CivilWarTalk Official Rules, Terms, Copyright, Privacy, & Compatibility

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CivilWarTalk

Lieutenant General
- ★★★ -
Managing Member & Webmaster
Joined
Apr 1, 1999
Location
Martinsburg, WV
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Principles for Posting at CivilWarTalk

CivilWarTalk.com has been around since 1999, and we've had several versions of rules. Now that we have millions of posts and thousands of members, our rules are pretty long.

Should you choose to not familiarize yourself with the rules in detail, remember: ignorance of the rules is no defense when the warnings, infraction points, and bans come down.

However, the rules of our forum aren't that complicated, to boil them down: don't be bad, be nice to other members, make sure you have permission to post everything you post, and finally -- don't be a Jerk!

Also, our staff, the Moderators and the Hosts, as well as the Forum Manager, @CivilWarTalk will be there to help guide you through using the forum. They are friendly and want you to have a great experience as part of our community!

Our Mission Statement

CivilWarTalk.com is a forum for students and fans of the American Civil War owned by CIVILWARTALK, LLC, and managed by our Managing Member, Mike @CivilWarTalk. Our online community of Historians, Skirmishers, Re-enactors, Educators, and Enthusiasts is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information related to the War Between the States. Our goal is to become the leading resource for every researcher seeking historical information and opinions relating to the American Civil War.

The Rule to Govern All Rules: Our Mission Comes First

The Rules are not a suicide pact; we are building a community, not Sickles’s Online Amputation Parlour. Something can comply with the rules as written and still be unacceptable; and something may be against the rules but allowable anyway.

If you demonstrate a consistent unwillingness or inability to participate on CWT in good faith, you may be removed, entirely aside from violations of the rules.

The Fine Print

We follow the "pirate principle" when it comes to CivilWarTalk.com. Piracy is more than breaking the law; it is a lack of respect for the law’s ability to govern behavior. If you demonstrate a persistent unwillingness or inability to respect the rules - which is not the same thing as occasionally breaking them - you will be permanently removed from CWT.
 
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Rule 1: Follow the Terms of Service

The Terms of Service is the legal agreement which allows you to use CivilWarTalk.com. Failing to abide by those terms, or indicating you will not abide by them, is grounds for immediate removal from CivilWarTalk.

The ToS supersedes everything else on CivilWarTalk.com. None of the staff can give you an ‘exception’ from those rules, they cannot interpret them on behalf of CivilWarTalk.com, and they will not give you advice on how to follow them.

The ToS prohibits obscenity, nude photos, threats of violence, hate speech, harassment, spamming, and other criminal (or possibly criminal) activity.

The ToS also prohibits you from using technical measures that circumvent any system on CWT, use CWT in a way it was not intended to be used, or access it in any way that might be abusive.

By posting something on CWT, you’re telling us that you have the right to post that thing on the internet, and you give us the right to display it and use it for CWT-related purposes.

By registering on CWT, you give up any right to sue us for anything that might happen on, or as a result of, CWT, and specifically, you agree to be subject to the disciplinary system of CWT.

The Fine Print
The Terms of Service are the legal agreement between our visitors and CivilWarTalk. You are expected to follow the Terms of Service. Failure to do so will result in your removal, without appeal.

The Terms of Service prohibit obscene materials from being posted on CivilWarTalk. Obscenity is anything which strongly offends prevailing community standards. It includes, but is not limited to, indecent acts and obscene activities - whether written or visual, real or virtual - and anything which glorifies or encourages criminal activity. This standard is, by necessity, flexible and is at the discretion of the Owner.

The Terms of Service prohibit threats of violence, hate speech, and harassment. That includes not only specific threats made to, or harassment of, other users on CWT; it also includes exposing anyone’s personally identifiable information ("doxxing"), whether or not that person is a user on CWT or not; advocacy of violence against any real person; and anything that would tend to encourage hatred for a group or individual.

As a general rule, we will not delete content from CWT on request. We may soft-delete (i.e., make invisible) limited content for good reason, but Staff cannot perform hard-deletions (actual removal) or broad-scale deletions. You should assume that the things you post are public, and that genie cannot be put back into the bottle. Exceptions may be made to the best of our ability for copyright claims, threats, illegal materials, and so on.
 
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Rule 2: Don’t Be Hateful

We want to build a welcoming community. You can’t post anything that is hateful or advocates harassment or violence, even against fictional or historical people. Be mindful in everything that you post.

Be understanding of other viewpoints and perspectives.

Be considerate of how your opinions and statements can be interpreted by others.

Don’t use slurs.

Don’t talk about how great it would be if someone was beaten, raped, tortured, maimed, etc.

The Fine Print
"Don’t be hateful" is about how what you say speaks to groups of people. For example, while slurs might offend a specific individual, they also generally offend communities. You are mindful not because of specific individuals, but because of all those who might be affected by what you say.

We expect, for example, that you will gender everyone appropriately. We expect that you will not refer to anyone by what might reasonably be considered a slur: don’t use "retard", "japs", or "crackers", for example.

We also expect that you will treat others with a modicum of civility and dignity. In particular, you must be willing to treat them as people. Revenge fantasies (Internet Tough Guy-ing) - whether against fictional groups, or against real groups, like Lost Causers - are unacceptable. While there is more leeway when it comes to historical or fictional groups, a community that is willing to devalue outsiders is not the welcoming one we are trying to build.
 
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Rule 3: Be Civil

Be courteous and decorous to everyone you deal with. It is possible to disagree, even vehemently, with people (both on and off the site) in a constructive fashion.

Respect the privacy of others. Don’t take information obtained from private conversations or restricted threads and post it publicly without permission.

Respect the participation of others. Attack arguments, not people. Don’t post personal attacks or insults, or join a thread for the purposes of attacking someone else.

Respect the site itself. Don’t threaten to report someone or ignore them. If you are going to use those features, let their use speak for itself.

The Fine Print
If "Don’t Be Hateful" is about how what you say speaks to groups, "Be Civil" is about how what you say speaks to specific other people. Civility is ultimately about keeping the thousands of daily interactions between users respectful.

It’s easy to be mean on the internet. You are not face to face with the people you’re talking to, and online culture often encourages being abrasive and uncouth. But you are still talking to people, and - despite what nursery rhymes would have you believe - words can actually hurt. Ill-chosen, they injure individuals and they make our site more toxic.

At its most basic, incivility is trying to crowd out others. Personal attacks, insults, extreme condescension, threats (particularly those relating to the report system or the ignore system, which are often grandstanding) and a feeling like their private thoughts will be used against them all push users away from CivilWarTalk, and are not tolerated.

This doesn’t mean a vigorous debate is prohibited. But it means you need to "play the ball and not the man". Posts need to focus on opinions, positions, and ideas - and not on other users. Maintaining civility encourages it in others and builds a better community.
 
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Rule 4: Don’t Be Disruptive

Be constructive in a way that enhances the experience of everyone you encounter. Don’t act in a way that would disrupt discussions on CivilWarTalk.

Respect the experience. Don’t post unwanted spoilers, off-topic materials, lots of memes or images, or complex or unpleasant formatting.

Respect the arguments. In discussion, we expect you to be honest, clear, concise, and willing to engage with others.

Respect the nature of discussion. The more controversial an opinion, the more likely it is to spin the discussion out of control: be mindful with controversial opinions and ensure that they maintain an appropriate tone.

Respect other posters. Don’t post with the intention of specifically getting a rise out of someone, don’t mock or taunt others in your signature or with your avatar, and so on.

The Fine Print
"Don’t be Disruptive" is how what you say affects other users’ experience. When your posts are unreadable, misleading or dishonest, you make it harder for others to enjoy the site and you disrupt their participation in it. If hatefulness is about groups, and civility is about users, then disruption is about the discussion itself.

In discussion and debate, we expect a certain threshold level of behavior: we expect honesty, clarity, conciseness and a good-faith willingness to engage with others. That means writing in a way that can be understood; it means not posting enormous, unnecessary walls of text; it means not misleading others about sources; and it means engaging with arguments with the intent of communicating your opinion or presenting facts. If you aren’t doing that - whether intentionally or because your posting is of such poor quality - that’s a problem.

This is particularly important when an opinion is controversial. It isn’t our desire to stifle discussion or debate, but staking out controversial positions inevitably encourages an aggressive response. The more controversial your opinion is, the more effort you need put in to ensure that the tone of the discussion remains positive and constructive. For example, a soldier being allowed to kill another soldier in wartime is not particularly controversial; being allowed to shoot someone in self-defense is more controversial; being allowed to shoot someone who has stolen your neighbour’s property in the back while they’re fleeing is very controversial, and needs to be raised and discussed carefully and mindfully.

This extends to threads (or posts) whose primary purpose is raising "this is bad". These which often have the sole or primary purpose of riling people up, are not appropriate.

A number of other behaviors - while not necessarily offensive to discussion - are disruptive because they make discussion more difficult or raise the barrier to entry for others. Posting long spools of quotes snipped out of posts and responded to individually - "spaghetti posting" - is confusing and frustrating for users who are just browsing. In a similar way, certain sourcing practices - articles or videos in a foreign language without a translation or explanation, articles behind a paywall, videos without text, and so on - make it very difficult for users to participate in a conversation. If you are intending to rely on these kinds of materials, you need to make an effort to identify, isolate, and summarize the relevant parts in your post.

