Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Ozformers Forum userguide, and how to register.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Arrow Ozformers Forum userguide, and how to register.

    Hello and welcome to the Ozformers Transformers Collectors (Australia).

    PLEASE NOTE - Ignore Nigerian Scam postings (claiming to sell computers and phones, or include strange website links). DO NOT click on them or contact them. Board Staff will remove them as soon as we can.


    Our full Userguide and rules are listed in the next posting, which you have to agree to when registering, and is a condition of your continued participation here.

    But the short version for guests and newbies:
    1 - - - Please use sensible, respectable, legal and moral behaviour, and keep in mind that children do read this forum, so content needs to be G-rated.
    2 - - - Consider treating others in a way that they would want to be treated.
    3 - - - And try not to be a party pooper, spoiling the fun for others. This is a place of entertainment and enjoyment, so it should be a fairly relaxed environment for you and others to play in.

    - - - - - - - -

    If you are new, and want to register:

    The only conditions to being a member here are, that you are a Transformers fan (or a general toy fan), that you are old enough to interact with the mostly-adult membership here (15 is a recommended age), and are not currently Banned from this board. It is also recommended that you live in or near Australia, as the focus of interaction is Australian, and doesn't try to cater for fans outside of this region of the world.

    Registration to this forum at this time requires the following steps:
    - Fill out the registration form - http://www.otca.com.au/boards/register.php
    (You will need a valid email address, and it is recommended to include your city/state or country as your location)
    - An email will be sent out to you with details on how to activate your registration.
    - Click on the activation link and you will be registered as a 'Rank 1 - New/Inactive', allowing you to interact here straight away, with only a few restrictions to prevent scammers and spammers from doing too much damage. It also means we don't waste extra, costly resources on people who register and never return.
    - This will also automatically send out an email to you with details on your membership status. Most fans are then fully activated within several posts, which proves they are here as fans who intend to interact as fans. Otherwise, if you are referred by a senior member, have them vouch for you to the Admin.

    - - - - - - - -

    Why join here?

    - We are a Transformers Fan community/club for fans in the Australian region of the world, run by fans since 1996 (20 years already! )
    - At least a couple thousand members have joined over that time, with about 2-3 hundred currently interacting at least once a week here.
    - Hasbro gave permission for us to exist as a Club back in 1997.
    - This board is a source for news, sightings, games, sales and any helpful info for Australian fans.
    - Occasional access to Hasbro AUS for upcoming news and info.
    - Countless hours and dollars spent every year by various fans for activities like competitions, meets, conventions, and this website.
    - Dozens of meets organised around the country every year.
    - Making friends with those who share the same interest and passion. Fan meets are always full of fun.
    - Helping identify Counterfeit (KOs) Transformers, instead of promoting them.
    - A place to show off the creative efforts of Fans, and new stuff bought by members.
    - An outlet for fans to express their interests in other toylines as well.
    - We are very welcoming to newbies that introduce themselves to the board.
    - And we have exclusive stuff for active, long-time fans who contribute here in the News and Discussion sections.

    - - - - - - - -

    What are the different Ranks, and how to earn them?

    Rank 1 - New/Inactive
    This is the rank everyone starts with. You don't have access to some sections of the board, or the PM (private messages) system. You need to interact here a little first for us to be sure that you are a Transformers fan, and we will activate your full Basic membership.

    Rank 2 - Distant Member
    For fans that are beyond our region of the world. Many don't interact here for long so won't start off with access to some parts of the board. If they do end up sticking around for while and interact here a fair bit, they will be upgraded to Rank 5 Dedicated Member.

    Rank 3 - Basic Member
    When someone has interacted here a little, or posted an introduction, it helps us see that they aren't a spammer/scammer, and they gain this ranking, which gains access to the Meets and Sales sections, plus the PM system.

    Rank 4 - Special Guest
    Allocated to people involved in an official capacity within the Transformers brand, or license-holders and Retailers who want to promote products without needing to interact as a fan.

    Rank 5 - (nothing at this time)

    Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
    Upgraded Basic Members after a few hundred posts or significant contributions to the sightings, news and info sections. It increases PM mailbox quota and possibly some preferential treatment with events or promotions that have limited availability.

