156 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
156 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
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InfiNet - The International Freedom of Information Network.
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Network Rules, Regulations, and General Policy.
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Last Updated on November 26, 1994.
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INFINET'S CARDINAL RULE: As long as you know this rule, and know it well,
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all other policies pale in comparison. Post on-topic, and post with
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intelligence, and there will be NO problems. That is all.
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ú Any system found to be routing any portion of InfiNet, be it one message,
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one echo, or the entire network, to another system not currently listed in
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the InfiNet nodelist, will be immediately and permanently removed from the
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network. If any InfiNet node is found to be hubbing for another InfiNet
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node without permission from the network coordinator, both systems will be
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warned, and possibly removed from the network. If a system wishes to
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receive the network, they MUST poll one of the authorized network hosts,
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or an otherwise approved hub system. Unauthorized hosts/hubs will not
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exist in this network.
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ú You will be expected to poll your hub a MINIMUM of ONCE EVERY TWO DAYS.
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If you are going to be away for any extended period, notify your hub, so
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he can temporarily turn off your waiting mail.
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NOTE: If you have not polled your hub for two weeks, and you have not
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notified either your hub OR Midnight Sorrow, you will be removed from the
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next InfiNet nodelist. Sysops removed from the nodelist due to inactivity
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MAY reapply for InfiNet at some point in the future.
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ú All nodes within InfiNet must be willing to poll one of the designated
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network hosts. (Network hosts are designated by the 69:x00/100 node
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numbers.) If a sysop is unwilling or unable to poll one of the hosts,
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(the choice of WHICH host they poll is up to them), that sysop will, under
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most circumstances, be required to leave InfiNet.
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EXCEPTION: If an area code or country code within InfiNet contains more
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than FIVE actively polling nodes, those systems may elect ONE hub to poll
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their designated host, while the remainder may simply poll their local
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hub. Exceptions MAY be made for smaller area codes as well, depending
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upon certain extenuating circumstances. Only Midnight Sorrow, InfiNet
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Network Coordinator, may grant permission and/or appoint a local hub.
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ú There is NO minimum post quota within InfiNet. As long as a sysop is
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willing to continue contributing to the network, that sysop still has
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value. However, if a sysop finds himself in a position where he truly no
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longer has any use in carrying the net, it is our hope that that sysop
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will step forward and voluntarily drop the net. While we do not mind low-
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activity systems, ---> DEAD WEIGHT IS NOT TOLERATED <---. Systems found
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to be continually inactive will generally be given one month to improve
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significantly. Failure to improve contribution within the alloted amount
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of time will result in a permanent expulsion from InfiNet.
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ú There are very few things that could possibly get a system removed from
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InfiNet - inactivity is the most obvious reason. However, one less
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obvious factor is QUALITY. If users or other sysops notice poor quality
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messages coming from one particular system, they are NOT to take matters
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into their own hands. This is what the moderator is for. Notify Midnight
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Sorrow in either the Suggestions or the Sysops-Only base of the violating
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system, and that system's node number. The moderator will crashmail a
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single message to the sysop of the violating system. THREE OFFENSES in
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this vein will result in the systems' permanent removal from InfiNet.
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NOTE TO SYSOPS: If you get a letter from Midnight Sorrow telling you to
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remove a users' access to InfiNet, do not ask questions - DO IT. Quality
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will be maintained at all costs, and if this means removing a system from
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the network for questioning the orders of the moderator, so be it.
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ADDITIONAL NOTE: Once a "strike" is marked against a system, that strike
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will remain indefinitely. A system's outbound quality must always remain
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high. It is generally recommended that sysops restrict access ONLY to
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users who will post intelligently, and on-topic. Continual off-topic
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and/or one-line posters may also cause a strike to be marked against a
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system, depending upon frequency of offense.
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ú ABSOLUTE DEMOCRACY RULE: ANY InfiNet node may be expelled from InfiNet by
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a majority vote of ALL sysops in the nodes' area code (or country code).
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Sysop abstentions from this voting process will count as a "NO" vote for
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this situation only. Only Midnight Sorrow may veto a completed vote, and
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even then only under rare and extreme circumstances.
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ú Cursing and Profanity is permitted (within reason). However, flaming
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or ragging posts are strictly prohibited (except within the Flame base, of
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course). There are no rules as to actual message content, only that each
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message be posted in an appropriate topic area. One-line messages,
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consisting only of a reply to another message (ie; "Yeah I know what you
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mean!"), or some meaningless comment, are HIGHLY frowned upon, and may
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result in a user's expulsion from the network if committed frequently.
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ú Upon notification of a new system's acceptance into InfiNet, that system
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should immediately begin setup of InfiNet. New member sites are given TWO
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WEEKS (fourteen days) to completely setup InfiNet, and send out their
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first test message. If a new member board has not setup within this
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period, that system may be removed from the next nodelist.
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---------- REGARDING ECHOS AND THE ECHO LISTING FOR INFINET ----------
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NEW ECHOS: New echos may be requested by ANYONE - sysop, cosysop, or
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individual. Once an echo topic has been suggested (in the SUGGESTIONS
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base only, please), it will be added to the New Echo voting list,
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whereupon voting will commence.
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NEW ECHO VOTING POLICY: Votes are accepted from ANY user, sysop, or co-
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sysop that is able to access InfiNet. Each echo, unless noted otherwise,
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requires ten votes within two months in order to be accepted. If an echo
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fails to accumulate the minimum of ten votes in the allotted time, it will
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be removed from the voting list for a period of no less than three months.
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ECHO REMOVAL POLICY: Due to the time required to fully implement a new
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echo into the structure of InfiNet, echos are automatically given three
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months to "live", so to speak. If, after this period of time, an echo is
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still receiving little or any activity, OR, if an older echo is seen to be
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receiving fewer than one post a week for a period of over three months,
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that echo will be placed on the Pending Deletion listing. Once on the
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listing, echos are given one month to improve activity, or be removed from
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the network. If an echo begins to show signs of activity before the
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deadline, it will NOT be removed. If any SYSOP wishes to petition for a
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bases' immediate removal, five votes will consider the echo removed from
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the echolist. Votes may also work recursively; if a sysop wishes to
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petition AGAINST an echos' removal, five votes NEGATIVELY applied will add
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another month to the tally.
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ECHO LIMITATIONS: Regardless of how many bases are scheduled to be added
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or removed, there is now and will remain a maximum total of TWO HUNDRED
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echos to be contained in the InfiNet Echo List. Less than that total is
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not a problem, but echos will cease being added once that total has been
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reached.
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ECHOLIST UPDATES: If required, the network echo listing is updated once
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every two weeks. Echos facing immediate removal from or incorporation
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into the network will wait until the next echolist update.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
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What you have just read comprises the sum and total of all rules and
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regulations to be followed under InfiNet. Moderation is quite lenient,
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truth be told, so a system operator would have to be exceedingly lax in
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order to be removed from the network. As long as messages remain of a
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relatively intelligent quality, life will remain good for all.
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Thank you.
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Midnight Sorrow / Mitchel Waas
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InfiNet Founder/Moderator/Coordinator/Head-Dick-in-Charge.
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