Acceptable Use Policy
Registration and membership in PhinisheD is absolutely free of charge. Before you complete your registration, however, we ask that you read and agree to abide by the policy detailed below. If you agree to the policy, please check the 'I agree' checkbox and press the 'Register' button below. If you would like to cancel the registration process, you may click here to return to the PhinisheD home page.
At PhinisheD we strive to balance the right of all members to openly and honestly express themselves with the right of each to be treated with courtesy and respect. We think it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Challenge or critique the substance of posted messages if you must, but try to be polite and gentle toward those who posted them. Maintaining the supportive environment on PhinisheD usually requires that members avoid polemics in general and political debates in particular. To get a sense of the tone of the discussion, we recommend that you lurk and read for a while before posting. Much like joining a conversation at a party, listening first and talking second will result in a better experience for everyone.
The webmaster and moderators of PhinisheD are loath to practice censorship and will generally refrain from editing or deleting messages posted on the discussion boards. However, we reserve the right to do so at our discretion. Messages may be deleted--and those who post them may be permanently banned from the site--if they employ obscene, hateful, or threatening language, constitute a direct personal attack on another member, or otherwise violate reasonable norms of civil discourse. Furthermore, advertising and unsolicited commercial appeals of any kind are strictly forbidden on the PhinisheD discussion boards. In short, please don't be nasty, hurtful, or rude, and please don't post spam. Advertising for non-commercial purposes, such as online surveys or free services, may be allowed at the discretion of the webmaster and moderators, but only if prior permission is sought. If you offer a commercial service or product that you think may be of interest to our members, you may suggest a link to your website by using the "Submit a Link" form in our Links directory, and we will consider adding it.
Members are prohibited from registering multiple user accounts--only one account per person, please. To preserve the egalitarian nature of the PhinisheD community, we also ask that you avoid using academic titles or honorifics in your username. Members are expected to avoid double- and cross-posting and to make a good-faith attempt to post their messages on the appropriate boards. The webmaster and moderators of PhinisheD reserve the right to delete duplicate messages or move those that have been posted in the wrong place. Members are expected to use the anonymous posting option sparingly and only for good reason, and not as a means of evading responsibility for their comments. Members must respect the confidentiality and/or anonymity of fellow members; please do not disclose or discuss the name, affiliation, location, opinion, or any other personal information about or posted by another user without their consent either on PhinisheD or elsewhere. What happens on PhinisheD stays on PhinisheD. Finally, members are asked to temper their use of polls, private messages, and other potentially annoying site features out of consideration for their fellow members. Willful violations of these guidelines may result in an informal warning or formal reprimand from the webmaster or the revocation of some or all site privileges.
