Posting Guidelines – Open Discussion

Based on the feedback that was received from the first posting guidelines thread located here in addition to the feedback in this thread, the following guidelines document has been created. Although we had a guidelines document in the past, we felt that it was a bit too vague and did not cover some very important topics that were brought up by members, which is why we decided to create a new one based directly on your feedback. Please feel free to read and comment!

1.0 Community Goals

The goal of the CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com community is to provide a professional environment where online gambling Affiliates can interact, make contacts and learn from experts. This is a professional environment we try to avoid spam, flame wars, or making personal attacks on other members of the community, including but not limited to, name-calling, racial remarks, direct profanity.

2.0 Thread Creation

As a member of the CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com community, you are encouraged to create threads and topics that are relevant and helpful. You should feel free to discuss online gambling industry relevant items, marketing, or any topics that fit into the given sections. Anything else can be discussed in the “Free-for-All section”

2.1 When starting a new thread it is important to make sure that it is in the correct section. This will ensure that it is easy to find and widely available.

Ex: A thread about Google Adwords should go in the “PPC Marketing” section while a thread about what it is like to be an affiliate belongs in the “General Discussion” forum.

3.0 Replying to Threads

People don’t post in a forum to talk to themselves; they want to hear what others think. After reading a thread you may wish to add information, answer a question or share your thoughts on a particular subject. Great! That is what we are all here for. Make sure that before you post you have thought about the following things.

3.1 Will your comment add to the conversation?

Here at CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com we know how valuable time is and we want to make sure none of yours is wasted. While restating and giving your opinion is fine, we do not want to see irrelevant links (spam), or posts that send a thread completely off topic.

3.2 Are you respectfully disagreeing or personally attacking?

We like it when people disagree. This is what growth is all about; multiple people with different opinions discussing the facts and coming to new conclusions. This is different than name calling and bickering.

If you disagree, state why, you can even cite references but make sure you are respectful . No one is asking you to change your opinion, but think about the other readers of the forum and how they can benefit from intelligent discussion.

3.3 Is your comment on topic with the title of the thread?

Long threads have a tendency to stray. This is fine, but it might be a better idea to start a new thread. In keeping all of the information organized it is important to make sure the title of a thread matches what the content is, and the easiest way to do this is to stay on topic or start a new thread.

4.0 PMs

We have set up the PM system to allow you to communicate with others privately. At CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com we give you up to 10x the PM allowance of most forums because we want you to talk to each other. It is safe, easy and you can even set it up to send you an e-mail when you get a new PM. No community moderator, administrator, or CAP personnel will ever view your PM’s or log into your account, unless you give them written permission if you are for example, experiencing an account bug or something of the sort.

4.1 If you are discussing business deals, or any topic that does not concern other
members, use the PM system.

4.2 If you have a question for one particular member that does not concern the
community, use the PM system

4.3 If you are sharing any personal information, use the PM system

5.0 SPAM

No one likes spam. Even spammers despise it. We will not tolerate it in our forums. Period.

5.1 We want you to share links to your site so others can visit them, this is part of community, but you should not be constantly plugging your portal or a product you promote.

5.2 Some spam is obvious, if the text is irrelevant and the links are plenty, the post will be deleted and the user banned. (We can do this with one click, much easier than registering a new account is for a spammer) If you try and sell WOW Gold, we will ban you so fast a level 60 Elf King won’t be able to keep up.

5.3 If you are borderline spamming, you will receive an infraction from a moderator. Review the above spam policy for more information. Wise up, stop what you were doing and everything will be alright.

6.0 Infractions and Banning guidelines

In order to help maintain the professionalism of the forums, administrators and moderators have been given the ability to issue infractions. Consider an infraction a warning to change or face removal from the community.

6.1 All infractions will come from a forum moderator or administrator and will include a description. If you do not understand the reason you received the infraction, please ask for clarification. Your silence will signify your acceptance and understanding of the infraction.

6.2 After three (3) infractions a user will be up for administrative review. Based on the nature of the infractions, a decision will be made as to the account standing of the user. After administrative review, the user may be placed on a temporary “vacation” which will allow them to view, but not post in the forum, or the user may be banned for an extended period of time depending on the severity of the situation.

6.4 If you come across a user that has made a comment or pm that you feel warrants an infraction, please notify a forum moderator.

Please feel free to comment on these guidelines. We would love to hear what you have to say, so that we can shape them to fit what you feel is best for your community.