Commonly called "necroposting", posting in threads long after the last reply is not in itself disruptive. However, contentless complaints about "necroposting" are disruptive and can be infracted. If a post long after the last reply is disruptive, that would be because of some other reason entirely unrelated to how long after the last reply it was made.
 
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Rule 5: Don’t Make it Harder For Us to Do Our Jobs

Our staff - from moderators to administrators - are all volunteers. Don’t do anything that makes what they do more difficult or that causes trouble for CivilWarTalk that we then need to invest time and effort into cleaning up.
  • Don’t create multiple accounts without staff permission.
  • Don’t encourage other users to break the rules.
  • Don’t argue with the staff about the rules, or a staff decision, in a thread;
  • Don’t file reports in bad faith;
  • Don't use CivilWarTalk as a launchpad for something that might be an issue elsewhere.
The Fine Print.
If you think the staff were wrong in a decision they made, or you believe they have treated you inappropriately, the appropriate response is to file an appeal with the forum owner: @civilwartalk. Attempts to respond to staff doing their jobs in a thread - whether that’s saying thanks, grandstanding, or arguing with, or complaining about, the staff decision - just disrupts a thread further and makes life more difficult for everyone.

If you have a question about your infraction, send a private message to the staff member who applied it; don’t raise it in the thread you were infracted in.

If you have a staff problem - for example you have a sensitive complaint about a staff member - feel free to reach out to the owner of CWT directly, @civilwartalk.

If you have a question, complaint, or suggestion about the policy behind a staff action, please raise it by communicating directly with @civilwartalk.

This also applies to the report function. Abusing it to make a point, or just because you want to annoy the staff, will not be tolerated. We want to encourage use of the report function, and using it in bad-faith only hampers that goal.
 
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Rule 6: Acceptable Content and Copyright on CWT

If you as a user and member of CWT are the original author or photographer of some content you'd like to share, and it's appropriate for our forum, then it's always considered "Acceptable Content".

Posting Content from Other Sources: When posting any kind of news article, a research article, a blog post, etc, if you don't own it or have explicit permission to post it in its entirety, the following rules must be adhered to:
  • You cannot post more than 1/6th of the total article, or 3 paragraphs, whichever is shorter.
  • You must provide a link back to the source, if online, or provide the source, if offline.
This will ensure that any articles posted on CWT fall under Fair Use.

Also, when it comes to Photos and Images from Anywhere:
  • You can always post photos and images that were taken by YOU, or created by YOU.
  • You can usually post photos and images from the Civil War period because they are typically in the Public Domain, but not always! You may need to learn more or consult an expert on this!
  • You may post a photo or image if you know the photographer / copyright owner (like your spouse) and have explicit permission to post it.
  • Don't post photos or images you don't own, or don't have permission to post!
Graphic Content: CivilWarTalk allows selected content which contain elements (Civil War photos with graphic depictions of dead soldiers, and some other explicit content) which may be uncomfortable for some readers, as long as that content is handled maturely. We do not allow content which contains obscene activities, is sexually or violently exploitative, or which exploits the participation of minors.

All content posted on CWT is governed by our TERMS OF SERVICE and USE as well as our OFFICIAL COPYRIGHT POLICY, please review these policies to be sure that you posts are in full compliance.

The Fine Print
Posting a full article, with or without attribution is considered copyright infringement, and does not fall under Fair Use. Posting an image you don't have permission to use is also considered copyright infringement. You the USER can be held responsible for any damages. Don't let this happen!

Read more about our OFFICIAL COPYRIGHT POLICY Here...

CWT tries to be a mostly family friendly website, and it is also a publicly accessible, publicly visible website that is promoted far and wide. As such, there are lines which we do not wish to be crossed.

Be aware of the links you are posting. If the site you are linking to has questionable elements or advertisements, you may run afoul of this rule.

Usernames, Avatars, and Signatures - because they are visible everywhere on the forum on every post - are held to a standard higher than regular posts. We will contact you to change your username if we deem it inappropriate or offensive, even if it's unintentional. Nothing in your avatar or signature should be anything that might plausibly be offensive to, or inappropriate for, any age of audience.

Be considerate with the images you post on the forum. Your posts should be "scroll safe" - if someone glances over the shoulder of a browser and catches a glimpse of the post, there should be nothing that raises an eyebrow, because risqué or gory images will be spoiled and tagged.

Text is generally treated more liberally than images. In addition, it can sometimes be tricky to find a balance between creative freedom on the one hand and, on the other hand, appropriate and welcoming standards of good taste. Our goal is to create a place where individuals both feel welcome and can decide what they want to see - without being surprised.
 
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Rule 7: Community Guidelines & Proper Etiquette of CivilWarTalk

While this section is technically part of the "Rules", some of the points made here are more like "suggested practices" and may even duplicate some of the rules that are stated above.

However, we feel it's important that you should be familiar with these guidelines, they may improve the quality of the replies you get from other forum members, and help your overall forum experience!

