Forum Info and Rules

The forums are a great place to ask questions or chat with other Swap-bot members. Only Swap-bot members who are logged in can post content in the forums. The forums are meant to be a place for fun and information. The Swap-bot policy is to NOT censor any forum posts or delete any threads. Each user is responsible for what they post to the forums and there are some specific rules that must be followed. Members who break the rules can be permanently banned from posting in the forums by Swap-bot Admins. Swap-bot Admins strive to help maintain the health, helpfulness, and success of the Swap-bot community.

All Swap-bot forum rules apply both to the group and public forums, but group founders and officers are in charge of enforcing the rules within their group forums.

Forum Rules of Conduct

Violations of the following rules may result in a temporary or indefinite forum ban. Extreme violations may result in a partial or full account suspension. Forum bans and account suspensions can happen with or without warning and are at the discretion of Swap-bot Admins.

• Hate-speak and disruptive or hostile comments are not allowed.
• Threats of violence (against yourself or others) and personal attacks are not allowed.
• Using the forums as a way to Spam other members or advertise unrelated goods or services is not allowed.
• Posting another person's address or contact information (including email address) is not allowed.
• Making repetitive or disruptive posts and repetitively "bumping" threads is not allowed.
• The use of false or duplicate accounts (also called "sock puppets") in the Swap-bot Forums for the purpose of disruption or to avoid detection is not allowed.
• Posting copyrighted content without the permission of the copyright owner is not allowed. This includes posting private messages or email content without the author's consent.
• Maliciously and/or falsely posting a user in the Questionable Swapper category is not allowed.

Forum posts containing the following types of content may be closed by Swap-bot Admins:

• Interpersonal disputes or arguments unrelated to Swap-bot
• Vulgar, obscene, or pornographic text or images
• Repetitive or hostile arguments
• Offensive or disruptive content that upsets other users
• Any type of comment making fun of Crusher, the Swap-bot mascot!

Info for New Users

There is tons of great information for new users on the forums. A few fabulous and active Swap-bot members compiled a list of forum threads that new users might want to check out. Click here to view their list.

Check out the "Questions & Help" category for more useful threads.

Personal Responsibility

Please be aware that members could be held legally responsible for damages to another member's reputation if a court were to find that the remarks constitute libel or defamation. Because Swap-bot does not censor feedback or investigate it for accuracy, Swap-bot is not legally responsible for the remarks that members post, even if those remarks are defamatory. However, this law does not protect the person who leaves the feedback from responsibility for it. Basically, you are just as responsible for remarks you make in the Swap-bot forums as you are for things you say to someone's face or print in a publication. Bad swappers make us super-mad and frustrated, but we all have to try our best to remain civil and kind.

Decency

Swap-bot does not encourage or support indecent or offensive content. However, we also do not censor any of the material posted by our users on this site except in extreme cases of fraud or danger. Determining what should be considered indecent is a major issue that even the US federal government cannot agree on! Please remember that there are all different types of people in this world and on Swap-bot. Many people may have differing opinions about what they consider indecent or offensive. Please be respectful and treat others the way you want to be treated. Everyone has something to contribute and an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.

One-on-One Trades

Although there is a "One-on-One Trades" category in the forums, Swap-bot cannot regulate these swaps and we cannot make sure that members send their items for these swaps. In the future we hope to incorporate one-on-one trades and tag-type swaps into the overall Swap-bot system and rating system, but it will take us a while to get it implemented.

We urge everyone to take a few things into consideration when participating in the forum swaps:

• If you sign up for a forum tag or trade you are making a commitment. Make sure you follow through and SEND YOUR ITEMS! Be cool, not lame. Thanks!
• Tags are something of an act of faith. There is no guarantee that other users will follow through.
• There is no recourse (i.e. a rating system) for punishing those who do not follow through on their forum swap commitments.
• We do not take forum swaps into consideration when deciding whether an account needs to be suspended.
• We suggest only participating in tags that are simple and inexpensive. Be smart about what you can afford and what will make you happy to send.
• If you are doing a one-on-one trade, we recommend setting up a private swap between the two participants. That way there is an official record of the swap and you can both receive ratings.

We realize that it is extremely frustrating when people don't follow through on their forum swap commitments. That does NOT give you the right to send them threatening or harassing emails or PMs. "Swap-lifting" is a serious offense akin to stealing, but threatening, insulting, and harassing other members (no matter the justification) is also VERY serious. Thoughtful, yet firm, communication will get better results than angry threats and insults. Also, keep in mind that the Swap-bot administrators cannot force anyone to send items.

Be Safe & Smart

Opening up to the Swap-bot community can be fun and give you a sense of closeness with your swap friends. However, avoid posting anything that would embarrass you later. If you would not want your mom, boss, friend, or child to learn about certain information do not post it on Swap-bot (or anywhere on the internet). Remember, the public spaces on Swap-bot are indexed and searchable by major search engines. The information you post in the forums is permanent. Please do not post any personal information that you do not want the world to know (for example, your phone number, credit card number, and passwords). Before posting private information about someone else, make sure you have appropriate permission. Remember to use common sense while having fun!

Click here to go to the Forums.