First and foremost, welcome to HogEx! We're so delighted that you've chosen us for your Harry Potter™ role playing home. We strongly encourage all members and visitors to read the rules as well as check back for updates from time to time.
After you've read the Site-Wide Rules in its entirety, any questions you may have can be asked by creating a new thread in the "Support Forum." We really hope that these rules helps you to understand what's expected from our members, and gives you the answers that you seek.
Site-Wide Rules
HogEx is a family-friendly interactive Harry Potter™ role playing site. That said, it's important to lay some ground rules as we have members ranging from 13 - 3000 years old. Please take a few moments to go over the following. If you are unsure what's expected of you, after you've read through the rules, feel free to get clarification by posting in the "Support Forum".
- In accordance with ProBoards Terms of Service and the United States COPPA laws, you must be at least thirteen years old, with a parent or legal guardian's permission, to register an account on this site. Due to these terms and laws, if any member of this forum is caught lying about their age, and it's reported to an administrator, said user will have to submit proof of age and/or will be reported ProBoards. At that point, the user who is under the legal age to be on our forum will be banned until they're of the correct age.
- Profanity is allowed to be used. However, swearing should be kept to a minimum and should not be directed towards any other user. Also, some swear words are not allowed, and some are only allowed in certain instances. For a specific list of words, that you can and cannot use, and when't it's appropriate or inappropriate to use them, please review the "Words Allowed and Not Allowed on HogEx * (coming soon)" information.
- HogEx does not allow or tolerate discrimination of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, discriminating against a user because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, geographical location, etc. ANYONE who is found to be discriminatory towards any of our members or staff will receive a life-time ban, with no opportunity to return and no option to appeal.
- Members are not allowed to post images, pictures, or graphics that contain nudity or other pornographic material. Also, the posting of or promotion of drugs and alcohol and other illegal things is not permitted on our site. This includes but is not limited to pirating, torrents, terrorist activities or terrorism, or anything else that would be considered illegal in the United States.
- Threats of violence, death, and/or harassment will not be tolerated. Anyone caught doing so will receive an automatic life-time ban with no option to return to HogEx or to appeal.
- Any threats, attempts, or discussions of hacking our site or any of our user's accounts will result in a life sentence in Azkaban Prison. Additionally, we will contact your ISP and the authorities to report you.
- Users are only permitted to have ONE account on HogEx. If there are multiple people in your household using the same IP address, the original member (the person who signs up first) must send an Owl to a Headmaster, Headmistress, or Administrator with the names and email addresses of all individuals in the household who want to join HogEx before their registration.
- Users are the only people allowed to use their account. Users are responsible for their account and the posts made on their account. Therefore, if you share your account with anyone else, and they do something that breaks the rules resulting in a ban, you will be held responsible and will live out that ban for the length of your sentence.
- The use of Proxies is not allowed.
- Spam is not allowed. A post or content that is considered spam includes but is not limited to three-word posts, posting unwarranted content throughout the forum, creating multiple threads of the same content across the forums, advertising outside of allowed areas, using the Owlpost to advertise; beg;, etc.
- All posting, interaction, and communication must be written in the American English or British English languages.
- Backseat Moderation, or "God Modding" is not permitted on HogEx. If a user breaks the rules, report them. The report post option in threads is an excellent tool, and we encourage all of our users to utilize it.
Regarding Content by HogEx and its Members
- All images and content are copyrighted to the individual user who created them. HogEx does not own your content. See the next point for the exception.
- Any official graphics and or images such as banners, logos, shop items, editorial layouts, etc. are the property of HogEx. If submitted to the site, at any point, to be used by HogEx, you forfeit ownership of the item in question, and it becomes the intellectual property of HogEx. This means that if you create a logo for HogEx as a staff member, and we use it, it's ours to do with what we wish. The same thing goes for any other graphic, image, etc.
- If you write content to the site that stands as an official guide or rule book such as a Text-book; lessons; or assignments for a class, HogEx has the right to use it whenever and however should you decide to leave. Anything that is "Official," pinned or announced belongs to HogEx.
- If you do not agree with this, then don't post these types of things on the forum. All "official" things for HogEx will remain the intellectual property of HogEx should you decide to leave.
Rules for Safety
- Do not give out your personal information to anyone on HogEx for any reason. The ONLY exception to this rule is for special contests in which that information may be required by a Headmaster. Should these events or contests arise, all members will be notified and given the option to participate. Details outlining the rules for said events will be given at the appropriate times.
- As stated before, do not allow other user's access to your account.
- Do not share your login name or password with anyone on HogEx. HogEx staff will never ask you for your password.
- Report any harassment or threats of violence to a Headmaster or the Deputy Headmistress (owner) the moment it happens. If it happens in an Owl, you have the option to forward an Owl to a staff member. If it happens on the forum, just click the cog icon on the particular post. From the menu, select "Report Post." Include your reasoning behind reporting the post when doing so. If something like this happens off of HogEx but involves our members, screenshot the incident or provide some other type of proof via Owl to a Headmaster so the appropriate actions can be taken.
Other Rules
- Arguing with any staff member is not tolerated.
- Ranting publicly or through the Owlpost regarding a moderation action taken against you will not be tolerated. However, should you have an issue or question about the action, you are permitted to Owl the person who took the action against you. Do so respectfully.
- Should you have a problem with a staff member, you should contact that staff group's leader or department head.
- Should you have an issue with a department head, you must Owl/Message Teg Salvatore, the Site Owner, directly.
- Impersonating a staff member of HogEx will result in an automatic life-long ban.
- In addition to the rules on this page, individual forums, houses, and other areas may have rules that you have to follow. Make sure to read the rules in each forum before posting content to them.
NOTE: HogEx reserves the right to modify, add, or remove rules from the site at anytime with or without notice. It is the responsibility of the user to check back periodically to ensure they've read and seen any changes to avoid confusion and possible banning.
Effective Date: October 1t2h, 2016
If you ever need to vent, you can PM me (I have some medical issues that interfere with everyday life as well. I was curious, if I was on the old site I keep my same house?
