I won't say that this couldn't be helpful for many people, but I disagree with many points:
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1. Intellectual property
Anything posted on the [YOURSITE.COM] forum is considered [YOURSITE.COM] intellectual property, and may be used by [YOURSITE.COM] toward publishing derivative works such as tutorials, articles, technical documentation, or books. Unless otherwise specifically agreed in writing under separate contract, [YOURSITE.COM] is under no obligation to provide monetary or other compensation to providers of this content.
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Sounds threatening to me. Like 'we reserve the right to photoshop a picture of yourself that you post onto a monkey'
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2. Copyright material
Copyrighted material is ineligible for inclusion on our forum unless the source is clearly stated and verified, preferably with a corresponding link to the original work.
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Good guideline, lacks a 'and if you don't...'
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3. Policy adjustments
This [YOURSITE.COM] rules and policy list may be adjusted by the site administrator at any time for any reason whatsoever, and is perpetually available for review in this section of the site. It is the enduser's responsibility to keep current on whatever adjustments are made to the list.
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Personal point of view, I hate this. I like a consitution with amendments style.
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B. Enforcement
1. Staff authority
[YOURSITE.COM] moderators have absolute authority, and are granted unequivocal discretion at editing or striking any post for unsuitable language and otherwise objectionable content, or warning, restricting, and banning members as necessary.
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Again, I disagree, posters should have positive freedoms defined under a constitution.
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2. Misconduct
This forum operates on a "two strikes" policy regarding misconduct. Should a member be warned of misconduct by any moderator, the second offense will result in banishment from the forum.
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Fair enough. Warning systems vary a lot between forums.
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3. Appeal
Should you feel you have been treated unfairly by any [YOURSITE.COM] staff member, you may appeal to the forum administrator.
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*administrator email here*
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C. Inappropriate Content
1. Profanity
Keep profanity to a minimum. The best policy is to swear at websites rather than on them. Our badwords filter is minimal, and forum participants are automatically considered mature enough to exercise restraint in their language. Nobody should have to point out what language is over the line.
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A variable one that. I think it's a bad idea if there isn't at least SOMEWHERE on the site where you can swear...
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2. Objectionable links
Links to any site or web content considered unsuitable by the management of this website are forbidden. Moderators have full authority to use their discretion in determining the appropriateness of links or other content.
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Again, that's aggressively phrased IMO.
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3. Unsuitable images
Posting or providing links to obscene images is forbidden.
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Very vauge and subjective. Not informative. Just threatening and forboding IMO.
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II. Personal Conduct
A. Forum Use
1. Respect other countries
Remain courteous and respectful regarding other people's countries. Anything determined a deliberate slight or insult toward anyone's nationality will result in the member being permanently banned. This is a zero tolerance policy.
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A good idea on many forums. Not all.
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2. Multiple accounts
Multiple forum user accounts by the same person are forbidden. Should you ever wish to change your forum username, please contact the forum administrator.
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A good guideline, though if used carefully, not essential...
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3. Opinions and beliefs
Bear in mind how your opinions and beliefs are your own concern, right up until you openly voice them. Once voiced, they become everyone's concern.
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Seems a little out of place in this guide...
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B. Posting Cautions
1. Zero spam
Zero spam policy. We are all for helping people promote their web projects. However, if you are posting a link to your website just to drive traffic to it, your post will be declared spam and your link removed. This also holds true for posting links to any online voting system designed to provide weighting based on the number of hits.
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What is spam?
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2. Crossposting
Crossposting (posting the same topic in multiple forums) is frowned upon to an amazing degree and is normally regarded as spam. Should you be uncertain of what constitutes crossposting, ask and a moderator will explain it to you.
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Sure. Does it really need mentioning though?
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3. Guest posting
We are far more interested in inspiring an active membership than we are with bloating the member base with dormant accounts. As a result, guest posting is enabled on this forum to allow people to test the waters and ask a few questions before committing to signing up for an actual forum membership. The terms and rules for guest posting are identical to those for registered members.
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Sure.
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C. Disputes
1. Member disputes
Whenever possible, disputes against other (non-staff) forum members should be handled away from the open forum. If ever you have a particular problem with another forum member, please email or PM a moderator and describe the situation.
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Good guideline.
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2. Disputes against staff
This forum operates with a clear chain of command and it shall be used for any member disputes against staff members. Challenging any [YOURSITE.COM] staff member on the public forum is regarded as the poorest of personal and professional courtesy, and will not be tolerated. Disputes against any general staff member (moderators) should be addressed to their Vice President (Careers, Community, or Development, as applicable and available), while disputes against Vice Presidents or the site Administrator are addressed to the Senior Vice President.
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Seems fair.
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3. Reporting abuse
Abuse reporting should be as specific as possible. If there is an immediate or potential problem regarding what someone has posted in a public forum, please advise the moderator for that forum. For abuse of forum features (such as spam through the forum PM or email system), please contact the forum administrator.
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sure
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III. Forum Protocol
A. Posting Courtesies
1. Posting links
Posting links to features or articles found elsewhere in the web is both expected and encouraged. However, please make an effort to provide a preliminary description, pertinent personal thought, or quoted excerpt from the link you are posting. Creating a new topic containing only a link with no description is both annoying and a potential security risk to endusers.
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Good one.
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2. Image posting
Our forum allows the ability for users to place images in their posts. Any images posted on the board must be 50Kb or less in filesize and of a physical size to fit comfortably within an 800x600 window without stretching the forum display or producing a bottom scrollbar. If your image is greater in physical size or filesize than these limitations stipulate, please link to it instead while stating its type and filesize (e.g. 230Kb JPEG, 200Kb animated GIF etc.).
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People should be pointed to spoiler code and workarounds here IMO.