DON'T BE AFRAID TO POST - Posting on a forum can sometimes be intimidating. Stay cool, and jump right in. Our members are supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic and enjoy making new friends.​
IT'S OKAY TO LURK AND NOT POST - While it would be nice to have your active participation in our discussions, you don't have to do anything if you don't feel like it. If that's what appeals to you, just go ahead and hang around until you feel confident enough to post a message. It's okay to be the quiet one!​
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS - Be nice to new visitors. Help them "learn the ropes", give them nuggets of information, and nudge them along to the resources they need.​
DON'T POST PERSONAL INFORMATION - Think before you post. Perhaps putting your address or telephone number on a public forum isn't a good idea. Keep personal information personal, and teach your children to do it too. Do not ask for personal information from others.​
PLEASE USE COMMON COURTESY - Try to be polite and use common courtesies when having a conversation with others. Use words like please and thank you where appropriate. You'll get a better response to your posts when you are polite. Don't forget what your mother taught you: treat others the way you want to be treated.​
USE REAL ENGLISH - Although not a hard and fast rule, we'd like to suggest that you try to avoid using "Instant Message" speak or computer English when making posts. We also suggest that you use complete sentences with proper punctuation, avoid run-on paragraphs, and use line breaks where appropriate.​
You should also attempt to spell check your messages as best you can. Please don't write sentences that contain abbreviated words (ie: "ur" instead of "you're"), it makes your messages difficult to understand. Although there will be no "Grammar Police" to enforce proper English, you will find that others will be more likely to respond to your posts if you use proper English, spelling and grammar.​
TRY TO KEEP TO THE CORRECT TOPICS OF DISCUSSION - Our forum is an American Civil War discussion forum, all discussion in our main forums should be focused on that time period and the history of that era. The primary time period for discussion should be focused between Lincoln's Election in 1860, and the events that brought the war to an end in 1865 in the United States.​
CivilWarTalk has an forum called Campfire Chat, for non-Civil War discussions, it is exempt from the restriction on Civil War Period Discussions rules. (Added 7/2019)​
FORUM WIDE RESTRICTED / FORBIDDEN TOPICS - Because these topics are frowned upon on the internet at large for one reason or another, the following discussion topics are restricted, or not permitted. Please follow the discussion guidelines we have provided, or move your discussion to a more appropriate website:​
  • American Civil War Period political discussion is permitted, but all topics, arguments, and comparisons must remain in the 19th Century or earlier. All Antebellum Era political discussions, War Era political discussions, and Reconstruction Era discussions will be monitored by the moderation team. No Post-1900 political discussion will be allowed.
  • Discussions related to American Civil War Monuments, Structures, Locations, and Historic Artifacts in the modern era may include some Political Event & Activist Discussion on a RESTRICTED and limited basis, and are exempted from the rules below. All such discussions must be posted in a Forum designated for that purpose ONLY.
  • RACE, SLAVERY, and ALL US/CS SOLDIERS OF COLOR DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Slavery Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • SECESSIONS DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Secession Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • RECONSTRUCTION DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Reconstruction Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • Any discussion that relates to Religion, and does not directly relate to the topic of the American Civil War, is strictly prohibited.
  • Any discussion which requires the mentioning of a Political Event or Political Party that occurred after the year 1900 is prohibited.
    • This includes but is not limited to: Modern day Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, Modern Election Fraud, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, etc.
  • Any Modern Activist Positions or Modern Political Action Discussions are strictly prohibited.
  • Discussions about military leaders and events that occurred after 1900 is also strictly prohibited. This Includes:
    • World War I (Archduke Ferdinand, Treaty of Versailles, Hundred Days Offensive),
    • World War II (Allied Powers, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Axis Powers, Nazis, Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito),
    • Vietnam, The Gulf Wars, the War on Terror, and other Modern Conflicts.
  • Comparisons of more modern Military Equipment is a RESTRICTED topic, and may be made, including identification, nicknames, and capabilities, but must include comparison to Civil War equipment, and must not be discussed in such a way, as to excuse discussing events, politics, or leaders after the year 1900.
(Restricted / Forbidden Topics Added 3/3/2021 - Replaces several previous rules governing Politics & Religion, and other restricted topics.)​
DON'T SHOUT - Typing your messages in all capital letters is called shouting, and it's not nice to do, not to mention hard to read. Avoid shouting.​
MAKE POSTS IN THE MOST APPROPRIATE FORUM - Please try to start new threads in the appropriate forums. We know that sometimes new threads would be appropriate in multiple different forums, do your best picking the most appropriate forum. Keeping things more or less where they belong can help to make information and conversations easier to find.​
DON'T DUPLICATE THREADS & POSTS - Do not duplicate the same thread in more than one forum. Also, do not post the same reply in multiple threads. These practices are irritating to our members. Duplicate threads and/or posts in multiple threads will be deleted, and you can get infractions for repeated violations.​
DON'T CREATE A THREAD WITH JUST A LINK - Make sure you include some content, this is a discussion forum, and our members are here to have a lively discussion! (Added 1/2019)​
DON'T MAKE SPAM, MEME, OR JUNK POSTS - We want the forum to be a content rich place. Please don't fill it with almost zero-content or contentless posts.​
This covers not just spam but a broad swath of gimmicky, memetic, fandom and juvenile nonsense that often spams forums including using popularized phrases or posting images or memes in lieu of discussing the actual topic or subject at hand. Stuff like +1 type posts, regurgitating popular comedic or movie lines, image spam, image/video only responses, etc. Basically, stupid "spammy" behavior.​
There is some leeway, but if spammy nonsense is distracting, derailing or curbing on topic discussion or being used in a provocative, trollish or obstructive manner, it is clearly violating this rule.​
This basically means "No Memeing". Now it does not mean memes are banned on CWT. Rather, what's banned is trying to force memes; replying to memes with memes; or just plain replying with only a meme/just to meme.​
Forums are built for slower, thoughtful, in-depth discussions. You should be spending at least 2 to 5 minutes creating a meaningful post as a general rule of thumb. (Added 7/2019)​
DON'T NEEDLESSLEY BUMP THREADS - "Thread bumping" is the act of posting in a thread, with the sole goal of getting it back to the top of the thread list on the homepage. Some people thread bump because their thread wasn't noticed during a busy time, while others bump threads just because they want to. Doing this repeatedly may lead to warnings and infractions. (Added 7/2019)​
AVOID PROFANITY - This is a mostly family friendly environment. This is not an appropriate forum for using profanity, please do not use it! If you have historical content that is somewhat profane, use a Spoiler tag to hide it.​
(FYI: This forum will attempt to mask any unacceptable words or profanities, but this feature may not always be 100% effective. Please report any issues with profanity to the moderators.)​
DON'T FLAME OTHERS - Flaming is the practice of verbally attacking another member of the forum, and it is unacceptable and will get you banned from posting on our forum. This may seem an obvious point at first, but many people use mild forms of flaming and don't even know it.​
Be mindful of the words you post. If the entire content of your post is to have a dig at someone you don't agree with, then don't make that post. Also, if one of your posts begins with: "No offense, but...", there is a good chance that your post IS offensive, and you may wish to reconsider making that post. Stay objective in debates, and don't get personal. If you have an issue with a post maker, please email a moderator.​
BE CAREFUL WHEN QUOTING IN HEATED DEBATES - Although our forum is designed to quote other messages in your replies, sometimes quoting another person can cause problems. Using a quote against another user in a heated debate can be seen as an offensive form of flaming, so be careful when using this feature.​
AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH RESPECT - By all means have a healthy exchange of opinions. You can challenge another member's opinions. But remember, you should challenge respectfully. Do not insult, abuse or verbally attack other members. When all else fails in a debate, take the high road!​
We take a very serious view of offensive and vulgar messages -- especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, national origin, or disability.​
END DEBATES WHEN NO FURTHER PROGRESS CAN BE MADE - Report a thread if you feel that a debate has come to a point where no further discussion can bring the debate to a satisfactory conclusion, or if tempers dictate a cooling period. The staff will decide if and when the thread needs to be closed. (Added 7/2019)​
ITEMS FOR SALE or TRADE may only be posted in our Classifieds Forum - Please read the Classified Guidelines before placing an ad. Posting items for sale in other forums will result in an immediate ban from the forum.​
MEMBERS MAY NOT USE THE FORUMS TO POST ADVERTISEMENTS or commercial solicitations of any kind. (this includes raffles and contributions to charities) (Added 1/2019)​
CONTACTING MEMBERS WITH UNSOLICITED SALES OFFERS by any method will result in your account being banned. (Added 1/2019)​
SIGNATURE GUIDELINES - Each member may add a signature to their profile, the signature will be displayed below each post you make in the forum and in conversations.​
Signatures may not contain links to commercial web sites unless you have a Vendor License.​
All signatures must be kept as neat and small as possible, no more than 3 lines of text, no large fonts. No images! If you aren't sure, please contact the Webmaster, or a Moderator for assistance. Click Here to Edit your Signature! (Edited 1/2019)​
DON'T POST COMMERCIAL MESSAGES WITHOUT A VENDOR MEMBERSHIP - Commercial posts should not be made in the forum. Most commercial posts belong in the classifieds, or vendor area. If you are unsure about where to post your message, contact a moderator or @civilwartalk (Edited 1/2019)​
WHEN IN DOUBT... - Contact a moderator or the forum owner! We are happy to assist you in any way we can. We will attempt to monitor all activity on our boards, but we cannot always detect every problem, and we appreciate any assistance you can provide in keeping our forum a friendly place to chat and debate.​
REPORT PROBLEMS - If you come across any violations of our rules, if you have any problems navigating the site, or if you have a comment or suggestion for the web site or forum, let us know! Contact a moderator, or start a conversation with @civilwartalk
STAFF MEMBERS ARE TO BE RESPECTED AT ALL TIMES! Criticism and "bashing" or rebelling against staff members is not permitted anywhere on the forum. If you have an issue with a staff member or their decisions, please discuss via private message or email, NEVER in public on the forums, or contact the owner, @civilwartalk.​
SERIOUS DON'Ts!
--Never make threats toward anyone on CWT.​
--Do not harass or play pranks on members.​
--Do not post flame bait or hate threads.​
--Do not use CWT as your "dating service".​
These are rude and unacceptable practices. Anyone caught violating any of these rules will be subject to getting infraction points and/or banned from the forum.​
DON'T ABUSE YOUR PRIVILEGES - When you use our forums and chat room, you are guest. Your ability to use this forum is a privilege. Any users violating the rules stated above may be censored and/or banned permanently.​
The site administrator reserves the right to revoke or restore any and all user privileges on the web site for any reason.​
 
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How Things Work

A guide for user interactions with the forum that go beyond "these are the rules and how you should follow them".

Application of The Rules

The Rules apply to everything that is posted on CivilWarTalk, no matter where it is posted (public threads, private threads, personal conversations, profile posts, etc.).

The rules do not apply to things posted on other websites, even if the person who posted them is identifiable as a CWT user.

Things posted on other websites may be used as evidence of malicious intent or bad faith when deciding whether or not something posted on CWT violates the rules and if so, what sanction is appropriate.

How to Report Rules Violations

Following these guidelines will increase the odds of your report being accepted by the staff:

Anytime you see a Rules Violation, you'll want to report it. Here are some tips about reporting rules violations:
  1. Be concise in stating the problem(s).
  2. If multiple violations occur, list them in the same report and link to each of the posts in question.
  3. Make sure you provide sufficient detail to make the violations clear to the staff. If the Staff need to search for the violation, your report may be rejected.
  4. Provide detailed evidence (links to other parts of the posts, pointing out specific sentences that are troublesome, etc.) The more you support the accusation, the more likely the Staff are to take it seriously and act on it.
    • A rule of thumb regarding 3 and 4: the less work the staff have to do to verify your report, the more likely we are to act on it if something is indeed wrong. Simply making a one line, vague accusation and then expecting the Staff to verify your words will most likely result in the report being rejected. The Moderators have enough reports to handle without engaging in lengthy research the user should have sent in the report to begin with.
  5. Do not abuse the report button. This includes, but is not limited to: spamming large numbers of reports in a short period of time (about a single user or group of users), report the same post over and over again, or spite-reporting. The Staff and the rules are not a weapon for you to use against other users, and if the Staff think you are doing so, we will take appropriate action for such violations. (See Rule 5Above)
    • Additionally, the report button is not to be used to report Staff acting in an official capacity. Any such report will be automatically rejected.
    • If you have a problem with Staff actions, please contact the forum owner @civilwartalk.
  6. Reporting Conversations: When reporting violations occuring in a private message/conversation, please report every post that violates the rules separately. As the Staff cannot easily access conversations, we can only see the content that you report, and we can only judge the veracity of things by the content from that PM you report.
    • This is an exception to the 'spamming the report button' rule, and will not get you infracted so long as you use it wisely.
You may find it's easier to write out a complicated report in your favorite text editor first, and then when you make your report you can copy and paste it in to the text box! Try to be detailed, but yet try to keep your report concise if you can.

When you are ready, click on the "Report" link at the bottom of any Post or Conversation containing a violation to alert our staff to the problem. You should see a window pop-up that looks like this:

1563546397198.png
You can type your report in directly, or copy and paste as needed.

Other Types of Reports (a.k.a. Keeping Our Forum Clean & Spotless)

If you've made a mistake you can't fix, or if you discover one that someone else made, you are safe to report a post or a thread to have a moderator fix the problem. It may take a little longer for a response if we have a lot of other tasks that need to be resolved first, but when we have a free moment we would be happy to help.

You can report mistaken double posts, threads with spelling errors, threads that need to be moved to a different forum, broken or rotated images, or anything that didn't work the way you expected it to work. (FYI: The staff doesn't usually fix broken links and broken images, there are currently too many to fix.... unless someone wants to volunteer to do that job too!)

