Sections of this document include:

- Rules
- Disclaimers
- Guidelines

Writer's Beat is a community for writers by writers. This means we are aware that writing not only includes a wide variety of genres, but a wide range of opinions and ways for writers to express themselves, and we like to be as tolerant as we can to all these differences.

Having said that, however, we also believe that for the benefit of all who belong to this community, there should be some basic rules that ensure the smooth running of the board and a hassle and harassment free environment for the members. These rules are strictly enforced when necessary. They also serve as guidelines for arbitration should conflicts between members occur.

In practical application, we won't ban anyone outright for their first violation of a rule; instead, a first violation will usually be followed up with a warning from a moderator and possibly a request for clarification. Repeated violations or more serious ones will lead to a temporary ban, and chronic abuse to the rules and the website as a whole will lead to a permanent site-wide ban.

You will find these rules below. Please note that rules are subject to change as needed.



* Signatures and forum handles can not contain obscene or otherwise unsuitable material.

* Flaming and personal attacks will not be tolerated. This is a writing forum and critiques are expected; all comments, however, have to address the work, not the author. If you don't like someone's writing, tell the author what you do not like about it, and what you would change - most writers appreciate constructive criticism - but do not, repeat NOT, under any circumstances engage in any attacks on the author's character, beliefs, or any other personal issues. Not only will any comments directed at a person instead of the post be deleted by the staff, indulging in behaviour like that is also one of the fastest ways to get yourself banned.

* Do not spam. Pick the most appropriate forum and post your thread there. Do not put the same (or slightly altered) post in each and every forum on the board. If you are not sure which forum is most appropriate, feel free to ask a staff member, or post in a forum you feel is closest to what you are looking for. If you feel there is no forum your post would fit in, please suggest one in the Members' Feedback forum.

* Multiple accounts are not permitted. Do not sign up for more than one account, or it will be deleted. If you share your computer with a room mate or partner, please inform us if they also wish to open an account at Writer's Beat to avoid the deletion of that account.

* Advertising of markets or services is permitted only in the designated areas listed in The Billboard - and must be related to writing. Non-writing related advertisements are not accepted on Writer's Beat. Personal websites or published material may be advertised in signatures, but please do not post anything that's plain advertising. If you want to advertise something and are uncertain about whether it is acceptable or not, please contact one of the staff members and your request will be discussed.

* We implement a zero tolerance policy on links to warez, warez sites, or sites with pornographic or otherwise objectionable and/or illegal content. Posting such links can and will get you banned.

* Signatures must be limited to 6-8 lines. No excessive font use (like a million colors or 4-point fonts, etc). Signatures may contain images, but those may not be animated. Signatures of images and text combined may not exceed 4 lines in height.

* All materials involving explicit content must have a warning in the thread title or the byline. Please label accordingly (Swearing, Violence, Adult Material) etc. All graphic material must be posted in the Adult Content forum. If you do not have access to this forum (ie are under 18) you should not be posting graphic material.



Content

Writer's Beat provides its members with a forum to present their works and share their ideas. Both rights to and responsibility for the content of a post remains with the person of the poster.

However, Writer's Beat retains the right to edit or remove content that is deemed illegal or otherwise inappropriate. In such a case a notice of editing will be added to the post; if a post was deleted the notice of that act will replace the original text.

Writer's Beat remains the sole judge of what is or is not appropriate material to post on this forum. However, if you feel that a post of yours has been treated unfairly, please contact one of the moderators for clarification and, hopefully, a solution of the matter.


Plagiarism and Copyright

Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorised use and representation of someone else’s words or ideas as your own. It is a criminal offence and punishable by law.

Copyright infringement is the unauthorised use of someone else’s copyrighted material in violation of the copyright holder’s rights, which are enshrined in law.

At Writer’s Beat, we take the matter of plagiarism seriously and, while we will not take legal action, anyone discovered to be guilty will be banned immediately. Copyright infringement is also a punishable offence – so you have been warned.

There is a great deal if information available, at no cost, over the internet about copyright.

For further information on US copyright law, try looking here.

For further information on UK copyright law, try looking here.

