[Brutal_Dreamer]

Before posting on OrchidTalk, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the following rules and guidelines.

1) Personal attacks, "flaming", or rudeness towards another member is not allowed, and will not be tolerated. While we encourage debate and discussion, we do insist that you, as a member, treat others here with courtesy and respect, even if their opinions differ from your own. Failure to follow this rule may result in your immediate and permanent removal from the forums.

2) Please refrain from making any racist, homophobic, sexist, or otherwise bigoted remarks. These forums are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, from all parts of the world and all walks of life. If this policy is a problem for you, then this is not the forum for you. Failure to follow this rule may result in your immediate and permanent removal as an OrchidTalk member.

3) No political discussions or discussions about religion are allowed on this board. It's just not worth the administrative bother to prune and edit threads that generate a lot of bad blood, and we don't need that here. Threads that violate this rule will be closed without warning. Posts that violate this rule will be deleted without warning. Repeat offenders will be banned. If you want to debate these or other emotionally "volatile" subjects, please do so on one of the many message boards that encourage those types of discussions.

4) If someone posts something that you feel is inappropriate or in any way violates the rules of this forum, do not respond to the post. Instead, report the post to a moderator by clicking the "Report Bad Post" icon.

5) Important: Spamming, advertising, soliciting, trading, bartering, and selling are absolutely not permitted on this site. Specifically: The posting of messages by anyone other than the Administrators or legal representatives of rv-orchidworks.com, in any forum, subforum, signature line, member profile area, or other portion of the Site, which seek to advertise or solicit by verbiage, photograph, sound file, internet link, or any other means, goods and services for sale, trade, barter, or exchange, whether such messages are positively, negatively, or neutrally construed, whether the items or services referenced are privately or publicly available, for free or for profit, posted by commercial ventures, non-profit organizations, or individuals, including but not limited to, advertisements and solicitations made on one's own behalf, or on the behalf of any other individual, organization, group, or enterprise, is strictly forbidden.

For example: You are extremely excited by a blooming plant you just bought. You post a photograph of it and say, "Look what I just got from Vendor J! Isn't it just gorgeous? Jim/Jack/John/James/Jeff/Jud/Jocko was so helpful, too! He doesn't have a lot left, so get over there quick! Free shipping!"

Another example: You come across a message in which a member has expressed her dissatisfaction with the high prices of plant type O. You reply: "I can get one of those for you cheap. I have sources. Email me squinty@filthycheap.com. I'll hook you up."

Another example: You are frustrated and angered by the way you've been treated when making your most recent purchase. You start a new thread and announce, "Vendor A/B/C/D - Box Store E/F/G/H royally SUCKS. I will NEVER buy from those dinky-sticked LOSERS again."

Another example: You just purchased an orchid on the popular internet auction site. You announce "Look what I got for a song on e-bay." or you say "This was an e-bay purchase." E-bay can certainly afford to advertise on their own and they do not need your help. If you feel you *must* post these type of messages, then go post them on a different forum that welcomes this type of spam. OrchidTalk is not the place for you.

Another example: You decide that the OrchidTalk Forum would be the perfect place to promote your new Athletic Support Cup recycling business. Using a large, bold, and colored font as well as several clapping emoticons, you paste a link to your company's website along with your company's slogan "Out There and Back Again" into your OrchidTalk signature panel.

A final example: You are interested in buying a plant from vendor 'x, y, or z' and you post a new message about being interested in a certain plant. To show members what you are talking about you simply link to the photograph on the vendor's site or you use the image code and post the photo here in OrchidTalk and it displays either the vendor's name or URL address on the image (watermark).

All of these scenarios are examples of advertising. Advertising by members is not permitted on this site. If you want to know where a member who posted a photograph bought her plant, Private Message her and ask her directly. If you are frustrated at the poor treatment or shameful quality of a plant you just purchased, express your frustration, but don't point the blame. You will without doubt receive scores of Private Messages asking for the offending party's identity. If you yourself have something you'd like sell, barter or trade, this is not the place for those activities. Instead, post your ad on the website we created just for that purpose: orchid-Bids Orchid Auctions. The OrchidTalk forum is *not* set up to legally protect you or us in case of any mishap or wrongdoing regarding a transaction. Don't post them.

Similarly, links may only be posted to web sites which are personal, educational, governmental, or not-for-profit in nature. The page that you link to may not contain products or services offered for sale or trade, nor may it contain links to other websites or pages which themselves contain products or services offered for sale or trade. Further, the linked-to page must not be off-topic to the forum in which it is being posted.

Links or references to websites containing orchid or gardening forums, goods and services, or language promoting specific companies are not permitted in OrchidTalk posts, profiles, signatures--anywhere. We consider such links to be spam, and if you spam, your posts/signature/profile will be deleted, and your account may be terminated.

If you are interested in advertising on OrchidTalk, (in other words, you are interested in paying for web space in which to display an advertisement), please contact us via Private Message or using the contact us form if you are not a member.

We really cannot be any clearer or more specific about these issues, so please adhere to the rules regarding no spamming, no advertising, no linking.

6) If you have a question about a certain topic, try searching the boards first. You may find that your question has already been answered, or that there is already an ongoing discussion on the topic in which you are interested.

7) Please do not post the same or similar questions in more than one forum ("cross-posting").

8) Debate is encouraged! If you disagree with something you've read, then please post your opinion, keeping the above rules in mind.

9) Treat the moderators like any other member. If you disagree with something we've posted, then by all means say so! The purpose of these forums is to learn, discuss and share knowledge; not to massage egos. We'll always give our best answer, but we are human too and frequently wrong about things.

10) The moderators' decisions and disciplinary posts are not subject to public debate. If you have a question or an issue with something I or another moderator has done, take it up with us via Private Message.

11) Multiple memberships by the same individual are not allowed on this orchid forum. The rule is, one person, one account. The activation of multiple memberships for the purpose of avoiding or sidestepping any disciplinary action or account suspension will result in immediate and permanent termination of service.

12) This website complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, therefore this forum is intended for persons over thirteen years of age. Children under thirteen may *only* use this site with the supervision of a parent or guardian.

13) The OrchidTalk Forums have no rules in place against cursing. The use of such language, however, should be carefully considered prior to posting. Posts that contain gratuitous or overly-offensive cursing may be deleted or edited at our discretion. Please do not use any foul language in thread titles under any circumstances.

14) Private Messaging and the ability to upload a custom avatar becomes enabled once you have posted 5 messages in a public forum. This policy usually acts as enough of a deterent to keep most spammers away. Once you have posted your 5 messages, you'll be able to PM any other member who has enabled private messaging in their User Control Panels. Thanks for being here, enjoy the great information and colorful personalities our membership has to offer, and have fun!

OrchidTalk FAQ

Terms and Conditions of Forum Use

Cheers,
BD