MacVideo WebSite Policy

MacVideo Forum House Rules & Site Policy

Our forums are open to anyone with an interest in computing and we encourage participants to engage in lively debate. However, we expect all visitors to follow the guidelines set out below:

1. Please keep your contributions relevant. These forums are for people who have an interest in Macs and computer related postings are likely to get the best response.

2. We don't accept bad language and any messages containing language likely to offend other visitors will be deleted. Statements relating to sexual orientation, race, religion or other factors having no relevance to the subject will be deleted, as will any posts deemed offensive, inappropriate or libelious.

3. If you see anything on our forums that you consider offensive, please contact us at the following email address - webmaster@macvideo.co.uk. To read our Privacy Policy please click here

Occasionally we will also request that a forum user contact us by phone to verify their identity. We prefer our users not to pretend to be someone else or to use any feature of the forum to harass other users.

MacVideo Site Policy
Any organised gathering must have rules and conventions if it is to operate efficiently, and the MacVideo forums are no exception. On the whole we function with a minimum of red tape, and we want our visitors to feel welcome and able to express themselves in their own way.

We are a family-friendly forum however, and there are inevitably some do's and don'ts that must be observed if we are to get along together. Regular forum users will be familiar with much of what follows.

Newcomers, who may be unfamiliar with web-forum procedures, should find it useful. It's your forum, we hope you'll enjoy your time here.

Disclaimer
The forum is populated by fellow computer users, and if you act upon any advice you are given in the forum threads you do so entirely at your own risk. The opinions expressed by registered forum users and the Forum Editor are not necessarily those of IDG Communications Ltd., and the company will not be liable for the consequences of following advice given in this forum by other registered users. You are advised to back up critical data files before making any changes to software or hardware configurations, and to consider seeking professional advice before taking legal action in respect of recommendations made by forum users in the forum.

Terminology
Plain English is the order of the day, but there are some words that you will see being used regularly: Thread - the word used to describe a forum topic. A thread may be started by any forum member to explain a problem and ask for help.

Moderator - someone who watches the forum for inappropriate thread content. We monitor forum activity, and the forum editor will sometimes remove threads or posts if he believes them to be inappropriate in nature. If you are unhappy about a particular post or thread, or if you want to contact us privately you can do so at any time by calling 020 7071 0615 or by emailing us at webmaster@macvideo.co.uk and editor@macvideo.co.uk and we'll contact you as soon as possible. Please don't use this facility to ask for help with computing problems - we can't provide this on a one-to-one basis by email.

Best practice: We have evolved a system of day to day conduct which we believe helps the forum to function smoothly, and we look to our members to abide by the system whenever possible. We are a community, and we expect our members to respect our code of conduct.

Personal email addresses - please do not include your email address when posting a thread or a message in a thread. Personal privacy is something that once compromised is difficult to regain, and posting an address in a web forum is akin to advertising it on TV - it can be read (and used) by thousands of strangers.

Offensive comment - forum discussions can sometimes become heated. They often take place more or less in real time, and it can be tempting to respond offensively in the heat of the moment. Personal abuse directed at another forum member is totally unacceptable, and such posts will be removed without warning. Repeated incidents may result in a forum member's registration being invalidated permanently and the user banned from posting on our forum. Thread titles - Please try to give your thread a meaningful title - one which will indicate its subject matter to other forum users. A thread entitled "Aaaaaargghhhh!!!!!!!!!!! What's wrong with my computer?" will irritate other users, and will be less likely to attract the right help. Good thread titles indicate the problem's nature "My modem doesn't dial" tells everyone what to expect.

Inform us - when posting your thread please try to provide as much information as you can. Give details of your operating system, which software or hardware appears to be causing the trouble and the full text of any error message if possible.

Items for sale - UPDATED! Due to the recent closure of our dedicated Classifieds section online we will now permit the posting of messages that advertise private individual-owned second-hand Macintosh items for sale. However this does not mean we shall allow ads such as "Earn pots of money working from home!" type adverts. The same disclaimer applies to any difficulties arising from privately buying & selling goods using our forum in this way. It is at the private individuals own risk to advertise their second-hand Mac goods on this forum and any communication or transactions resulting in the ad post. MacVideo or IDG accept no respobsibility for the private transactions.

Personal contact - we do not advise you to arrange personal meetings with other forum users. You would be meeting a total stranger, you cannot verify another member's age or sex, and such arrangements are inherently fraught with risk.

Search the archive - it's on the cards that your problem has cropped up before, so we maintain a forum archive of previously posted threads. You can search the archive by using the facility at the top of each forum section, and we hope that you'll do so before posting - it could save you a lot of time.

Forbidden territory- Some behaviour is unacceptable in the forum, and we will insist on the following rules being observed at all times: Bad language - it isn't necessary to use bad language to make a point. Although modern usage has seen many previously unacceptable terms become a part of everyday conversation, there are certain words which are universally acknowledged as being inappropriate in normal conversation. We will exercise our right to remove any posts that (in our opinion) contain such language, and the forum editor's decision will be final. 'Adult' content - references or links of an adult nature will not be tolerated - posts or threads that contain links to 'adult' sites, text, or images will be deleted without warning.

General Chat - There are thousands of chat-related sites on the internet, but ours is not one of them. We exist to provide help and advice to people who have computer-related problems, and we will not permit threads to wander off-topic into general chat.

Racist or sexist comment - we will not tolerate racist or sexist comments in any form. Libellous or defamatory comment - please do not exhort others to boycott a company that provided you with bad service or products. Do not make statements that you cannot substantiate, or state as fact, something which is in reality your opinion. "PC Computers Ltd took my money and ran" may well be your opinion, but an action for libel by the company would almost certainly succeed, and MacVideo may be jointly liable as the publishers of your comment. We aren't prepared to take such risks, and will delete any comment that is, in our opinion, potentially libellous or defamatory.