For other countries, try a google search on ‘copyright law’ followed by your country name.


Privacy

Writer's Beat respects the privacy of its users. No member of the moderation team will ever approach a user with the request for private information, regardless whether it's for online or offline matters, including but not limited to such items as password, address, telephone number and so on. Should anyone, at any time at all, approach you under the guise of a moderator or administrator to request such information, please instantly contact the administrator(s) of the board.

Furthermore, while Writer's Beat does not in any way accept responsibility for its users' behaviour while interacting with one another, we still encourage you to bring any inappropriate behaviour by another member to the moderators' attention. Keep a sense of proportion, though, and do not complain about minor issues that you might find personally annoying, but do not constitute a violation of what would generally be considered acceptable behaviour.

In such cases as outlined above, please provide any and all information you have related to the incident. Also, please bring issues of that kind to the attention of the appropriate person(s) privately, though PM or e-mail, not by posting about it on the forum. For the protection of all involved, any such posts will be deleted.

Lastly, Writer's Beat does not accept responsibility for any inconveniences or damages that may possibly result to a user caused by their own negligence or irresponsibility. To avoid any such possibility we strongly recommend that you do not share any private information with any person you do not really, or only casually, know. If you share any such information with someone, make sure it is someone you know reasonably well and can trust. Protecting your privacy is first and foremost your own responsibility. Be smart about it.




If rules are comparable to laws, then guidelines might be comparable to manners: they aren't as fixed as laws and usually aren't as strictly enforced. However, keeping them in mind usually makes for much smoother social interactions on the website. Equally, constantly disregarding them is very likely to make a person very unpopular. Unrepentant, perpetual, obnoxious behaviour can still get someone banned, even if in the literal sense no rule was violated.

Below are the Beat's guidelines:

* Participate. Make good content posts. In particular, take the time to critique other members' contributions and do so properly (click here to learn how).

* Use appropriate language. Excessive use of profanity is frowned upon and should be avoided. When in doubt, use less. Writer's Beat will be the sole judge of what is considered appropriate and what not.

* If your post does contain material that is potentially offensive to others, for example using profanity or excessive violence or adult themes etc, please put a disclaimer before your work begins. Anythinig with graphic material should be posted in the Adult Content forum. Moderators who find a work potentially offensive may add a disclaimer if you have not done so.

* No "elite" or Chat Speak. We don't want to see a sentence composed solely of chat abbreviations, like "rofl 0mfg lyk tht shyt was tyte." It's okay to write a sentence and end it with "lol" or something like that, but excessive use will be edited and/or removed.

* No Caps Lock. Caps are considered shouting online and we consider constantly shouting at others impolite. Please do not post messages with the subject or post all in capital letters, or your message will be deleted.

* Quoting is encouraged, but please don't quote 5 paragraphs and reply with one line. Quote enough material to show what you are replying to.

* Please do not post simply for the sake of posting, just to drive your point's count up. We realize that at times very short posts and one-liners are appropriate, but in general, we discourage those. Please use good judgement.

* Don't Bump Threads. Sometimes, your thread won't get the attention you hoped it would. Don't be tempted to make a post to the same thread just to "bump" it up to the top of the forum—if no one responded to the content you posted the first time around, they're not likely to respond to that same information now.

The secret to getting a response to posted work is to ensure that your post is properly formatted and spell checked. If you posted a query and haven't had any replies, try rephrasing the question, or fleshing it out to see if that works. If it was a general conversational post, then adding new information may well encourage participation. So by all means edit your original post, but do not reply in your own thread for the purpose of "bumping".

Similarly, don't be a thread necromancer. It's all right to read through old threads, but posting a new comment in a months-old thread serves no real purpose. If you really do wish to discuss its topic, try posting a new thread to initiate a fresh conversation with active members.

Welcome Newcomers. One of the reasons why Writer's Beat is special is that we welcome all newcomers, regardless of their level of knowledge or experience! We've all been newbies at some point, so each of us knows how valuable it can be to receive a few words of encouragement from others. Help new members learn how to find information and resources, and encourage them to get involved in the community.