Terms of Service

Almost every real-life community is one that has both merits and weak spots.  This occurs because so many different people have so many different opinions about how things should be.   The community that YOU ultimately choose is the one that seems to "ring true" with your own beliefs.

This is the same paradigm or "model", if you will, under which Annex and Annexcafe operate.   We've carefully developed policies that tend to be for the good of the community, whether you as an individual agree with them or not.

We strongly feel that our policies and rules are VERY straight-forward and reasonable to reasonable people.   After all, it's REASONABLE people that are our "TARGET AUDIENCE" for this system.   Included in these rules are rules to which we SYSOPS must conform as well, so it's not all on your shoulders. ;>

If you have ANY questions regarding the use of this site, be sure to send us some feedback!

We have some easy and understandable policies regarding the use of this site. It should be noted that some of these policies are specific to the BBS itself (since the bbs is subscription based).   The WEB side of Annex is a free service to the internet community.

ANNEXCAFE CHAT RULES

Welcome to the AnnexCafe Chat Network.
We keep da rules simple, and you can view them at http://www.annexcafe.com/chat/tos.cfm

The basics: No:
Nuking, Flooding, War Scripts, DCC viruses, Trojans, Clones, Advertising: Mass ad’s or server ad’s, harassment, cyber-stalking, pornography or child pornography whatsoever, Lurking (on server and not chatting in chat room), Bots: All Non server bots must be APPROVED by the owner of AnnexCafe.com PERIOD! Failure to do so will get the bot an instant Z-LINE. ANY violation of the above can result in immediate Z-LINE. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Find a chat room to chat in within 10 minutes or you may be disconnected and or banned. Need help? Type /helpop and your message or write chatadmin@annexcafe.com

Be nice.
Have fun. Respect others. Call your mom at least once a month.

ANNEXCAFE Guidelines Listed

1- Have fun.
2- No flames.
3- No bigotry.
4- Obey chat rules posted on motd as you enter chat
5- No host baiting.
6- No pornography.
7- No rated material in family areas.
8- Label rated material in borderline areas.
9- No meat market behavior.
10- Label potential "Puter Lockers".
11- Label spoilers and allow spoiler space.
12-No warez sites.
13-No server attacks.
14-No spamming. No automated posters.
15-No advertising.
16-No impersonations.
17-No illegal activities.
18-This server is private property; "free speech" does not apply.
19-Most newsgroups and chatrooms are autonomous;
      the moderators' word is final.
20-No mailing lists.  No automated mailers.
21-No hacking or stealing of data.
22-Courtesy and mutual respect are the rules of the day.
23-Do not troll or deliberately disrupt chats or newsgroups.
24-Trim tails.
25-Do not use crude, obscene or derogatory language or inappropriate nicks.
26-No threats.
27-No "jokes" that scare or upset others.
28-Credit and provide links for sources.
29-Do not displace posts without the permission of the original author.
30-Don't use one AnnexCafe community to criticize another
      AnnexCafe community.
31-Restrictions concerning minors
32-No cyberstalking
33-Guidelines vs Rules
34-Contacts are chatadmin@annexcafe.com, NewsAdmin@annexcafe.comor you can fill out the feedback form.

ANNEXCAFE Guidelines Expanded

1 - Have fun.
Annexcafe is here for people to have fun.
The rules are to protect your enjoyment of our services, not to spoil sport.    Most are common sense and courtesy.   Individual areas will provide FAQS if their rules differ from these.

2 - No flames.
We want the online experience to be fun for all, not just an elite few.   Debate is great; but keep your discussion to the topic, not your fellow chatters and posters.

3 - No bigotry.
Prejudice of any kind has no place on our boards, nor in our chats.    
Chatters and posters may not be excluded based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin

4 - Obey chat rules
See Above

5 - No host baiting.
Hosts, moderators, and other staff are people too.
We volunteer our time and effort to make all Annexcafe a great place to hang out, but we want to have fun too.   No one likes to be a target.

6 - No pornography.
Like prejudice, pornography has no place here.
We are not passing judgment, but there are plenty of placesto find it.   We have "rated" areas where we encourage artistic nudity and eroticism, but please do not confuse pornography with art.   No "crotch shots", please.

7 - No rated material in family areas.
Most of Annexcafe is family oriented.   Please keep rated material in rated areas.

8 - Label rated material in borderline areas.
Many boards are specifically labeled rated or the adult nature of the board is implicit in its name.   On these no further labeling of posts is needed.   Several other boards obviously deal with potentially adult themes, but we ask you to label risqué material so that people may choose whether or not to open it.

9 - No meat market behavior.
Many rooms encourage meeting of like minded people, but we do not run "meat markets"   .No posting or trading of nude or erotic self pics.   No cybering on boards or in chats.

10 - Label potential "Puter Lockers".
Some computers still lock up when exposed to various graphics or sound displays.  If your post uses a script or enclosure that has been known to lock people, please label it in the subject header.  This is not an indictment or condemnation of the program.   It is a courtesy.  So even if you think the complaint erroneous, be nice--- label.