    Rank 7 - (nothing at this time)

    Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
    Only offered to dedicated fans who can be verified that they are over the age of 18, for continually contributing to the community as a fan. They are rewarded with a greater PM mailbox quota, Ozformers exclusives, a bonus "adults only" section of the board (hence the "over 18" requirement), and priority access to other exclusives or limited things... but it is also a position of responsibility, as they are expected to represent the standards of this site and community.

    Rank 9 - Board Staff
    Moderators of the board.

    Rank 10 - Admin
    The owner(s) and anyone else who has operational access to the board.


    Rank 8 and higher is only given to people who have agreed to certain conditions, and are deemed an asset to the community. The priority is on quality over quantity, with a person's interaction here. So the offer is only earned and offered once to a member who is seen to be here for the long-term, with the majority of their participation being in fan-related sections (News, Discussion, Sightings, Meets, Creative stuff, and Games).

    - - - - - - - -

    What happens if a member loses interest?

    Everyone grows out of their hobbies eventually, and this fandom isn't any different.
    A Deluxe, Dedicated and Basic Member who has not logged in for 6-12 months, will be progressively reverted in their ranking until they are Newbie/Inactive status. This is for security reasons, but also allows them to come back later if they choose to, without having to start from scratch.
    A Newbie who has not logged in within 6-12 months after registering, will be deleted, so that popular names aren't taken and never used.
    A Basic Member who has made less than 5 posts and not logged in for 6-12 months, may also be deleted, especially if they are sitting on a Character Name.


    - - - - - - -

    When you first join us:

    It's recommended (but not required) that you post an introduction about yourself and your hobby in the intro section:
    http://www.otca.com.au/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=3

    Also, to help out other fans, post toy sightings here:
    http://www.otca.com.au/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=11

    If you have any problems, just contact one of the board staff, who are listed in the next post below this one.

    If the board is offline for an extended period of time, it will be noted on our Facebook page:
    https://www.facebook.com/ozformers/
    Last edited by griffin; 12th July 2019 at 10:05 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default The Full Userguide and Rules

    The Userguide and Rules (the Long Version)

    This is essentially a user guide for this forum, for you to refer to at any time - the rules are binding to your visit here, so it is recommended that you have a quick read before signing up.

    Condition of registration and usage of this fan community includes, but not limited to, the following.


    Section 1 - General Participation

    1 - Treatment of others
    Treat others in a way that they would want to be treated by others, with respect and dignity. Do not criticise, insult, abuse, ridicule or bait a negative response from others. If you respond abusively to someone else's baiting (instead of reporting the situation to a board staff member), you may be treated the same as the person doing the baiting. Bad behaviour in any form deters lurkers, guests and regular members from interacting here.

    2 - Offensive language
    No offensive, vulgar or coarse language here. This board is known to be viewed by kids, and parents checking on what their kids are browsing. And really, it's usage is not necessary in any format, as it is rather redundant (the context of conversation is not lost without it, or if replaced by wording that isn't offensive).

    3 - Generic Prohibited content
    Members should take care not to post any material which is illegal, knowingly false, discriminatory, defamatory, vulgar, hateful, harassing, sexually explicit, threatening, and/or invasive of a person's privacy.

    4 - Liability of Administrators and Owners of this site
    The admin/owner of this messageboard is not responsible or liable for any comments posted by its members, but will aim to remove any offending material as quickly as possible when notified. Please take care with what you post here as it could be used against you if it is in breach of criminal or civil law. We are also not affiliated in any way with any legitimate Transformers property owner or license holder. This is an independent Transformers Fan Forum, paid for and run by fans, for fans.

    5 - Coherent communication recommended
    Please post as coherently as possible. If you make it difficult to read your posts (which are going to be here for a long time), people will either ignore you or be hostile towards you. Posts and quotes on this site MUST be in English or include an English translation. Have a quick proof-read before you click on the 'Post Reply'. Also avoid quoting big posts in your reply if it isn't necessary - delete lengthy text or images in your quote (especially if you aren't specifically responding to it) so that it doesn't pad out pages, for those scrolling through topics.

