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Thanks for visiting Hornfans.com. We truly appreciate the well-informed posters and interesting discourse that make this site so enjoyable.

What is HornFans for?
Primarily for fun. HornFans is a place for the Longhorn community to come together and discuss the topics that interest us and express our support for the Longhorn team.

Stay positive...
With respect to the team, which includes all players current, former and future which could be any recruit, we expect all of our posters to remain positive and supportive. This does not mean that you can't express some constructive criticism that explores the weaknesses as well as strengths of our team. There is a big difference between "Player X sucks and is as slow as molasses" and "Player X needs some improvement particularly with his speed, but his strength and agility are outstanding". And there are a hundred shades of gray in-between. An accumulation of mildly negative posts with never a positive word said may result in action by the moderators.

Avoid picking favorites
Posts that tear one of our players down in order to build another one up are inappropriate. We expect all of our posters to be supportive of the entire team. You may think that Player X is better than Player Y. Like the Stay Positive guideline, you may do some comparison of players at a particular position, but make every effort to support all of our players.

Why should I? The players don't read this stuff...
You are wrong there. I've talked to several players and their families and many of them do read this and other internet sites. The rule of thumb to use is don't post anything that you wouldn't say if the player and his mother were standing right next to you, because in a very real sense, they are.

But the coaches should know better than to read the internet...
You're right. And they do know better than to take anything said on the internet to heart. They are also professionals and adults, so you can be a bit harder on them. Their personal lives, whether that is our coaches or the coaches of other teams, should be left out of it though. While their professional responsibilities and performance are fair game for discussion, posting that any coach on our staff should be fired or suggesting replacements for any coach on our staff is not appropriate.

Let's protest!
HornFans was founded on a very simple premise: to support University of Texas Athletics. Every individual should express themselves individually directly to the program in the manner they deem appropriate. HornFans will not be used as a rallying point for any sort of grassroots movement that is not supportive of the University and its athletic teams. Such expressions include, but are not limited to, booing at any game, withholding/redirecting of donations, petitions, email campaigns, tshirts, banners, etc. Posts regarding any such expressions are not appropriate.

What about my First Amendment right to free speech?
This is a business privately owned by LonghornGirlie and Orangeblood. We have every right to limit what is said on our website as we see fit. The Web is a very big place. If you have an opinion that you feel you must express, you are welcome to build your own website and say whatever you like. You are not entitled to use HornFans for your own purposes just so that you can reach a larger audience.

I'm with you LonghornGirlie...
Thanks. We can use all the help we can get monitoring the boards and making sure the conversation stays on track. If you see something that you believe is out of the boundaries of these guidelines, email the moderators and/or myself. Please don't take it upon yourself to say what is or isn't appropriate for posting on the BBS. You are welcome to disagree with a poster's position all you like, but leave the appropriateness determination to the moderators or myself.

Likewise, when you see an inappropriate post, do not respond to it. Call it to the moderators' attention by clicking the Notify Moderator button near the bottom of any post. Posts saying "Gee, I'm surprised this is still here." don't help and only serve to bring a bad thread back to the top of the board. Responses in support of posts that violate the guidelines may result in administrative action.

I'm not tattle-tale...
That's good, because I'm no one's mother or kindergarten teacher. Using the Notify Moderator button isn't tattling. HornFans is like a really big party that I'm hosting 24x7. I expect any guest to come tell me if someone is causing a problem while I'm busy keeping the beer cold and the snack bowls filled. It helps, and it will keep me from having to kick you out of the party for responding to trouble that wasn't of your making.

Personal Attacks
Avoid attacking other posters personally. Namecalling is strongly discouraged. You can disagree with another without calling them a jerk or worse. Violent outbursts will be reason enough for immediate banishment. Do not start a new thread in order to "call out" a poster. Do not post private information about anyone, even if that information is publicly available. Do not post private communications (PMs or emails) from another user. Do not speculate whether a user has other aliases on HornFans or any other board. Do not post speculation that a poster is a member of the UT staff, a player, or a family member, even in jest. If you have any question at all about whether you will be violating this guideline, please read the fine print.

