Rules of the Forums - Updated March 31st, 2010

[hugh]

Digital Home Canada welcomes all visitors who abide by the rules of the forum.

Your membership on these forums is subject to the rules detailed below and they are subject to change. When the rules change, this thread will be updated and all existing members will be required to comply with the updated rules. If you do not wish to abide by the new rules, simpy contact the administrator and your account will be de-activated.

The Digital Forums are the private property of Digital Home Canada and we reserve the right to remove offensive posts or inactivate member accounts without any notice.

Members, breaking any of the rules will receive a warning or be banned immediately. The decision to warn or ban a member will depend on the infraction and is solely at the discretion of the administrator.

The Rules.

All members are required to know the rules of the forum. Ignorance of the rules will not be a defence if you are banned or your post/thread is deleted.

Rights Reserved - while these rules cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything therefore Digital Home Canada reserves the right to take any actions we deem appropriate to ensure these forums are not disrupted or abused in any way.

Membership

Each person can only have one username - each member is allowed only one login account. Registering with multiple email accounts is not allowed. If a user is found to be using multiple aliases then all accounts will be banned. Individuals requiring a second account must get pre-approval from the administrator.

You must have a valid email address - a valid email is required to register and it is incumbent upon all members to keep their profile current. Invalid emails cause us a lot of headaches when users don't remember their password or check on the "notify me when a reply is posted" option. If your account generates email bounceback, your account will be reset to Users awaiting email confirmation in order to force the user to update their user profile.

Memberships and Posts are permanent - Once a member has posted, his or her membership and posts become part of the forum record and will not be removed. Historical posts will only be removed from the forum as part of our regular forum pruning. Members wishing to ensure that no administrative emails are ever sent to them via this forum can simply alter the email address in their profile.

Username

One Username per member - members found to be using multiple usernames will be banned from the forums.

No obscene or offensive usernames - we reserve the right to not allow a username that might be deemed offensive. In addition, usernames that contain obscene language, denigrate individuals and/or organizations will not be tolerated and the user banned. This includes usernames such as CompanyA_sucks or S%^head.

Website and Commercial Usernames - usernames that are designed to point to a particular website are not allowed - For example: if you have a website called I sell stuff then you cannot have a username such as isellstuff.ca . This rule is an extension of our anti-spam and anti- commercial rules.

Usernames beginning or ending with special characters (the ones above the numbers in a typical QWERTY keyboard) or spaces will be disallowed.

Signatures

Use of Signatures - signatures are allowed on the forum however they may not contain images and should be kept to two lines and not make use of distracting or oversized fonts . In addition, they may NOT contain text or links to commercial enterprises, commercial appeals, affiliate programs, religious and/or political organizations and causes, commercial websites, twitter feeds, facebook pages or other forums. Overtly political, religious or contentious signatures will not be allowed.

Profile Information - the information in a members profile fields (fields such as location, personal interests or home theatre) are for personal information only. These fields should not contain text to promote religious, commercial or political interests nor should they contain website URL's.

General Posting Rules

No Posting Appeal links - posts which encourage members to sign online petitions, religious causes, charitable organizations, political organizations, class action suits etc. are prohibited. This also includes request for members to become a "part of a survey" or to respond to writer who is writing a "thesis" or an "article"

No Cross Posting - posting the same question or comment in two forums is not allowed. Pick the most appropriate forum and post there. If you are unsure then contact the moderator.

Abuse of other members is not tolerated - denigrating other members with criticism and sarcastic comments is not acceptable. This includes belittling a members city, town, province or country. We welcome diverse points of view but we will not tolerate illegal, obscene, rude, racist and intolerant behavior.

Zero tolerance for flaming - Digital Home has zero tolerance for flames. If you have an issue with a post or someone's behavior then use the Report Bad Post feature and let our moderators deal with. If you respond and flame another member, you will be issued an infraction.

No obscene language - if your mother or teacher told you not to use a word in public or writing then don't use it here.

No Commercial posts and links are allowed - Commercial is anything that is not a personal website (i.e./ has a registered domain) or has any types of ads on it. If you are in doubt about what is okay and what is not then contact the moderator of the forum or the administrator prior to posting. Posting links containing affiliate codes will result in the thread being deleted and the immediate banning of the poster.