    6 - Spamming is prohibited
    No spamming (unauthorised/unpaid advertising). Spam postings will be deleted, and at the Admin's discretion, the user will be removed and sent an invoice for advertising at a starting fee of US$500 (or AU$500 if an Australian business). If you wish to advertise here, please contact the site admin beforehand on pricing and advertising options. (effective 17th June 2011)

    6a - Posting links to gain off-site attention and/or revenue (spamming by fans)
    Members who are legitimate fans are also prohibited from posting links for the purpose of promoting their offsite sources of revenue (like online stores, ebay listings, youtube videos, etc) without putting some effort here in return. It is allowed in the Saleyard by Toy Dealers and Ebay sellers, but see Rule 13. It is also allowed in the Toy Review section, but you can only post links to youtube reviews in the individual Toy Review topics IF there is at least 100 words reviewing the toy in that same posting. Otherwise, start your own Review Topic (with your name in the title) and post your youtube links in there ONLY.

    7 - Private contact among members
    Due to the possibility of some members being under-age, and the age gap of members, unsolicited (not asked for) contact of members you don't know, should be avoided without a good reason. Similarly, if you are contacted by someone you don't know, you are NOT obligated to reply to them if you don't know them, or feel uncomfortable about being contacted.
    Email access of members is turned off by default to protect younger members. If you are under a certain age or a private person, leave that contact option turned off in your Control Panel.

    8 - Regular Members not to "Moderate" other Members
    Usage of any widely recognised or understood terminology, names or measurements are allowed on this forum. If you are not a Staff Member, you are not to "correct" anyone for using words you wouldn't use, or a typo or misspelling, especially if it is clearly understood what was intended. Non-staff should refrain from instructing members on what to post in a specific topic, or where it should be posted. Refer it to Staff if a topic needs to be moved, or re-titled to match the section.


    Section 2 - News and Info postings

    9 - Credit the source
    News and info postings needs to have the source credited or linked. If possible, note the original source if it is known. You must not claim ownership of any information or images that is not yours, especially if it is copyrighted material.

    10 - Protect the Spoilers
    Don't post spoilers in titles, or in topics that do not have spoiler warnings in the title. If in doubt, run it by admin first or include in the post a 'potential spoiler warning' line before the spoiler. A spoiler only relates to movie/cartoon/comics not yet released in this country, or are currently being released here. After a reasonable amount of time from its release, it is open for spoiler-free discussion. (The Reviews section is exempt, as people are expected and encouraged to talk freely about what they have just seen.)

    11 - Hotlinking of images prohibited
    No unauthorised 'Hotlinking' (inserting of images from other servers/websites) permitted. All pictures from other websites must only be linked to, or hosted yourself. Do not have their image appear directly from the source in your posting. This is bad 'netiquette', because it draws on the host's bandwidth every time the thread is accessed, including by those not wanting to see the picture, and those who already have seen it and are just replying to any follow-up postings.
    If you really want the image to be shown here, host a copy yourself (on a free server) and insert the image from there.
    Need help with hosting images yourself on a free site? Info and tips, and how to insert the images here, can be found in this topic.


    Section 3 - Sales, Auctions & Dealer advertising

    12 - Sales in the Saleyard restricted to verified members
    TO PROTECT EXISTING MEMBERS FROM SCAMMERS, ACCESS TO THE SALEYARD IS ONLY BY APPROVED/VERIFIED MEMBERS.
    Limited posting of sales and auctions are allowed on this forum in the Saleyard and non-TFs sections, provided the sale conditions are clear, all offers by BUYERS are posted publicly before you work through the transaction (privately), and you honour the conditions. If all or most items are Unauthorised "3rd Party" products, the topic needs to be posted in the Unauthorised Products section, or post a separate sale posting in that section.

    12a - Pricing items on Sale Posts
    All regular Saleyard sales need to have a Price noted for each item (or Lot/group of items).
    If you aren't sure of an item's value and don't want to feel cheated later, do some research on ebay first or ask in the Price-Check topic. It can be better to list at a high-end price and then discount it, or publicly mention that you will accept 'near-enough' offers (which the BUYER needs to publicly post).
    Just be aware that unless you are just wanting to get rid of your toys in a hurry for cheap, selling as a Group Lot or Set might seem easier for you, but are less likely to sell, or even at a respectable price.
    If you prefer an Auction format, you can do that here as well (see the recommended format below), but it is best to use a dedicated site like Ebay, and then just promote it in the ebay/dealer section.
    Vague things like EOIs (expressions of interest) are not permitted in the Saleyard for single items - EOIs are only permitted in the Group Orders section to gauge the interest in a bulk order, and should only be done by someone prepared to go through with it.

