Registration Terms

FM Forums Terms & Rules

Please take a moment to review these rules detailed below. If you agree with them and wish to proceed with the registration, simply click the "Register" button below. To cancel this registration, simply hit the 'back' button on your browser. Please remember that we are not responsible for any messages posted. We do not vouch for or warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message, and are not responsible for the contents of any message.The messages express the views of the author of the message, not necessarily the views of this bulletin board. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by email. We have the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary.You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use this bulletin board to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise violative of any law.You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by this bulletin board. 

FORWARD
The following rules have been established by FM Forums in order to facilitate civil and respectful discourse in our discussion forum. By registering to use FM Forums, all users agree to abide by these rules.

GENERAL RULES
We reserve the right to ban anyone for any reason, and to delete any post for any reason. You are also expected to practice common "Netiquette" while participating on the message board in consideration to the other members. If you think someone is breaking any of the rules listed here, please click the "Notify Moderator" icon on the offending post so a Moderator can deal with it. All issues are ultimately decided by the Administrator of this web site. If you wish to appeal a decision, direct your concerns to an administrator. Do not post duplicate topics that have already been posted. Do not post messages that are entirely in capital letters, unless you are trying to indicate yelling or intense emotion. Please don't post arbitrarily in the first forum you see. Think about what it is you are asking try using the search functions to see if someone else already has asked, and perhaps there is already a solution. When you wish to post a new topic please post it in the most suitable forum to gain best exposure to those who share the same interest or skill.

If you don't know how to use the forums please review the HOW TO link found in the header on every page. Or for further information follow the FAQ link in the navigation menu. Stay on topic. Don't jump into an unrelated discussion and introduce a barely-relevant tangent in order to bring up your pet issue.

REGISTERING WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
In order to be eligible to post to the discussion forum, FM Forums requires that you provide a unique e-mail address when registering. You must provide us with a valid Internet Service Provider issued e-mail address as we do not accept registrations from free email hosts such as, but not limited to; Hot Mail, Excite, Yahoo, ICQ Mail. If you're concerned about your private email address being seen by all members of the message board, you have an option after you've registered on the site to go into your options at "My Profile" and edit your email address that you'd like to have displayed to the users. Your registered email address is not visible to the members of the site, but only to the message board's Administrators and Moderators.

RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, ETHNIC, ANTI-RELIGIOUS POSTS
Do not post racist, homophobic, ethnic, or anti-religious statements. Unambiguous expressions of racist, homophobic, ethnic, or anti-religious will be deleted, and will often result in the immediate warning of the individual responsible for the post however, if there were previous warnings of similar instance in the past then an immediate banning of the individual responsible may occur. If it is not clear whether a comment is racist, homophobic, ethnic, or anti-religious, we will generally give the benefit of the doubt and assume the least interpretation. However, individuals who repeatedly post borderline comments will be considered for removal of the site. When discussing race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion, please exercise the appropriate level of sensitivity toward others and take extra care to clearly express your point of view. This will help avoid misunderstandings and undeserved accusations.

PERSONAL ATTACKS, CIVILITY, AND RESPECT
The Administrators of FM Forums are working to provide a place where members can ask questions, share ideas and debate in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Despite our best efforts, on occasion a member may stray from this ideal and cheapen the quality of discourse for everyone else. Unfortunately, it is simply impossible to write a comprehensive set of rules forbidding every type of antisocial behavior. The fact that the rules don't forbid a certain type of post does not automatically make an uncivil post appropriate, nor does it imply that the administrators approve of disrespectful behavior. Every member of this community has a responsibility to participate in a respectful manner, and to help foster an atmosphere of thoughtful discussion. In this regard, we strongly advise that our members exercise a little common decency, rather than trying to parse the message board rules to figure out what type of antisocial behavior is not forbidden. Do not post personal attacks or engage in name-calling against other members of this discussion board. If you are going to disagree with someone, please stick to the message rather than the messenger. For example, if someone posts factually incorrect information, it is appropriate to say, "your facts are wrong," but it is not appropriate to say "you are a liar." FM Forums welcomes a broad range of members and opinions. As such, you are likely to disagree strongly with many of the comments you see expressed here. Please do not take these differences of opinion personally. The simple fact that someone disagrees with you does not give you the right to lash out and break the rules of this message board. A thick skin is usually required to participate on this or any message board. There is a dynamic mix of members who's native language is not English so please be aware of their location and take this into consideration, if their English does not translate. There is a difference between forceful advocacy for a particular issue (which is allowed), and personally attacking people (which is forbidden). If you can't tell the difference, you are likely to get into trouble here.

• Do not spam the message board.
• Do not post sexually explicit images or messages.