PowerBuy or Similiar Threads - must be approved by the Admin and their subject should be prefaced with the word Sponsored to indicate that this is a form of advertisement. See this thread for more information about PowerBuys.

No selling of products or services - we do not allow selling of any type of product or service in forum threads. This type of posting in threads will be considered spam and the user banned. Companies found spamming our forum multiple times will be blacklisted and added to our spammers list. If you wish to sell or promote a product or service on this site then you are required to pay for advertising.

No piracy discussions - discussion of how to pirate satellite or cable signals or discussion of how to engage in illegal activities such as software and music piracy and other intellectual property violations are not allowed. Encouraging others to engage in piracy or posting links to sites that engage in such activity or promote such activity is also prohibited.

No email addresses or contact information of individuals should be posted without that persons consent. When posting responses from organizations that have been emailed to you, members must remove the senders email, name and any contact information beyond the standard CSR type email address.

No posting Tiny-URLs - Due to the misuse of Tiny-URL's by spammers, posts that include TINY URL's and not the original URL will be deleted immediately. If you want to shorten the URL then use the BB code to put the URL into a link.

No Posting meaningless threads, one word (or short) non-sense posts, or such in order to become a regular member or to boost your post count is not allowed.

Annoying posts & Trolling – Annoying posts such as those consisting of all uppercase letters or containing an excessive number or smilies, icons, oversized fonts, excessive quoting will be subject to deletion without warning. Trolling posts are not permitted on the forum and will be deleted without warning. (Background: What is a troll and what is trolling?". This includes posts such as "Company XYZ sucks" or posts in the Star Choice forum saying "star choice stinks, you should go to ExpressVu"

No posts detrimental to the growth and well-being of this forum - Threads or posts whose intent is to steer a member or members away from the Digital forum are not allowed. This include threads that are self promoting and attempting to get members to visit forums with the same subject matter (i.e./ Check out this great website!) or posts that answer a members question by simply referring a member to another forum (i.e./ Go to xyzforum.com and you'll find all your answers there). Since intent is difficult to assess, this rule will be enforced at the discretion of the moderator.

General Misbehavior - This is the most difficult area. Occasionally we have members who may skirt the above rules but continue to post replies that are off topic, sarcastic, mean-spirited and me-too posts. Traditionally, we warn members exhibiting these types of behavior. This typically leads to the members posting more positively which helps us all whereas some take this as an excuse to become even more negative. General misbehavior and or trolling can result in suspension from the forums.

Posting Images

Image Size - Users wishing to post images on the forum are welcome to do so, however, we would ask that images be no wider than 600 pixels to avoid ruining the page layout and making it difficult for users to view a thread.

Image Source- users may create an album of photos for use on the site or post an image from an image hosting site such as Photobucket. Inserting images from non-image hosting sites is generally not allowed as it is considered to be bandwidth stealing.

Animated GIFs - Animated GIF's are not allowed.

Feedback and Appeals

Post edited, deleted or moved - Questions about why a post has been deleted, edited or moved should be sent to admin (the administrator) via private message. Posting further threads asking why your post was deleted or complaining about is not allowed and will result in suspension.

Warnings or Infractions - Please read this before responding to a warning or infraction. Abusing a moderator in a PM after receiving an infraction will simply result in the member receiving an additional infraction.

General feedback – general feedback about the operation or suggestions to improve this site is welcome, however, it must be posted in the Member feedback forum or the post will be deleted.

Complaints - If you have a complaint beyond general feedback or constructive criticism, then it should be sent via the bad post reporting mechanism or via PM to admin. Complaints about moderators or the way the forum is run in threads will be deleted and an infraction issued.

Forum Specific Rules

Certain forums such Home Theater FAQ, Digital Deals and Buy and sell have special posting rules that must be respected. The forum specific rules can be found in a sticky thread at the top of the specific forum.