    13 - Toy Dealers and Business advertising/selling
    Toy dealers and online-stores can advertise, in moderation, in the ebay/dealer section ONLY, and limited to one topic that you update with new items or new info. Since advertising here is currently free, if you abuse that by spamming our site or starting up multiple, your posts will be removed, and you may be banned from the site. Respect this site's current generosity, and you will be able to profit from it.

    14 - Age restriction to Saleyard
    If you are under 15 years old, SELLING here by you is not permitted.
    You must have a parent/guardian/adult-member SELL and communicate on your behalf. If you are wanting to PURCHASE from someone here, it is up to the discretion of the seller to sell to a member under 15 years old, but the seller should state it beforehand in their sales post - ask the seller if they will sell to you. It is their right to refuse you, so accept their decision.

    15 - Responsibility of buyer
    All purchases remain your own responsibility. If you don't know someone well enough to risk it, don't buy from them. If you do buy something, pay promptly, and communicate politely if there is a delay from either party. Don't start accusations or complain too soon. If patience and communication don't work, contact a third party or Staff to help sort out the problem - DON'T argue about it publicly.
    Since people sometimes sell up and leave, and in case they have little fear of penalties for breaking the rules, it is up to BUYERS to make sure that they publicly post their interest before they PM the SELLER. This includes any extra items they add on later, as you must publicly note it in the sale topic after checking to see if someone else has already publicly reserved an item. We may not be able to stop a person who is leaving from breaking this rule, but we can take action against a BUYER who is staying.

    16 - Responsibility of seller
    If you are selling stuff here, make sure you take the job seriously, especially if you are selling multiple items. Make sure that EVERY step of EVERY trade is recorded and trackable later if there are any problems. When dealing with (other people's) money, you can't take short-cuts or keep half-assed records. If you have held an item for someone, or have agreed to sell it to them and waiting for payment, you shouldn't sell it to someone else without the first person agreeing to it.
    Sellers do not need to conduct the transaction publicly, but you can note that you are responding to a potential buyer by PM if you want to cover yourself on a dispute later. Post items promptly, otherwise notify the buyer if there are any unavoidable delays.

    17 - Illegal activity on this site prohibited
    Members should NOT advertise, promote, sell, advocate, or show support for any activity that breaks State or Federal Law in Australia. This includes (but not limited to), Transformers related things like Counterfeit toys (Knock Offs), unauthorised copies of official media, and replica weapon toys (like Megatron) in states that prohibit them (or knowingly sell one to people that are not allowed to own one due to age or criminal history). If you intend to acquire illegal items, search for them off-site (like through google), or privately from a known source.
    This rule is to protect yourself from prosecution, AND to prevent this site from being shut down for facilitating a criminal activity. Minimal discussion or suggestive comments may be tolerated to a point, and the Staff or Admin are entitled to limit or terminate discussions & sourcing of illegal material, at any time. It is your responsibility to determine if ownership of replica weapon Transformers are legal in your state, so admitting to owning one is at your own risk.
    Price Scamming at retail stores is also illegal, so shouldn't be something mentioned or boasted about on this board. If you intentionally deceive/convince a store to sell an item at the price of a different size/class of item, then that is fraud. If a store lists a price incorrectly in their computer or on a shelf tag, then it is their error, and you could even inform them of it if you wanted.

    18 - Unauthorised "third party" items and Knock Off item restrictions
    Posting about (or selling) Unauthorised toys and accessories that specifically target the Transformers Brand and/or established Characters, is only permitted in the Unauthorised Products section. Sale of Counterfeit (Knock Off) Transformers toys or merchandise is prohibited here. Limited awareness of Counterfeit Transformers is allowed, to help other fans identify a fake when trying to purchase a legit figure, and should be contained within the Knock Off ID section.
    It is recommended that you don't acquire copies of media that has been officially released, or copies of a toy that can be found fairly easily or could be passed off as the real thing. Preventing sales of official media and toys is not condoned, nor is the deception of passing off copies of media and toys as the real things. If you obtain an unauthorised copy of media that hasn't been officially released, it should be for YOUR personal use, and replaced with an official copy when officially released. Counterfeit toys should not be be re-sold as if it is the legit toy.

