The Short Version of the Rules
Please remember the following rules when posting:
- No requests for music, tracklists and/or choreography
- No abuse, insults or personal attacks
- No foul language
- No trolling
- No inappropriate or illegal material
- No "For Sale" or "Wanted to Buy"
- No business advertising
- No crossposting
- No forum spamming
- No "religious" debates
- No defamatory comments
- No complaints about moderation (PM a mod instead)
The Long Version of the Rules
Section 1 - Posting Behaviour
- Les Mills Copyrighted Materials- Foul Language (Swearing)
- Trolling
- Inappropriate Material
- Quoting and Referencing Sources
- For Sale and Wanted to Buy
- Business Advertising
- Inciting Denial of Service / "Slashdotting" attacks
- Crossposting
- Pointless Posting Sprees
- Off-topic
- "Religious" Debates
Section 2 - Abuse, Insults and Personal Attacks
- Racism, Sexism, Ageism and Religious Intolerance
- Abusive or Offensive Posts
- Abusive or Offensive Quips and User Names
- Abusive or Offensive PM's
- Defamation and Libel
Section 3 - Moderation Policies
- Censorship & Freedom of Speech
- Post Deletion
- Thread Deletion
- Thread Closure
- Moderation Explanations
- Problems with Mods
- Levels of Moderator Response
- Ghost Accounts
- Zero Tolerance
Section 4 - Crowd Control
- Administrator
- Moderators of entire forum
- Moderators of individual forums
Section 1 - Posting Behaviour
The following rules apply to post contents, quoting of post contents, thread titles, quips, usernames, etc.
Les Mills Copyrighted Materials
Music and Choreography
Les Mills music and choreography is copyrighted and only available for purchase by Les Mills certified instructors. If you wish to purchase this music, please contact your local Les Mills agent. If you are a participant, or your agent cannot supply the music you wish, then that is bad luck. Do NOT make requests for it on the forum.
This includes:
- Requesting Les Mills music, or where to get it;
- Supplying Les Mills music or links to copyrighted music hosted on
another site;
- Requesting choreography;
- Publishing choreography;
- Requesting or publishing lyrics to any of the Les Mills songs; ;
- etc.
Posting limited portions of the choreography of a particular track in order to identify the song is considered acceptable, however do not request or post the complete choreography.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Tracklists
The tracklists for the programs are published on this site after they become accessable to instructors via the quarterly workshops. Prior to this, it is unacceptable to request, or publish the tracklists. Any requests or posts as such will be removed and repeat offences may attract a Zero Tolerance response. Some discreet spoiler information is acceptable prior to this time, such as for those who participate in the filmings and when the "sizzler" information is published. Note the word "discreet".
Moderator discretion applies.
Foul Language (Swearing)
BTSTalk is a web site open to those over 13 years of age, and as such, please try to write without swearing - it is possible, and it is possible to display the intended amount of emotion without swearing.
Since this forum is largely populated by adults, this forum does not include a word filter, however we need to keep in mind that there are people with different levels of tolerance.
What is considered offensive will be at the discretion of the of the moderators.
Trolling
"Trolling" is generally considered unacceptable on most Internet sites, including BTSTalk.
Posts from serial offenders will be removed with prejudice, and repeated offences may attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
What is "Trolling"?
There are many sites which discuss what "trolling" is and, by extension, what a "troll" is. Some examples include:
- Internet Trolling
- Slashdot
Trolling Phenomena
- Trolling the Web
- The Troller
For purposes of defining trolling on BTSTalk, we will use the following definition:
A post in a thread or news comment that is solely intended to incite controversy or conflict or cause annoyance or offense is considered "trolling".
Note: Many posts may inadvertently cause strife as collateral damage,
but they are not necessarily trolls.
Adapted from Slashdot Trolling Phenomena.
Additionally:
The content of a "troll posting" generally falls into several areas. It may consist of an apparently foolish contradiction of common knowledge, a deliberately offensive insult to the readers of a forum / thread / news story or a broad request for trivial follow-up postings.
There are three reasons why people troll forums:
- to get attention;
- to disrupt threads; or
- simply to make trouble.
Career trollers tend for the latter two, whilst the former is the mark
of the clueless newbie and should be ignored.
Adapted from Trolling the Web.
Why is "Trolling" bad?
The main goal of "trolling" is to incite an emotional or
knee-jerk response from other posters. This response is typically in
the form of:
- a personal attack;
- a repeat of previous points/posts; or
- an emotional outburst.
Such posts and the responses they generate tend to undermine the friendly atmosphere of BTSTalk, and often result in long running feuds between (what can only be described as) factions loyal to one side or the other.
Commercial Trolling
When a rep or someone closely associated with a commercial venture (a relative, a past or present shareholder, etc), comments negatively on another commercial venture, it is considered "commercial trolling".