Private Messaging and Contacting Other DHC Members

Digital Home respects the privacy of its members and feels that Private messaging should be used for personal use only. Members found sending private messaging spam or offering the sale of products and services to other members will be banned. The use of Private messaging to conduct private sales for items posted on the Buy/Sell forum is encouraged and welcome.

Posting threads asking members to contact them or asking for information about other members is also not allowed. Asking DHC to contact other members on your behalf will not be allowed. We respect our members privacy. If they choose to not respond to their Private messages or allow private messaging then we will abide by their wishes.

Contest Rules

From time to time Digital Home Canada will be offering contest and promotions that are designed to stimulate registration and use of the site.

If you sign-up during one of these contests, then it is understood that you have read and understood the rules.

[hugh]

Rule of the Forum Updated December 14th, 2005 to add

Contest Rules

From time to time Digital Home Canada will be offering contest and promotions that are designed to stimulate registration and use of the site.

If you sign-up during one of these contests, then it is understood that you have read and understood the rules.

[hugh]

Rule of the Forum Updated January 12th, 2005. The following was changed to restrict signatures to two lines and not make use of distracting or oversized fonts.

This rule was modified after some complaints of excessively long signatures and signatures with large fonts and coloured fonts.

Use of Signatures - signatures are allowed on the forum however they may not contain images and should be kept to two lines and not make use of distracting or oversized fonts . In addition, they may NOT contain text or links to commercial enterprises, affiliate programs, religious and/or political organizations and causes.

[hugh]

Rules of the Forum Updated January 17th, 2006.

The following was changed to clarify that DHC will not contact others on behalf of members (as per this thread ) which was posted last September and DHC will not allow threads asking other members to contact them etc.

We respect our members privacy and if members choose to not respond to Private messages or don't wish to receive any private messages then we will honour that decision.

Private Messaging and Contacting Other DHC Members

Sending private messaging spam or offering the sale of products and services to other members is not allowed and will result in the immediate banning of the sender.

Posting threads asking members to contact them or asking for information about other members is also not allowed. Asking DHC to contact other members on your behalf will not be allowed. We respect our members privacy. If they choose to not respond to their Private messages or allow private messaging then we will abide by their wishes.

[hugh]

Rules of the Forum were updated on August 31st, 2006

under Signatures and Profile Information

the following was added

Profile Information - the information in a members profile fields (fields such as location, personal interests or home theatre) are for personal information only. These fields should not contain text to promote religious, commercial or political interests.

under Private Messaging and Contacting Other DHC Members

the following

Sending private messaging spam or offering the sale of products and services to other members is not allowed and will result in the immediate banning of the sender.

was changed to

Digital Home respects the privacy of its members and feels that Private messaging should be used for personal use only. Members found sending private messaging spam or offering the sale of products and services to other members will be banned. The use of Private messaging to conduct private sales for items posted on the Buy/Sell forum is encouraged and welcome.

under General Posting Rules

the following

Annoying posts – Annoying posts such as those consisting of all uppercase letters or containing an excessive number or smilies, icons, oversized fonts, excessive quoting will be subject to deletion without warning.


was changed to

Annoying posts & Trolling – Annoying posts such as those consisting of all uppercase letters or containing an excessive number or smilies, icons, oversized fonts, excessive quoting will be subject to deletion without warning. Trolling posts are not permitted on the forum and will be deleted without warning. (Background: What is a troll and what is trolling?"

[hugh]

Rules of the Forum updated on OCtober 30th, 2006

The following was added under General Posting Rules.

PowerBuy or Similiar Threads - must be approved by the Admin and their subject should be prefaced with the word Sponsored to indicate that this is a form of advertisement. See this thread for more information about PowerBuys.

[hugh]

Removed the following under No selling of products or services since the Buy/Sell forum has been replaced by the Classifieds.

The only exception is for private individuals who wish to sell personal items in our Buy and Sell forum

[hugh]

Updated Jan 4th

No Retail Links or discount pricing posts - The posting and discussion of MSRP (or street pricing) is okay on all forums, however, posting where you can find discounts or discounted pricing is only allowed in the Digital Deals forum subject to the specific rules of that forum. Direct links to retailers and etailers is NOT allowed anywhere.