    19 - Toy Scalping on this forum is prohibited
    If you are found to be buying up hard-to-find toys and reselling them at a huge markup on this forum, your sale postings will be deleted, and you may be removed as well if that is the only reason you are a member here. If it is proven that a member is locating certain figures from our sightings section, to sell elsewhere, they will also be removed. We discourage toy scalping in general, as this community has prospered from fans helping fellow fans find items without having to pay a scalper extra for it.


    Section 4 - Miscellaneous items

    20 - Unresolvable non-Transformers topics
    Unresolvable topics like religion, political parties, social ideologies, etc, are discouraged. Other boards cater for that. If comments are made for a suitable reason, be mindful of opposing views or advocates, and avoid targeting people or opinions as being wrong if there is no substantive proof to support it.

    21 - Signature File size & content
    Signature Files should be limited to a reasonable size of about 5 lines high, of text and/or pictures. Rules on prohibited content apply to Signatures, and please limit the usage of scrolling text/images, as the feature will be removed if it is overused.

    22 - Fan Meet recommendations
    TO PROTECT EXISTING MEMBERS FROM TROUBLE-MAKERS OR PERVERTS, ACCESS TO THE MEET SECTION IS ONLY BY APPROVED/VERIFIED MEMBERS.
    Fan meetups are encouraged, but only attend one if it is advertised in the meetup section, and if there are at least five people confirmed if you don't yet know any of them. Generally we aren't a bad bunch, especially in numbers, but we need to prevent any later issues by parents who were not aware of what their minors are doing and who they were with.
    If it is a public venue (like conventions, collector fairs, shopping centres) and you are under the age of 15, you must bring a parent/guardian with you, and they need to assess/approve if it is a good idea to leave you unsupervised with adult fans.
    If it is a private venue (like a residence), or somewhere that allows alcohol and uncensored adults (like a park or beach or licensed restaurant), it is recommended that you are at least 18. If you are under 18, the organiser has the right to refuse you access to the meet (for their own protection and yours). If you are under 16 and the organiser allows you to attend, a parent must be at the meet until you leave. If you are 16-17 and the organiser allows you to attend, a parent has to either stay with you, or give permission for you to stay, to the organiser in person, at the event, once the parent knows who and what will be there (like if there will be alcohol present).
    You may need to attend a few public venue meets first or meet with members at various conventions, in order for adult members AND your parents to be okay with you being at "private function" meet-ups.

    23 - Usage of the Ozformers name
    Members must not refer to 'Ozformers' in any negative or abusive manner outside this forum. Promoting our community is encouraged, but if you bring our community into disrepute to non-members or to another fan-forum, you will be removed.

    24 - Representing the Ozformers community
    Do not claim to be representing this community without prior permission.

    25 - Treatment of other fansites
    It is best not to criticise another fansite, community, forum/board or it's members. Restrained objective criticism of the content of a fan forum (eg. vulgar content, promoting KOs, full of spam or advertising, false news topics, etc) may be okay if it is within reason and for a reasonable purpose for the benefit of members here. Basically we are all Transformers fans, so there is no rational reason to start insulting other fansites or fans, for selfish reasons or for mere fun. There is no such thing as rival forums if we are all Transformers Forums.

    26 - Banned Member restrictions
    A Banned Member is prohibited from joining, re-joining or attempting to re-join without first obtaining written permission from the Admin. Registration requires acceptance of the conditions within this User Guide (and any applicant intending to join is taken to have read them), a Banned Member who attempts to join or re-join is in breach of this condition (by falsely claiming they are not a currently Banned Member) and membership will not be extended to that applicant. The Admin reserves its right to take whatever legal action is necessary to enforce this condition, including but not limited to Court orders restraining the Banned Member from contacting, accessing, viewing or otherwise interacting with the Board or its members. Delay or failure of the Admin to take such action does not constitute a waiver of this right.

    27 - Members not to help Banned Members
    All current Members are prohibited from aiding or assisting a Banned Member from participating, viewing, copying, transmitting or obtaining any information whatsoever on this board, where such content is accessible by Members only. In the event a Member breaches this condition, consideration will be given to changing that member's status to "Banned Member", and rule 26 will apply.