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3. Large files
If you post a link to page containing a large file (such as a large PDF, streaming media file, or something built in Flash), please describe the media type and filesize.
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Good idea
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B. Member Rights
1. Promotion Approval
Should your website be holding any special promotion or contest you are welcome to promote it on [YOURSITE.COM] forum, although we do ask you to contact us first in order that we may gauge the suitability of your promotion and provide guidance as to the appropriate place to post it. Promotions posted without prior approval or by non-registered forum users will be treated as spam.
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Good
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2. Extra privileges
Sometimes forum ranking based on post count, popular vote (such as being voted Member of the Month), through paid subscription, or by purchasing certain [YOURSITE.COM] services will entitle members to special privileges. These include availability to forums inaccessible by the general membership, discounts to certain [YOURSITE.COM] services or products, and being granted input and voting for certain administrative matters pertaining to the forum. Such members occupy a preferred status on our forum while being expected to use their position responsibly, and may be obligated to abide with certain additional rules and privacy agreements governing their position.
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I smell elitism...
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3. Account termination
Members may contact the forum administrator any time to request their member account be terminated for any reason.
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Personally I never terminated peoples accounts, because it was usually in a fit of drama. Instead I made it my policy that I don't lock anyones account who claims to be leaving.
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C. Networking
1. Business alliances
[YOURSITE.COM] is always prepared to discuss possible alliances for business or promotional purposes, although we ask to be contacted by email to discuss the matter privately rather than being expected to respond to such proposals on any public forum. All alliance proposals should be addressed directly to the [YOURSITE.COM] President.
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We can be bribed! Doesn't encourage me, as a poster.
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2. About bartering
Bartering skills, products, and services between members is encouraged. However, the exchange must be equivalent and we reserve the right to determine what is considered an unbalanced trade. Attempting to trade website ad space for website design or coding skills is never regarded an appropriate exchange.
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The example is lost on me I think.
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3. Soliciting members
Solicitation. While members are encouraged to network with other members, using the resources of this forum either through private message or email to outright solicit the purchase of skills or services is forbidden. Members are advised to report any solicitation to the administration so we may determine intent and appropriate action. If you have an idea you would like to privately put forth to other members for a particular networking opportunity, we advise you contact us first so we may determine the suitability of your idea and provide guidance or endorsement where required.
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A suitable outlet for this sort of things is 'post your website here!' threads. IMO.
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IV. Board Settings
A. Personal Features
1. Signatures
Signatures may be added and adjusted in your user profile. Signatures must be 4 lines or less at 800x600 browser window resolution, cannot contain images (the forum is already setup to disallow images in signatures), may contain links provided they conform to our rules for posted links, and can contain 1200 bytes of information.
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Cut out the no images in sigs rule if it's technically disabled, let users figure it out themselves.
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2. Using Avatars
Avatars are small images which appear directly under your forum username when posting. Default avatar size (in the avatar gallery) is 100x70 pixels, and max allowed avatar size is 120x80. Avatars cannot be animated or exceed 15Kb in filesize.
3. Personal Photos
User profiles allow users to upload a personal photo if they choose. Uploaded photos must conform to our rules for objectionable content, are limited to 250x250px, and must be 50Kb or less in filesize.
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Again, if defined technically, ignore this point.
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B. Security and Privacy
1. Passwords
Users are responsible for keeping their passwords secure. If ever you think someone else may have obtained your password, contact the forum administrator to make arrangements to secure your member account. If you use a shared computer, make sure you log out of the forum after each visit so someone else cannot come along behind you and access your account.
2. Email address
Users are expected to maintain an accurate email address, otherwise they cannot be contacted regarding important updates by the forum administrator (such as announcements about member pruning or security issues), and will encounter validation problems when changing their contact information or password. Additionally, invalid email addresses cause undue server resources drain due to messages bouncing when members are notified via the PM system and when replies are made to subscribed topics.
3. PM system
The forum's Personal Messaging (PM) system is provided as a convenient method for members to contact one another and receive updates or other warnings from the management. Its use is subject to our rules governing spam and solicitation, and it is the member's responsibility to maintain their inbox and other PM folders. The PM system is unintended for legal correspondence between members, and [YOURSITE.COM] cannot be held responsible for any inconvenience cause by data loss.
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Makes me think the site's about to lose my PMs!
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C. Forum Ranking
1. Member ranks
Member ranks are assigned based on post count. Llamsery member ranks are divided into nine ascending levels, and look like this:
Member Title # Posts
1st Rank 0
2nd Rank 6
3rd Rank 51
4th Rank 101
5th Rank 501
6th Rank 1001
7tht Rank 3001
8th Rank 6001
9th Rank 9001
2. Staff ranks
[YOURSITE.COM]'s administration is setup as a chain of command. From lowest to highest, the staff structure operates like so:
- General Staff (Moderators)
- Executive Officers (Vice Presidents)
- Senior Officers (Senior Vice President, President)
It is the member's responsiblility to familiarize themselves with who occupies the [YOURSITE.COM] staff while having a working knowledge of the particular duties of staff members so they will know who to address regarding specific matters or concerns.
3. Privilege restrictions
Some forum privileges are restricted based on user level to help prevent abuse of certain board features. New members are prevented from using the forum's email and PM system until they have made six posts, attaining the rank of [2nd Rank], and are likewise prevented from starting polls or uploading avatars or personal photos.
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Hmmm...
So I would have to say I agree with about 40%, debate about 35% and disagree with about 25%.
AdminFusion
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Generic Forum Policy Template
01-29-2006, 12:57 AM
I think you should offer both. My old Terms of use, which I'm going to be updating soon to do this again, had a short version at the top, and the long wordy one. It's the same info, just summarized. If they want to get really technical though, there's that to 
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