InfiNet - The International Freedom of Information Network. Network Rules, Regulations, and General Policy. Last Updated on November 26, 1994. INFINET'S CARDINAL RULE: As long as you know this rule, and know it well, all other policies pale in comparison. Post on-topic, and post with intelligence, and there will be NO problems. That is all. ú Any system found to be routing any portion of InfiNet, be it one message, one echo, or the entire network, to another system not currently listed in the InfiNet nodelist, will be immediately and permanently removed from the network. If any InfiNet node is found to be hubbing for another InfiNet node without permission from the network coordinator, both systems will be warned, and possibly removed from the network. If a system wishes to receive the network, they MUST poll one of the authorized network hosts, or an otherwise approved hub system. Unauthorized hosts/hubs will not exist in this network. ú You will be expected to poll your hub a MINIMUM of ONCE EVERY TWO DAYS. If you are going to be away for any extended period, notify your hub, so he can temporarily turn off your waiting mail. NOTE: If you have not polled your hub for two weeks, and you have not notified either your hub OR Midnight Sorrow, you will be removed from the next InfiNet nodelist. Sysops removed from the nodelist due to inactivity MAY reapply for InfiNet at some point in the future. ú All nodes within InfiNet must be willing to poll one of the designated network hosts. (Network hosts are designated by the 69:x00/100 node numbers.) If a sysop is unwilling or unable to poll one of the hosts, (the choice of WHICH host they poll is up to them), that sysop will, under most circumstances, be required to leave InfiNet. EXCEPTION: If an area code or country code within InfiNet contains more than FIVE actively polling nodes, those systems may elect ONE hub to poll their designated host, while the remainder may simply poll their local hub. Exceptions MAY be made for smaller area codes as well, depending upon certain extenuating circumstances. Only Midnight Sorrow, InfiNet Network Coordinator, may grant permission and/or appoint a local hub. ú There is NO minimum post quota within InfiNet. As long as a sysop is willing to continue contributing to the network, that sysop still has value. However, if a sysop finds himself in a position where he truly no longer has any use in carrying the net, it is our hope that that sysop will step forward and voluntarily drop the net. While we do not mind low- activity systems, ---> DEAD WEIGHT IS NOT TOLERATED <---. Systems found to be continually inactive will generally be given one month to improve significantly. Failure to improve contribution within the alloted amount of time will result in a permanent expulsion from InfiNet. ú There are very few things that could possibly get a system removed from InfiNet - inactivity is the most obvious reason. However, one less obvious factor is QUALITY. If users or other sysops notice poor quality messages coming from one particular system, they are NOT to take matters into their own hands. This is what the moderator is for. Notify Midnight Sorrow in either the Suggestions or the Sysops-Only base of the violating system, and that system's node number. The moderator will crashmail a single message to the sysop of the violating system. THREE OFFENSES in this vein will result in the systems' permanent removal from InfiNet. NOTE TO SYSOPS: If you get a letter from Midnight Sorrow telling you to remove a users' access to InfiNet, do not ask questions - DO IT. Quality will be maintained at all costs, and if this means removing a system from the network for questioning the orders of the moderator, so be it. ADDITIONAL NOTE: Once a "strike" is marked against a system, that strike will remain indefinitely. A system's outbound quality must always remain high. It is generally recommended that sysops restrict access ONLY to users who will post intelligently, and on-topic. Continual off-topic and/or one-line posters may also cause a strike to be marked against a system, depending upon frequency of offense. ú ABSOLUTE DEMOCRACY RULE: ANY InfiNet node may be expelled from InfiNet by a majority vote of ALL sysops in the nodes' area code (or country code). Sysop abstentions from this voting process will count as a "NO" vote for this situation only. Only Midnight Sorrow may veto a completed vote, and even then only under rare and extreme circumstances. ú Cursing and Profanity is permitted (within reason). However, flaming or ragging posts are strictly prohibited (except within the Flame base, of course). There are no rules as to actual message content, only that each message be posted in an appropriate topic area. One-line messages, consisting only of a reply to another message (ie; "Yeah I know what you mean!"), or some meaningless comment, are HIGHLY frowned upon, and may result in a user's expulsion from the network if committed frequently. ú Upon notification of a new system's acceptance into InfiNet, that system should immediately begin setup of InfiNet. New member sites are given TWO WEEKS (fourteen days) to completely setup InfiNet, and send out their first test message. If a new member board has not setup within this period, that system may be removed from the next nodelist. ---------- REGARDING ECHOS AND THE ECHO LISTING FOR INFINET ---------- NEW ECHOS: New echos may be requested by ANYONE - sysop, cosysop, or individual. Once an echo topic has been suggested (in the SUGGESTIONS base only, please), it will be added to the New Echo voting list, whereupon voting will commence. NEW ECHO VOTING POLICY: Votes are accepted from ANY user, sysop, or co- sysop that is able to access InfiNet. Each echo, unless noted otherwise, requires ten votes within two months in order to be accepted. If an echo fails to accumulate the minimum of ten votes in the allotted time, it will be removed from the voting list for a period of no less than three months. ECHO REMOVAL POLICY: Due to the time required to fully implement a new echo into the structure of InfiNet, echos are automatically given three months to "live", so to speak. If, after this period of time, an echo is still receiving little or any activity, OR, if an older echo is seen to be receiving fewer than one post a week for a period of over three months, that echo will be placed on the Pending Deletion listing. Once on the listing, echos are given one month to improve activity, or be removed from the network. If an echo begins to show signs of activity before the deadline, it will NOT be removed. If any SYSOP wishes to petition for a bases' immediate removal, five votes will consider the echo removed from the echolist. Votes may also work recursively; if a sysop wishes to petition AGAINST an echos' removal, five votes NEGATIVELY applied will add another month to the tally. ECHO LIMITATIONS: Regardless of how many bases are scheduled to be added or removed, there is now and will remain a maximum total of TWO HUNDRED echos to be contained in the InfiNet Echo List. Less than that total is not a problem, but echos will cease being added once that total has been reached. ECHOLIST UPDATES: If required, the network echo listing is updated once every two weeks. Echos facing immediate removal from or incorporation into the network will wait until the next echolist update. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ What you have just read comprises the sum and total of all rules and regulations to be followed under InfiNet. Moderation is quite lenient, truth be told, so a system operator would have to be exceedingly lax in order to be removed from the network. As long as messages remain of a relatively intelligent quality, life will remain good for all. Thank you. Midnight Sorrow / Mitchel Waas InfiNet Founder/Moderator/Coordinator/Head-Dick-in-Charge.