The goal of such posts may be to spread "fear, uncertainty and doubt" (aka FUD), often with no factual basis for the comments. This type of "trolling" could result in commercial damage and may be potentially defamatory.
Such posts will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Please note: A negative comment is not automatically "trolling", nor is the expression of an honestly held personal opinion.
Inappropriate Material
Porn and Warez
Discussion of Porn or Warez is completely unacceptable. This includes discussions about where to get it, links to sites that have it, and discussions about how much of it you might have.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Illegal
Threads or posts discussing anything illegal - especially acts you've done or how to do them - are considered unacceptable. This includes (but is not limited to) any of the following:
- Copyrighted material;
- Les Mills Copyrighted Materials;
Inappropriate
Threads or posts discussing anything inappropriate - essentially any topic that would be unacceptable dinner time conversation when your grandma is over - are considered unacceptable. This includes (but is not limited to) any of the following:
- Sex and sexual acts;
- Violence and acts of cruelty to other humans or animals;
- etc.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Note: Exceptions may be made within the In the News forum, in the context of discussing a news story related to one or more of the above.
Moderator's discretion applies.
Offensive Websites
BTSTalk is open to people of all races, religion and ages, so links to websites containing offensive or unacceptable material such as foul language, inappropriate images (images of a violent or pornographic nature), racial vilification (hate sites), warez links, etc are completely unacceptable.
If in the context of a post you must include a link to a website which contains a justifiable amount of bad language or other material - but which is otherwise appropriate - attach a note stating that the link contains such material. Any posts made without such warning will be deleted without question.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Personal Details and Private Conversations
The posting of an individual's personal details is not permitted under any circumstances.
The posting of private correspondence (PM's, emails, etc) or private conversations (phone calls, face-to-face discussions) are not permitted, for two reasons:
1. There is no way to verify the validity of the text; and
2. There may be copyright implications arising from the publication
of private correspondence in a public forum, without permission of the
sender (see www.dcita.gov.au/ip/digi..._asked_questions).
Public announcements (such as ISP mass mail outs, etc) are considered already in public view, and are thus considered fair game for re-posting. In cases where such an announcement is made on a website, posting the URL is preferred to posting the complete text.
The posting of IRC / ICQ / MSN / Yahoo / etc logs is not permitted,
because there is no way to verify the validity of the logs, they may
breach copyright.
Unpublished contact details
It is generally inappropriate to post company contact details which aren't available publicly. Examples of this might be an employee's desk phone number, or details on a priority/escalation support line. If it has been previously published by the employee or the company, then it's probably okay. But if the details were provided to you as a customer because you have an unusual or critical issue, it's probably inappropriate to post it in the forums. In ambiguous cases, the moderator has the final say.
Quoting and Referencing Sources
Referencing Sources
If you need to quote material from an outside source, due credit must be given to that source. For example, if you post a quote from a news story, you should also include the URL for the complete story.
Plagiarism
Taking material written by someone else, and posting it without citing the source, or claiming it as your own work, is considered plagiarism.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Copyright and Over Quoting
Quoting a whole article is not only unnecessary, it can also breach copyright laws. If you wish people to comment on an article or news post, please include a link to the article, and only quote one or two relevant sections that highlight your point.
Do not quote another member’s entire post by using the quote button. If you use the quote button, edit out all but the part you are directly addressing. If you are addressing the entire post, then just say so. And if you're quoting a post where someone else has posted, remove the previous quote. Quoting multiple quotes just means people have to read the same thing twice, three times or even more. Please avoid cluttering the forum and increasing bandwidth by adhering to these rules.
For Sale and Wanted to Buy
Sorry, but For Sale and Wanted threads are not allowed on BTSTalk. Please use an established online auction site like eBay.com.
Business Advertising
BTSTalk is a community forum for the fitness industry, it is not a tool for users to advertise their business.
In this vein, please be aware that, in general, the advertising of commercial ventures is considered unacceptable behaviour.
What is considered "acceptable" business advertising?
- You can use the "Your web page" link in your user page
to link to your business site;
- You are free to respond to any direct questions regarding the products
and services you offer (if asked); and
- If a user wishes to contact you, or requests you to contact them,
then feel free to do so.
What is considered "unacceptable" business advertising?
- Creating threads or posts that serve solely to promote your business
(whatever that maybe);
- The posting of prices, business names, phone numbers, URLs, etc for
your business, including any signatures you chose to add to your posts;
and
- The emailing or PM'ing of unsolicited advertising material to BTSTalk
users.
Unsolicited Use of Personal Information
The gathering and/or use of any BTSTalk users' personal information (email addresses, website URLs, etc) for unsolicited marketing purposes (via PM's, email, telemarketing, etc) is completely unacceptable.
Any user found to be involved in such activities will be banned immediately.
