Board rules

These rules are disclosed to clarify the various responsibilities of all community members here on Japanese Armor Society Forum. They shall be adhered to by everyone to ensure that our board runs smoothly and provides a fun and productive experience for all of our community members and visitors.

  1. Introduction

    Please take a moment to read the following Japanese Armor Society Forum User Policy (the “Forum User Policy”).
    If there is anything you do not understand, then please contact us.

    This Japanese Armor Society Forum User Policy sets out certain rules that will govern your use of the forum (the "Forum") available at https://www.japanesearmorsociety.org including some guidelines that we hope you will find helpful.

    The Japanese Armor Society Forum are available to all users of the Website to look at. However, only registered users of the Forum ("Forum Users") are able to post messages. The Forum is provided to give users the chance to discuss items and topics of interest within the world of Japanese armor with other users of the forum. As in a real community, Forum Users are asked to respect other Forum Users and their rights.

    The Forum is divided into different areas, with each area dedicated to particular topics of discussion. Please ensure that any discussions you begin are started in the appropriate area so that other people know where to look for them.

    Joining the Forum
    Only one account per person is allowed. Registering more than one account will result in all of the user’s accounts being suspended, and the user may be permanently banned from using the Japanese Armor Society Forum.

    You must register on this site with your real name and an email address that is valid. New users will not be able to post on the Forum until they click the activation link sent to their registered email address, and the account has been approved. Registered Forum users are responsible for keeping their Japanese Armor Society Forum account up-to-date about their current email address. #
  2. Japanese Armor Society Forum Policy

    Your access and use of the Japanese Armor Society Forum is subject to your acceptance of, and compliance with the provisions of this Forum Policy and any other legal notices and/or instructions which may appear in the Forum (including in any messages or attachments posted on the Forum) from time to time.

    IMPORTANT: By accessing and using the Japanese Armor Society Forum you will automatically be taken to have read, understood and accepted this Forum Policy. If you do not agree to be bound by this Forum Policy, please cease to access the Forum. If you fail to observe any of the provisions of this Forum Policy, we reserve the right, at our discretion and without notice, to remove or edit any messages you may have left on a Forum and/or to exclude you (either temporarily or permanently) from the Forum and/or terminate your access to all or any parts of this Forum, depending on the nature and severity of your breach.

    If you are notified that your posting privileges have been suspended or terminated, you will not attempt to reregister as a User of the Forum or make any Posts on it in any guise whatsoever.

    When former Users whose posting privileges have been removed do reregister or otherwise disrupt the Forum, this spoils the Forum and can cause severe distress or disturbance to other Users. Dealing with the unwanted posts of former Users distracts us from the core purpose of the Forum and ties up management and technician time. Therefore, in such circumstances we reserve the right to:
      • Report offenders to their ISP.
        • Charge offenders for the administrative costs of identifying and removing their posts at the rate of Euro 50 per hour necessarily spent plus any external costs that we incur.
          • Take legal action to recover these costs.
            • Report offenders to the authorities if their actions appear to amount to a breach of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 or any other relevant criminal legislation.
            This Forum Policy may be amended from time to time, and we therefore suggest that you review it periodically. #
          • Posting a Message on a Discussion Forum

