*FIDO_SYSOP Echomail Conference*
                          Conference Rules

                           Last Revision
                        10th December 2016

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This echo, FIDO_SYSOP, is for FidoNet sysops only. Fidonet SysOps are defined 
for the purpose of these rules as any operator of a node number which appears 
in the International Fidonet nodelist as issued weekly by the ZC's of their 
respective zones.

Anything of interest to Fidonet SysOps is on topic in FIDO_SYSOP. The topics 
of
discussion are not subject to moderator interpretation or restriction, and 
moderator warnings and/or feed cuts may only be issued for actions such as 
flaming and personal attacks, or excessively annoying behavior, such as vulgar 
or lewd language, spamming the echo, illegal activities in the echo, or any 
other case specifically mentioned in these rules.

 1. A Point may participate in this Conference if operated by a FidoNet
 nodelisted SysOp. If the bossnode is not operated by the posting SysOp,
 the SysOp's FidoNet nodelisted address must be included as part of the
 signature in the text of the message. Any Fidonet nodelisted SysOp may
 also participate in this Conference from another Fidonet nodelisted
 SysOp's BBS system, provided their real name and nodelisted address
 appears in the signature of the text of the message. In such a case,
 the SysOp operating the BBS that the second SysOp is posting from must
 restrict the access of the echo to other Fidonet nodelisted SysOps
 *only*. The forging of messages to make them appear to be posted by
 another Fidonet nodelisted SysOp may, upon confirmation by the moderator
 of the message's non-authenticity from the second SysOp identified in
 the signature line, be interpreted by the moderator as excessively
 annoying behavior.

 2. This Conference must not be gated OUTSIDE of FidoNet without specific
 permission from the Conference moderator. No such arrangement may be
 made by the moderator if it could result in distribution of this
 Conference to persons who are not SysOps of systems listed in the FidoNet
 nodelist. This is an ECHOMAIL Conference. It may not be gated into any
 alternate technology which would make it impossible or impractical to
 enforce the stated distribution restrictions.

 3. There is a "real name only" restriction in place for this
 conference. A Fidonet member may post a message using an alias, but
 such messages must contain within them, the real name of the SysOp in
 the signature line.

 4. The moderator term is 24 months and during month 23, an election
 must be held for the Moderator of FIDO_SYSOP.  Upon completion of this
 election, the former moderator must turn the password for the elist
 robot over to the new moderator and yield the position.   At any
 time during his or her term, a moderator may appoint a co-moderator.
 If a moderator is unable to complete his or her term, and has not yet
 appointed a co-moderator, he or she may name a replacement to finish
 the term, revealing the elist password to the replacement moderator.
 Should a moderator disappear from the conference without leaving a
 successor or co-moderator, a replacement moderator may be chosen
 by the echo participants to serve until the next regular election.
 Although the Elist Keeper may not be bound by echo conference rules,
 he is specifically requested to facilitate access to the FIDO_SYSOP
 conference listing for such a replacement moderator in the event that
 the elist password is not available or the previous moderator refuses
 to yield the moderator position.

 5. Any moderator of FIDO_SYSOP, present or future, *MAY NOT* make
 *ANY CHANGES* to these rules without the approval of the echo's
 participants through a public vote in the Conference itself. If a
 vote on a rule change is deadlocked, the status quo will be preserved.

 6. Personal attacks, flames, and name calling are not welcome in
 this conference. If you cannot discuss an issue without resorting
 to name calling or personal attacks, find another echo to discuss
 your issues in. If the moderator feels the attack or flame was
 excessively out of line, or the SysOp involved continues to resort
 to attacks after repeated warnings, a feed cut to the SysOp
 involved can be issued with no further warnings to the offending
 system.

 7. A feed cut or a "vacation" from the echo may not be issued without
 at least three warnings to the offender being given by the moderator,
 whether such warnings are done via netmail or publically in the
 conference itself. A "vacation" may not last longer than four weeks,
 and a feed cut may not last longer than three months. There is no limit
 on the number of "vacations" or feed cuts that may be issued by the
 moderator, provided that such "vacations" or feed cuts are consistant
 with the Conference rules.

 8. Deliberate retransmittal of the Conference to another system
 which is not run by a FidoNet SysOp or providing access to a SysOp
 who has been "cut" from the Conference is grounds for a feed cut
 from the Conference, with no right of appeal, subject to the terms
 of rule #7. This rule may be interpreted to include a point of a
 system wherein the poster of the message is not properly identified
 as a Fidonet nodelisted SysOp, according to the methods defined in
 rules #1 and #3.

 9. This Conference is the collective property of all FidoNet Sysops
 and not that of the moderator. Should the moderator feel it
 necessary to make significant changes in distribution or rules of
 the Conference, such changes should be done in COOPERATION with the
 FidoNet Sysops participating. 
 UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is the Conference restriction to FidoNet Sysops
 to be removed.

 10. In the interest of communication amongst *all* Fidonet SysOps,
 this echo specifically is meant for participation in English only. While
 other languages may be allowed at certain times by the moderator, such
 messages should not be solely in those other languages, and an attempt to
 communicate in English with the other SysOps participating in the
 Conference must be made by all participants. The prolonged posting of
 messages consisting solely of languages other than English, or messages
 using codepages such as Cryllic which cannot be readily understood by
 those participating in English may be deemed excessively annoying behavior
 by the moderator.

 11. Commercial posts are strictly prohibited in the FIDO_SYSOP Conference.

 12. Echopol1 (EP1) is not in use in this echo and will not be honored here.

Last revision by:
-+---------------
 Vince Coen

 1. Addition of rule 12 added by a majority of voting SysOps in the FIDO_SYSOP
 echo, 8/13/2015.
 2. Minor adjustment of wording to rule 3, 2016/09/03.
 3. Change of term under rule 4 and minor grammar changes. 2016/12/10.

Points 2 & 3 added/changed after voted approval concluded after 10 Dec 2016
where voting was requested on these points prior. [Added 1st Febuary 2018].

Current Moderator:
-+---------------
Vince Coen, 2:250/1  -  10th December 2016.

Previous revisions by:
-+--------------------
 Janis Kracht, 1:261/38 (janis@filegate.net)
 Michael Grant, 1:134/11 (mike.grant@softhome.net)
 Bob Short, 1:105/38 (fidobbs@juno.com)
 Vladimir Hrusca, 2:53/558


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