1. The IPMS/USA Discussion Forum (hereafter referred to as "Forum") has two primary, but distinct, functions - it is a place for IPMS/USA members to discuss models and modeling, and to be a place for IPMS/USA members to discuss the business of the Society. Although other forums may be provided, they are not a core mission of the Forum and may be removed at the Forum Administrator's discretion.
2. This document provides the Acceptable Use Policy (hereafter referred to as "AUP") for the Forum. Registering for an account implies acceptance of this policy.
   • The IPMS/USA Executive Board (hereafter E-Board) developed the AUP, with input from Forum staff and users. Questions or recommendations concerning the AUP should be directed to the IPMS/USA President (hereafter President).
   • The IPMS/USA Forum Administrator (hereafter Administrator) implements the AUP using Forum Moderators (hereafter Moderators) appointed by the Administrator. Questions regarding, or appeals resulting from, application of the AUP should be directed to the appropriate Moderator, then, if unresolved, to the Administrator, then lastly to the President.
   • E-Board members who are also Moderators work for, and serve at the discretion of, the Administrator in that role; if there is a dispute or appeal to the President involving an E-Board Moderator, they will be recused from any discussion other than to provide their side of the story.
3. The AUP applies to all posts made on the Forum, to member avatars and signatures, and to E-mails or Private Messages (PM) sent using the Forum. Forum posts within the appropriate forum of the IPMS/USA section and emails or private messages that discuss IPMS/USA business, to include elections, etc, are not "politics" as defined in the AUP (paragraph 2.f.).
   • If, in the judgment of a Moderator or the Administrator, a user has violated either the letter or the spirit of the AUP, that user will be asked to delete or edit the message. If this is not done in a timely manner, or if immediate action is required, the Moderator or Administrator will delete or edit the message. Moderators or the Administrator will PM or email the user to explain the reasoning after action is taken.
   • If a person repeatedly violates either the letter or the spirit of the AUP, they may be restricted, suspended, or banned. The Warn Bar will be used to advise members when they are in violation -- five (5) warnings will result in suspension.
4. Users are encouraged to self-police the Forum and to use the "Report" button to inform the Moderator of an objectionable post. Users are encouraged to use the "Control Panel" to tailor their online preferences for what they send or see.
5. Users must list a valid e-mail account in their member profile so that the Administrator can reach them. If a user cannot be reached by email, his/her access will be suspended.

1. As a general guideline, allowable content on the Forum mirrors that allowed on the open contest floor as per the IPMS/USA Contest Rules, Section I.5. Because Junior members may use these forums, there is no "screened area" for adult or objectionable content so all content should be "G-rated". As these Discussion Forums are for the membership of the Society, it is expected that all dialog on them shall be conducted with civility and decorum.
2. When posting a message:
   • Scan the forums and/or use the search function to see if a topic has already been addressed. If you want to continue an older, lengthy discussion, create a new thread and reference the old one in your post.
   • Post in the correct forum for the topic and in only one forum. Your post may be moved or deleted if you post in the wrong forum or if you post the same message in more than one forum.
   • Use a short and relevant topic subject. This will help others find what they want to read and be sure your post is visible to interested users. Topics without subjects may be modified or deleted.
   • Please use the "Edit" feature rather than multiple-posting to correct errors, add thoughts, etc. If something causes multiple copies of your post to show, use the Delete function to remove the duplicates.
   • Refrain from excess quoting, in particular the inclusion of photos. After using the Quote button, edit the quoted text to remove irrelevant text and all photos. A quote of an entire message just to say "Looks good" is unnecessary, distracting to others, and wasteful of resources.
   • Avoid posting in a "texting" or "twitter" style or writing in a "stream of consciousness" manner. Appropriate sentence and paragraph structures make it easier for all users to read and understand the content.
3. Copyrighted material:
   You may not post any copyright material as your own creation unless you are the original author. You may quote material from any source protected by copyright as long as you cite the original author, publication, page, etc. Otherwise you may not post images, drawings, or other material protected by United States copyright law to which you do not have usage rights; if you have usage rights they must be cited in your post. You may post a link to other websites and archives. Uploading copies or hotlinking by BBS code is not permitted. It is the user's responsibility to verify the accuracy of the hyperlink and the content at the other end -- if that content would violate the AUP the page may not be hyperlinked. Signatures may contain a link to your personal site or sites that maybe of use to other members.
4. Don't be a rivet counter.
   • Limit your public comment on another member's model (whether in forums, galleries, reviews, etc) to constructive criticism; be careful of the wording of your message so as not to inadvertently offend the other member. If there is any doubt, comment to the member by PM or email.
   • Do not comment on a model on another website unless it is a simple endorsement with a hyperlink to view the work.
5. Bad traders, vendor problems:
   • As this is not a public forum; in all likelihood your complaint will not be seen by the other party. Even if it is, this is not the place to conduct a "discussion" with that business/trader.
   • If you wish to inform the members of a significant, documented problem, then you may do so in a short specific message without tirades and side remarks. Complaints that appear to be no more than a failure to communicate between parties, slow order processing, back-orders, etc, will be removed.
6. Explicitly prohibited conduct:
   • Do not invade another person's privacy. Do not post personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, pictures, etc., without permission of that person. Do not post private e-mails, PM's or other private correspondence without permission of the author.
   • Do not use objectionable language or images. There will be no pornographic, political, racial, or religious postings. There will be no profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or swearing; and this includes thinly disguised attempts to defeat the word filters by using asterisks or other characters to replace letters.
   • Do not post messages using all or mostly capital letters, extra-large fonts, or excess coloration. This is the equivalent of shouting and may be considered offensive by the recipient and distracting by all other users.
   • There will be no trolling to annoy people or provoke a reaction from them. There will be no flaming of other members to incite or perpetuate an argument. Personal attacks or name-calling is not permitted.
   • There will be no spamming or flooding the forums with useless content or irrelevant posts, to include posts which do nothing other than drive up post count.

By participating in and using the services of this Forum anything you submit to the Forum is considered public information and you agree to not post any material which is vulgar, defamatory, inaccurate, harassing, hateful, threatening, invading of others privacy, sexually oriented, or violates any laws.
You also agree that you will not post any copyrighted material in violation of paragraph 2.c., above.
You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless IPMS/USA and their agents with respect to any claim based upon any post you may make.
IPMS/USA also reserves the right to disclose to appropriate authorities any information requested of us in the event of a legally based requirement to do so arising from any message you post.
Any information you choose to make use of found on this site is at your own risk. We make no warranties, implied or actual, as to any information posted within these forums, and cannot realistically guarantee the accuracy or validity of any given post.
Although messages posted are not the responsibility of IPMS/USA and we are not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever.
By your participation in the Forum, you also hold IPMS/USA blameless for any contractual or other obligations that you may incur through contact with other individuals or parties on this Forum.
By registering to use the Forum you agree to the above criteria and agree to abide by all of the above rules and policies.