In addition, such behaviour may also constitute a breach of the Privacy
Legislation (in some countries) and could result in civil and criminal
penalties.
Inciting Denial of Service / "Slashdotting" attacks
It is unacceptable to post a URL (for a forum, message board or guestbook), IP address, e-mail address, or other contact details for an individual, group or company, with the intention of inciting others to abuse the entity in question, or attack a site through other means (DOS, DDOS, etc).
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Crossposting
Crossposting Posts
Posting the same comments in more than one thread is considered crossposting, and is not appropriate. Please choose the single thread in which your comments would be the most relevant, and post them in that thread only.
Crossposting Threads
Posting the same thread in more than one forum is not appropriate. If you can't decide which forum to post it a particular thread in, just choose the one that most closely matches and see how you go. If you don't think you are getting the right answers, ask a mod to move the thread to a more appropriate forum at some later point.
Please note that posting new threads in multiple forums saying "Come look at thread <insert link here>" is not permitted, and is also considered crossposting. However, posting a link to support an external discussion is acceptable.
Moderator's discretion applies.
Pointless Posting Sprees
Posting pointless comments solely to increase post count, is not appreciated.
This occurs when a user posts a number of posts, with the apparent intention of bringing their post count up to a point where they become a Participant or Forum Regular. This may be marked by Thread Bumping, Crossposting, or making Off-topic posts or threads.
First instances of this behaviour will generally result in a warning from a Moderator. Further instances may result in a temporary ban.
There may be some exceptions to this in the Jokes section. This is at the discretion of the Moderator.
Off-topic
Off-topic Posts
Ideally, all posts in a given thread should have at least something to do with the topic of the thread. Having said that, some threads do have a natural discussion flow to them, which may move the discussion in different directions - while still maintaining a relationship to the topic.
Posting off topic comments in a thread may result in your post being removed, or split into a seperate topic, particularly if your post stands out as being off topic compared to the other posts in the thread, or if your post stands to interfere with a line of otherwise on-topic conversation within the thread.
Off-topic Threads
It is also possible for a a thread to be considered off-topic for the forum in which it has been posted. For example, jokes being posted in the General Fitness forum, or a general topic in the Body Combat forum. Although the General section covers all topics, please try and place your post in a relevant forum if there is one available.
In such cases the thread will normally be moved to a more appropriate forum, or if no appropriate alternative is available, the thread may be deleted.
"Religious" Debates
"Religious" debates are so called because they have a lot in common with (but are not necessarily) discussions of religion and politics.
They consist largely of people expressing strongly held personal beliefs about things that can't be proven -- supposedly in the interest of agreeing on the best way to do something important (whether it's attaining eternal peace, governing effectively, or deciding which BTS program is superior). And, like most such debates, they rarely result in anyone involved changing his or her point of view.
Besides wasting time, these arguments create tension and erode the value of this open discussion environment.
Examples of Unacceptable Topics
The debate about Palestine and Israel is considered an unacceptable topic for this forum. There are far too many blind zealots on both sides of the argument who end up achieving nothing -- except wasting precious bandwidth.
Quite simply, BTSTalk is a fitness forum first and foremost; the off-topic discussion areas are no more than an incentive for people to continue participation in the on-topic areas, and a sign of appreciation to those who do participate.
Section 2 - Abuse, Insults and Personal Attacks
Racism, Sexism, Ageism and Religious Intolerance
BTSTalk is open to people from any race, gender, physical or mental condition, sexual preference/orientation, IQ, age or religion, and as such intolerance of other people's beliefs, culture, IQ, gender, physical or mental conditions, sexual preference/orientation or age is unacceptable.
Note: This includes using "gay" or "ghey" to mean "bad" (such as "this game is gay", etc.); using "zionist" to mean "killing arabs or taking over the world"; using "Indian call centre" to mean "incompetent, ill-informed call centre"; etc.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Abusive or Offensive Posts
Abuse, insults and personal attacks directed at other members of BTSTalk are unacceptable.
This includes attacking people you perceive to be "trolls" or "flame baiters". If you have a problem with someone's behaviour, please PM a mod.
If you disagree with someone on some point, please do not resort to name calling or personal attacks, rather you should argue with them on the merits of their points.
Abuse against any person, group or company outside of BTSTalk, which may land Mel in legal trouble, is also out - this includes abuse directed at Les Mills, their employees and their representatives.
Breaching this rule will attract a Zero Tolerance response from the BTSTalk Moderators.
Abusive or Offensive Quips and User Names
Quips or User Names which are offensive or which attack other BTSTalk users, are not allowed (as if we needed to tell you).
Failure to change your quip or user name when requested to by a mod may attract a Zero Tolerance response.
Abusive or Offensive PM's
Please note: Administrators and Moderators cannot access your PM's.
