| Welcome to the Armed Forces Journal forums!
Help these boards stay friendly and civilized by reading and following our rules of engagement:
The Golden Rule
A good rule of thumb is to never say something in the message boards that you wouldn't say in front of a group of people, or face-to-face.
Spam
Posting spam (the same post or information multiple times in one message board or many) isn't allowed and will be removed. No one wants to buy that rolex.
Post removal and reporting
These forums can become heated and we frequently moderate posts. If you begin a new thread, your new thread may not appear to other users until it has been reviewed. If you feel a post, conversation or user requires our attention, let us know by using the Report Bad Post button (it's on the top right of every message board post). We reserve the right to remove, without notification, content that doesn't comply with our guidelines. Content that is not in English may be removed if we cannot determine the intent. Continued violation of these guidelines may result in a loss of posting privileges on our message boards. It's rare, but we do it.
Mild vulgarity
We don't really mind mild profanity. We've been known to let one fly, ourselves. However, if it becomes excessive or you direct it at another person, that's no good.
Disruption
You're welcome to voice your opinion here, and it would be a boring place if you didn't. But if you disagree with a comment that's been made, keep it civil. Posts designed to instigate or disrupt discussions or that contain offensive material may be removed, along with other messages posted in response. Please don't use obscene or offensive language, hate speech or engage in personal attacks of other members.
Advertising and solicitation
Posts that include any kind of advertising, solicitation or promotion will be removed EXCEPT in areas specifically designated for those purposes. (You'll know they are designated because they will specifically say so in the first post.) In areas where buying/selling/trading is permitted, it is your responsibility to do the research. Use caution and common sense.
Personal information
We want to get to know you but remember these message boards are public and anyone could be reading. Please don't share information such as address and phone number, yours or someone else's. Be safe.
Private Messages
Important word here is private. Private means not for public consumption and it's just common courtesy not to post the contents of private messages on the public boards.
Are you at least 13 years old?
In order to use our message boards, you must be at least 13 years old. By registering here, you are telling us that you are at least 13 years old and not subject to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA - http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/coppa1.htm).
Q&A
What happened to my post?
There are a few things that may have happened:
1) You've misplaced it. You can search for a previously posted message by keyword or by user name. Note: It may take a minute or two for your message to appear if you very recently posted it.
2) It's been moved. Threads which are posted in the wrong message board may be moved to the proper place.
3) Posts that violate these Community Guidelines or our Terms of Service are subject to removal, along with any messages that may have been posted in response. We encourage you to read the full Community Guidelines before posting in the message boards. If you believe your post may have been removed and wish to discuss the reason for its removal, you may write to discussions@atpco.com. You must include your username and the url to the message board where the post was created.
How should I deal with disruptive behavior in the message boards?
A few suggestions:
1) Ignore disruptive posts -- if you reply, you're only encouraging unruly discussion. You also have the option of adding users to your own Ignore list.
2) Report violations of the Terms of Service and/or the Community Guidelines by using the Report Bad Post button found on each post.
What does it mean to be off-topic?
Some boards are for discussing current news and politics, while others are for chitchat. Posts that do not fall within the topic presented in the first post of the thread can disrupt discussions. (For example, a post about what cell phone plans are good if you deploy overseas is off-topic in a conversation about the Secretary of Defense resigning. True story, btw.) Please read the first post and other posts to get an idea of what the conversation is about before you post. Off-topic posts and their responses may be removed without notification.
Do message boards expire?
There will be times when a conversation becomes closed. Closed message boards are read-only, which means you may not post any new messages to them. There are also times when a message board will be retired. Retirement may occur because there has been little to no conversation in the board or the topic is no longer relevant to the community.
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