But Somebody Else Got Away With Worse
If you see something against the guidelines, call it to our attention with the Notify Moderator button .

You warned/suspended/banned me. What about the other guy?
That is none of your business. As a matter of privacy, I do not discuss administrative actions with other people.

But The Moderators Play Favorites
I assure you that neither the moderators nor I give a crap how many posts a user has, or whether they support HornFans financially, or any other arbitrary criteria. The moderators and myself do our best to enforce the guidelines fairly and consistently. With over 3000 posts per day, this is not an easy task. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.

But I Have <insert number here> Posts/I Am A Sponsor
See But The Moderators Play Favorites

What about the moderators?
The moderators are overworked and grossly underpaid. They were chosen because they are passionate and intelligent, but most of all because they are pretty good at keeping their sense of humor. It is their responsibility to enforce these guidelines as best they can. That does not mean that they are limited beyond these guidelines in expressing their opinion. Sometimes they disagree with a poster, and they choose to express that opinion just like anyone else. It is never appropriate to discuss administrative actions on the board. If you don't like how a moderator handled something, private message or email me about it.

What is it that the moderators do?
They enforce these guidelines. Some of the guidelines are political (like the Staying Positive thing) and some are just managerial (like Staying on Topic - see below). A moderator is able to do five things, within the board that they moderate:

• Lock Threads
  
• Delete Threads
  
• Edit Individual Posts
  
• Delete Individual Posts
  
• Move Threads
  
• Warn/Suspend/Ban Posters
  

Appropriate action for a violation of these guidelines is at the moderator's discretion. Disagreements with the moderator's decisions should be emailed to me for my review. In other words, do not make a post asking "Why was that thread locked/deleted?" or "What happened to that post by X?". If you have a question or a comment, private message the moderator or if you disagree with his actions, private message or email me.

What is the difference between a Moderator and an Administrator?
An administrator has the above privileges on all boards as well as a bunch of mundane managerial stuff.

But I'm an Aggie/Sooner/Husker/Raider/Hog/...
Welcome. Consider yourself a guest on our board. The guidelines are very likely to be more strictly enforced with you than with a Longhorn poster. It is, after all, a Longhorn BBS. We welcome diverse and interesting discussion, but if you are just here to spout off "tu sux" or "63-14", then we aren't interested. If you have something to add about your team or questions about ours, please feel free to join in.

But I was just defending my state/school/team/self...
Too bad. If you want to point out errors in fact in a Longhorn's post, fine. But a Longhorn posting "OU Sucks" on a Longhorn board is not a flame, and you do not get to respond with "whorns suck". You came here knowing it was enemy territory, so you'll just have to put up with some stuff.

But they allow it on <insert other website here>...
Then go there.

Heh, I'll show her. I'll just go incognito...
You've hit upon a pet peeve of mine. Those posters who pretend to be something other than what they are. This sort of thing will be treated with pretty close to a zero-tolerance policy. If you are a Horn, be a Horn. If you are an Ag, for God's sake, be an Ag. I don't have time for petty mind games.

Pro teams, political parties, etc.
HornFans is a place for the Longhorn community. It has grown large enough that there are lots of other interests that people want to talk about. Keep in mind that in these other areas, there is a wide diversity of opinion. Even if you are very passionate about these other interests, you are expected to put the community above your passion when posting on this website. Posts that are deliberately inflammatory or divisive to the community are not appropriate. Find another website more focused on your specific interest if you cannot handle diverse opinions without attacking the other side. Also, Nazi/Hitler references are inappropriate. Unless a person/group is actively committing genocide, such references are an insult to the memory of those who died in the Holocaust and as such are not allowed. Likewise Al Qaeda/Bin Laden/Saddam references are inappropriate. Unless a person/group is actively killing American civilians due to ideological differences and/or killing/torturing their own people for whatever reason, such references are an insult to the memory of those who died in the World Trade Center bombings or who suffered under Saddam Hussein's reign in Iraq.