The Role of Authors/Thread Creators

When a thread is started, the person who starts a thread - the "OP", or "original poster" - gets to decide what that thread should be about and generally how it should proceed. This is true regardless of whether or not what is posted is a discussion thread or a creative writing thread or a questing thread.

When a thread is being moderated, Staff should keep in mind this original intent. They may also want to ask the OP for advice if the thread is lengthy and complex or if the issue involves the OP or a Host is trying to manage behavior in the thread.

Staff are not obligated to take the advice of the OP. Staff are enforcing the rules of the site, not the OP’s rules. For example, if an OP dedicates a thread to productive discussion about field artillery, the Staff may want to solicit the OP’s thoughts on whether or not mortars fall within the scope of this discussion. They will not, however, ban someone because the OP does not like one person's opinions about which side, Union or Confederate, had a better artillery tactician at Gettysburg.

The Role of Hosts at CWT

A Host is a regular member who has a passion for discussing one or more particular topics on our forum. The host usually has the responsibility of posting a few times a week in their assigned forum, with the intent of generating discussion with the members. They may take on slightly more responsibility for the content in a forum than the average member does. Any member may volunteer to be a Host, contact @civilwartalk to be a Host!

Hosts are considered part of our staff, please be kind to them!

Using Multiple Accounts on CWT

Users are not allowed to have more than one account at a time without explicit prior staff permission. CivilWarTalk is not anonymous; it is pseudonymous. Much of the value of the forum is users building up a reputation, and that is lost with multiple accounts.

Administrative staff may grant permission for multiple accounts, for good reason. If the reason is because the user wants to get away from a prior ‘bad reputation’, the administrator should be convinced that the user will actually change their behavior before authorizing the second account, and it should be made clear to the user that they are not to continue using their old account.

If a user is suspected of having more than one unauthorized account, contact @civilwartalk for further investigation.

Normally, if the staff are convinced that a user has multiple accounts, they will merge the accounts and attach an infraction to the primary account. If the accounts are being used for some disruptive purpose - such as to pad votes - this may trigger additional infractions.

Advertising & Commercial Use

Users are not generally allowed to post commercial messages. This includes advertising a product or service, asking for donations for a cause, asking that money be donated to a third party, or promoting a product or service. This applies not only to the posting of threads, but also to posts within threads, and signature blocks or avatars.

There are several exceptions:

The internal advertising system, obviously, is not subject to this policy.

The owners of the forum are exempt from this policy, and can optionally give exemptions to members and guests on a case by case basis.

Posting news about new and relevant products or services, like books, movies, video games, and so on, as long as they constitute a general source of discussion and the poster has no personal economic interest, is entirely acceptable.

If a member in good standing has a personal interest in a certain product or service, and that product or service has a relevant connection to the American Civil War, they can purchase a Vendor License. Then they may advertise in a thread devoted to talking about that product or service (if one exists) or in a new thread they create. They may not make multiple threads, or make many posts in an attempt to repeatedly ‘bump’ their thread. They may also post their product or service in their signature and/or avatar. Their interests in the product or service should be disclosed, all other rules remain in effect.

When a Member No Longer Wants To Participate on CivilWarTalk
  • Members can just log off. Nothing else needs to be done. If the member ever wants to return, their account should still be here waiting for them.
  • If a member ever desires to have an account retired permanently, they can contact the forum owner @civilwartalk, the user will be moved to the usergroup: "Retired Members". While in this group, the user may login but may not post, participate in conversations, or use many other functions that a regular user can. Once a user asks for this, the account cannot be restored.
  • If a member would like to request their member account and profile be Deleted from CWT, contact the forum owner @civilwartalk, only he has the ability to do that for you.
  • Once a user posts material on CWT, a user gives CWT irrevocable use of the content. (See section 5(C) of the Terms of Use) Members should not ask to have their posts or threads deleted. CWT will only delete content for legitimate Copyright Infringement claims, or if personally identifiable information is contained within a public or members only part of the site.
    • WHY? We are not going to delete good forum content, with no personally identifiable information, or infringing content inside it. This would include... Threads you have started - if they are deleted, it deletes all posts within. That's a loss of potentially valuable content to the forum, to the users who posted them, to finding the site through search engines. It would also include... Posts you have created - if they disappear, there will be holes in the discussion which often would mean the flow of the conversation no longer makes sense, and the loss of potentially valuable content.
 
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Rules Violations, Warnings, and Infractions

If a member violates a rule on the forum, or even if they just make a mistake, one of our moderators may need to step in and fix things. In many cases they will chat with the member about the problem and help them take care of it. Sometimes the member just needs to edit their post, other times the moderator will edit or delete the post for them.

The member may or may not get a warning message for the mistake they made, depending on the circumstances.

But if a member does something they really should not have done, especially if they were warned by a moderator not to do that thing, the member will probably be given a warning and one or more Infraction Points.

These points are kept in an Infraction Point bank, as part of a members profile. Only the member, moderators, and the owners of the forum can see how many infraction points a member has. If you don't have any points (and unless you've been contacted by a moderator and seen a message saying you've received Infraction Points, you probably do not have points), then there will be nothing to see in your profile.

If you do have Infraction Points, You may see this on your Profile Card (When You Click on your Username)

Warning.png

Example Profile Card with 2 Infraction Points

If you open your Profile, and go to the Warnings Tab, you would see information detailing each Warning you have and how many Infraction Points you currently have:

WarningProfile.png

Example Profile Page - Warning Tab with 3 Warnings and 2 Infraction Points
If a member gets too many Infraction Points, they may be banned by our rules for a period of time and might not be able to visit CWT for some length of time.

We don't like giving out infraction points, but sometimes it's the only way members learn to stop behaving badly on the forum. In other cases, some members just aren't compatible with our forum community. Our Infraction System helps the staff find the members who cause the biggest issues on the forum and decide what steps need to be taken on a case by case basis.

Official Infraction Points to Ban Length Ratio

Here are the thresholds of how many points a member would need to get before they would end up with a Forum ban:

10 points = 1 day Forum ban
25 points = 3 day Forum ban
50 points = 1 week Forum ban
75 points = 2 week Forum ban
90 points = 1 month Forum ban
100 points = Indefinite Forum ban, no end date pending staff discussion.

Please note that this does NOT preclude us from issuing Forum bans of differing lengths and at different point levels if we deem it appropriate, this is just the levels that the system will automatically ban members.

Infraction Points Can Expire After a Period of Time

Each time a member gets Infraction Points, the points will come with a 1 year expiration date. This means that if the member behaves properly after committing an Infraction, it's possible that their Active Infraction Count total can go back down, maybe all the way back to zero!

What is a Thread Ban?

Moderators have the ability to restrict members from accessing single threads if it is found that they are breaking the rules in that thread, or they can activate a ban across several similar topic threads as needed. These are called Thread Bans, and they will usually come with a Warning, and Infraction Points. This is just another tool that Moderators can use to try to keep order in our forum.

What if I'm Given an Infraction or a Ban for an Inappropriate Reason?

Just contact the Owner of the forum Mike at @civilwartalk, let him know what you think happened and if there was a mistake, he will evaluate the situation and correct it if possible.
 
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CivilWarTalk's Arbitration System

Unlike on many forums, if you believe the Forum Staff have acted in error on CivilWarTalk, you have recourse.

Nearly every Staff action on CivilWarTalk may be appealed through our appeals system. Every action of the Staff in implementing the rules can be appealed: an infraction, a thread ban, and a suspension. You cannot appeal a policy decision - like “this should not be against the rules” - or a decision of the Forum Managing Members in implementing the Terms of Service. This applies to actions taken on CivilWarTalk.com proper; associated systems, for example a Facebook page, may have different policies.

You can appeal by making a submission in the “Make an Appeal” forum, which is located next to the Submission Forum. This submission will only be visible to you, and the Staff.

Moderators - "Brigadier Generals"

Our Brigadier Generals are the forum Moderators of CivilWarTalk, and are the site’s enforcement arm, and their primary task is making sure everyone is following the rules. Moderators have the ability to issue infractions and warnings to users, and their primary goal is to make sure that everything is running smoothly. Even when no rules have been broken, moderators might intervene to prevent blowups between posters and to remind everyone to keep calm.

The primary tasks of Moderators are:
  • To determine when and how users have crossed the line and broken the rules
  • To issue warnings and infraction to users who have
  • To communicate this to the user effectively through private message or in-thread statements
  • To lock threads when it is deemed necessary, such as when discussion becomes too heated
  • To edit thread titles when they are misleading or inflammatory
  • To edit or delete posts to remove rule-breaking content
  • To place a spoiler on posts that are not rule-breaking, but are also not scroll-safe
  • Applying alternative sanctions like forum bans, the ability to post ratings, change your avatar and signature, or use the personal message system when appropriate
They are are also able to perform housekeeping tasks like moving threads on user request.

The Judge Advocate Generals

The Judge Advocate General is the site’s oversight arm. They review staff actions and ensure a “sober second thought” over the moderators. Their primary task is to review user appeals against their sanctions and decide whether to overturn or uphold the previous decision. As arbitrators, The Judge Advocate Generals are not “higher up” than moderators; they simply have a different role. They cannot sanction moderators in their official duties, although they can recommend action to be taken against a moderator if they found their action to be absolutely out of the proper bounds.