We do not typically delete threads which many members may consider to be "flame bait." However, the administrators will occasionally remove threads which we arbitrarily consider too rhetorically hot or too inflammatory. Please use good judgment when starting threads; inflammatory rhetoric does not normally lead to productive discussion. If you are the type of person who just can't get along with other people, and if you seem to repeatedly cause trouble, eventually we will decide that your presence is a disruption and we will ban you. It doesn't matter if you are a long-term member of this board. There are no exceptions to these civility rules. You cannot attack someone because they attacked you first, or because that person "deserved it," or because you think someone is a disruptor. We consider it a personal attack to call a liar a liar, to call a moron a moron, or to call a jerk a jerk.

DISRUPTION AND INAPPROPRIATE POSTINGS
Do not post messages that advocate harm or death to anyone, threaten the livelihood of anyone, or otherwise harass anyone. Do not send email, snail mail, phone, fax, or other messages to anyone if your intent is to threaten or harass, and do not encourage others to do the same. Do not take your disagreements off the message board and into the "real world," and do not do anything to try to harm or harass any member of this message board in the "real world." Do not post personal information about any other person, even if that information is publicly available. In addition, FM Forums does not condone or encourage efforts by individuals to "dig up" information about other visitors. You may post the public contact information for public figures, but you may not post anyone's private information without their consent. If you have a disagreement or grievances in the "real world" between you and another member of this site; please keep these discussions OFFLINE. If you have opted to use the legal system or courts to resolve your issues - please keep such matter to that venue. Do not make PSA announcements or suggest/request anyone to contact you offline regarding any other party or your dispute. Such posting will be deleted without warning. This site, the owners and its affiliates and staff are to be held harmless and free of all legal and monetary liability, for any and all indirect or indirect actions real or perceived.

WHERE TO POST VARIOUS DISCUSSION TOPICS
We ask that you post your topics in the appropriate forum. At times our Administrators or Moderators may move threads to their appropriate forum. Please assist us in this task and ensure that you are posting your topic in the appropriate forum.

FILE DOWNLAODS
The FM Forums Marketplace and the site in general contains files uploaded by third-parties. Ocean West, Inc. provides the FM Forums Marketplace as a convenience to our members. Ocean West, Inc. and FM Forums makes no warranty or claim to the fitness of the files downloaded from the FM Forums Marketplace. Any funds collected are done so on behalf of the authors of the files. Files may or may not be supported. Files may or may not work for a particular version of the your software, may have flaws, and may not work as advertised. FMForums cannot provide support for files downloaded from FM Forums Marketplace.

BACKUP ALL FILES PRIOR TO MAKING ANY ALTERATIONS OR ADDING ANY FILE IN WHOLE OR IN PART INTO YOUR EXISTING SOLUTION. FILES DOWNLOADED FROM THE FM FORUMS MARKETPLACE MAY CAUSE HARM TO YOUR SOLUTION, DATA LOSS, DOWNTIME, OR OTHER DAMAGE. FM FORUMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND YOU AGREE TO HOLD FM FORUMS AND OCEAN WEST, INC. HARMLESS FOR ANY POSSIBLE ISSUES CAUSED BY FILES DOWNLOADED FROM FM FORUMS MARKETPLACE. DOWNLOAD FILES AT YOUR OWN RISK. 

FILE UPLOADS
We encourage you to learn by example by posting a file that has been sanitized of any confidential data so others may better understand and provide feedback and advice. However files that are uploaded that have been found to be malicious or dangerous in any way, such as trojans, malware, or other such file will be promptly removed and the offending party will be prevented from further uploads and could be permanently banned from this site. 

YOUR SIGNATURE LINE
We actively enforce rules in regards to member's signature lines and ask that our members follow these guidelines, which will help decrease download times for visitors with slow Internet connections. Please include no more than one graphic in your signature line at any time. That graphic should be in either .jpg or .gif format, and should not exceed 400 pixels wide, 150 pixels tall, and keep the file size under 55,000 bites. Please try to limit the text in your signature line to only one paragraph, quote, idea, or comment.

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING
Messages posted on our discussion board are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of FM Forums. Any information disclosed on our discussion board becomes public information. By default, your personal information is available to other registered users. You can keep certain information from fellow users of the site by clicking on "My Profile" and editing your personal information. FM Forums, does not have a policy of checking the veracity of messages posted by users of our discussion board. Use discretion when evaluating unsubstantiated claims.

THE MODERATORS AND YOU
Treat the Moderators with respect. Do not post messages attacking the Moderators or Administrators. All of the Moderators on this discussion board are volunteers. They provide their time and their good judgment to this web site free of charge. They do not make the rules; they only enforce the rules. They do not deserve to have scorn heaped upon them either publicly or privately.

