House Rules

We all want the message board to be a friendly, open, honest and safe place for people to get together so please do make sure you have read and understand the house rules before you post.

The message board is part of the Encyclopedia Titanica web site (www.encyclopedia-titanica.org). By submitting a post to the message board you are signifying that you have read and agree to these house rules and the Encyclopedia Titanica Terms of Use. These may seem long-winded but they are for your protection as much as ours!

Real name policy

We strongly encourage people to use their real name when posting on the board, it is more honest and your posts have a great deal more credibility. However you are free to choose your own screen name.

Public Posting

You may post on the board without registering but your post will be held in a queue until reviewed by a moderator. Approval of a publicly posted message by a moderator does not signify any endorsement. Simply that, as far as it is possible to judge, the post appears to comply with the house rules and terms of use.

Benefits of Registration

Your posts go up instantly without being held in a queue
You can select topics from which to receive email notification.
You can contact other members using the private message facility.

If you register for the message board you are must provide your real name on the form. This helps us eliminate spam registrations.

You do not necessarily have to use your real name when posting. But do not use this as an opportunity to mislead the readership - such as using a false name to post a favourable review of your own book - it has been known! Such activity is easily exposed and to save any possible embarrassment later on should be avoided!

You can edit your profile as necessary after your e-mail address is confirmed.

Joining In

Please treat people in the way you would like to be treated yourself. If you are considerate, patient and get to know us you'll find it's a very friendly and useful place.
Do not cross-post (i.e. post the same or very similar messages in more than one topic)
Keep questions concise and specific.
Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar!
Always use the same courtesy that you would show when speaking to someone face-to-face. Intentional provocation, insults, profanity, personal attacks or discrimination based on sex, faith, age, ethnicity or other personal, cultural or racial characteristics will not be tolerated under any circumstances. It is fine to disagree strongly with opinions, ideas, and facts, but always with respect for the other person. Great minds do not always think alike!
Do not make any negative, unsubstantiated assertion about a living person. This may be considered defamatory and you will be legally liable for the consequences.
It is impossible to convey the same degree of subtlety or nuance in a text message than when speaking face to face. "Emoticons" (also known as "smilies") :-) ;-), and emphasis of different types may help but misunderstandings are common. Be aware that cultural references, sarcasm, irony and wit may not come across as intended. "In-Jokes" are only funny if you are in on them.
Never use ALL CAPS or a VaRiAtIoN. It is hard to read, considered rude and generally very unpopular!
Count to 10 and then re-read your message before posting it. Does it convey what you mean to say? Does it comply with the rules and the terms of use?
You may delete or edit your message within 60 minutes of posting. After that it is there to stay unless you appeal to the moderators.

When starting a new discussion...

Take care to choose the right topic for your message. Let a moderator know if there is no suitable topic or use "General Titanica"
Choose a distinctive, appropriate and concise subject. Titles of the form: "Titanic", "About Me", "Please answer my questions" should be avoided at all costs!
Check to make sure that you are not duplicating an existing discussion.
Do not start a new discussion (i.e. go off on a wild tangent) in the middle of an existing thread use the "Start New Thread" link to begin a new discussion.
In exceptional circumstances (natural disaster, national mourning, etc.) it may be appropriate to have an off-topic discussion. The administrator and moderators will decide if off topic discussions can continue on a case-by-case basis.

Image and File Uploading

The formatting page gives instructions on how to use this feature.
Keep file sizes low.
Keep embedded image dimensions to around 500pixels or less (or use the "Upload oversize Image" option)
The terms of use also apply to any image uploads but the most important points are as follows:

In uploading a file to the Encyclopedia Titanica message board you guarantee that one of the following conditions (1-4) is true:

1 . no copyright exists on the material being uploaded;

2. copyright on the material has expired;

3. explicit approval has been obtained from the copyright owner for upload of the submitted material to the Encyclopedia Titanica message board;
— You must also indicate who the owner is and that permission has been obtained or is not needed.

4. you are the owner of copyright on the material being submitted.

and

5. that the material does not infringe trademarks, licences or copyright owned or controlled by a third party.

Complaints and Disputes

The moderators are here to help but they are also volunteers and may not see an inappropriate post the moment it goes up.

If you have any concerns about a post or a thread please submit a report with a link to the problem post explaining your concerns clearly and objectively.

The moderators will review all complaints as quickly as possible.

If you do think that someone has posted something inappropriate please take care not to inflame a situation. Ensure that any public response you make is in accordance with the posting guidelines above. In other words, do not make a bad situation worse!

Censorship

You may find that legitimate threads that have been posted in the wrong topic will be moved (without warning) by the moderators to a more appropriate place. Take care to start a thread in the appropriate topic (see above). If a thread seems to have gone, use the Latest Posts, Last Day, Last Week or the search engine to find it.

The board administrator / moderators do not delete posts or threads on demand but will always consider requests to remove posts or threads that contain personal information or are considered in some way inappropriate. See above.

Disclaimer

The message board is a public forum, Encyclopedia Titanica and its editor do not guarantee privacy or anonymity with regard to anything posted on or via this message board.

The Encyclopedia Titanica message board contains facts, views, opinions and statements of third party individuals and organizations. The editor of Encyclopedia Titanica does not represent or endorse the accuracy, currentness or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information displayed, uploaded or distributed through the Encyclopedia Titanica message board. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement or information shall be at your sole risk.

Dated 12 September 2002
Revised 16 September 2002
Revised 30 December 2002
Revised 23 February 2004
Revised 08 November 2004
Revised 10 October 2011 (Real name rule relaxed)
Revised 16 November 2011