A clarification on a Rule

[Steve Ashton]

Hello folks,

Two weeks ago it came to our attention that the current wording of Rule #10 is not as clear as it could be. We have prepared an edit of the rule.

A little history. -

As you may know all of our 12 rules were written to cover events that have happened in the past. None of our rules is just made up out of the blue.

For example - Rule #10 currently states -

Rule #10
– The use of this forum for the seeking or solicitation of funds or donations or seeking professional legal, medical or spiritual advice is inappropriate. This includes any request or solicitation for sponsorship or support where funds would be requested.

There are actually two reasons for this current wording.
In the past we have had members ask their fellow members for cash or donations. One claimed that he had lost all his kit in a robbery and needed to replace it. Another was claimed to be entered in a kilted run for a charity event and asked other members to send him donations that he would give to the charity.
We later found that in both of these cases the member was not being fully open and honest in his request.

The second half of the rule was an attempt to save those of our membership who are medical or religious professionals from being asked for professional advise. In one old case members were asking for advice from another member after they found that he was a famous Oncologist.


There was one part of the intent of Rule #10 that was not specifically addressed. That was signature blocks which contain links to 3rd parties where there are requests for support or donations.

The staff know and fully understand that there are some very good charities and causes out there.
The problem comes when members ask other members to support a favorite cause or charity on a public forum like X Marks.

This forum cannot be seen to favor one cause or charity over any other.
We also cannot be expected to verify or certify in any way the legal status of any charity or cause.
We also do not believe it is fair to ask for money from your fellow members or to expect our common interest in kilts to be grounds to do so.

In a nutshell, the intent of X Marks is to provide our members with a place where they are not bombarded with requests for their money.

For example - Three years ago a US based group began to show up on the internet claiming that they supported Prostate Cancer Research. Within a year another group based in the UK also began to show up using the same name.
The 'hook' of both of these groups was that if you wear a kilt you lessen the chance of contracting Prostate Cancer. Both groups claimed that if you donated to them or bought t-shirts from them a percentage of any money they collected would go to a specific Prostate Cancer Research organization.
We later learned that no money had ever been received by the research organization and that the organization had never heard of the so called support group.

Most recently one member asked us to clarify if it would be allowed to place an embedded link within a signature block which leads to the site of his favorite charity.

This has led the staff to edit the wording of Rule #10 to -

Rule #10
- There is to be no use of this forum to solicit money from your fellow members. This includes direct requests, links to 3rd parties, or requests for sponsorship or donations. (This rule does not apply to items listed in "For Sale")


It was felt that our current "Policy on Member Profiles, Graphics and Signature Blocks" (quoted in part below) was sufficiently clear and did not need an edit.

"All avatars, profile graphics, text and all content in a member’s profile are subject to all other rules.

Non commercial - non fund raising embedded links are permitted in Signature Blocks. Links are included within the text limits above. One embedded link may be to the member’s personal, (non-commercial, non-fund raising), or blog site.

Members may have a personal show of support for a cause, (I support ---) a clan affiliation (Proud member of ---) or a personal affirmation of faith (Chap. x, verse y) within their signature block but no link to a commercial or fund raising site or a call to action directed towards others. ie 'join me' or 'for more information'.

No commercial links, company names, contact information, nor any direct or indirect advertising are allowed in Member Profiles, including Signature Blocks, except those granted to paid advertisers under our Advertising Plan."

Additionally those applicable parts of our Advertising Plan (Also quoted in part below) were sufficiently clear.

"Advertising and/or Promotion are defined as:

"A form of communication used to encourage, persuade, drive or induce an audience to take or continue some action concerning a commercial offering. It can be used to change or reinforce consumer behavior or offer assurances to consumers. Advertising often involves repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate certain qualities with the image or name.
Advertising does not always involve the direct sale of a good or service. An example would be the case of a public service announcement. If the result is an increase in awareness of a good or service it is advertising and /or promotion."

Any member of the forum who produces a kilt or kilt related product and who wishes to advertise on the forum will be directed to our advertising plan for details of our ad space and rates.

No other advertising or promotion will be allowed except those listed in this policy.

Announcements of events and functions are helpful and can keep our members informed of what is going on. We welcome announcements of events and functions as long as they do not cross the line and become promotion. It would be very suspect if your sole reason for joining is to post announcements of your event or if you are directly involved with, or would profit from the event. Dates, times and locations can be listed but pricing, ticket sales or collections of funds is not. When an announcement crosses the line and becomes promotion will lie solely with the Forum Moderators."



The Staff would like to thank our member who brought this to our attention. We would also like to thank all our members for their patience and understanding.

This edit of Rule #10 is effective Midnight GMT 26 May, 2016

[Tarheel]

Change will always come with the passing of time. If we do not adapt to change, we fester and attract the scavengers that will consume us. It is best to assert the ideas that will aid our future. I see this rule clarification as good for the group.

[GrainReaper]

Change will always come with the passing of time. If we do not adapt to change, we fester and attract the scavengers that will consume us. It is best to assert the ideas that will aid our future. I see this rule clarification as good for the group.

What he said.