If you think something requires the attention of the Moderators, please click the "Notify Moderator" icon on the post in question. This will send an email message to the Moderator(s) so they can address the problem next time they log on to their computer.

Please be aware that Moderators are not expected to be online all the time, and therefore they cannot respond immediately to every problem that arises on this discussion board. If you send an alert or complaint to a Moderator, please give that Moderator sufficient time to respond. Do not assume that a Moderator is ignoring your concerns merely because he or she does not respond as quickly as you would like.

When a Moderator enforces the message board rules, members are expected to respect their authority and abide by their decisions. If you disagree with a Moderator's decision, you are encouraged to politely explain why you disagree.

• Do not "stalk" another member from one discussion thread to another.
• Do not follow someone into another thread to try to continue a disagreement you had elsewhere.
• Do not talk negatively about an individual.
• Do not start a new discussion thread with the purpose of "calling out" another member or picking a fight with another member.
• Do not use your signature line to draw negative attention to another member.
• Do not publicly post private messages you receive from another member.

The only people on this board with the authority to speak or act on behalf of the FM Forums, are the site Administrators. The Moderators only represent the FM Forums when they are performing their official duties.

Moderators have the following duties:

• They answer questions from, and provide guidance to web site visitors.
• They move, lock, or archive discussion threads for various reasons.
• They deal with copyright violations by web site visitors.
• They hide/delete disruptive and offensive posts.
• They alert Administrators of any issues they need to know about.

When moderators are performing these duties, they are acting on behalf of the FM Forums. Their judgment should be respected. They are human, and they occasionally make mistakes. But in most cases, they do the right thing. Moderators are allowed to participate in social discussions, just like other visitors to our board. When they do so, they are speaking for themselves only. They do not represent any official position of the FM Forums.

• Do not send rude, dismissive, or disrespectful responses to the Moderators. If you think a Moderator has acted inappropriately, please contact one of the Administrators privately so we can deal with it.
• Do not publicly post private messages you receive from Moderators and Administrators.

However, when moderators participate in discussions that are unrelated to their official duties, they are expected to do so in a manner that respects differing points of view, and promotes promotes harmony and solidarity rather than division. Even when they are not performing their official Moderator duties, Moderators are required to hold themselves to a higher standard than other members of this discussion board. With this in mind, moderators are expected to observe the following guidelines:

• They are expected to behave themselves at all times in a way that reflects positively on the FM Forums, and complies with all the Terms of Service of this web site
• They are expected to share and help promote the FM Forums' mission of unity and solidarity.
• They may not engage in personal attacks against other members of this board.
• They may not engage in attacks against any political, social, religious, minority, sexually or any other class, social breakdown of groups or special interests.
• It is not appropriate for moderators to threaten to ban someone with whom they do not agree.
• They are expected to be fair and evenhanded at all times, especially to those with whom they disagree.
• They are forbidden from discussing Moderator business anywhere except in the Moderators-only discussion forum. If it becomes apparent that a Moderator has broken this rule, he/she will be relieved of Moderator duties immediately, and may be banned from the discussion board as well.

The moderators may not be an expert in using FileMaker but understand the dynamics of using this site and have volunteered their times to fulfill the duties outlined above. There skills using FileMaker may not be deemed as authoritative, and is representative their opinion in relation to the practical application of their knowledge. The administrators invited these individuals not so much for their expertise in FileMaker but for their dedication to there ongoing education, and their enthusiasm to share what they have learned, and to aid the Administrators in keeping this place friendly and enjoyable for all. This site covers many continents and time zones there isn't enough coffee for the administrators to manage the site alone.

THE ADMINISTRATORS AND YOU
If you have any questions about the rules of this message board, please contact the web site Administrators by sending an email to [email protected], or by posting in the Feedback & Support forum. Questions about FM Forums policies belong in the Feedback & support forum. All discussion topics relating to FM Forums policies, procedures, enforcement, etc., which are posted outside of the Feedback & Support forum will be moved and possibly locked or deleted. Occasionally, the administrators of this web site will make decisions that are not popular. That is life. We have given up trying to make everyone happy, because it is simply not possible.

YOUR FREEDOM TO LEAVE
All visitors to FM Forums web site are here voluntarily. Nobody is forcing you to post on this message board. The Administrators try their best to be fair, and to make FM Forums a welcoming place for FileMaker enthusiasts who like FM Forums and who want to be here. If you don't like FM Forums, or the members, or the way we run the forums, then we strongly suggest that you exercise your right to leave. If we decide that you don't like this place very much, then we reserve the right to show you the door ourselves.