it’s hard to contain yourself when somebody starts acting like an asshole. But consider that nobody wants to read a page full of flame posts either. It’s no fun. So at least try to maintain a sense of dignity - plus it shows a lot of class.
* Try to be interesting. Nobody wants to read a dud post.
* Remember this motto: “Freedom of Speech may always be a right, but that doesn’t mean you are always right.” In other words, if you don’t know what you are talking about, then shut the hell up because you look like a fool!
* If you have a good idea to improve the forum, let any of our Moderators know. We are always open to suggestions.
Banning and Deletion
* Topics that are morally offensive will be under review by the forum Moderators and possibly deleted.
* Slanderous posts will be deleted by Moderators unless credible information is presented.
* The moderators have the option of reducing your post total size.
* If you have been previously banned from our forum and return under a new username to cause shit, you will be banned immediately.
* You must have something to offer our forum. If it is deemed by our moderators that you have nothing to offer other than insults, attacks and emoticons, you will be warned, suspended and/or banned from the forum.
Sports Posting Forum Manifesto
* We will try to uphold a fun and interesting posting forum. We promise to be consistent and fair in any disputes that arise inside the forum, and will try to keep any deletions and censorship occasions to an acceptable minimum.
* We will not engage in any unfounded personal attacks on other people or sites, although we cannot promise the same from other posters.
* We will not employ “ghost” posters to artificially inflate the appearance of the number of posters in this forum.
* We will not allow ourselves to become involved in any pissing contests with competing forums. If they want to slam us, they can, but we won’t get into it. As well, we won’t tolerate others using this forum to slam other competing sites either.
* Finally, and most importantly, we are doing this for fun, not profit. Although SharpSideSports.com has advertising on these pages, we will not be getting compensated anything extra for being the host. We want this to be a fun and entertaining source of information. Therefore, we are forced to include the following paragraph in order to protect ourselves and make it worth the hassle: “All of the information contained inside this forum represents the personal thoughts and opinions of the individual posting parties. Submissions to this forum are not reflective of the thoughts and opinions of SharpSideSports.com, nor its employees. SharpSideSports.com and its employees do not endorse or represent any of the opinions within the forum, and shall not be held responsible in any legal action resulting from any of the content contained within the forum. Furthermore, SharpSideSports.com shall not be responsible for keeping a permanent record of the opinions within the forum, and may occasionally delete or edit submissions at it’s discretion.”