11 - Label spoilers and allow spoiler space.
Please label spoilers and give spoiler space.  Many people now tape shows to watch at their convenience.  Furthermore, in many countries movies and televised shows may air months later than in their countries of origin.  Let people choose if they wish to "snoop" the ending.  The same goes for books and movies.  Reviews are great, but don't give away the juicy stuff.  Again, if you wish to discuss the ending, just warn and then leave spoiler space.

12 - No warez sites.
They are illegal.

13 - No server attacks.
No posting of Trojans, virii, worms or otherwise harmful material.
Annexcafe is our home and the server owner has been extremely generous to us.  Let's protect and care for it as we would our own homes.

14 - No spamming.     No automated posters.
Spamming is not permitted.
While you may do limited cross posting, posted messages must apply to the topic of the board, and people cross posting are responsible to uncross threads as they diverge on different boards.  No pyramids, get rich quick schemes, chain letters, or "dying child" pleas.  If you think a post, such as a virus warning, has merit for server-wide posting, please contact the newsgroup director at newsadmin@annexcafe.comfor permission.  It is also a good idea to check such claims at a "debunker" site, such as http://www.snopes2.com/index.html.

15 - No advertising.
Annexcafe is a noncommercial site.
You may not use our boards or chats to advertise products or sites.  You may not use any automated posters anywhere in Annexcafe.  You may use a URL and/or email address as part of your sig.  You may submit suggestions for webrings and mutual links to the newsadmin for consideration.   Community members may offer an occasional item for sale or trade on an individual basis, and where that item would reasonably interest the specific population of a given board.  You may post noncommercial URLs appropriate to a topic under discussion as references for further information on that topic or on specific boards dedicated to site recommendation.  You may not post ads that attempt to “pirate” the members of a community or chat.   You may not enter and leave a chat for the purpose of announcing a different chat, nor may you lurk in a chat and attempt to move visitors to another chat or server.  We have a newsgroup: Annexcafe.Phoenix.FavoriteSites, where you may post sites that you have enjoyed and which may interest others.

16 - No impersonations.
No impersonation of Server or Phoenix forum staff is permitted, nor may you deliberately attempt to pass yourself off as another user.  Nicks such as: Annexcafe, Sysop, Manager, Webmaster, Moderator, Host, Guide and _SFF or _Phoenix are reserved for staff.  Posts by members using them or close facsimiles of them will be removed, and chatters with those appelations will be required to change them.  While you may be fully entitled to them elsewhere, use of them at Annexcafe can be misleading to users here who interpret them as meaning you are Annexcafe server staff or administration.

17 - No illegal activities.
The server is located in California, USA and those are the laws we apply.

18 - This server is private property; "free speech" does not apply.
The server is privately owned and we are non-paying guests.
While we wish to encourage you to express yourselves, your "rights" end where the other peoples' rights begin.  "Free Speech" does not apply here anymore that it does in a private home.  If the rules as applied in a particular room or board don't suit you, find another.  There are plenty.  Gregory Gooden owns this server.  His word is final.

19 - Most newsgroups and chatrooms are autonomous;
        moderators have final say.
Most areas of Annexcafe are autonomous.
This means that while the NewsAdmin, or ChatSupport may assist you on mediating an issue, the chat host or board moderator has the final say as long as server standards are observed. If you feel you have been treated in violation of the posted rules and standards or that a chat or newsgroup is operating in violation, please contact either NewsAdmin@Annexcafe.com or chatadmin@annexcafe.com. We will be happy to assist you.

20 - No mailing lists.   No automated mailers.
Since email addies are often displayed with one's posts, it can be tempting to build a mailing list.  Please confine any such lists to your friends-- people you KNOW want to hear from you. If you mail to several people who are not all known to each other, it is a courtesy to use the bcc feature so you are not making a present of everyone's addy to the world at large.

21 - No hacking or stealing of data.
You are not permitted to attempt to access any of our chat or server tools, nor staff or user accounts.
You may not solicit information from other members to sell, distribute, or attempt unauthorized access to other accounts or computers.

22 - Courtesy and mutual respect are the rules of the day.
Treat the staff and other members of the community with courtesy and respect.  Expect to receive courtesy and respect in return.

23 - Do not troll or deliberately disrupt chats.
Do not disrupt chats or troll boards.
Trolling is posting deliberately inflammatory material intended to upset people.  This is board specific.  What is acceptable in one area may be trolling in another.  Do not enter newsgroups or chats to proselytize or convert members.  No Annexcafe group is exclusionary, but if you are not a part of the community a chat or board represents, be there to listen and learn, not to expound your own opinions or challenge those of the community.

24 - Trim tails.
It is a courtesy to remove "tails" from posts.
Just leave enough so people reading your post do not need to scroll back to find out what you are talking about.  It is also best to have your newsreader set to "reply in plain text".  No one wants to open a 300Kb post to read "Very pretty".

