Football Board Rules

Specific Rules/Recommendations for posting on The Football Board

This is Warchant.com on the Rivals.com network. Do not bring information from other websites that are premium to this site and share. If you do, you will lose your ability to post.

This board is for discussion of FSU Sports Only. It is not the place talk about pro (non FSU) football, video games or Fantasy Football. We have the "Pro Sports and General Sports Forum" for those topics. Also, for games in action please use the "Gameday Forum". If you want to mix it up with rival fans, take that to the "Smack Board".

Recently there has been an influx of people copying content from other websites and then posting it on this message board. Whether it's premium content or not, copying content from another website without the author's permission violates copyright laws. I'm getting tired of editing posts of people who do this on a regular basis. If we have to start banning people to get the message across we will. If it's a free story just provide a link. If it's a premium story we prefer you not link it at all. However, you can say something like "ESPN Insider (premium subscription site) has a good story on Ernie Sims."

* We no longer have a free recruiting message board. Recruiting topics are no longer allowed on this message board. If you wish to discuss recruiting, you can use our Premium Recruiting Message Board. This board is for football, not recruiting.

* Also, please no buying, selling, trading or linking to video clips that were broadcast for television. The people selling or trading these videos do not have the rights to do so and you can't use Warchant to make those deals. Also, we will no longer permit the linking to homegrown websites that store video clips lifted from TV without the permission of the network that broadcast them.

* These people are flagrantly breaking copyright laws. But we are the ones that get flack because people are using our message boards to effectively circumvent the law.

*There are some exceptions. If the ESPN website has free video highlights you can link there. Also, some local TV stations have websites and may show video clips that they filmed. You may link to those websites as well.

You can host your own photos or videos at Rivals.com TailgateTV.

Since more often than not these exceptions do not apply, do not come to this message board and ask for a specific video clip. What happens is somebody says "I will e-mail it to you" and then 20 more people ask for the same thing, or somebody links to one of these homegrown video websites, and then we have a problem.

Since there has been a lot of confusion and complaints regarding this I want to make our policy on links to videos on YouTube clear.

1) If you are still unclear about whether you can link to YouTube and have a specific question about a video, please email the moderators. That also goes if you have a complaint or question if a post containing a link to YouTube (or any post) is deleted. The address is simple - moderators@warchant.com. DO NOT POST QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINS ON THE MESSAGE BOARD. This board is for discussion of FSU sports, it is not a forum to discuss copyright laws, or morality of taking intellectual property and using it on the web.

2) It is not against to rules to link to YouTube, but we ask that you don't link to any site where a fan can upload a video when the video in question (or collection of photos) is not the creation of the person that posted the video. For example, you may not link to video clips that are taken from TV broadcasts that are on YouTube. Clearly the people that did that did not get permission from ESPN, ABC, CBS, Sun Sports, etc. If on the other hand, if it's a link to a home movie, a clip where the person that owns the video gave permission to show it, or some video clip that is not copyright protected, it's perfectly fine to link to YouTube.

3) A lot of people have offered their free legal opinion that Warchant.com won't get in trouble when people link to sites containing videos that have been illegally lifted from TV or some other source. While that is probably true, I have a hard time letting Warchant be used to encourage (or at least ignore) illegal activity no matter how minor people think it is. Maybe I'm closer to the issue than most since Warchant.com is often a victim of copyright violations (stories, photos and videos being lifted and placed elsewhere on the web without our permission). The point being, we aren't taking this stance because we feel we are going to get into legal trouble because of people linking to YouTube.

4) A video containing a collection of photos on YouTube is no different than a stolen video clip. Photos are copyright protected and more often than not these photo compilations contain photos that are not the property of the person that created the video. In fact, some of them contain photos that came from premium Warchant.com photo galleries. While I have no specific objection to Warchant.com photos being used for this purpose (it would have been nice to be asked first), it does not change the fact that all the other photos were taken and displayed on the web in violation of copyright laws. * However, if you are a Warchant.com subscriber you have permission to use Warchant.com photos on your MyFanPage (photo gallery).

5) Our policy on linking to YouTube doesn't prevent anybody from going there on your own. If you go there and search, you can find pretty much any FSU clip you want. We just don't want our message boards being used to direct people to videos we believe violate copyright laws - and encourage them to create more.

