The forum rules are subject to change.  We suggest you bookmark this thread and periodically review it for changes.

FORUM RULES

When you joined the forum, you agreed to abide by the Terms of Service (there, it says that the moderation staff reserves the right to remove any post or thread (or you) at any time for any reason). Here are a few additional rules that apply to your use of the forum.

GENERAL CONDUCT

Before beginning a discussion, please skim through the threads to make sure that someone hasn't already started a conversation about your topic. Also, please make sure that you place your message in the correct folder.

Although you may not share a member's enthusiasm for a particular character, actor, contestant, judge, aspect of the show, etc., please respect their opinion. We encourage you to discuss opinions as long as they stay respectful. This forum was created to discuss a wide range of topics, and attempts to drive off a member because they have a differing opinion will not be tolerated. If you post with respect, you will be respected. If not, your stay here will be short.

We encourage you to post your opinion, but you aren't permitted to insult, harass, or intimidate other members for expressing theirs.

Profanity (even if it is masked) and name-calling is also forbidden. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, disparaging or hateful comments based on gender, age, appearance, race, sexual orientation, ethnic background, locality, or religion.

The question the moderation team asks when deciding whether to delete a post or thread is: "Is it mean-spirited or malicious?" If the answer is "Yes," it comes down. If a member establishes a pattern of mean-spirited posts, their account will come down.


Further considerations...

Threads lead strange lives. Many begin well but deteriorate into flaming, bashing, and general negativity. If a thread becomes dominated by this type of post, the entire thread will be deleted.

Contestants of reality shows who did not make a cut or have been voted off and who are no longer a part of the competition deserve respect

for having come as far as they did. Returning to their threads only to bash or gloat is not in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

If you see an offensive or abusive post (or one that violates the forum policies in some other way), please report it. You may counter it, but do so respectfully. If you attack back, you may find yourself in just as much (or more, if your attack is worse than the original post) trouble as the original offender.

If one of your posts is deleted, it is usually because you have violated a forum rule and the deletion is a warning. If you establish a pattern of violations, your account may be flagged. If your account is flagged, you may get clarification by writing to Grace ( gcloud@mzinga.com ) and you may be reinstated if you agree not to create further violations. 

Please don't use more than one membername or create another is if yours if flagged.  If you are found to be doing so, you could lose access to all of your accounts.

If you are banned from a forum, are reinstated, and you still can't get in, you need to clear your cache and try again.  You can get instructions for this task at: www.bnl.gov/itd/webapps/browsercache.asp .  Make sure you also delete your cookies.

Please don't post the same message more than once in the same thread or another thread. It is considered spamming and those who consistently do it will be banned from the forum.

Please don't hijack threads - it is bad etiquette because it isn't fair to the originator of the thread, since many members are reluctant to interrupt an ongoing conversation, even if it's just to ask for a return to the title topic.  There are several methods of hijacking a thread: two of the most common are abruptly posting a message that is completely off topic to the original thread post, or two or more members begin "chatting" in a separate "personal" conversation.  If this is done maliciously, your account will be flagged.

Please remember that this is a forum for discussing a show on a specific network.  Discussions of shows on other networks are usually not allowed.

Your posts are only a small part of who you are. Why not share more with us by filling out your profile?

We encourage you to be as individual as you like in the way you express yourself, but messages that get your point across (and get the best responses) are those that use complete words and sentences and an attempt at good grammar and spelling. Please don't type in  uppercase. It's considered yelling.

We understand many people like Fan fiction.  Fan fiction may only be about fictional characters, not real people.  Therefore, Fan fiction is not allowed on American Idol.com.

Please don't use the forum to sell or promote things.

Occasionally, a member may create a thread bashing the show/characters/etc. just to stir things up. This type of poster is called a troll. Feel free to report them. Be critical, but do it constructively.

Occasionally you will see a message with only the word "Bump" in it. This is a vehicle for moving a thread to the top of the menu. Since threads with the most recent posts are displayed first, members get more replies to the threads they create (and threads that they believe are important and should be reviewed) if it appears often at the top. Frequent bumpers, however, are also spammers. Please don't be one of them.


