Welcome to the New York Scooter Forum, a public service of the New York Scooter Club.

I. INTRODUCTION
This Forum was established in order to provide a friendly and welcoming environment for local scooterists to connect with one another, plan rides and share scooter-related knowledge and experience. Please review the following rules carefully prior to posting. Posts that stray from these rules are subject to removal by the Moderators at any time at their sole discretion. Note: Users who repeatedly violate these rules, or who otherwise demonstrate either an unwillingness or inability to show basic courtesy to others are subject to being banned from using this Forum.

New Users
Congratulations on finding us! You are welcome here. Riding a scooter is fun; having a community of people to ride with and to share the experience with can be even better. Register and introduce yourself if you'd like us to say hello. Lurking is okay too, you'll need to register before you can post. You may want to start out by reviewing the FAQs/Knowledge Base, which may answer some of your basic questions. If you're new to online Forums, you might also want to take a look at this FAQ on Forum Netiquette. Try to do a search (link at the top of every page) before asking a general question -- chances are, the question has been asked and answered several times already. If you can't find an answer via search, though, don't sweat it -- ask and we'll try to point you in the right direction. And don't just visit the Forum; join us in person at the Brass Monkey on Wednesday evenings as soon as you are able.

Old Users
Have patience with new users with regard to searching the Forum before posting -- people new to the subject (any subject) often don't know the correct terminology and can become easily overwhelmed by too many search results returned for generic terms. Impatience with new users honestly does a disservice to everyone. We can become a better community and a better forum by welcoming new users instead of getting mad at them on their first post. If you can help a new user, please do so. If you know a past topic that would help them and don't mind pointing it out, please do so. Otherwise, just move on -- don't take it upon yourself to be the "search cop" or to share unwelcome opinions about a new user's question.

II. RULES OF BEHAVIOR

Generally
Be civil to one another. Treat everyone with respect. Feel free to use the Forum as it was intended - to plan rides, to share relevant news and information and to ask and answer questions about scooters. Do not use it to create drama or to entertain yourself when you're bored (at others' expense). Keep it friendly and remember that not everyone shares your particular viewpoint, nor should anyone be ridiculed for not believing exactly as you do. Don't post anything you would not be willing to say in person, face to face. Put another way, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Arguing, Bickering & Personal Attacks
We welcome debate on the Forum. We even welcome spirited debate. But we will not allow outright arguing, especially when it crosses the line into personal attacks. Personal attacks, even minor ones, are strictly prohibited. Using this Forum to criticize people you don't like or to attack those who don't agree with you is selfish and is probably the quickest way to find yourself off this Forum. Take it offline or learn to turn the other cheek; just don't play it out here. If you feel that a comment by another user violates these rules, do not respond in kind. Instead, make one of the Moderators aware of your concern.

Trolling
Similarly, trolling (the posting of intentionally offensive, inflammatory, sarcastic, or similar content in order to cause disruption or confrontation), will not be tolerated.

III. RULES REGARDING CONTENT

Politics and Religion
Posts of a political or religious nature are strictly prohibited, as they tend to turn into flame wars. Nobody is ever persuaded to change sides in a political or religious discussion. Examples of a political or religious post would be one including advocacy of a particular party, candidate, viewpoint, or religion, or any controversial topic related to politics or religion.

Other Divisive Topics
Just as politics and religion are prohibited here, any divisive topic is also to be avoided. Examples of divisive topics are gun control, abortion, and the death penalty, to name just a few. The Moderators will decide whether a topic is too divisive or not. Given the relatively ambiguous nature and lack of concrete definitions here, we will initially be somewhat lenient with anyone who crosses the line without malice. This will not be the case if we believe the user is trolling (see above).

Off-Color Posts
Obscene, vulgar or sexually-oriented material is simply not permitted. However, the occasional off-color humor, links, or pictures are acceptable but they must be clearly marked NSFW (Not Safe For Work) in the title of the post. Off-color posts should be kept to a minimum so as not to distract from the real purpose of the Forum. The Moderators will have the final decision as to what constitutes too many posts of this nature, or what crosses the line.

Racist / Hate Speech
Racist or hate speech is strictly prohibited.

Illegal Content, Slander, Etc.
In order to register with the Forum, users must also agree to comply with the Registration Agreement, which includes among others the following additional restrictions: "You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned (and your service provider being informed). The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that the webmaster, administrator and moderators of this forum have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should they see fit."

IV. THE BOTTOM LINE
Hopefully, this is the last time you'll ever have to review this exhaustive (and exhausting) list of rules. Focus on having fun, meeting new people and learning a thing or two and you'll get the most out of this Forum and out of the Club. If you're frustrated with the Forum, get out there and RIDE!!! And never forget that scootering is supposed to be enjoyable -- that's why we're here. If you have any questions or concerns about anything at all, send any of the Moderators a private message and tell them what's on your mind.

Thank you for joining us, and thank you in advance for your support.

Last updated February 18, 2007