Posting Rules (subject to discussion and change)

They’re simple enough. Because this isn’t a site for folks who all lean one way, self-policing will be buttressed by some healthy outside intervention. In brief:

* Be reasonably civil.
* No profanity.
* No racial slurs.
* Don’t disrupt or destroy meaningful conversation.
* Do not consistently abuse or vilify other posters.

Copyright Policy

Swords Crossed is protected from any copyright violations by the DMCA and the associated "safe harbor" provision. However, it is in bad taste to violate anyone's copyright in the course of discussion. Copyright law does allow for the fair use of copyrighted works for scholarship, criticism, etc., but the line between a wholesale infringement on copyright and a fair use of the material is vague. To that effect, a more concrete, site-wide policy should be put forth.

Quoting

Users should refrain from copying entire articles to Swords Crossed. This is almost always a violation of copyright even if a link back to the original website is included. Instead, users should limit themselves to copying only what is necessary to comment on the article or news event. This can usually be done by quoting or copying no more than two paragraphs of a particular article or web page. When quoting from a book or substantially large article, users should limit themselves to quoting or copying no more than four paragraphs of the book or article. Obviously this rule won't fit everything as some articles will be very short or will require quotation of most of the article, but please use your best judgment. Do not take it personally if a moderator edits your post or diary to keep within the rules.

In addition, users should use blockquotes, italics, or some other method to prominently set apart the quoted portion of their posts from their original commentary. A link back to the quoted article is not always possible, but is highly advisable in most cases.

For more on fair use, Wikipedia has a great article on the subject.  If in doubt, check with a moderator.  Our email addresses are on our user pages.

User copyright

Users retain the copyright over their original works as is customary under US copyright law, so Swords Crossed is not responsible for any of the works made by users of the site. Of course, utilizing Swords Crossed will necessarily require the copying and transmission of users' works over the Internet, so by using the service users implicitly agree to allow their works to be so transmitted.