The primary tasks of the Judge Advocate General are:
  • To hear Appeals from sanctioned users and determine whether or not to change the sanctions
  • To provide clear and concise decisions in appeals, and to defend these decisions if the appeal is pushed to the Managing Member
  • If they have determined a change to the infraction is needed, to alter or remove the sanctions from the user themselves
They are also able to perform housekeeping tasks like moving threads on user request.

The Senior Moderators - "Major Generals"

CivilWarTalk's Senior Moderators oversee the Moderation Team, and make sure the standards set by the Managing Member are being followed by the entire team.

The Managing Member - "Lieutenant General"

@CivilWarTalk is our Managing Member, the forum founder, and webmaster. He has the final say on the forums rules, the moderation policy, and CivilWarTalk.com's terms of service. All decisions by the Managing Member are final.

Staff Selection

For Moderators, the staff is looking for users who are:
  • Capable of making quick decisions independently and decisively
  • Respectful in their dealings with other users
  • Able to think clearly and carefully without moving too rashly
  • Able to defend their decisions firmly when questioned
  • Responsible and serious in an official capacity
For Judge Advocate Generals, the staff is looking for users who are:
  • Able to make clear and cogent arguments, and defend them
  • Levelheaded and calm even during heated debate
  • Respectful in their dealings with other users
  • Able to think critically and honestly when making decisions
  • Responsible and serious in an official capacity
Making Appeals and the Four Corners Rule

For the sake both of reaching a fair and transparent results, and the Judge Advocate General who will be evaluating your appeal, we have a number of restrictions on how appeals are made.

First, appeals must be made within three days of the action you are appealing. The Judge Advocate General may grant extensions - before the three day period expires - at their discretion.

Second, there is a soft cap on appeals at 1,000 words. If your appeal is longer than 1,000 words, the Judge Advocate General may ask you to shorten it, or may dismiss it, depending on the circumstances.

Third, every appeal must satisfy our Four Corners Rule. That means that the Judge Advocate General may not go outside 'the four corners’ of your appeal to resolve it: all of the information should be present, and clearly presented, in the appeal itself.

Specifically:
  • Your appeal must include, in its title, the name of the thread in which the staff action you are appealing occurred (or if there is no thread, what the action was);
  • Your appeal must include a brief summary of the facts, including the details of the staff action - which moderator, what action was taken, and any warning text;
  • Your appeal must include a copy of the content which resulted in the staff action, with a link to it;
  • Your appeal must include a summary of the context of your post.
  • Your appeal must include a copy of the rule under which the action was taken;
  • Your appeal must include a clear statement of argument - why, exactly, you believe the staff action was wrong.
It is up to you to make an appeal in proper form. It is not the Judge Advocate General’s job to gather information about your appeal or try to figure out what you meant to say. A Judge Advocate General will dismiss your appeal - that is, reject it without looking at its merits - if:
  • It is out of time;
  • It does not satisfy the Four Corners Rule;
  • It relies on facts which do not go to the question of moderator error;
  • It argues that some behavior should not be against the rules, or that a rule should not exist;
  • It argues that there was some staff misconduct, unless there is clear evidence of misconduct presented and that misconduct is relevant to the action being appealed;
  • It clearly and obviously will not succeed.
A Judge Advocate General may dismiss your appeal and, at the same time, give you permission to fix the problems with it (they are not required to do so). If they do so, you will have the remainder of the three-day appeals window (after subtracting the time taken to file the original appeal) to fix your appeal.

Special Appeals

While you can appeal nearly every decision of a Moderator, there are three general exceptions.

First, you cannot appeal a decision of the Forum Administrators as it relates to the Terms of Service. If you have a complaint, you may request that the Managing Member @CivilWarTalk review the decision by messaging him privately.

Second, you cannot appeal a decision of an Judge Advocate General to dismiss your appeal to another Judge Advocate General, or the Forum's Managing Member. You may ask the Managing Member @CivilWarTalk to review the decision of the Judge Advocate General by tagging them in the appeal thread. Decisions of the Managing Member about the dismissal of an appeal cannot be appealed further.

Third, you cannot appeal a decision of the Managing Member with respect to technical decisions or evaluations (particularly, their decision about whether an account is a sockpuppet). If you have a complaint, you may request that the Managing Member @CivilWarTalk review the decision by messaging him privately.

Judge Advocate General Decisions

When evaluating an appeal, the Judge Advocate General is reviewing the original infraction. If they believe the moderator was in error, they can take any step that the original moderator could have taken. That means they can:

  • Decide the original Moderator decision was correct, and let it stay;
  • Decide the original Moderator decision was correct, but used the wrong rule, and simply change the rule;
  • Decide the original Moderator decision was wrong and that the appropriate response was more severe and increase it;
  • Decide the original Moderator decision was wrong and that the appropriate response was less severe, and reduce it.

If the Judge Advocate General has not handled your appeal within three days of you making it, feel free to bump the thread and tag either the Judge Advocate General assigned, or the Managing Member @CivilWarTalk.

The Managing Member should rule on appeals within seven days.

Appeals are not a debate. If you believe that an Judge Advocate General did not consider a relevant fact, you can raise that issue with them, and an Judge Advocate General has the power to review their decision and change it if they agree that the fact was relevant and material. If you believe however that an Judge Advocate General wrongly decided your case, you must appeal. Judge Advocate General will not argue back, will not change their opinion because you started an argument, and you may be infracted under Forum Rule 5.

The Judge Advocate General's decisions are considered private. The Judge Advocate General, All Staff, and the Managing Member will not discuss the details publicly unless a good reason exists for doing so and the Managing Member agrees.

Appealing Judge Advocate General's Decisions

A decision on the merits by the Judge Advocate General may also be appealed. Appeals from an Judge Advocate General’s decision go to the Managing Member @CivilWarTalk.

If you wish to appeal an Judge Advocate General’s decision, you must request an appeal to the Managing Member within three days of that decision being made. This request must clearly set out, in no more than 1,000 words,
  • Why the Judge Advocate General’s decision was wrong;
  • What you believe is the appropriate response.
  • You must also indicate if, for some reason, you do not believe the decision should be made public.
For all appeals, the Managing Member has the power to set his own caseload. When you request an appeal to the Managing Member, he will contact you and let you know if your case will or will not be heard.

Revised and Issued 3/9/2020
 
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Rules & Proper Etiquette of CivilWarTalk
At the American Civil War Forums we have some Community Guidelines that you should be familiar with. We also have some posting etiquette points that you may wish to follow, they may improve the amount of response you get from other message board posters. We encourage lurkers and active posters alike on our board.

Here are the basic rules and etiquette points everyone should know when posting on the American Civil War message boards...

DON'T BE AFRAID TO POST - Posting on a message board can sometimes be intimidating. Stay cool, and jump right in. Our members are supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic and enjoy making new friends.

IT'S OKAY TO LURK AND NOT POST - While it would be nice to have your active participation in our discussions, you don't have to do anything if you don't feel like it. If that's what appeals to you, just go ahead and hang around until you feel confident enough to post a message. It's okay to be the quiet one!

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS - Be nice to new visitors. Help them "learn the ropes", give them nuggets of information, and nudge them along to the resources they need.

DON'T POST PERSONAL INFORMATION - Think before you post. Perhaps putting your address or telephone number on a public message board isn't a good idea. Keep personal information personal, and teach your children to do it too. Do not ask for personal information from others.

PLEASE USE COMMON COURTESY - Try to be polite and use common courtesies when having a conversation with others. Use words like please and thank you where appropriate. You'll get a better response to your posts when you are polite. Don't forget what your mother taught you: treat others the way you want to be treated. It also never hurts to use a smiley face if you wish to convey your happy thoughts! :smile:

USE REAL ENGLISH - Although not a hard and fast rule, we'd like to suggest that you try to avoid using "Instant Message" speak or computer English when making posts. We also suggest that you use complete sentences with proper punctuation, avoid run-on paragraphs, and use line breaks where appropriate. You should also attempt to spell check your messages as best you can. Please don't write sentences that contain abbreviated words (ie: "ur" instead of "you're"), it makes your messages difficult to understand. Although there will be no "Grammar Police" to enforce proper English, you will find that others will be more likely to respond to your posts if you use proper English, spelling and grammar.

DON'T SHOUT - Typing your messages in all capital letters is called shouting, and it's not nice to do, not to mention hard to read. Avoid shouting.

MAKE POSTS ON THE APPROPRIATE BOARD - Please try to start new message threads in the appropriate topic areas. Keeping things more or less where they belong can help to make information and conversations easier to find.

DON'T DUPLICATE POSTS - Do not post the same message more than once. This can irritate other members. Duplicate messages will be deleted.

DON'T START A THREAD WITH JUST A LINK - Make sure you include some content, this is a discussion forum, and our members are here to have a lively discussion! Our forum isn't your personal billboard to plaster a link to your latest blog post. Please respect our forum! (Added 1/2019)

AVOID PROFANITY - This is a family friendly environment. This is not an appropriate board for using profanity, do not use it! - FYI: This message board will attempt to mask any unacceptable words or profanities, but this feature may not always be 100% effective. Please report any issues with profanity to the moderators.

DON'T FLAME OTHERS - Flaming is the practice of verbally attacking another member of the message board, and it is unacceptable and will get you banned from posting on our message boards. This may seem an obvious point at first, but many people use mild forms of flaming and don't even know it. Be mindful of the words you post. If the entire content of your post is to have a dig at someone you don't agree with, then don't make that post. Also, if one of your posts begins with: "No offense, but...", there is a good chance that your post IS offensive, and you may wish to reconsider making that post. Stay objective in debates, and don't get personal. If you have an issue with a post maker, please email a moderator.

BE CAREFUL WHEN QUOTING IN HEATED DEBATES - Although our message board is designed to quote other messages in your new message posts, sometimes quoting another person can cause problems. It is okay to quote a historical statement that another person made, or if you are politely trying to get clarification on a statement made in an earlier post. However, using a quote against another user in heated debates can be an offensive form of flaming, so be careful when using this feature.

AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH RESPECT - By all means have a healthy exchange of opinions. You can agree to disagree. You can challenge another member's opinions. But remember, you should challenge respectfully. Do not insult, abuse or verbally attack other members. We take a very serious view of offensive and vulgar messages -- especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, national origin, or disability.

SERIOUS DON'TS!
--Never make a threat to any individual on any of our Message Boards.
--Do not harass or play pranks on fellow posters.
--Do not impersonate another user by using their nickname.
--Do not register a new username in an attempt to disguise yourself as another person.
--Do not post Flame Bait or Hate Threads.
--Do not use CivilWarTalk as a "Dating Service".
--Do not post copyrighted materials without permission from the owner.
These are rude and unacceptable practices, anyone caught violating any of these rules will be subject to being banned from the web site.

POLITICS & RELIGION - Any discussion that relates to either Politics or Religion, and does not directly relate to the topic of the American Civil War, is forbidden. Please take any such discussions to a more appropriate website. Common modern topics such as preservation, battlefields, monuments, & period politics and religion are allowed in appropriate forums. (Added 5/2013)

MEMBERS MAY NOT USE THE FORUMS TO POST ADVERTISEMENTS or commercial solicitations of any kind. (this includes raffles and contributions to charities) (Added 1/2019)

ITEMS FOR SALE or TRADE may only be posted in our Classifieds Forum - Please read the Classified Guidelines before placing an ad. Posting items for sale in other forums will result in an immediate ban from the web site.

DON'T POST COMMERCIAL MESSAGES WITHOUT A VENDOR MEMBERSHIP - Commercial posts should not be made in the forum. Most commercial posts belong in the classifieds, or vendor area. If you are unsure about where to post your message, contact a moderator or @civilwartalk (Edited 1/2019)

CONTACTING MEMBERS WITH UNSOLICITED SALES OFFERS will result in your account being banned. (Added 1/2019)

SIGNATURE GUIDELINES - Each member may add a signature to their profile, the signature will be displayed below each post you make in the forum and in conversations. Signatures may not contain links to commercial web sites. All signatures must be kept as neat and small as possible, no more than 3 lines of text, no large fonts. No images! If you aren't sure, please contact the Webmaster, or a Moderator for assistance. Click Here to Edit your Signature! (Edited 1/2019)

WHEN IN DOUBT... - Contact a moderator! We are happy to assist you in any way we can. We will attempt to monitor all activity on our boards, but we cannot always detect every problem, and we appreciate any assistance you can provide in keeping our message boards a friendly place to chat and debate.

REPORT PROBLEMS - If you come across any violations of our rules, if you have any problems navigating the site, or if you have a comment or suggestion for the web site or forum, let us know! Contact a moderator or send an email to Mike at
https://civilwartalk.com/misc/contact

STAFF MEMBERS ARE TO BE RESPECTED AT ALL TIMES! Criticism and "bashing" or rebelling against staff members is not permitted anywhere on the forum. If you have an issue with a staff member or their decisions, please discuss via private message or email, NEVER in public on the forums, or contact the Administrator.

DON'T ABUSE YOUR PRIVILEGES - When you use our Forums and Chat Room, you are guest. Your ability to use this message board and web site is a privilege. Any users abusing the privileges given to them, or violating the rules stated above may be censored and/or banned permanently. The site administrator reserves the right to revoke or restore any and all user privileges on the web site for any reason.

Other Notes:

  • If you ever desire to have your account terminated, we will not do so, but we will move you to a usergroup: "Retired Members". While in this group, you may login but you may not post, PM (Private Message), or use many other functions that a regular user can. Once you ask for this, your account cannot and will not be restored.
  • If you ever desire to have all of your posts/threads deleted, we will not do so. Once you post material on the site, it becomes our property. (See section 5(C) of the Terms of Use)
 
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RULES UPDATE LOG

Terms of Service Updated, Official Rules Updated, Privacy Policy Updated, Copyright Policy Updated
to Update Contact & Ownership to
CIVILWARTALK, LLC - Effective November 15, 2019

COMPLETE RULES REWRITE JULY 2019 - Effective August 1, 2019

DON'T START A THREAD WITH JUST A LINK
- Make sure you include some content, this is a discussion forum, and our members are here to have a lively discussion! Our forum isn't your personal billboard to plaster a link to your latest blog post. Please respect our forum! (Added 1/2019)

MEMBERS MAY NOT USE THE FORUMS TO POST ADVERTISEMENTS or commercial solicitations of any kind. (this includes raffles and contributions to charities) (Added 1/2019)

DON'T POST COMMERCIAL MESSAGES WITHOUT A VENDOR MEMBERSHIP - Commercial posts should not be made in the forum. Most commercial posts belong in the classifieds, or vendor area. If you are unsure about where to post your message, contact a moderator or @civilwartalk (Edited 1/2019)

CONTACTING MEMBERS WITH UNSOLICITED SALES OFFERS will result in your account being banned. (Added 1/2019)

SIGNATURE GUIDELINES - Each member may add a signature to their profile, the signature will be displayed below each post you make in the forum and in conversations. Signatures may not contain links to commercial web sites. All signatures must be kept as neat and small as possible, no more than 3 lines of text, no large fonts. No images! If you aren't sure, please contact the Webmaster, or a Moderator for assistance. Click Here to Edit your Signature! (Edited 1/2019)

POLITICS & RELIGION - Any discussion that relates to either Politics or Religion, and does not directly relate to the topic of the American Civil War, is forbidden. Please take any such discussions to a more appropriate website. Common modern topics such as preservation, battlefields, monuments, & period politics and religion are allowed in appropriate forums. (Added 5/2013) (Replaced on 3/3/2021)

FORUM WIDE RESTRICTED / FORBIDDEN TOPICS - Because these topics are frowned upon on the internet at large for one reason or another, the following discussion topics are restricted, or not permitted. Please follow the discussion guidelines we have provided, or move your discussion to a more appropriate website:
  • American Civil War Period political discussion is permitted, but all topics, arguments, and comparisons must remain in the 19th Century or earlier. All Antebellum Era political discussions, War Era political discussions, and Reconstruction Era discussions will be monitored by the moderation team. No Post-1900 political discussion will be allowed.
  • Discussions related to American Civil War Monuments, Structures, Locations, and Historic Artifacts in the modern era may include some Political Event & Activist Discussion on a RESTRICTED and limited basis, and are exempted from the rules below. All such discussions must be posted in a Forum designated for that purpose ONLY.
  • RACE, SLAVERY, and ALL US/CS SOLDIERS OF COLOR DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Slavery Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • SECESSIONS DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Secession Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • RECONSTRUCTION DISCUSSIONS are RESTRICTED to the Reconstruction Forums, all such discussions MUST be posted in those designated forum areas!
  • Any discussion that relates to Religion, and does not directly relate to the topic of the American Civil War, is strictly prohibited.
  • Any discussion which requires the mentioning of a Political Event or Political Party that occurred after the year 1900 is prohibited.
    • This includes but is not limited to: Modern day Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, Modern Election Fraud, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, etc.
  • Any Modern Activist Positions or Modern Political Action Discussions are strictly prohibited.
  • Discussions about military leaders and events that occurred after 1900 is also strictly prohibited. This Includes:
    • World War I (Archduke Ferdinand, Treaty of Versailles, Hundred Days Offensive),
    • World War II (Allied Powers, Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Axis Powers, Nazis, Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito),
    • Vietnam, The Gulf Wars, the War on Terror, and other Modern Conflicts.
  • Comparisons of more modern Military Equipment is a RESTRICTED topic, and may be made, including identification, nicknames, and capabilities, but must include comparison to Civil War equipment, and must not be discussed in such a way, as to excuse discussing events, politics, or leaders after the year 1900.
(Restricted / Forbidden Topics Added 3/3/2021 - Replaces several previous rules governing Politics & Religion, and other restricted topics.)
 
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TERMS OF SERVICE and USE

CivilWarTalk.com Web Site Service Agreement


PLEASE READ THIS SERVICE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS SITE. BY USING THIS SITE, YOU INDICATE YOUR AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS OF USE. IF YOU ARE NOT AGREEABLE TO THESE TERMS OF USE, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS SITE.

1. DEFINITIONS
"CivilWarTalk.com Web site" is the interactive online service operated by CIVILWARTALK, LLC on the Internet. "User" means any person who establishes or accesses connection to CivilWarTalk.com Web site for access to and use of CivilWarTalk.com Web site.

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE
CivilWarTalk.com Web site is providing User with a capability to send electronic mail via the World Wide Web and on CivilWarTalk.com's own Web site. In consideration for this Service, User agrees to comply with the terms and conditions as laid down under this Service Agreement. If any information provided by User is incomplete or inaccurate or violates any provisions of the Service Agreement implicitly or explicitly, CIVILWARTALK, LLC retains the right to terminate User's rights to use the Service.