    28 - Ongoing acceptance to the usage rules of this site
    Your usage of this forum on each subsequent visit, constitutes a continued acceptance and adherence of these conditions, including any additional sections added since your initial registration. There is no obligation for this Forum to accept anyone who does not agree with this Userguide. The Userguide's aim is to provide a fun and happy environment for Fans to interact in, but don't feel forced to stay here if at any time you feel that the conditions of usage are unreasonable and spoiling your fun.

    29 - Limited Registrations
    Only one registration per person, without prior approval from an Admin or a good reason (like losing access to a previous registration). Multiple registrations will either be merged or deleted, depending on the person's history here.

    - - - - - -

    "Banned Member" = any former Member or applicant whose membership of the Board has been terminated in accordance with the conditions contained in the User Guide. Please note that such action is rare and only done in extreme circumstances where the Board's integrity and the objects of the Board are threatened.

    - - - - - -

    Procedure for reporting a breach of the rules.
    If you want to report a problem or offending post, please do so as soon as possible. If you don't report it until after a significant period of time, without a good reason, the offending person may not end up being spoken to while it is still relevant. If you want a particular bad behaviour stopped, you have to act on the incident as soon as you can.
    Also, only report a private/targeted incident if you are a party to it, or if the people involved are prevented from reporting it due to intimidation or fear. Interference from others may result in removal, for making the situation worse, and breeding further negativity in our small community.

    - Unacceptable or suspect posts can be reported by clicking on the icon at the top of each post that allows you to report it to the board staff. Make sure you copy and paste the offending content into the report, because the poster may delete/edit it before a staff member gets to see it.
    - If you have a problem with another member, or want to report some other breach of the code of conduct, contact one of the board staff, giving details of who or what the problem is.
    - If you have a problem with one of the board staff (Moderators or Admin), contact one of the other Global Moderators or Admins. If the situation is still unresolvable, perhaps take a break from here and interact on another fan forum for a while so that you can still have fun with Transformers. Removing members is always a last resort here, so lesser censures include warnings, moderated postings and temporary bannings, depending on the rule breach.
    Last edited by griffin; 8th April 2020 at 04:19 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default Ozformers Board Staff

    For those who are new, or just lurking, this is a list of the current Ozformers Board Staff - if ever you need one, or if they ever contact you about something.

    Board Staff - Admins:

    - griffin - (QLD)
    - dirge - (NSW)
    - Kyle - (WA)


    Board Staff - Moderators:
    Each covers the entire board, and can assist/fix/edit anything anywhere.

    - Bartrim
    - Gamblor916
    - Golden Phoenix
    - Jaydisc
    - llamatron
    - Robzy
    - Sofaman - (SA)
    - Tetsuwan Convoy
    - Tiby - (NSW)
    - Tober
    - Zippo


    For Staff positions, and even Deluxe Membership, it isn't something earnt by post count or time here, as this board has always been about quality over quantity with its members and the level of interaction. There's no point in having hundreds of members if only a handful want to interact - a fan forum looks better with interaction, not its total membership.

    So this shouldn't be seen as an elitist thing, or something to try to earn. Just be yourselves, and interact at *your* desired level.
    Last edited by griffin; 3rd July 2019 at 06:56 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    (empty post for future use if needed)
    Last edited by griffin; 29th November 2015 at 08:23 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    38,239

    Default

    I'd prefer not to have this kept out in the open, as it might put off newer members. But the situation has become so significant, that making it permanently public is the last step before legal action is to be taken... if this doesn't work at deterring this person from harassing members here (his human name is not mentioned here at all, as identifying him is not the point of this posting).
    This is also here to make sure no more innocent people get caught in the middle of something they don't need to or fully know about, just because they are pawns to this person. Existing friends of Banned people are still welcome, as long as they adhere to our rules like everyone else, and not let themselves be used by the Banned person for their own benefit. (see Rule 27 above)

    There is a specific person who is not welcome at this site (and many other fan-sites) because of harassment, threats to members, and vandalism of the site itself. As such, this particular person is permanently banned from here... as in, forever, which is not something we do lightly (we've only ever permanently banned two fans on this site).
    This particular person caused much heartache for me and other staff & members here, to the point that I couldn't sleep most nights that I was dealing with the many threatening emails and messages as well as the messes he was creating on the board and members... spoiling my fun in Transformers and interacting with other fans, to the point of almost giving up the hobby because of him. (some members caught up in the middle as pawns to his lies did leave, which hurt me just as much because I was the reason they were targeted)
    The stress he caused me during the peak of this nightmare, with all the threats and deceptions on his part, is something I will never get be able to forget, which not only affected me, but also all those innocent people who have joined since then, who would now need to interact before they could be activated as a full member, just in case this person was sneaking back in under a new identity... or they were a friend of his wanting to cause trouble on his behalf.

