Forum Rules and Guidelines for Use

Mission and Purpose
To share advice, experiences, and support to others like us, and maybe even make some lasting friendships.

Scope of a Community
As our list of active members grows (and grows), the number of tense discussions has grown with it. It is crucial to remember that these are all real people, with real feelings, and that real people don't always agree, even within a family.

We define rules to make this a nice place to spend time. Yes, it's just a web forum. Some take it more seriously than others, to some it is a sole source of support. If you treat the people in this online community as you would those in your own neighborhood, with courtesy and respect, you will get the same back, even if they aren't your 'cup of tea'. There are groups who have a lot in common and just gel. For the most part, people are friendly and helpful.

Newcomers
If you're new to internet forums, please read a guide on net etiquette such as the following:
http://www.learnthenet.com/English/html/09netiqt.htm

Everyone was a newcomer at some point, we do try to be sympathetic to new net users. Please post an introduction before you start sending private messages, it is the polite thing to do.

Please be kind to our newcomers, they may not always know where to find or how to search for the information they're looking for. Offer constructive advice or just leave the topic be.

Private Messages
Private messages are just that, I am not responsible for their content. If you disapprove of content received from another member, feel free to use the block/ignore feature, which is in your message preferences/profile. PM spam is prohibited, this means sending unsolicited bulk messages. If we get reports of these, or illegal actions via PM, action/investigation may be taken.

Moderation
The forum moderators are volunteers who give of their time to try to make this a friendly place. Ignoring moderators may result in a warning or ban. You do so at your own risk. Posting complaints regarding moderator actions and censorship is not permitted, take up your issue privately with the Moderator, a Global Moderator or Admin. This is not a democracy. Again, you're free to start your own site with your own lack of rules if you choose to pay the bills.

Drama and Disruptions
Again, not everyone is your cup of tea, but please be polite and respectful. We have provided an Ignore Posts feature if you wish to block the view of some users posts.
<== Just click this button to hide a users post content in all topics. It appears to the left of topic messages under the poster info. Again, ignoring moderators is at your own risk and could result in missing moderation notes resulting in a warning or ban. But if you don't care, nor do we.

Dramatic disruptive topics in protest of other members or moderators will be deleted, and in some cases further action may be taken such as ban or account deletion. You're free to inform your friends via PM if you're leaving our forums without a grand dramatic exit topic. We thank you for your contributions and wish you the best.

Your Freedom of Speech
I've heard many complaints about Censorship Freedom of Speech here on this forum. This is an amendment regarding the Government abilities, not a private entity. I do *not* guarantee unlimited freedom of speech. This is akin to my home, treat it as you're a guest. If you desire unlimited freedom of speech, feel free to publish your own blog or website. ( See Notice )

Agree to disagree, respect people's right to a different opinion. Before getting upset over a post, it is also essential to keep in mind that the person who penned the post that you're reading may not have done so in the tone that you first imagine or has had a very bad day, been very busy or rushed, had kids crying in the background or they may have other challenges when posting. When in doubt, before posting flaming response, re-read it later, it may read completely different to you.

Before posting, reread what you have written, would you repeat it to your mum, friend or your boss? If not, perhaps you should edit it first or wait and come back to it later when you're calm. If you believe it to be violation of the Agreement, please "Report to Moderator".


Advertising
Advertising is restricted, however you may display links in your signature and make one post announcing your business. If someone asks directly for a service you provide, you are free to post a response regarding your business. You may not make unsubstantiated claims, and must indicate clearly that you are offering help/service for a fee. Undisclosed testimonials made in exchange for discounts or fees are prohibited. Charter Members are entitled to free advertising banners for their kind donations that help keep this site online, and other advertising opportunities are also available. If you wish to advertise, please contact the Adminstrator.

Sharing accounts
It's cute and romantic when a couple wish to share an account, but this is prohibited. People do not know who they're really speaking to and it's awkward for everyone. Do not share your account details with anyone nor access anyone else's account. If you believe you have a very good reason to share an account such as a disability, please contact the Administrator.

Reminder of the Agreement made when joining (revised to be up-to-date):

You agree, through your use of this forum, that you are an adult, 18 or older, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, adult material, or embarrassing or causing distress or inconvenience to another User or any other person or entity; or otherwise in violation of any International or United States Federal law.

You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless you own the copyright or you have written consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also forbidden on this forum without prior consent.

Note that it is impossible for the staff or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of posts. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of this forum, its staff, its subsidiaries, or this forum's owner.

Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator of this forum immediately by using the Report to Mod link which is at the bottom right of each posting.

The staff and the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages. Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries. The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.

You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate and keep in mind that this website is indexed by Google and other search engines.

With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another member, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to NEVER use another member's account for any reason.  We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.

After you register and log into this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice. Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.

With each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache. This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out. The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.

Use of this forum is at the discretion of the Administrator, and that any use may be terminated by the Administrator at any time without warning or explanation.

For further explanation and clarification of the forum rules, please see <a href="http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=2887.0" target="_blank">Terms & Guidelines</a>.