Politically Correct
I'm not trying to create a kinder, gentler HornFans where one must mind their manners at all times. This is supposed to be fun, however. So if it stops being fun, take a breath, calm down and regroup. Avoid posting while drunk and/or angry.

Put your money where your mouth is.
Betting is strictly prohibited. Even if its just the macho "put up or shut up" crap from any side.

Speaking of gambling....
Or any illegal activity for that matter, discussion is severely limited. You may not discuss how to do any illegal activity. You can discuss whether an activity should or should not be illegal in a serious manner on the appropriate board. You may discuss the gamesmanship of activities like poker or sports betting, but not the wheres and hows of it, other than physically being in a casino where such an activity is legal.

Racial slurs of any kind will not be tolerated.
Use of any such terms may result in immediate and permanent banishment. Any hate-based terms are inappropriate and may result in your banishment. Remarks intended ascribe stereotypically unmasculine qualities as a means of an insult (gay, womanly, etc.) to athletic ability are generally acceptable (so long as it complies with the Stay Postive guideline above). If such terms are used as derogatory to an entire class of people, they are inappropriate and may result in immediate banishment. Describing anyone's, both men and women, physical attributes or in a sexual manner (positive or negative) is not allowed. Posting pictures, of athletes or anyone else, that are intended in a sexual manner or are likely to illicit sexual remarks, is not allowed.

Farks, jokes, derogatory names for UT player/coaches/representatives are not allowed
This goes along with the Stay Positive guideline. Any person associated with the University whether that be player or coach or cheerleader or whatever deserves a level of respect from this community. Photoshopped images, jokes or petty names, while they can be very funny, lack the respect these folks deserve and will be granted by HornFans. Such things are also discouraged in regard to other team's representatives.

Female (or male for that matter) players
The University of Texas and many other schools are blessed to have outstanding athletes, both male and female. Depending on your point of view, many of them are also quite attractive. Just as their personal lives are not appropriate for discussion, so are their personal attributes. Basically, in regard to posting, you should treat any athlete as if they were your brother or sister.

Profanity.
Allowed, but not encouraged. This is always a judgement call on the part of the moderators and administrators. Particularly vulgar usernames will have their access blocked and will be requested to change. Vulgarity within posts is at the discretion of the moderator. Oftentimes a user can be incredibly offensive without using even one "four-letter" word, while another can use them profusely in good-natured and humorous way. If you choose to use profanity, please simply type it out with the correct spelling. Using an asterisk in the middle of the word does not make it any less offensive. It does, however, circumvent HornFans' optional profanity censor for those who prefer not to see that kind of language. Do not use profanity of any kind in thread titles.

But what about children?
HornFans is not intended for children, and parents should make the determination if the content of HornFans, as well as all sites that their children may frequent, is appropriate for them.

Violent/Sexual Imagery
Violent and/or sexually graphic imagery is not appropriate in any context. Nudity and pictures of obscenities are inappropriate, even the "funny" ones. Links to sexually-oriented sites are inappropriate and may result in your banishment.

Do not register multiple usernames
Do not register for multiple accounts. If you wish to change your username, contact LonghornGirlie via PM or email. If your email address changes, you do not need to register an new username. You may update your email address (or password or any other account information) by clicking on Control Panel near the top of the page and selecting the appropriate link. Again, any questions should be directed to me via PM or email.