            When posting ("Posting") a message or a reply (including attachments) ("Message") on the Forum, you will need to be logged in as a registered Forum User. The following information will appear in your Posts:
              • Username - This will be published alongside your Message. It is a fundamental requirement of the Forum that all Users register with their real name (First and Last Names);
                • Location – Once again this will be published alongside your Message if you provided it when you registered. This will enable geographical queries to be responded to more effectively. Please do not insert your home address; your town, city or county will suffice, and in any case, please note that you are not obliged to provide this information;
                  • Topic Title – This is only required if you are starting a new topic thread; and
                    • Text – This will of course be published.
                    You are responsible for ensuring the safety of your personal information and we therefore recommend that you do not include your full home address, job title, telephone number or other more sensitive personal information in any Messages, unless you are entirely satisfied that such information should be made public. In particular, please remember that your email address may contain personal information about you such as your name and where you work. #
                  • Rules for using the Forum
                      • General Behaviour - Forum Users must not transmit to the Forum ("Post") any Message, or knowingly receive via the Forum ("Access") any Message that is unlawful, illegal, fraudulent, offensive, threatening, abusive, bullying, harassing, tortuous, indecent, obscene, defamatory, invasive of another's privacy, or discriminatory whether racially, ethnically, sexually, religiously or otherwise, or which may incite or instruct any person or organisation to undertake such activities. The persistent posting of critical messages that focus on other forum members is an example of behaviour that is harassing.
                        • Use of Language – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages containing language that is in any way unlawful, threatening or offensive. This includes the use of swear-words, bad language and offensive nicknames. Care should be taken with the use of language with attention given to tact and diplomacy and being non-judgmental. Remember that members may have low confidence, or be quite emotional and take replies in ways other than intended, or out of context. However also remember that everyone has different writing styles and that you may be reading something out of context, or other than intended.
                          • Breach of Confidence – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages that might in any way breach the confidence or privacy of another individual. For example, an email received from an individual cannot be placed on a Forum without first obtaining that individual’s consent.
                            • Breach of Intellectual Property – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages that might in any way infringe any patent, trade mark (including Trade Marks), trade secret, copyright, database right or in any other way violates the legal rights of any third party.
                              • Impersonation – Forum Users must not impersonate any person or identity, falsely state or otherwise misrepresent their affiliation with a person or organisation or disguise the origin of any content of a Message.
                                  Forum Users post as individuals, they can state their background and experience but unless authorised to do so should refrain from making repeated references to other services that they may work or volunteer for. Any views you express are your own. When views are expressed in a way which implies the support or endorsement of a third organisation it can have damaging consequences for that organisation including:
                                  • compromising core principles of independence, impartiality and client confidentiality
                                    • relationships with other third parties can be harmed
                                      • potential members / volunteers may be put off contacting the organisation
                                      • Viruses – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages that might contain computer viruses or any other computer code, or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software, hardware, or telecommunications equipment.
                                        • Illegal and Harmful Activities – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages relating to (or including links to) pirated software (including computer games), counterfeit goods or any other material which is, or might reasonably considered to be, illegal or otherwise harmful.
                                          • Pornography – Forum Users must not Post or Access Messages relating to (or including links to) any kind of pornography.
                                            • Personal Information – Forum Users must not Post any messages containing any information about another person from which that person can be identified. Please be aware that you do not have to name a person in order to identify them, if sufficient other information is given.
                                              • Contact Details - Forum Users must not Post any Messages containing email addresses, home address, telephone number or other contact details, of themselves or any other person.
                                                • Spam/advertising - Forum Users must not Post any Messages advertising products or services for profit or gain (unless in the Items for Sale/Wanted area of the Forum).
                                                  • Off topic Messages - Forum Users must not Post Messages that are off topic for the forum or thread if these will be disruptive to other users (Moderators will determine whether they feel Messages are off topic).
                                                    • Sharing of accounts - No account should be used by more than one person.
                                                      • Repeat Posts - a Post or very similar Posts should not be placed in several threads.
                                                        • Trolls - Forum Users must not Post inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion
                                                          • Other - Forum Users must not act in any way that brings the Forum or the Japanese Armor Society into disrepute.
                                                            • Moderator complaints: complaints and queries about Moderators should be sent directly using Private Message and not posted on the forums. We will not discuss moderation on the forum as this would help trolls and spammers.
                                                              • Advertising/Commercial use User to user recommendations of products is acceptable and encouraged but any commercially driven posts will be removed and your account banned or a warning issued. For example, inline text advertising is strictly forbidden. Any posts which do not adhere to the above will be removed and should the post be reposted the account may be subject to a warning or ban. In order to post urls on the Forum you must be an established member and with at least 10 posts as we do not want to encourage people to post simply to advertise rather than participate properly in the forum.
                                                                • Publishing Data: publishing data (pictures, articles) from within the member section to the public is not allowed and will, in case of infringement, result in a cancelation of the membership. When writing content, sources (books, websites, people) should be stated if possible.
                                                                    Reminder: If you fail to observe any of these rules, we reserve the right, at our discretion and without notice, to remove or edit any messages you may have left on the Forum and/or to exclude you (either temporarily or permanently) from the Forum and/or terminate your access to all or any parts of this Forum, depending on the nature and severity of your breach. #
                                                                  • Monitoring / Moderation

                                                                    In order to provide Forum Users with general support and advice in relation to their use of the Forum and for security and abuse-management reasons, Japanese Armor Society staff may act as Moderators.