The editor's decision is final in all cases.

'Cracks' or copyright infringement - we do not permit the posting of information that will enable other people to use pirated software or to evade the copyright laws.

Please do not post serial numbers or CD keys, or links to sites that contain file-sharing software or such information.

Our editorial policy
Our membership is representative of all levels of computing, from beginner to expert, and no matter what your problem, there will almost certainly be someone who can help. We intend to maintain this 'mutual-help' atmosphere, we think computer users like it that way, and we will do our best to see that everyone is welcomed - no matter what their level of computer-literacy. If at any time you are uncertain about how to get help, or if there is anything about forum conduct that you find confusing, please don't hesitate to let us know. Send us an email. We'll do our best to respond quickly, but we receive a lot of email - bear with us. We want to hear from you if you have an idea for an improvement, or some extra content. We can't promise to translate your ideas into action, but we'll look into every proposal or suggestion.

Privacy policy
Our postal address is: MacVideo, 99 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8TY. We can be reached via email at: Tom_Drummond@macvideo.co.uk
Or you can contact us by telephone on: 020 7831 9252

Privacy policy
At MacVideo we are committed to protecting your privacy. We use the information we collect about you to process orders, provide a personalised service and to help us to develop the magazine and our website. We share a mailing list with other reputable companies, and from time to time, you may receive mailings about products or services that may be of interest to you. If you do not wish us to share your contact details with such companies please notify us accordingly, and we will remove your name from the shared list. Our web server will record your access to the site each time you login to the MacVideo online forum. Your use of the site's pages will be recorded in a server log. This information will not be shared with a third party for commercial purposes. From time to time we may use the information we collect about you to notify you about changes to our website, about new MacVideo services or special offers that we think may be of interest to you. We may contact you to ask you to participate in research projects or surveys. If at any time you wish us to delete your information from our records please ask us to do so by writing to us at the address given above or by email to Tom_Drummond@macvideo.co.uk

Subscription orders
When you order, we need to know your name, email address, postal address, credit card number and its expiry date. This allows us to process and fulfil your order and to notify you of any details that may affect your subscription.

Competitions
When you enter a competition or respond to another promotion, we may ask for your name, address and email address so we can administer and notify winners. We may also occasionally use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to the website, new MacVideo services and special offers we think you'll find valuable.

Website Forum registration conditions
By registering for access to our web forum you agree that the copyright in any content you may post to the site passes to MacVideo upon publication and that we may reproduce any contribution in whole or in part in MacVideo magazine or in other IDG Group publications without further reference to you. We may use the personal information you provide to notify you about changes to the site or to contact you for marketing purposes. When registering you must provide us with your name and email address. Provision of your telephone number is optional. The provision of incorrect or fictitious information may result in your access to the forum being denied without reference to you. We reserve the right to verify the information you provide and to exclude you from the forum, should any part of it prove to be false. We reserve the right to remove your forum contributions without prior reference to you if, in our opinion, the content is inappropriate, may be libellous or is not in accord with our policies from time to time in force. Any such deletions will be made at our discretion and our decision in such matters is final. The use of obscene or offensive language, sexual references, expressions of racial, religious or cultural intolerance or personal abuse directed towards another forum user is unacceptable, and may result in your further access to the forum being denied without warning. For further information about forum registration or conduct please contact: webmaster@macvideo.co.uk or editor@macvideo.co.uk

Onsite advertising
We use the services of an ad-serving company to manage our online advertising and, in the course of providing this service, the company may harvest information by the use of clear GIFs and pixel tags. This technology allows the company to recognise a browser cookie when you visit the site. The information gathered in this way does not identify you personally, and is used solely for statistical purposes. You may elect to be excluded from this anonymous process. To obtain more information please visit www.doubleclick.net

Email
You may receive occasional emails from MacVideo containing information on new products and services or special subscription offers. We may also contact you to participate in research projects to help improve the magazine. You may also receive mailings from other reputable companies whose products or services you might find interesting. If you do not want to receive email from us in the future, please let us know by sending an email to us at the above address or by writing to us at the above address and telling us that you do not want to receive email from our company.

Mailings
If you supply us with your postal address online you may receive periodic mailings from us with information on new products and services or special subscription offers. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please let us know by sending an email or by writing to us. Also you may receive mailings from other reputable companies whose products or services you might find interesting. You can, however, have your name put on our do-not-share list by sending an email to us or by writing to us at the above address. Please provide us with your exact name and address. We will ensure your name is removed from the list we share with other organisations.

Telephone
If you supply us with your telephone number, you may receive telephone contact from us with information regarding orders you have placed online. You may also receive telephone contact from MacVideo with information regarding new products and services or special subscription offers. We may also contact you to participate in research projects to help improve the magazine. If you do not wish to receive such telephone calls, please let us know by sending an email to us or by writing to us at the above address. Please provide us with your correct phone number. We will make sure your name is removed from the list.

Your consent
If you never want to receive any announcements or special offers from us please either send an email or write to us at the above address. If we change our privacy policy, we will post these changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it. Questions and comments? We respect your privacy and are concerned to preserve your right to choice when it comes to the management of your personal details. For more information about the way we protect your personal information or if you have other questions or comments related to any of the above, please contact marketing  

All material on this website is copyright © 1995-2006. MacVideo. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of MacVideo is prohibited. For further information, please contact MacVideo Online on 0207 831 9252

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