Stay on topic.
This is particularly important during Football season, and we will likely be more relaxed about this guideline in the off-season and tighten up during the season. This is simply a management issue and used to keep the primary board on the topic that it is supposed to be. The most likely result of posting an off-topic thread is that the moderator will move it to the appropriate board. This will result in the original thread being locked, and an open version of the thread appearing on the appropriate board. Threads locked for this reason should not be considered punishment or some sort of reprimand. We're simply trying to keep the BBS running smoothly. Speaking of which, the boards are:

• On The Field
  Talk about Longhorn football
• In The Stands
  For all fan-related posts
• Recruiting
  Talk about Longhorn recruiting
• Basketball
  Talk about Longhorn basketball
• Basketball (W)
  Women's basketball
• Baseball
  Talk about Longhorn baseball
• Other Sports
  Talk about all other Longhorn sports
• Cactus Cafe
  general musings and merriment (or where to find the best Aggie jokes)
• West Mall
  politics, politics, politics (or where to bitch about DeLoss)
• Quackenbush's
  Philosophy, religion, parenting, gardening, and such
• Rusty's Grill
  A true Texan's joy: The how to's of slow smoked meats, plus any other fixins
• Esther's Follies
  Funny stories, pet peeves, stupid criminals, and other hilarity
• Horn Depot
  How-tos on anything and everything from computers to gardening
• Swap Meet
  find and trade tickets, videos, anything Longhorn
• Manor Downs
  Gambling and gaming
• Prayer Requests
  Get well wishes, prayers and thoughts for those in need
• Horn Network
  Network with other Longhorn alums. Post job listings and resumes. Ask for advice. (Technical/product question go on Horn Depot)
• On The Road Again
  Information about how to get there and what to do when you get there, so long as there ain't here
• Around Austin
  all the best spots around the 40 Acres
• Classics
  The best posts of all time...
• PCL
  Just a whole collections of useful stuff generated on HornFans over the years. Travel tips, recipes, and more.
• Locker Room
  Great in-depth analysis threads
• 2001-02 Seniors
  Board honoring the Longhorn seniors
• 2002-03 Seniors
  Well wishes for the seniors of 2003-03
• 2003-04 Seniors
  A board to honor the senior student-athletes at the University of Texas for 2003-04.
• 2004-05 Seniors
  Saluting the seniors of 2004-05
• 2005-06 Seniors
  Salute to the 2005-06 football seniors

HornFans does not have a Trash Talk/War Zone type board dedicated to flames. I'd just as soon not see that kind of thing anywhere on HornFans. There are other websites that cater to that kind of crowd and if you like that sort of thing, you should check them out.

Do not start a new thread to reply to posts on a different thread.
Such threads will likely be locked by a moderator. Although threads sometimes can get long and cumbersome, please keep any replies to the subject matter of a thread to that particular thread. If a thread is old, and has slipped below the first page of the a forum, you can find it (and post a reply on it, sending it back to the top of the BBS) by either: (a) scrolling down page-by-page to look for it; or (b) using the handy "search" feature, the link for which is located at the top of the page.

Do not "to-the-top" or post insignificant messages on posts that are greater than a week old.
Those posts are there for a little history, not to "gloat" if somebody makes a mistake or thing don't turn out as hoped.

Do not post deliberately misleading or deliberately inflammatory thread titles
The thread title must accurately represent the content of the post.

Do not "anticipate" posts or label groups of posters
Do not post that posters on whatever side of an argument that you do not agree with will post such-and-so, and then proceed to argue against a post that has not been made. Respond only to what is actually posted, not to your expectation of what may be posted. Also, do not label groups of fans. Hater/pumper is no longer allowed, or any other labels you might come up with.

Signatures/Bios
Signatures and bios are intended to be short, light-hearted forms of self-expression. Political, violent or sexually oriented signatures/bios are inappropriate. Signatures/bios deemed to be intentionally inflammatory may be deleted. Images should be kept to under 32 x 32 pixels (approximately 1 inch on most monitors). Animation is discouraged. Signatures that are deemed to be visually intrusive, regardless of content, may be deleted. Quotes by other posters are acceptable only if they are intended to honor the original author.

Do not post copyrighted information on this BBS.
A BRIEF paraphrasing of such information is permitted, ONLY if a corresponding link is provided to the site from which the information originated. With that said, go ahead and link to stuff that you think would be of interest to HornFans users.