(or street pricing) was added to clarify confusion

[hugh]

Rules of the Forum updated on February 1st, 2006 to add

No posts detrimental to the growth and well-being of this forum - Threads or posts whose intent is to steer a member or members away from the Digital forum are not allowed. This include threads that are self promoting and attempting to get members to visit forums with the same subject matter (i.e./ Check out this great website!) or posts that answer a members question by simply referring a member to another forum (i.e./ Goto xyzforum.com and you'll find all your answers there). Since intent is difficult to assess, this rule will be enforced at the discretion of the moderator.

ADMIN NOTE:

I have hesitated adding this rule because we don't want it to be interpreted as "thou shalt not post links to other forums".

This rule is really about respecting what we are trying to do at Digital Home.

We have had several members recently who have taken to answering every question with a thread from another forum. In one case the member directed people to the other forum in three consecutive posts. Technically he was correct but the truth was the questions were easily answered and by constantly throwing out URL's, he was discouraging folks to discuss it here.

In another instance, someone asked a question that a member replied to within few minutes. The member had NO idea what the answer was and simply told the member to goto another forum for answers and gave a link. This obviously stifles any conversation here and is deterimental to the growth of our forum.

Having said that:

For specific technical information, we do allow members to post links to a specific thread in another forum but we would ask that you only do so when the subject is complex or the instructions are lengthy and complicated.

Answering an inquiry by simply throwing up a URL to another forum is disrepectful to this forum.

[hugh]

Questions about why a post has been deleted should be sent to hugh (the administrator) me via private message. Posting further threads asking why your post was deleted or complaining about is not allowed and will result in suspension.

changed to

Questions about why a post has been deleted or edited should be sent to hugh (the administrator) me via private message. Posting further threads asking why your post was deleted or complaining about is not allowed and will result in suspension.

[hugh]

Annoying posts & Trolling – Annoying posts such as those consisting of all uppercase letters or containing an excessive number or smilies, icons, oversized fonts, excessive quoting will be subject to deletion without warning. Trolling posts are not permitted on the forum and will be deleted without warning. (Background: What is a troll and what is trolling?"

changed to

Annoying posts & Trolling – Annoying posts such as those consisting of all uppercase letters or containing an excessive number or smilies, icons, oversized fonts, excessive quoting will be subject to deletion without warning. Trolling posts are not permitted on the forum and will be deleted without warning. (Background: What is a troll and what is trolling?". This includes posts such as "Company XYZ sucks" or posts in the Star Choice forum saying "star choice stinks, you should go to ExpressVu"

[hugh]

Added the following

No Posting Appeal links - posts which encourage members to sign online petitions, religious causes, charitable organizations, political organizations, class action suits etc. are prohibited. This includes any links within the posts to such appeals.

In the past, we have explicitly forbid such links or appeals in signatures and disallowed it in any posts but have now formally spelled it out in the rules. The rule is a blanket rule for all causes, charities, religions etc no matter how worthy a member may deem them to be.

This also includes appeals for people to sign up for class action suits etc

[hugh]

Adjusted the No Posting Appeal links to widen scope

No Posting Appeal links - posts which encourage members to sign online petitions, religious causes, charitable organizations, political organizations, class action suits etc. are prohibited. This also includes request for members to become a "part of a survey" or to respond to writer who is writing a "thesis" or an "article"

Please note that we have prohibited all appeal links, regardless of merit, to avoid any controversy or any difficulties that may arise if a member responded to what appeared to be a valid appeal and then had an issue.

[hugh]

Clarify our no piracy discussions section.

No piracy discussions - discussion of how to pirate satellite or cable signals or discussion of how to engage in illegal activities such as software and music piracy and other intellectual property violations are not allowed. Links to sites that engage in such activity or promote such activity are also prohibited. Finally advocating members engage in satellite or software piracy is also forbidden.

Please note that the Digital Home forum allows the discussion of criminal activity and its scope but does not allow the discussion of How-To carry out crimes such as satellite piracy, does not allow the advocacy of piracy nor do we allow links to sites that advocate satellite piracy.

[hugh]

Updated to allow shopping discussions