Clicking the button is your "signature" of acceptance of these rules, if you do not agree, do not continue.

For more extensive description of the rules and legal notices, from the website terms of use:

Forum:

1.You agree to use UK Yankee forum in accordance with the following Rules:

About your posts:
- Contributions must be civil and tasteful;
- No rude or abusive behaviour (flaming or trolling)- postings must be constructive and polite, not mean-spirited or posted with the intention of causing trouble;
- Unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, racially offensive or otherwise objectionable material is not acceptable;
- Be patient - users of all ages and abilities may be taking part in the relevant UK Yankee community;
- No spamming - don't cross post your messages to more than one discussion;
- No advertising or commercial solicitation without prior arrangement; Responses to direct enquiries IS welcome, for example "where can I find a _____ service?" making excessive, inappropriate and unnecessary references to your products and services is self promotion and not allowed. Discreet links in your signature are permitted.

- Posts containing languages other than English may be removed
- No impersonation. Adopting an inappropriate user name (one that is vulgar, offensive, etc.) is also unacceptable;

About the law:
- You may not post any defamatory or illegal material of any nature in UK Yankee Communities. This includes text, graphics, video, programs or audio. Posting a message with the intention of committing an illegal act is strictly prohibited.
- You agree to only post materials to which you have the copyright or other permission to distribute electronically. You may not violate, plagiarise, or infringe on the rights of third parties including copyright, trade mark, trade secrets, privacy, publicity, personal or proprietary rights.

If you breach these Terms of Use:
If you fail to abide by these terms, you may be formally warned by personal message or email. This warning may also include a temporary or permanent suspension of your ability to participate in any or all of UK Yankee's Community areas.
If after a warning you continue to breach these terms, you will be prohibited from using UK Yankee Communities for an extended period of time or indefinitely.
If you post or send offensive or inappropriate content anywhere on or to UK Yankee Communities and the UK Yankee considers such behaviour to be serious and/or repeated, UK Yankee may use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop any further such infringements. This can include informing relevant third parties such as your employer, school, ISP or email provider about the infringement/s.

UK Yankee reserves the right to delete any posting, at any time, for any reason, without explanation.

The use of the site is at the discretion of the owner, and that any use may be terminated by the owner at any time.

Found here: http://www.uk-yankee.com/terms/

Again, if you don't agree, to these terms, do NOT use this website.
Thank you for reading and we hope everyone enjoys their stay!



Edit: Updated to reflect recent changes

BUMP

this is one of the clearest and best-laid out posts i've read in my 12 years online as far as forum rules/regulations go, even though i know most of it in my head, kudos to y'all.

i've been a mod on two other forums for years now and when noobs ask about forum decorum, i usually tell em to act as if one were a guest at someone else's home but i'm gonna copy and paste this for future reference, if that's ok. if not, please tell me here or mail/PM me, TIA.

Fixed the blank post problem on this topic.

I am so sorry and have to apologize for my ignorance in advance. I cannot figure out how to post my own topic!! I am simply trying to find out as an American what the guidelines are for remaining in, leaving , and re-entering the UK. I understand that Americans can come to the UK and remain for six months. Beyond that I can’t get any clearer picture. My situation is that three years ago I bought a vacation home on the NE coast of England. I know that I can come into the country and spend six months -then I must leave. I don’t want to spend more than six months at a time. But what I am wondering is how long do I have to remain out of the country in order to re-enter for another six months? Can I leave and go to Europe or the US for three months and then return to the UK and will my six-month period start over again? Sometimes what I would like to do is spend three months in the UK then leave and go to Europe for three months and then return to the UK. If I do that does my return to the UK start the six month window? In other words when does the window of time start tolling? I have spent hours and hours trying to get this question answered. The UK.Gov website does not appear to contain information regarding the specific question nor can I find it anywhere else. I’m hoping somebody can point me in the right direction. I would be eternally grateful!

I am so sorry and have to apologize for my ignorance in advance. I cannot figure out how to post my own topic!! I am simply trying to find out as an American what the guidelines are for remaining in, leaving , and re-entering the UK. I understand that Americans can come to the UK and remain for six months. Beyond that I can’t get any clearer picture. My situation is that three years ago I bought a vacation home on the NE coast of England. I know that I can come into the country and spend six months -then I must leave. I don’t want to spend more than six months at a time. But what I am wondering is how long do I have to remain out of the country in order to re-enter for another six months? Can I leave and go to Europe or the US for three months and then return to the UK and will my six-month period start over again? Sometimes what I would like to do is spend three months in the UK then leave and go to Europe for three months and then return to the UK. If I do that does my return to the UK start the six month window? In other words when does the window of time start tolling? I have spent hours and hours trying to get this question answered. The UK.Gov website does not appear to contain information regarding the specific question nor can I find it anywhere else. I’m hoping somebody can point me in the right direction. I would be eternally grateful!

This should get you to where you can make a new topic in the visa section.

Welcome to the forum. 

https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?action=post;board=17.0

Thank you, Larabee. I have now posted it in the correct section. I appreciate your help.