    As such, Rule 27 was added to the Userguide (post #2 above), so that anyone found to be assisting a permanently banned person, will be removed as well. This includes, but is not limited to:
    - giving them access to an account you created or used;
    - passing on info posted in sections that they can not see as a non-member;
    - contacting members or staff for the purpose of talking about them, to ask about them or to defend them;
    - harassing members or baiting members on behalf of them;
    - interacting here with ulterior motives instead of as yourself to just enjoy Transformers;
    - bad-mouthing our community on other websites because of someone being removed here.

    Those things actually apply to any permanently banned person, not just the one noted below. But since this person has become such a significant nuisance here over FIVE YEARS, it is necessary to prove it to those who may later question his banning or treatment by us. (he has objected to having this info posted publicly, because it prevents him convincing newbies of him being the victim here... which unfortunately is exactly why we need this here now - we prefer not to talk about any of this, but every time he sneaks back in, we have to waste time dealing with newer people he has talked to, who are demanding to know why he is being "unfairly" treated and excluded here as if he never did anything wrong, so now it is all here to easily refer those new people to, when needed)

    These stats illustrate the problem we have had to endure from this one person...
    Over 10 years now (since mid-2007), he has been harassing members and staff by postings, PMs and emails, and stirring up trouble for the Australian fandom, both here and on foreign forums.
    Over 10 different registration emails have been used here.
    Over 30 different user-names used here, and more known about on other fan forums that he's been banned from as well.
    Over 60 different registration attempts here by him during that time.
    Over 100 different IPs have been logged by him under those registrations.
    And well over 200 emails and messages just to me, alternating between begging and threatening, just to try to be allowed back. Not to mention many more to other staff and members here during that time.

    Note that all of the info below was submitted publicly to this privately-run website, making it possible to publicly document it, but I have removed certain personal details, because it is only necessary to prove how much of a nuisance he is, not to publicly release all specific and personal details of his.

    I am not interested in persecuting him, and I discourage others against it as well.
    This is only being posted to deter people from getting involved, and for staff to point others to, for any new member that is not aware of what they are being drawn into (as some are being convinced that he is the victim, ending up with them being penalised for something that wasn't even their fault because they didn't know the truth).
    If you are him, or proven to be him, this is why you are being removed.
    If you are not him, but refuse to adhere to our rules, you will also be removed.
    This person has repeatedly rejoined under the disguise of someone else, with new names and email addresses, pretending to not know the Banned individual, or claims to have met him. After over 5 years of these games of his, we are now adopting a stronger policy of removing people as soon as they match any of his known details, or actively acts on his behalf after knowing about this information posting... for the benefit of other members who don't need or want to be manipulated or used as pawns.
    If you are a friend of his, that's fine. This is not to demonise him or his friends, especially if it is outside of this community (because that is nothing to do with us here). This information posting is to protect past, present and future members from being deceived and then being banned over it. Because it seems that people are surprised at how extensive this harassment has been, and wouldn't have listened to his stories if I had kept a public record of it here (instead of hiding away all the negativity, so that it didn't spoil the fun here).


    Each of these are a different Ozformers registration he's started or used - ALL were matched to known details of his, either by way of email address, name, IP, or things he has said to other people.