                                                                    Moderators will access the Forum from time to time in order to help ensure that other Forum Users are adhering to the Forum Policy. However, Moderators will not undertake to monitor every Message nor to monitor the conduct of every Forum User and each Forum User shall remain responsible for his or her behaviour in the Forum.

                                                                    We might not monitor all activity on the Forums and so we do rely on Forum Users to inform us if you observe any abuse or inappropriate behaviour, in which case we will review specific Messages and assess if they breach the Forum or User Policies. When a message is reported as unsuitable it will not be removed automatically by the system. Moderators will determine what action is necessary - removal of the post or no further action. If you feel you have been threatened, damaged or abused in the Forum, if you believe any infringement of your rights may have occurred through the Forum or if you would like to report abuse or inappropriate behaviour then please do so by reporting posts using the 'Report Post' button. You must be logged in to report Posts.

                                                                    Moderators are volunteers, with other professional and personal responsibilities, so they will deal with reported Posts as soon as they can. However, as they also have other duties and sometimes decisions about further action require discussion between moderators, we cannot guarantee an immediate response. However, all reported Posts will be dealt with in due course.

                                                                    Do not abuse the "Report Post" button. If you do not agree with a comment, please respond via the forum. The "Report Post" function is there to ensure that Forum Users have the means to report inappropriate content.

                                                                    If we remove your Message after reviewing it, you can assume that we removed it deliberately and you should take our warning notification seriously.

                                                                    The Japanese Armor Society reserves the right to:
                                                                      • access and monitor the use of the Forum and any Messages Posted on them;
                                                                        • take whatever other steps we consider are necessary to protect our Forum Users; including editing or removing any Messages or suspending or discontinuing any threads on the Forum; and
                                                                          • revoke your status as a Forum User or otherwise limit your right of access to the Forum at any time where, in our opinion, you have materially or persistently breached this Policy or the Terms and Conditions
                                                                            • restrict your ability to complain or in some cases revoke your status as a Forum User if the complaint facility is used excessively or maliciously
                                                                            #
                                                                          • Liability and Disclaimers

                                                                            Please read carefully the paragraphs entitled “Disclaimers”, “Our liability” and “Your liability” in the User Policy, as they also apply to this Forum Policy.

                                                                            Please note that:
                                                                              • The Forum consists largely of Messages Posted by Forum Users that are not employed or contracted by us, and we do not monitor every Message nor the conduct of every Forum User. Therefore, we can accept no liability in respect of the content of any Messages, including the accuracy or truthfulness of any such Messages or any responsibility for the consequences of your acting in reliance on such Messages. We do not endorse any opinions expressed by any Forum Users in any Messages;
                                                                                • While we will take steps to edit or remove any Messages which are in breach of this Forum Policy and which come to our notice, we cannot guarantee the prompt editing or removal of any Messages;
                                                                                  • We reserve the right at our sole discretion to remove or edit Messages from the Forum or to suspend or discontinue or take down from the Forum any or all threads at any time for any reason; and
                                                                                    • We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to deny any Forum User access to the Forum, without notice, for any breach of this Forum Policy and/or to terminate your access to all or any parts of this Forum.
                                                                                      • Our staff are volunteers: Please note that acts of discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation against our staff or volunteers (including moderators) will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, physical or verbal abuse or contacting our staff or volunteers outside working hours on personal numbers without specific permission.
                                                                                      #
                                                                                    • Contacting Us

                                                                                      You can contact us by sending an e-mail message to: contact@japanesearmorsociety.org. #