3. GENERAL
(A) This Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions that apply to use of CivilWarTalk.com Web site by User. By using CivilWarTalk.com Web site (other than to read this Agreement for the first time), User agrees to comply with all of the terms and conditions hereof. The right to use CivilWarTalk.com Web site is personal to User and is not transferable to any other person or entity. User is responsible for all use of User's Account (under any screen name or password) and for ensuring that all use of User's Account complies fully with the provisions of this Agreement. User shall be responsible for protecting the confidentiality of User's password(s), if any.

(B) CIVILWARTALK, LLC shall have the right at any time, and without notice, to change, add, delete or discontinue any aspect or feature of CivilWarTalk.com Web site, including, but not limited to, content, programs, hours of availability, and equipment needed for access or use.

4. CHANGED TERMS
CIVILWARTALK, LLC shall have the right at any time to change or modify the terms and conditions applicable to User's use of CivilWarTalk.com Web site, or any part thereof, or to impose new conditions and/or operating rules, including, but not limited to, adding fees and charges for use. Such changes, modifications, additions or deletions shall be effective immediately upon notice thereof, which may be given by means including, but not limited to, posting on CivilWarTalk.com Web site, or by electronic or conventional mail, or by any other means by which User obtains notice thereof. Any use of CivilWarTalk.com Web site by User after such notice shall be deemed to constitute acceptance by User of such changes, modifications or additions.

5. USER CONDUCT
(A) User shall use CivilWarTalk.com Web site for lawful purposes only. User shall not post or transmit through CivilWarTalk.com Web site any material which violates or infringes in any way upon the rights of others, which is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane or otherwise objectionable, which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law, or which, without CivilWarTalk.com Web site' express prior approval, contains advertising or any solicitation with respect to products or services. Any conduct by a User that in CIVILWARTALK, LLC's discretion restricts or inhibits any other User from using or enjoying CivilWarTalk.com Web site will not be permitted. User shall not use CivilWarTalk.com Web site to advertise or perform any commercial solicitation, including, but not limited to, the solicitation of users to become Users of other online information services competitive with CivilWarTalk.com.

(B) CivilWarTalk.com Web site contains copyrighted material, trademarks and other proprietary information, including, but not limited to, text, software, photos, video, graphics, music and sound, and the entire contents of CivilWarTalk.com Web site are copyrighted as a collective work under the U.S. copyright laws. CIVILWARTALK, LLC owns a copyright in the selection, coordination, arrangement and enhancement of such content, as well as in the content original to it. User may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the content, in whole or in part. User may download copyrighted material for User's personal use only. Except as otherwise expressly permitted under copyright law, no copying, redistribution, retransmission, publication or commercial exploitation of downloaded material will be permitted without the express written permission of CIVILWARTALK, LLC and the copyright owner. In the event of any permitted copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material, no changes in or deletion of author attribution, trademark legend or copyright notice shall be made. User acknowledges that it does not acquire any ownership rights by downloading copyrighted material.

(C) User shall not upload, post or otherwise make available on CivilWarTalk.com Web site any material protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner of the copyright, trademark or other proprietary right and the burden of determining that any material is not protected by copyright rests with the User. User shall be solely liable for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, proprietary rights, or any other harm resulting from such a submission. By submitting material to any public area of CivilWarTalk.com Web site, User automatically grants, or warrants that the owner of such material has expressly granted CivilWarTalk.com the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate and distribute such material (in whole or in part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or hereafter developed for the full term of any copyright that may exist in such material. User also permits any other User to access, view, store or reproduce the material for that User's personal use. User hereby grants CIVILWARTALK, LLC the right to edit, copy, publish and distribute any material made available on CivilWarTalk.com Web site by User.

(D) The foregoing provisions of Section 5 are for the benefit of CIVILWARTALK, LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates and its third party content providers and licensors and each shall have the right to assert and enforce such provisions directly or on its own behalf.

6. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.
(A) USER EXPRESSLY AGREES THAT USE OF CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE IS AT USER'S SOLE RISK. NEITHER CIVILWARTALK, LLC, ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS WARRANT THAT ITS SITE/SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE; NOR DO THEY MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM USE OF CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE, OR AS TO THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY OR CONTENT OF ANY INFORMATION, SERVICE, OR MERCHANDISE PROVIDED THROUGH ITS SITE.

(B) CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF TITLE OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OTHER THAN THOSE WARRANTIES WHICH ARE IMPLIED BY AND INCAPABLE OF EXCLUSION, RESTRICTION OR MODIFICATION UNDER THE LAWS APPLICABLE TO THIS AGREEMENT.

(C) THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTUOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. CIVILWARTALK, LLC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT DEFECTS WOULD BE CORRECTED OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE MATERIALS IN THIS SITE IN TERMS OF THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. USER (AND NOT CIVILWARTALK, LLC) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. USER SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT CIVILWARTALK, LLC IS NOT LIABLE FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD-PARTIES AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH USER.

(D) IN NO EVENT WILL CIVILWARTALK, LLC, OR ANY PERSON OR ENTITY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING OR DISTRIBUTING CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE OR THE CivilWarTalk.com SOFTWARE, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE. USER HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY TO ALL CONTENT ON CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE.

(E) IN ADDITION TO THE TERMS SET FORTH ABOVE, NEITHER CIVILWARTALK, LLC, NOR ITS AFFILIATES, INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR CONTENT PARTNERS SHALL BE LIABLE REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OR DURATION, FOR ANY ERRORS, INACCURACIES, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER DEFECTS IN, OR UNTIMELINESS OR UNAUTHENTICITY OF, THE INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN CivilWarTalk.com WEB SITE, OR FOR ANY DELAY OR INTERRUPTION IN THE TRANSMISSION THEREOF TO THE USER, OR FOR ANY CLAIMS OR LOSSES ARISING THEREFROM OR OCCASIONED THEREBY. NONE OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY THIRD-PARTY CLAIMS OR LOSSES OF ANY NATURE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOST PROFITS, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.NEITHER CIVILWARTALK, LLC NOR ITS AFFILIATES, INFORMATION PROVIDERS OR CONTENT PROVIDERS WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THE TIMELINESS, SEQUENCE, ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THIS INFORMATION. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES AS TO THE RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.

7. MONITORING
CIVILWARTALK, LLC shall have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the content of CivilWarTalk.com Web site, to determine compliance with this Agreement and any operating rules established by CIVILWARTALK, LLC and to satisfy any law, regulation or authorized government request. CIVILWARTALK, LLC shall have the right in its sole discretion to edit, refuse to post or remove any material submitted to or posted on CivilWarTalk.com Web site. Without limiting the foregoing, CIVILWARTALK, LLC shall have the right to remove any material that CIVILWARTALK, LLC, in its sole discretion, finds to be in violation of the provisions hereof or otherwise objectionable.

8. INDEMNIFICATION
User agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless CIVILWARTALK, LLC, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all claims and expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising out of the use of CivilWarTalk.com Web site by User or User's Account.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall CIVILWARTALK, LLC be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials in this site, even if CIVILWARTALK, LLC or a CIVILWARTALK, LLC authorized representative has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Applicable law may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability or special, incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. In no event shall CIVILWARTALK, LLC's total liability to you for all damages, losses, and causes of action whether in contract, tort (including, but not limited to, negligence or otherwise) exceed the amount paid by you, if any, for accessing this site.

10. JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES
This site is controlled by CIVILWARTALK, LLC and CIVILWARTALK, LLC makes no representation that materials in the site are appropriate or available for use outside the U.S. Many of the images used here are for use in the U.S. only and those who choose to access these images from outside the U.S. do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of West Virginia, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law.

11. TERMINATION
This agreement is effective until terminated by either party. You may terminate this agreement at any time by destroying all materials obtained from any and all CivilWarTalk.com Web site(s) and all related documentation and all copies and installations thereof, whether made under the terms of this agreement or otherwise. This agreement will terminate immediately without notice from CIVILWARTALK, LLC if in CIVILWARTALK, LLC's sole discretion you fail to comply with any term or provision of this agreement. Upon termination, you must destroy all materials obtained from this site and any and all other CivilWarTalk.com Web site(s) and all copies thereof, whether made under the terms of this agreement or otherwise. CIVILWARTALK, LLC reserves the right to obtain certification from the User attesting to the destruction of such materials.

12. CONCLUSION
If any provision of this agreement shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this agreement and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. This is the entire agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter.

For more information on our overall privacy practices for the entire CivilWarTalk.com Web site, please read our OFFICIAL PRIVACY POLICY.
 
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OFFICIAL COPYRIGHT POLICY

All text, images, and other content appearing on CivilWarTalk.com are copyrighted by their respective owners, and have been used in accordance with applicable U.S. Copyright laws. No unauthorized reproduction of the materials on this site, either whole or in part, is permitted, unless otherwise posted. Redistribution or commercial use of this material is prohibited without the express written permission of CIVILWARTALK, LLC. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, this web site is provided on an "as is" basis with no warranties, either express or implied.

Responsibility for content contained within message board posts made by registered users resides solely with the author who is expected to abide by all website policies as well as by all local, state, and federal laws. Views contained therein are strictly the opinions of the author and are not officially sanctioned by CIVILWARTALK, LLC. Individuals who do not follow the site policies on CivilWarTalk.com are subject to disciplinary action as specified within the Rules & Proper Etiquette of the American Civil War Forums.