    2007
    Saber_Prime
    Saber_Prime
    Saber_Prime
    Saber_Prime
    Saber_Prime
    Saber_Prime
    wolfgang (16 Aug 2007)
    wolfgang
    the doctor (26 Nov 2007)
    the doctor
    the doctor
    Doublecross
    cybertron_primus (30 Dec 2007)
    2008
    Stalker - Shardaken Maccrae (7th September 2008)
    2009
    stamus_prime - Jason Long (18 Jan 2009)
    Obama_prime (22 Jan 2009)
    shardy (22 Jan 2009)
    Plastic Addict (Jan 2009)
    obama prime (Jan 2009)
    egon_is_a_scrub (Jan 2009)
    egon_is_a_scrub (29 Jan 2009)
    sarah (29 Jan 2009)
    pissed off (3 Feb 2009)
    the_fallen (11 Feb 2009)
    the_fallen (15 Feb 2009)
    swindel (15 Feb 2009)
    swindel (19 Feb 2009)
    swindel (19 Feb 2009)
    max_explosion (2nd March 2009)
    max_explosion (3rd April 2009)
    Saber Prime (5th April 2009)
    Dino_King_Grimlock (18th April 2009)
    Autobase_Australia (5th May 2009)
    Autobase_Australia (5th May 2009)
    Dino_King_Grimlock
    Autobase_Australia
    Autobase_Australia
    Autobase_Australia
    Autobase_Australia
    counter_punch (23rd May 2009)
    Autobase_Australia (6th June 2009)
    Saber_Prime - jordy the jew (6th June 2009)
    1wheelie1 (10 June 2009)
    Autobase_Australia01 (15th June 2009)
    Autobase_Australia02 (15th June 2009)
    Darkwind (16th June 2009)
    Autobase_Australia03 (17th June 2009)
    Dino_King_Grimlock (25th June 2009)
    Autobase_Australia_forum (26th June 2009)
    Autobase_Australia_forum1 (27th June 2009)
    SB101 (29th June 2009)
    strop (21st July 2009)
    Scrapper - Markus Jardine (October 2009)
    2010
    scrappermark2 (18th January 2010)
    DKG (12th February 2010)
    kgb2005 (18th February 2010)
    Badger Mcgee (24 june 2010)
    2011
    (On our facebook group)
    2012
    jazzy josh (18 January 2012)
    Im_a_weiner (24 November 2012)
    2013
    Waxpython (27 January 2013)
    WoW (1 February 2013)
    Batman (5 February 2013)
    Superman (5 February 2013)
    Cobra Commander (5 February 2013)
    Decepticon (11 February 2013)
    The Transformers (16 February 2013)
    i'm Innocent (16 February 2013)
    2015
    Zechariah (also as byrnez/byrne771/troy on TFW2005) (15 June 2015)
    2017
    CoktimusPrime (21 September 2017)

    I won't publicly list the dozen different emails he's use or the several different Human names he's used, as it isn't necessary. The point has been made that you know about them, from all of the known registrations he's made here at Ozformers.
    And as much as I'd love to share the many hundreds of threatening messages and emails from him over the years, it is also not required at this time. They've been archived for any future legal requirement.

    If you have someone contact you, claiming to be banned from here, or wants to tell you about "someone they know" who's been treated like a victim here, chances are that it is this person, as he's the only permanently banned person at Ozformers who has kept trying to sneak back in here for eight years now.

    Out of our 15 & 1/2 years (at the time of the original posting of this), and thousands of members past and present, we've only had 2 fans permanently banned from here. And only one of them has spent the last 8 years trying to sneak back in AND to ruin our reputation on other fan-sites, while also trying to have us shut down.

    I just want to make sure that no one else has their fun spoilt here (or on other communities), by feeling like they have to get involved in something that they don't need to. That's just his strategy to suck in innocent bystanders for his own fun.
    This is a Transformers Fan Forum. Focus on that as your reason for interacting here and you shouldn't have any problems.
    He is not a victim here.
    He was given multiple chances.
    His many different identities over the years were aimed at deceiving us and to cause divisions in the fandom, making him untrustworthy.
    He is not welcome here or at many other sites that have had to experience his antics.
    After all these years of that same behaviour here, the decision to have him PERMANENTLY banned will not change.

    If this person (or anyone really), contacts you through the board, or off-site to talk about the board - for the purpose of badmouthing any member, the staff, or the community itself - you can let the staff know about it. Especially if you think that they are just doing it to stir up trouble.
    Feedback from members say that we are one of the most inviting, friendly and troll-less Transformers fan communities on the Net... so if someone has a problem with anything here, they should talk to the staff about it (not to me if you think I am the problem)... not to whinge about it to other members or non-members, as it won't change anything.
    Last edited by griffin; 9th October 2017 at 05:26 PM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •