This message board was created to provide a place for Bruin fans and good-natured rivals to interact in an entertaining, civil, and informative forum. Everyone is welcome, but in order to maintain the quality of the Board, some basic rules need to be heeded.
Just be advised that this is not what you might consider to be a true "Free Speech Zone". This is privately-owned website and message forum. Its expected that you act as if you are a guest in a friend's home, and imagine that you are speaking face-to-face with those with whom you interact.
Below are rules and standards for this board, and if they are compromised, your post may be deleted and/or your account may be blocked. I really prefer not to have to do either of those things. I don't need the extra work.
I reserve the right to modify these rules or impose new ones at any time, at my sole discretion and as I deem necessary, without notice.
- Represent UCLA with class. This board may be frequented by rivals, as well as players (their family and friends).
- Let people get to know you a little first. If you are a first-time poster, don't jump in with both feet and make a dozens of posts on your first day. You will only annoy people and make the old-timers suspicious. Also, don't launch immediately into negative or hypercritical posts.
- Stay on topic. Discussions relating directly or indirectly to UCLA FOOTBALL are the main basis for this board. Posts should be focused on UCLA, not yourself. Posts not relevant to the purpose of the forum may be deleted at my discretion.
- Do NOT hijack threads to provoke and promote a personal agenda.Posts with an agenda or single-minded focus to simply draw attention to themselves will be deleted.
On a related note: Incessant posts that appear for the sole purpose of selling or promoting a player are not allowed and will be deleted. Posters who relentlessly continue this practice will have their posting privileges removed. Such repetitive posts only clutter the boards and bring down the integrity of the boards.
- Obsessively negative posters are unwelcome here. Yes, criticism about the state of A TEAM'S PERFORMANCE is generally acceptable -- and expected especially after a disappointing loss. However, posters that are OVERLY CRITICAL and do not provide CONSTRUCTIVE INSIGHT may face inevitable deletions of their messages. Note that posters that are obsessively negative may eventually have their posting privileges removed.
- Criticize respectfully, but do NOT attack people. Calm, well-reasoned criticism is encouraged. The posts should be INSIGHTFUL, have SUBSTANCE and CREATIVITY.
Critical posts simply attacking or berating a PLAYER, COACH, POSTER AND/OR HIS AFFILIATION TO A TEAM are NOT WELCOME. Remember, this board is built for fans of Bruin Sports.
- Heated debates are acceptable and are often entertaining. But please stick to criticizing the content of posts. Do not resort to epithets or insults with your fellow poster. Keep a cool head when you post and refrain from prefacing your rebuttals with name callings such as "You idiot, you don't understand. This is my point...". As one non-Bruin football fan had put it very well, "Stick to your points and save the jabs -- it shows little intelligence and even less class."
- Posts that contain name calling, obscene or profane language (or words using special characters in an attempt to mask the profanity) will be edited out. There are some otherwise good posts that are tainted with these unnecessary obstructions. I will attempt to edit out these words without losing the integrity of context of the posts.
- Posts that are made simply for the sake of instigating hatred, anger, slander, harassment (i.e. - "flames") are PROHIBITED and will be deleted. I will not tolerate people - no matter what their affiliation - who get their jollies by posting juvenile, inane, hostile, or disruptive trash. This includes Bruin posters who respond to legitimate posts by well-meaning visiting rivals.
- Posts that were made by persons posing as another person (famous or infamous) will be deleted.
- People posting under multiple handles will not be tolerated. Their messages will be deleted and their posting privileges will be removed. If you simply forgot your username, contact the BG Admin for assistance.
- No advertising or marketing is permitted on this site without my (specific) approval. This is considered spamming and self promotional. Such posts will be deleted at my discretion and the poster's posting privileges removed.
- Please do not post copyrighted articles or text on the boards. Links to articles should be provided instead, whenever possible.
- If a person finds that his post(s) has been deleted or edited out, it has been judged to be in violation of the rules posted here. I DO NOT discuss your "questioning" the deletion of your post(s) via the forum. If the person that posted the message wishes to protest the deletion of the message in question, that person must send an email in order to determine justification. Be forewarned that no deleted files can be recovered.
"Netiquette" - Helpful Tips for Posters and Readers
- Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the various message boards on the site so you will know what posts belong where.
- Please understand that, on the Internet, USING ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING and deemed by the Internet community as very rude. If you post in ALL CAPS, 'expect' to be slammed by your peers. If you're just plain lazy, don't use any capital letters at all. Many in the Internet business type in all lowercase.
- Don't believe everything (anything?) you read. These are only message boards, and are not at all part of the journalistic content on the rest of the website. It doesn't take long to figure out who knows what they're talking about on these boards and who does not. By default, you should assume unsubstantiated posts are untrue and work from there.
- Have a thick skin and don't take things too seriously. PLEASE do not respond to posters who flame the board or flame you personally. This only makes the situation worse, and may cause you to lose your account. If you choose to wrestle with a pig, he will get you both dirty and only he will enjoy it! If someone is out of line, please email us and let us take care of it.
- If you can make your entire post fit in the subject line, then do so! This saves people an unnecessary couple of clicks.
