Post-Related Infractions

• Premium Members are to be treated as members of a community. Members are expected to behave as one would in mixed company.
• Name-calling, intentional abuse or otherwise creating a hostile environment for other Premium Members is forbidden, even if those members are not identified by name. If it is clear which member(s) to whom reference(s) is/are being made, we will consider it to be abusive.
• "Hammering" an issue - attempting to prove your point by raising the same argument or question multiple times, or otherwise belaboring the point - can be deemed abusive, even if it is not directed at any one member in particular.

• Personal attacks on other Premium Members are strictly prohibited. Constructive, non-personal criticism and civil discourse is encouraged; personal attacks are not.
• If you write a post that is more about another member than it is about the thread topic, you are heading in the wrong direction.
• We remind you that Bill O'Reilly himself is a Premium Member, and any postings which reflect contempt of Bill O'Reilly and/or BillOReilly.com will not be tolerated.

• Starting a thread for the purposes of starting an argument with another Premium Member, or starting threads with other Premium Members' names or usernames contained therein is not allowed.
• Likewise stalking, following a Premium Member from one thread to another or from one Message Board to another for the purposes of continuing an argument & or harassing another PM, is prohibited and will result in a warning or ban.

• Copying another Premium Member's demeanor and/or closely approximating their screen name for the purposes of being mistaken for them or mocking them is prohibited.

• Linking to obscene web sites, posting obscene or graphic language, or violating the standards of decent behavior falls under obscenity, and is not allowed.
• Any postings which are deemed, in the discretion of BillOReilly.com staff, to contain racist or anti-Semitic content, or condemn any persons ethnicity or religious beliefs, or which otherwise reflect prejudice, are not allowed and may result in a permanent ban from the Message Boards or instant termination of your Premium Membership. See "Instant Termination" below.

• "Bumping" is generally defined as posting irrelevant messages for the sake of pushing a particular thread to the top of its Message Board topic. This is not allowed.
• "Flooding" is generally defined as bumping other threads out of view in order to increase your own visibility, or to decrease the visibility of another thread. This can take the form of cross-posting identical threads in different Message Boards or multiple threads in any one Message Board with identical or nearly identical content. This is not allowed.
• "Crossposting" is generally defined as creating identical posts across multiple threads or identical threads across different message boards. We reserve the right to move or delete any offending posts and/or threads. If we decide to remove posts and/or threads that fit into this category, do not repost them--doing so is grounds for a permanent ban from the Message Boards. This is not allowed.

• "Excessive posting" refers to creating a volume of posts that is far above and beyond a reasonable number of posts when viewed in comparison to other poster's volumes or the amount of time in which they were posted.
• For example, posting 60 posts in an hour, or 500 over the course of a week, would both be cause for concern; posting 200% more posts than any other member in any given day or week would be, as well.
• Starting a disproportionately large number of new threads, with or without participating in other existing threads, might also be considered excessive when viewed as discussed above.
• We remind members that, while friendly discussions are welcome, the message boards are not to be used as a chat room. We suggest any members wishing for a "chat room" exchange Instant Messenger usernames via their profiles at their own discretion.

• We ask that you please keep your responses on topic. Members who fail to keep messages on topic will be asked to refrain from posting irrelevant comments.
• Disregarding this rule can result in a warning or ban, depending on the severity of the infraction.

• Just like spam emails, "spamming" refers to posting of irrelevant and unwanted advertising, whether by hand or by an automatic "spam-bot." This also includes repeatedly posting a link (so as to be considered by Staff as "excessive") to any site. Posting a link or two to a site of interest is allowed. Repeatedly posting links to a particular site for any reason is not.
• Commercial advertising is strictly prohibited.

• "Trolling" is generally defined as posting derogatory, inflammatory or otherwise irritating comments in an attempt to "bait" other members into responding angrily. This is not allowed on our site. Memberships which are judged to have been purchased solely for the purpose of trolling will be banned immediately.
• There is no "open season" on trolls so members should use caution when replying to anyone they consider to be a troll as responding to them in kind, or even calling them a "troll" on the message boards, will generate a warning for all involved as personal attacks are viewed independently of what prompts. If you break a rule you get a warning there are no excuses. If you think there is a troll on the boards use the "Report This Post" button. Do not, under any circumstances, inflame the situation by replying to or attacking a troll.

• For your own protection, do not post personal information (full name, city & state, phone number, email address, etc.) about yourself. Such posts will be edited or deleted as soon as they are detected.
• Do not post the personal information of another member or even post a question asking another member for personal information. Such posts are grounds for a warning or possible immediate ban from the Message Boards.

Account-Related Infractions

• Premium Members are permitted one, and only one, active account. Any "extra" accounts we discover will be cancelled. Only you may use your account & you will be held responsible for anything posted from it.

• Terminations are irrevocable and permanent. Premium Members who have been terminated or banned, and who re-enter the Message Boards fraudulently, are subject to immediate ejection.
• This ruling includes, but is not limited to, the creation of new accounts in name of another family member or friend in order to re-enter the Message Boards.
• Furthermore, we reserve the right to terminate all memberships in the household of a terminated member.

Procedures

• Users who violate the rules for the first time will receive an email outlining their infraction and a reminder to review these rules.
• Users who violate the rules after receiving a reminder will receive one, and only one, warning, which is not subject to appeal.
• A second warning within 6 months will automatically generate a one month ban from the Message Boards.
• Any infractions after a one month ban will result in a permanent ban from the Message Boards.
• Warnings "expire" after six months, but we reserve the right to review a user's record to make termination decisions, especially if a user shows a consistent pattern of rule-breaking.
• Certain conduct may be deemed by the BillOReilly.com Staff to be so objectionable that instant termination or permanent ban may result. See "Instant Termination" below.
• The decisions of the BillOReilly.com Staff are final and not subject to appeal.

• This is a no-questions-asked, no-warnings-given termination, and is exercised at the option of BillOReilly.com Staff in instances where a warning or ban is not a sufficient option. Again, the decisions of the BillOReilly.com Staff are final and are not subject to appeal.
• We reserve the right to move or delete any posts and/or threads. Should we remove posts and/or threads, do not repost them in any form--doing so is grounds for immediate termination.

• If you spot a post that you feel is offensive or that breaks the rules outlined here, click the "Report This Post" link that appears adjacent to each post and briefly explain the problem with the post.
• Do not, under any circumstances, inflame the situation by replying to or attacking the offending user.
• Please be advised that if the offensive post is directed at you and you decide to "defend yourself" by posting a counterattack, you will be opening yourself up for a warning, as well.
• The faster offensive posts and posters are reported, the faster they can be removed from the message boards.
• All reported posts will be evaluated and, if deemed necessary, the offending user will be sent a warning by our Customer Service Department.