Some information on the net is available only to paid subscribers of the original site. Its ok to provide links to such services, but for the convenience of our users, please include a ($) or a (pay) next to the link to indicate that the information is available to subscribers only. We do our best to honor the policies of any originating website, so if the author of a for-pay article or post has asked that the information not be released publicly, please honor the request.

Do not bitch about the for-pay sites being for-pay. They have to make ends meet just like everybody else. HornFans would not exist without the services of people like Jerry Scarbrough, Geoff Ketchum, Clendon Ross, and others. If you have sufficient interest in the Longhorns that you feel like you need to get up-to-the-second, reliable information, I strongly encourage you to subscribe to one or more of these services. But don't expect the journalists or their subscribers to provide you with information for free. Neither could HornFans exist without the generous help from our sponsors. HornFans loses money on every non-sponsor user, so be grateful for the generosity of those who are willing to support services like HornFans and the various media outlets mentioned above.

Do not post rumors unless such information has been reported by a credible news source.
Credible news sources include major online media (ESPN, CNNSI, The Sporting News, Austin American Statesman, San Antonio Express News, Dallas Morning News, etc.), Inside Texas, True Orange, Rivals, etc. All reports must be accompanied by a link to the source. No reports from radio broadcasts, no matter which radio show, no matter if you heard it yourself, are allowed. No poster on any BBS is a credible source, including you. If we don't know who you are with any certainty, there is no way to verify the truth of your posts. "Trust me" is not verification of your authenticity. Do not post a question about an unconfirmed rumor. Its essentially the same as posting the rumor itself.

Do not post information regarding a player/coach's personal life
Their wives, girlfriends, and what they do on a Saturday night is their own business.

Do not post academic information regarding any player/recruit (no grade or test information).
The one exception to this policy is if a recruit has publicly stated such information, and then a link to that information is preferable to the actual posting of the information. It is acceptable to say that a recruit MAY (no one knows for sure) have "clearlinghouse issues," but even this should be done sparingly, and in such a way not to belittle a recruit's academic ability.

Do not post speculation regarding transfers.
Some attrition is a part of any successful program. If a player decides to leave the University for whatever reason, there will be plenty of time to talk about it after he goes. We expect our posters to remain supportive of all of our former players.

Do not post advertisements or solicitations on the BBS.
Link to stuff that is of interest, but don't use HornFans as a way of advertising anything.

Do not post regarding charity events on the BBS.
HornFans supports many charitable causes. If you would like for HornFans to consider supporting a charity, contact admin@hornfans.com. Thanks.

Do not post questions or comments regarding these guidelines or the enforcement thereof on the board
If you don't like them, don't post here. If you want to discuss them or disagree with how they are being enforced, do so privately and directly with me via private message or email. I've even been known to change my mind on occassion. Do not discuss whether you have had any administrative action taken against you. That is a matter between you and me, and we can discuss it privately. Furthermore, do not post nor ask me about administrative action regarding any other user. That is a private matter between me and them and none of your business. Whatever they did does not reduce your responsibility to adhere to these guidelines. If banned or suspended, do not register a new username. I do not spend time looking for aliases, but if you do it, you will lose all chance for reinstatement. Again, do not take it upon yourself to enforce the guidelines with other users. If you see something that is out of line, use the Notify Moderator button near the bottom of any post and then leave it alone.

CONCLUSION
Note that the moderators and administrators DO NOT have the time or inclination to be "thought police." In fact, rich factual discussions representing a variety of viewpoints is what makes this BBS an enjoyable places to visit. Note, however, that the best judgment of the moderators may be required in certain circumstances in interpreting and enforcing both the policies and the guidelines. As well, situations outside the policies and guidelines may arise from time to time, and the moderators will handle those in their best judgment.

If you have questions or comments on these guidelines, feel free to email me and I will be happy to address them. You welcome to request reinstatement via email or PM. I strongly urge you to read the Tips for Requesting Reinstatement before doing so.

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