25 - Do not use crude, obscene or derogatory language or
        inappropriate nicks.
While hosts have been requested not to be language "Nazis", we ask you to keep in mind the family nature of this server.
We overlook occasional slipups, but please avoid regular use of obscenity in chats, & posts.  Do not use obscene, suggestive, bigoted or misleading nicks.  The intent is to be courteous, so if members of a chat or board find language offensive, we ask you to accommodate their feelings.  The words themselves are not the issue.  If a host asks you to tone it down, it is not a personal affront, nor does it imply you are wicked, evil, etc.  For wavs and such used in chats, we ask that the names be innocuous.  Content there does not matter since a person will presumably not keep a wave he or she finds offensive, thus it will not play to them.  Wavs used on newsgroups need to be in accordance with the nature of the newsgroup, since they open automatically, and the funniest of them may be less amusing when accidentally opened in the presence of your toddler who then proceeds to demonstrate her new knowledge at your next family holiday gathering.  As with graphics and jokes, when in doubt, label.

26 - No threats.
Threats against staff, the server, or other members of the community will not be tolerated.
Do not issue threats, then expect to pass it all off as a joke.  It will not be treated as amusing.

27 - No "jokes" that scare or upset others.
No jokes that inherently might be expected to scare or upset others.
What is obviously a joke to you may not be to others.  Many newbies have been scared away from chats by jokes about infecting them with viruses or reformatting their hard drives.

28 - Credit and provide links for sources.
Get permission before posting copyrighted material and post the permission with the work.
Copies of permissions are to be forwarded to the news administrator for permanent files.  If you use someone else's art, music, or writing, credit the creator and refer viewers to the site where you found your material.  That way there is mutual benefit to all.  Respect copyrights; it is the artist's, musician's and author's right to determine the use of his or her work, and they may limit or revoke their consents.  As a convenience, Annexcafe provides two Honored Artists newsgroups, where you may find links to artists who have given permission for their work to be displayed at Annexcafe, as long as their posted terms are met and credits always posted.

29 - Do not displace posts without the permission of the original author
Taking someone's post froman AnnexCafe community and posting it elsewhere without the original poster's permission is inappropriate.   Don't take an AnnexCafe poster's post and post in in another AnnexCafe newsgroup, Usenet or on an e-mail list-serv unless the original poster has given you permission to do so.  Taking someone else's posts and using them outside of the AnnexCafe newsgroups without their express permission is a violation of that participant's privacy.  While anybody with a newsreader can read and post here, our boards are Annexcafe; they are not part of the Usenet hierarchy.  Posting toan AnnexCafe newsgroup is not "implied consent" to publication on Usenet.

30 - Don't use one AnnexCafe community to criticize another
       AnnexCafe community
It's not appropriate to use the one AnnexCafe community to criticize other AnnexCafe communities.   If you have something critical to say abouta community, its moderator or members, post it in that community or, better yet, e-mail the moderator and/or the newsgroup administrator.  For that matter, it is best not to criticize other newsgroups, whether they are Annexcafe or off-server.  Let's treat others as we wish to be treated.  There is plenty of room on the internet for all of us.

31 - Specific restrictions apply to minors using Annexcafe
Kids, 17 years and under, are strictly forbidden to give out any identifying personal information (date of birth, real name, city, street, descriptions, pictures, schools, school sports team names, email address, personal web URL, [or any such I may have forgotten to mention]) without express and specific permission on a CASE by CASE basis from a parent or guardian.  They may not participate in adult chats or rated ngs.  Adults are not to request this sort of information from them nor encourage them in inappropriate behavior.

32 - No "Cyber Stalking"
Do not follow people server to server, chat to chat, or board to board for the purpose of pursuing any type of relationship which the other party has indicated they do not wish to maintain OR continue. Do not stalk people to, on or from Annexcafe for any other reason. Do not sexually (or otherwise) harass staff or other members of our community. Friendship is great when it's mutual and wanted, if asked to stop and it's continued that's harassment. Flirting is fun as long as it's mutual; if ask to stop and it's continued that's harassment. If they leave a chat or newsgroup to avoid you, and you follow them, it is stalking. This applies to both friendships as well as relationships between opposite and same sex friends/partners.

33 - Guidelines:
While some of the above are hard and fast rules (such as no illegal activities), many (such as snipping tails), are suggestions to help make your experience with us more enjoyable.  If you have questions or concerns, feel free to email me.  Though I prefer not to be cc'd with every post you make to each board, my door (or at least my mailbox) is always open.  I look forward to hearing from you with your ideas and any suggestions you may have to add boards or improve the ones we have.  Board moderators are free to repost these Guidelines to their own boards; for that matter, anyone is free to use any part anywhere else as well.  So if you like it, take it.  I wouldn't mind being credited with the authorship, but if you happen to forget, I promise not to track you down or chop off your ears.

34 - Contacts:
To contact us, go to http://www.annexcafe.com/chat/channels.cfm and click on feedback. You may contact any board moderator by posting to the board with the header: ATT'N BOARD MODERATOR.

For chat questions, email chatadmin@annexcafe.com.

For questions regarding newsgroups or Phoenix Forum, email NewsAdmin@annexcafe.com

If you need to contact the server owner, email chatadmin@annexcafe.com and include the header ATTN: G. Gooden