If you receive a PM you find inappropriate, you may choose to ignore the user. Unfortunately there is currently no function on this forum to elect to "deny" PM's from a particular user.
Defamation and Libel
Please be aware that posts made on forum sites such as BTSTalk can be considered libellous, if the goal of such a posting is to damage the reputation of an individual or company.
Defamation has been traditionally divided into two separate categories
- libel and slander. The major practical difference between them is
that in an action for libel, the plaintiff does not need to show financial
loss to recover
(www.mds.rmit.edu.au/law/node6.html)
The tort of defamation prevents publication of material which `tends
to injure the personal, professional, trade or business reputation of
an individual or a company, to expose them to ridicule or to cause people
to avoid them'
...
The essence of a defamation action is damage to reputation, not that
the publication was untrue, or that it infringed on the privacy of the
plaintiff.
(www.mds.rmit.edu.au/law/node5.html)
Section 3 - Moderation Policies
Censorship & Freedom of Speech
Under Australian law (where the owner of BTSTalk resides), the only protected form of speech is that of a political nature, and even then, it's only protected from governmental interference. Private entities can not, by definition, be guilty of censorship. BTSTalk is a private web site - owned and operated by an individual.
In short, you have no "freedom of speech" on BTSTalk, nor is the cry of "censorship" at all valid.
In the interest of fairness and balance, as well as to help focus and improve quality of discussion, there is a team of moderators who have the ability to remove posts and threads from the public eye. There are many legitimate reasons for a moderator to remove comments, which are outlined elsewhere in this thread.
Post Deletion
Posts can and will be deleted if they breach any of the rules outlined above.
Thread Deletion
Typically, threads are deleted when they fall into one of the following categories:
- Requesting Les Mills music or choreography
- Pointless - the thread contributes no value to the forum;
- Crosspost - the thread was posted to more than one forum;
- Flame baiting - the goal of the thread is to flame or start a fight;
- Duplicate - there is already a thread on the same or very similar
topic;
- Spam - the thread was advertising for a business or was thinly disguised
market research;
- For Sale or Wanted to Buy – the thread was posted to ask for
offers for buying or selling something (please use eBay or some other
auction site);
- Warez or Porn - see notes about unacceptable material above; or
Threads which do not fall exactly into one of the above categories, but are deemed inappropriate due to their content or nature, will also be deleted.
Thread Closure
Threads will be closed under any of the following circumstances:
- Off topic - the thread is going off topic, but mostly contains useful
information;
- Flame war - the thread is turning into a flame war;
- FAQ Thread - the thread contains answers to frequently asked questions,
which do not require further discussion;
Threads which do not fall exactly into one of the above categories, but are deemed to have reached the end of their useful life, may also be closed. In cases where the reason for closure is not immediately obvious, a moderator will normally post a final message explaining the closure.
Moderation Explanations
Please do not start a new thread asking why your last thread was moved, deleted or closed, or why your post was hidden. If you want to know why, PM a moderator, but please do not ask the community.
Problems with Mods
If you have a problem with something a moderator has done, and believe they have not done their job properly or abused their power, do not create a thread about it.
In the first instance, contact the mod in question.
If you are still not satisfied then contact the Administrator. They will be happy to look into the matter and see if any further action is required. The Adminstrators decision is final.
Levels of Moderator Response
Moderators on BTSTalk have various tools which can be used to respond to breaches of the BTSTalk Rules outlined above. These tools include:
- post deletion;
- thread deletion;
- split topics.
Only the Adminstrator is able to incur:
- temporary bans; and,
- permanent bans.
While the rules above do include examples of the typical moderator response to a particular rule breach, we reserve the right to respond with harsher penalties as required.
Ghost Accounts
Please be aware that Moderators have the ability to find "ghost accounts", through the use of various tools. If you have been banned, please do not try to get back onto BTSTalk by creating a new account, as this may result in further banning.
In addition, the attempted circumvention of penalties through the creation of ghost accounts, is not looked upon favourably by the moderators. As such, the discovery of a ghost account by a moderator will result in a longer ban when discovered.
Zero Tolerance
BTSTalk has a policy of "Zero Tolerance" (ZT) for certain user behaviour.
Rules which attract a ZT response are identified above, but repeated breaches of the other rules may also attract a ZT response.
In cases where such breaches occur, the following action will be taken:
- The post or thread will be deleted, regardless of whether or not
the rest of the post or thread is "valid";
- At the Moderator's discretion, the user's account may be banned for
a period of time, ranging from 1 week to a permanent ban.
Section 4 - Crowd Control
Administrator
- Mel
Moderators of Entire Forum
- John
- Namaste201
- tails
Moderators of Individual Forums
- alextrg
- beemoe1
- ck1
- Fizzio
- Gazzeruk
- jewels
- pamelabrown38
- Takajammer
- wolfy
with any issues relating to this site. Last updated 27 June 2006