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       Compuphile Family & Business Echomail Network
===============================================================

04/28/93

The main CompuLink guiding philosophy is gratefully albeit 
shamelessly borrowed from an old Fido saying, which has been 
rephrased to fit our style.

     The worst echomail 'offense' is being excessively annoying,
     but never forget that it's excessively annoying to be too
     easily annoyed.

The CompuLink Guidelines:

1.0  Users Guidelines

   1.01  Flaming and/or baiting and/or bashing is forbidden.

      a.  Any personal remarks or comments that would make a
          reasonable person angry or offended constitutes a
          flame.  These include ethnic or religious slurs,
          or demeaning remarks about another person's
          intelligence or "worth" as a human being.  

      b.  Various people are sensitized on various topics.
          These sensitivities are not always logical, but
          we know they exist.  Baiting is intentionally
          and knowingly posting in such a manner as to
          annoy a user or some group of users.  This
          doesn't mean users have to walk softly all the
          time, but no one should go out of their way to
          offend either.

      c.  Bashing is mindlessly disparaging anyone or anything.
          For example, saying brand X sucks... would be bashing,
          saying I think brand X is a bad buy because... and
          offering reasons for that impression/feeling is fine.

   1.02   Language within CompuLink must be kept "G" rated at all
          times.  We are NOT going to provide a list of what is
          and what isn't acceptable, but if the moderator or admin
          personnel says a given post is unacceptable, then that's
          it... end of story.  Ignoring net official requests to
          cease and desist using a given phrase or word in
          messages posted within CompuLink will be dealt with
          summarily and effectively.

   1.03   Over-quoting is discouraged, continual over-quoting is
          a network offense.  Very few good reasons exist to ever
          quote more than 7 lines of the message one is replying
          to, and it's never justifiable to quote the whole
          message back including taglines.

   1.04   Use of elaborate quoting utilities is discouraged;
          in any event no more than two characters per line of
          quoted text is permitted, with one char width above or
          below.  In other words, a single char box is allowed,
          a fancy double char width quoter style isn't.

   1.05   Signatures are limited to 80 chars total, no more than 2
          lines of text.  Titles or offices held on another
          network are expresedly forbidden for use in CompuLink
          as signatures.  Tends to confuse people and that office
          held has no signifigance within CompuLink.

          CompuLink moderators, regional sysops, officers, will
          use their network title only when they are speaking
          formally and directly addressing their area of
          responsibility.

   1.06   Only one "user" tagline, one line, per message is
          allowed.

   1.07   Outside of the EMail conference, no CompuLink conference
          offers or supports "private" tagging of messages.  Even
          there, privacy is NOT guaranteed by any means.  All
          sysops, and their designated parties can and may read
          any messages passing through their BBS, and a software
          glitch can and sometimes does throw such a message into
          publicly viewable status.  If you *need* real privacy,
          send a letter via the US Post Office.
 
  1.08    Never argue with a moderator.  If you disagree with a
          moderator and wish to appeal his ruling or official
          request, ask your sysop to contact the network
          administration on your behalf. Then desist until you
          receive response directly from the network
          administration. DO NOT argue or continue the
          behavior/subject that you received a "moderating
          message" about.
          
          Be AWARE... if you argue with a moderator in his
          conference, even if administration agrees with you
          on the subject disputed, you may be suspended for
          the act of arguing with the moderator.

   1.09   It's "bad form" to directly post to another user
          concerning a message they have posted to the
          moderator in his official capacity.  For example,
          if a user says YOU were flaming him, let the
          moderators do their job... if you respond to the
          user making this claim directly, it will only
          make matters worse.
          
   1.10   ANSI coded or @ codes macros that produce color
          messages or offer cursor control codes are prohibited
          in CompuLink, excepting in the ANSI Paint conference
          and BBS Ads.  

   1.11   Any items you wish to sell, should ONLY be offered in
          the BUY n SELL conference.  Placing for sale ads in
          other conferences is strictly prohibited.  If you
          quote a price and/or contact information and it's your
          (or a friend's/employer's info), it's a for sale ad.

   1.12   Stick to the conference topic, if the subject changes
          move the thread to a more appropriate area, preferrably
          before the moderator has to remind you of this rule.

===============================================================

2.0 Moderator Guidelines:

   2.01  All moderators are strictly by the administrator, usually
         based on sysop recommendation. They serve at the pleasure
         of the network and can be removed from office at any time
         should it be felt that this would serve the best interest
         of the network.

   2.02  Moderators should attempt to read all messages in their
         assigned conference regularly, and take an active
         interest in that conference.  It's expected that a
         moderator will be posting at LEAST one message per
         week in the conference.