There are currently some copyright-infringement suits pending against YouTube (including one for $1 billion). If the court ends up ruling in YouTube's favor, it's possible we may change our policy but for now, please follow our rules.

This isn't a rule, just a recommendation - If you have a personal or family issue (request for support or prayers) that you would like to bring to the attention of the community on Warchant.com the best message board for that is the Locker Room message board. However, since this is a sensitive subject, if you feel more comfortable posting on this board feel free to do so. I just don't want to see this board overrun with personal requests.

As always, if you have a complaint or issue with any rule or policy (or because a post was deleted, edited or locked), please contact the board moderators via e-mail instead of posting about it on this board. The moderators email address is moderators@warchant.com.

If you are banned, please contact the moderators at the e-mail link provided above and be sure to include your username. Including your username allows us to speed up the process of returning you to the boards.

Thanks and happy posting.

General Rules for all forums

1. No profanity, racist or sexist comments. This includes using abbreviations or changing one letter of a swear word such that the word(s) are still interpreted by most as profane. This rule includes "linking to" sites that contain profanity, racist or sexist material. If the site might offend somebody because it contains swear words or is racially or sexually insensitive, then don't link there. Please avoid sexually explicit topics. There are other outlets for those kinds of discussions, please refrain from them on Warchant. This rule also includes using the word "Gaytor" to poke fun at UF. Don't do it. If you continue to put the "y" in gator and keep making gay references, you will be banned.

2. No pornographic or obscene material of any kind. Any user posting pornographic pictures, or links to such material will be blacklisted. This includes materials within a signature file or avatar.

3. No attacking other posters. If you feel the need to harass another poster, don't do it. What is considered attacking other posters?

o Bringing up their name in posts that they did not start or were not involved in, just to get a reaction from them.

o Consistently responding to their posts and responding with no merit other than to belittle them.

o In short, making a poster a target.

4. Do not post unsubstantiated rumors about players, coaches, etc. If you have a link to a news story, that is one thing. But if you have heard something 'from a friend of a friend,' this is not the website to post innuendo and rumor. Those posts will be removed.

5. No repetitive negative posting. What makes a repetitive post? If you come to the forum and consistently say the exact same thing about the exact same topic day in and day out, that is being repetitive. Be sure to understand that no one is saying that you can not be critical. But this site will not be overrun by the same people coming on the site day after day saying the same negative things.

6. No flaming: If a poster come onto the board with the intent only to flame, and continues to post nothing but flames or engages in no substantive discussion, the poster's posts will be deleted and the poster will be banned at the monitor's discretion.

7. No attacks on players or coaches. Criticism is allowed, and encouraged if the shoe fits. But that does NOT mean you have free range to bash or alienate a player or coach with your comments. If you disagree with how they played or the effort they put forward, please voice your opinion and state why you hold that opinion. If it's something you would not say to their faces, then don't post it.

8. No attacking recruits: Just because a player may choose another school does not give you the right to blast them, in any circumstance. There will be zero tolerance on this issue.

9. No posting of commercial offers, competing websites or spamming of the board will be permitted.: All threads will be deleted at the discretion of the board monitor.

10. The only blogs permitted are those with ties to major publications such as newspapers, sport magazines, etc. 'Fan Blog' websites will not be permitted due to their frequency of stealing other's premium information and then redistributing.

11. No posting or or distribution any material that infringes and/or violates any right of a third party or any law. Post will be deleted and member can be banned at the monitors discretion. This means no posting of premium information from other web sites.

12. Do not give out your personal information on the message board or chat room. Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information (such as your email, phone number etc.) online --- for example, via message boards or chat --- that information can be collected and used by people you don't know. You give out your personal information at your own risk. We are not responsible for any actions that occur if you give out your personal information.

13. If you have business or questions for moderators regarding board policy/bannings/etc....

do so via e-mail, not on the board. Arguing with a moderator on the board about

board policy/bannings is grounds for instant banning.

The golden rule is a good one to follow: Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

To the vast majority of fans who read this site and already function within this rule set, thank you very much for your adult candor and responsible posting.

The following users are admins or moderators: Dotcom, MadCow, JMGNole,

FireInTheNole, FSUDawg, ShaolinNole, Stat Boy Slan, Animal2005, GlassCityNole,

DC Nole, FSU2Times, DynastyNole, Seminole64, Coach Ken Locke, LAnoles,

Rick_Osceola, NoleSoul, and LuLu1.