LINKS

The only links that are allowed are ones to articles about the show, performers, judges, etc., in the mainstream media, or the official sites of past performers. Links to fan sites, competing sites, commercial sites, links to download sites, jpgs, MP3s, etc., are not allowed. Since the site is filled with illegal content, links to You  Tube are not allowed. If you develop a pattern of posting unauthorized links or attempt to get around the word filter, you will be banned from the forum. In addition, using the forum to recruit members to a fan site is not permitted. You can put links to fan sites in your profile and mention it once or twice in conversation, but if it looks like you are promoting/recruiting, your account will be flagged. In the Off-Topic Discussion folder, links are OK as long as they aren't spammed, are related to the topic under discussion, are in the mainstream (not to polemic sites), and are not to other communities or competing sites.


COPYRIGHT

Most news articles on the Internet are copyright protected. You can post excerpts or a summary, but you can never post the entire article without obtaining written permission from the copyright holder and you put "posted with permission" at the bottom. Otherwise, just post a short introduction, the link, and solicit feedback, as long is it isn't to a fan or competing site, or one with forums or groups, such as MSN, Yahoo, AOL, etc. Links to MSNBC, Yahoo News, etc., are OK, but not to the communities or groups. There also are copyright restrictions that are applied to song lyrics, episodes, trailers, blogs, and screen caps, as well as any other content that is broadcast. Any member who knowingly promotes sites that feature unauthorized or illegal content will lose their ability to post messages in the forum.


FILE SHARING

Downloads of television episodes, etc., are illegal and the creators of those sites that make downloads available are violating copyright laws.  Any promotion of these sites in this forum will result in the suspension of posting privileges. The same holds true for the sharing of DVDs and tapes.

DVDs and tapes may be made for your own personal use, but they may not be shared via US mail. Please do not request episodes. Please do not offer them.


BLOGS

If you have a blog on American Idol, the content must stay within the same editorial guidelines detailed above.  Do not advertise your blog in the message boards.  It's considered spamming. 


PERSONAL INFORMATION

In Internet spaces where interaction occurs: forums, IM, chat rooms, etc., there are people looking to exploit others. Don't ever give out your personal information to anyone you don't know, and this means knowing them by having already met them in person *before* communicating with them online. You can stop the potential for exploitation by not giving out any private information (this includes: your email address, your real name, where you live, your phone number, and even such innocent information as what baseball team you play for or what store you buy CDs from). If you are asked for any of this information, simply say "I don't feel comfortable giving that out."

If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, end the interaction and ignore them if they persist in trying to contact you. If they won't stop: if you are a teen, report them to your parents; if you are an adult, report them to the police. Law enforcement is taking Internet harassment, stalking, and exploitation very seriously and will take action.

Even though this is an "official" site and we go to great lengths to keep you safe, always keep your guard up. If you feel that another member is being pushy or putting you in an uncomfortable situation (such as pressing you into an email exchange or an IM session), please let us know. We will look into it and if necessary, we will take action.

A good guide to Internet safety can be found in the publication: "Teen Safety on the Information Highway," published by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You can read it at www.safeteens.com/



DONATION CAMPAIGNS BY MEMBERS

Solicitation by members of any type of donation for any cause is not allowed.  Please report any you see and they will be promptly removed.

POSTING PHOTOS/PICTURES

Pictures can enhance almost any discussion.  Unfortunately, improper pictures can cause disruption as well. 

Creative genius is to be celebrated!  However, there are times when one person's humor can offend others, including those involved with the show.  Please do not post or upload any altered photos of anyone from American Idol, past or present.  The only exception to this are simple, supportive statements like "BobbySue Is Amazing!"  Any alteration of the graphical portion of the photo will not be allowed.  This includes web addresses (URLs), Site Names, Blingee (and similar), watermarking, or copyright information.

Text captioning in a post is acceptable as long as the captions are not in violation of the other forum policies, especially those regarding bashing and harassment.

An easy way to post photos is to click-and-drag them from your photo hosting account (like Photobucket) into the posting window.  This often creates a live link back to the photo hosting account.  These links are acceptable as long as they are to photo hosting accounts.  Links to fansites, where some people gather photos, are not.

Screencaps (screen shots, screen captures, screen grabs, etc.) bearing a network logo or watermark are not allowed.

VIDEOS

Videos are not allowed on the American Idol community.  For authorized video content, please visit www.americanidol.com/videos/

SIGNATURES

Signatures can be used to add a bit of personality to your posts.  However, the regular forum rules apply in signatures as well.  Please do not use them to promote other threads, groups, or websites.