Notification of Copyright Infringement
To report suspected electronic copyright infringement originating at CivilWarTalk.com, please notify the designated agent as per the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Public Law 105-304:

Michael Kendra
Managing Member, CIVILWARTALK, LLC
Email: [email protected]
- Also -
Registered Members May Contact: @CivilWarTalk
Visitors Can: Use Our Contact Form

The DMCA requires that notification of claimed infringement be through written communication and contain the following information [17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3)]:

  • A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright.
  • Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  • The location of the material in sufficient detail that CIVILWARTALK, LLC can locate it.
  • Contact information, such as address, phone number, and, if possible, e-mail address so that CIVILWARTALK, LLC can contact the individual issuing the complaint.
  • A statement that there is a good faith belief that the use of the copyrighted material addressed in the complaint has not been authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  • A statement that the information contained within the notification is accurate and that, under penalty of perjury, the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
Individuals who infringe copyrighted materials on CivilWarTalk.com are subject to disciplinary action as specified within the Rules & Proper Etiquette of the American Civil War Forums.

GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL)
Where noted, some parts of CivilWarTalk.com contain content licensed under GFDL (ie: Wikipedia). Articles and images posted under this license are labeled as such, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify these documents and/or images under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. For more information about documents licensed under the GFDL please read the following document: GNU Free Documentation License

For more information about Wikipedia content and copyright issues, please read the following document: Wikipedia:Copyrights

Public Domain Images & Documents
Some content at CivilWarTalk.com is Public Domain content. In most cases, this means that it was published in the United States prior to January 1, 1923 or that its first publication anywhere in the world was prior to January 1, 1909 or that its copyright expired in the United States.

Some documents and/or images may be the work of a soldier or sailor or employee of the U.S. Army, or U.S. Navy, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the documents and/or images are in the public domain.
 
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OFFICIAL PRIVACY POLICY

CIVILWARTALK, LLC has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website: CivilWarTalk.com.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

When you visit CivilWarTalk.com, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and information about how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically-collected information as “Device Information”.

We collect Device Information using the following technologies:

- “Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit:

- http://www.allaboutcookies.org

- “Log files” track actions occurring on the Site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.

- “Web beacons”, “tags”, and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site.

Additionally when you make a purchase or attempt to make a purchase through the Site, we collect certain information from you, including your name, billing address, shipping address, payment information (including credit card numbers), email address, and phone number. We refer to this information as “Order Information”.

When we talk about “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we are talking both about Device Information and Order Information.

CIVILWARTALK, LLC is the sole owner of the information collected on this site. We will not sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement. CIVILWARTALK, LLC collects information from our users at several different points on our website.

HOW DO WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

We use the Order Information that we collect generally to fulfill any orders placed through the Site (including processing your payment information, arranging for shipping, and providing you with invoices and/or order confirmations). Additionally, we use this Order Information to:

- Communicate with you;

- Screen our orders for potential risk or fraud; and

- When in line with the preferences you have shared with us, provide you with information or advertising relating to our products or services.

We use the Device Information that we collect to help us screen for potential risk and fraud (in particular, your IP address), and more generally to improve and optimize our Site (for example, by generating analytics about how our customers browse and interact with the Site, and to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns).

SHARING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We share your Personal Information with third parties to help us use your Personal Information, as described above. For example, we use Google Analytics to help us understand how our customers use the CivilWarTalk.com. You can read more about how Google uses your Personal Information here:

- https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here:

- https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Finally, we may also share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights.

BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISING

As described above, we use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be of interest to you. For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page at:

- http://www.networkadvertising.org/understanding-online-advertising/how-does-it-work

You can opt out of targeted advertising by using the links below:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setti...

- Google: https://www.google.com/setting...

- Bing: https://advertise.bingads.micr...

Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at:

- http://optout.aboutads.info/

LOG FILES

CIVILWARTALK, LLC uses IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

LINKS

This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that CIVILWARTALK, LLC is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

NEWSLETTER

If a user wishes to subscribe to our newsletter, CIVILWARTALK, LLC asks for contact information such as the users email address.

SURVEYS & CONTESTS

From time-to-time our site requests information from users via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the user therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age level). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site.

SECURITY

CIVILWARTALK, LLC takes every precaution to protect our users’ information. When users submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and off-line.

CHILDREN UNDER 18

No children under the age of 18 should enter CivilWarTalk.com without their parent’s approval. No children under the age of 13 should register for CivilWarTalk.com, or provide any e-mail address or other information that would allow them to be personally identified.

SPECIAL OFFERS

Established customers will occasionally receive information on products, services, special deals, and a newsletter. Out of respect for the privacy of our users, CIVILWARTALK, LLC presents the option to not receive these types of communications. Please see the section titled Choice/Opt-out below.

CORRECTIONS / UPDATING INFORMATION:

If a user’s personally identifiable information changes (such as your zip code), or if a user no longer desires our service, CIVILWARTALK, LLC will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update or remove that user’s personal data provided to us. This can usually be done by filling out our contact form.... See the section titled Contacting the Web Site below.

CHOICE / OPT OUT

Our users are given the opportunity to ‘opt-out’ of having their information used for purposes not directly related to our site at the point where we ask for the information. For example, our order form has an ‘opt-out’ mechanism so users who buy a product from us, but don’t want any marketing material, can keep their email address off of our lists. Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletter or promotional materials from our partners may opt-out of receiving these communications by using our contact form... See the section titled Contacting the Web Site below.

Users of our site are always notified when their information is being collected by any outside parties. We do this so our users can make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with services that require an outside party, or not.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our Homepage so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any point we decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users by way of an email. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their information in this different manner. We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected.

USE OF THIS WEBSITE SIGNIFIES YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT TO COMPLY WITH THE ENTIRE PRIVACY POLICY.

CONTACTING THE WEBSITE

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact:

Mike Kendra
Managing Member of CIVILWARTALK, LLC
Registered Members Contact: @CivilWarTalk
Visitors: Use Our Contact Form
 
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ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPATIBILITY POLICY

We've designed CivilWarTalk.com to be compatible with the widest possible range of computers, browsers, and connections to the Internet. Compatibility is a balancing act, because the older the computers and browsers we elect to support, the fewer cutting edge features we can add to the site for your enjoyment.

With that in mind, we've established the following minimum supported requirements for using all of the features of CivilWarTalk.com. Please note that if your computer does not meet these minimum requirements, it will not prevent you from using the site, but some site functions may work irregularly, or not work at all.

Minimum Supported System Requirements:

  • Screen Resolution: In order to better support smaller-screen devices such as mobile phones and tablets, CivilWarTalk.com uses a responsive design capable of expanding as wide as 1200px and as narrow as 480px. Larger screen widths can still view the site framed in a 1200px wide box in their browsers, a limit we find suits reading most comfortably.
  • Recommended Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer
  • This site is compatible with all current Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS, iOS, and Android Operating Systems.
  • CivilWarTalk.com DOES NOT have an app for mobile devices.

* Please note: While much of this site may function with other browsers such as Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10, Netscape Navigator, WebTV, AOL Browser, Mosaic, Opera, & Lynx, these formats are not officially supported.
 
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AFFILLIATE DISCLOSURE
CIVILWARTALK, LLC uses a variety of Affiliate Programs to generate revenue.

CivilWarTalk.com is available free to our members.

In order to help pay for the expenses involved in running this website, CIVILWARTALK, LLC uses a variety of affiliate programs to generate revenue.

The disclosure that follows is intended to fully comply with the FTC’s policy that requires we be transparent about any and all affiliate relations we may have on this website.

The purpose of this policy is to inform you of the compensatory affiliation between CIVILWARTALK, LLC and affiliate networks such as Amazon, eBay, Google Adsense and others, and any individual vendors they represent and that the site owner has established an affiliate relationship. This website may at times accept forms of paid advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of affiliate compensation.

Vendors pay to place advertising on our sites in the form of banners, widgets, and hyperlinks. These are paid advertisements and while we do our best to only allow quality products and services to be advertised on our site, we are not responsible for claims or testimonials made on paid advertising links.

CIVILWARTALK, LLC is compensated through our various affiliate programs and some content may present opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though CIVILWARTALK, LLC may receive affiliate compensation for reviews or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products.

CIVILWARTALK, LLC does not receive physical products or payment in exchange for any reviews or posts you find on this site. We are not paid to do reviews or posts about any products that our affiliates may offer.

The views and opinions expressed on this website are purely the website's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This website does contain some content which may or may not present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be immediately identified due to the nature of posting methods. When possible every attempt will be made to identify advertising from general non-advertising content.

Amazon Affiliate Program Disclosure

CivilWarTalk.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

eBay Affiliate Program Disclosure

CivilWarTalk.com is a participant in the eBay Services LLC Affilliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to eBay.com.

Savas Beatie Affiliate Program Disclosure

CivilWarTalk.com is a participant in the Savas Beatie LLC Affilliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to SavasBeatie.com.

Google Adsense Affiliate Program Disclosure

CivilWarTalk.com is a participant in the Google Adsense Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees for showing Google ads.

Google uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to your website or other websites.

Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to your users based on their visit to your sites and/or other sites on the Internet.

Users may opt out of Google personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ad Settings
 
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