THE TOP NO NOs (site wide)

These rules cover all features that may or may not have direct contact with the public.

1. DO NOT SPAM OR POST UNSOLICITED ADVERTISING
   No spam. No, we are not talking about the canned "meat" substitute -  we mean no advertising. DO NOT post spam in our forums or chat, or anywhere else. It is enough that our members get it in their email and have to deal with pop up windows all over the internet. We DO NOT want it here.
   
   PLEASE, understand the difference between advertising and referencing. If a user is talking about a topic or subject and refers a link to another site for more information, that is not spamming. I'm sure we all know the difference.
   
   As to 'referencing', this means referring members to a website that helps with your discussion. However, do not post a link to a website you are running or are associated with. Do not recommend sites with a simple, "Hey, check out this other site". This will set off warnings that you are a "spammer". Instead, use the forum settings and enter the link to your website, or just place a link in your signature, just make sure it doesn't look like a commerical. 
   If you have something that pertains to the topics in the CCLI Forum and need to get the word out, do not be afraid to contact us. That's one of the purposes of this section. We will help you circulate information to our members in some way or another without annoying them.  If you need help, just ask.

2. ABSOLUTELY NO PORN AND ADULT MATERIAL
   It shouldn't need to be said, but, no porn or adult material.

3. NO ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES
   Nothing illegal should be undertaken via this website. Anything against the law is unwelcome here. This includes, but is not limited to, copyright infringement, piracy, illegal substance, etc. You can talk about it, but do not exploit our website for your own illegal activity. As per the Terms of Service we WILL hand over such information to the proper authorities.

4. NO HARASSMENT OR THREATS
   Messaging others privately is a great way to get to know someone. But if the moderator requests that you do not contact them then NO means NO.  If you persist against their wishes, this amounts to harrassment. 
   
   If you are being harassed, inform the person that you do not wish to be contacted by them. Then to be safe, file a FORMAL complaint with us by using the CONTACT US link. This allows us to have a record of the complaint and have leverage to handle any future complaints about said person.
   
   This ONLY applies when you are using our community or any tools we provide. Anything undertaken outside of CCLI is none of our business and we cannot enter into any personal disputes between individuals.
   
   We DO care if someone is harassing you on our web site(s) and we will investigate the problem and take any appropriate action open to us. 

5. FALSE REPRESENTATION
   DO NOT POSE AS A MODERATOR. If you are not sure if the person contacting you is the moderator please contact us.  Wait for a reply before talking to that person again.
   
   If you find someone posing as a moderator let us know and we will take appropriate action. 
   
   NOTE: MODERATORS FROM CCLI WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR YOUR PASSWORD OR CREDIT CARD NUMBER.

6. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
   Yes! We do want your comments and suggestions. You can always post them in our General lounge forum in the Community section or use the "Contact Us" link to send us any suggestions or comments you have about any of our features.
   
   THEY WILL ALWAYS BE READ AND YOU WILL ALWAYS GET A REPLY.
   
   Do not be discouraged if it seems we are not listening to you because we ARE. If you do not get a reply to an idea you submit, please contact us.
   
   Please remember: There could be particular reasons why we cannot act upon a certain idea.  We will always try to explain why.   Other times we might think the idea is great, but it could take a while to implement it. We are quite busy putting out really cool stuff for you. Try to be patient with us.

7. MODERATOR
   The job of the Moderator in the forums is to manage and moderate the forum, not tell you how you should talk or post. You already know where the line is and they will remind you if you step over it. 
   
   The moderator  should never have need to edit your post. If they do, it will probably be because of a broken link or because of something that does not warrant the whole message to be deleted. They may MOVE it to another forum if the topic is better suited for another forum.
   
   They may delete it if the content is inappropriate.

   A thread may also be locked with a simple explanation as to why. This might be done, for example, if the discussion is going nowhere.
   
   

FORUM RULES

1. BE CIVIL
   The CCLI Forum attracts many different people with varied opinions. We ask you to keep your posts and replies civil towards each other. Express your views logically, not as flames against others. It is OK and encouraged to add humor, but do not disguise bullying with a smiley face. Flaming, name calling, trolling (comments intended only to provoke arguments), spamming, etc. are all violations under the rules. If you can't keep it civil then we rather have you go somewhere else.
   
   If you just can't stand the person IGNORE them. Go on to the next thread or replies. Don't pollute the rest of the community. 
   
   Moderators manage the forums and make sure the discussions are running smoothly. They are not BABY SITTERS. If you get into a "Flame War", they will tell you to "Take it Outside". This means take it off of our forums. If you need to discuss a matter further, do it on your own time in email, private messages or whatever tools you use to communicate.
   
   We will not waste our time here. We'll give you a warning and then that's it. We really don't care who started it. If you are part of the "flaming" you are part of the problem.

2. STAY ON TOPIC
   Please stay on topic. If the forum is for New Songbooks, please don't talk about Guitar Tuning. Staying on topic is important to keep the discussions going.
   
   If the topic is compromised, the messages in question will be deleted from the topic by the moderators judgement, not by the users. Plain and simple.

3. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS FORUM
   Have you got a question or comment? Ask them in the General lounge forum. Do not plague other forums with questions about how to post or upload your avatar or any such questions. This will annoy other members. It's ok to ask questions. Just do it in the forum specified.
   
   If you don't plan to help out by answering questions in this forum then DO NOT REPLY. This is a safe zone. No matter how small the question is.

4. QUALITY OF POSTS
   Though our forums are used by different people from different places in the world and from various age ranges, we do expect a basic requirement of how to post on our message boards.
   
   Not only do we try and keep the forums civil but we also want to take into account the quality of what's being posted on our boards. We do not look kindly on those who degrade the quality of the forum. Do not post in ALL CAPS. That is considered shouting and rude behavior. Skip the l33t talk. Consider checking your spelling and punctuation. Try to act and post intelligently.