   2.03  The primary duties of the moderator are to see that
         users are in compliance with the CompuLink User
         guidelines, and to watch out for messages without
         taglines or duplicate posts appearing in their
         assigned conference. Moderators should note though,
         that messages posted by fellow local BBS users will
         not normally have taglines on them.

   2.04  The process for moderating a user is...

       a. send a friendly worded reminder about CompuLink rules
          and what concerns you about the user's style/tone.

       b. If ignored, *allowing for mail transfer time!*, send a
          quiet warning that continuing the same behavior will
          result in your requesting administrative review and
          possible suspension.  Be sure to state in the message
          that you are sending the user an official warning; send
          a copy of the warning to the network administrator, and
          if you can ascertain the user's sysop... to that sysop
          as well.

       c. If ignored, *again, allowing for mail transfer time!*,
          send a request for a network suspension of the user.
          Suspensions will usually be granted, although subject
          to administrative review.

          Typical conference suspensions will be for a period of
          30 days, but may be longer or even permanent at the
          discretion of the network administrator.

       d. Keep a record of the name, date, and reason for ALL
          moderating messages sent.  Preferrably, including
          the offending post in it's entirety.  This will
          save a lot of grief when an angry sysop wants to
          know why one of his favorite users is in trouble
          in the network!  Chances are, the initial offending
          post(s) may have already scrolled off of the user's BBS
          and the guy's sysop may NOT have any idea of what
          has been going on.

   2.05   Moderators must show respect for other moderators!
          Disputes between moderators must be taken to the
          moderator's private conference immediately.

===============================================================

3.0 Sysop Guidelines:

This is a network that believes 99% of sysops are responsible people who 
have and maintain a reasonable set of standards on their BBS's.  
Thus, no lenghty list of sysop rules and what-if's should be 
needed.  More formal sysop guidelines may be created, if it proves 
necesary... however it shouldn't!

   3.01 The node minimum requirements are... poll your hub for
        mail at a minimum of 3x a week.  The Admin conf is
        mandatory, the other ones are elective.

   3.02 Hubs should attempt to poll every day and carry all
        CompuLink conferences.  In addition, hubs are requested to
        carry the four MSI piggy-back conferences.

   3.03 Nobody wants dupes or cross-conference problems.  Hubs are
        responsible to see that their nodes do NOT continue to
        have a problem along these lines... any system echo'ing
        dupes or crossed configured for three consecutive days
        must be shut off until the problem is located and fixed.
        Any hub shutting off a node for cause, or that is going to
        be off line for more than 48 hours MUST contact the net
        administrator and advise him of the problem. Failure to
        notify the administrator promptly will result in the
        reassignment of nodes to another location and probable
        termination of the system's membership... unless clear
        extenuating circumstances warrant leniency in the opinion
        of the administrator.

   3.04 An ongoing repeated failure to maintain configuration is
        likely to cause a system to be expelled from the network,
        however hubs are expected to work with their nodes and
        make a sincere effort to resolve the problem before it
        gets out of hand.

   3.05 Hubbing systems will shut off any node upon receipt of
        verbal or written notice to do so from the administrator.
        Failure to do so promptly will result in the hub losing
        access as well.

   3.06 All applications received MUST be forwarded to the
        administrator immediately.  No system should be allowed
        net status access to CompuLink until approval and
        acknowledgement from the administrator is received.

        Regional hubs may, at their discretion, waive the above
        waiting requirement until August 1, 1993; after that,
        the logistics of the application fee etc. will require
        administrative handling of ALL node coordination and this
        waiver clause will be null and void. 

===============================================================


General Administrative Guidelines, Plans, and Announcements

The network administrator reserves the right to modify or change 
any rules as needed, to better serve the intended pupose of 
insuring smooth and hastle-free echomail for us all.

The letter of the rule shall not take precedence to the spirit of 
the rule; an act that is not proscribed may be deemed severely not 
in the best interests of the network and thus action might be 
taken to eliminate the problem.  Those given to looking for and 
arguing about loopholes will be sorely disappointed.  Conversely, 
an action proscribed by the letter of the rule may still be deemed 
understandable under the circumstances and no given administrative 
action or "penalty" should be considered mandatory or automatic.

Starting August 1, 1993, a $10 application fee will be charged to 
new systems wishing to join CompuLink.  Those applying before that 
date will not be charged the fee.

Starting August 1, 1994; all member nodes will be charged a $10 
annual dues to access CompuLink.  These funds will be used to 
further promote the network and cover the administrative expenses 
(long distance voice calls, new application BBS reviews, etc.)  of 
the network.

Any system not remitting dues by the deadline when required will 
be shut down after 15 days grace period.

Should the host system and/or the network administrator be unable 
to continue operation of the network, the network administrator 
will assign a replacement host system and administrator from 
within the ranks of the membership.

===============================================================
