"The Code's not so much rules. It's more like... guidelines."
- Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbossa) in
Pirates of the Carribean, The Curse of the Black Pearl

Please note: The following has been adopted from the original document posted by Mr. Steven Ryckman. Mr.Ryckman, as the author retains any Copyright. It is posted here as a courtesy. The purpose of the FAQ is to ensure participants have a guide which to follow. Links that are outdated have been removed. Reference is made to a Group Host. At present, the alt.security.alarms newsgroup does not have a Group Host.

ASA MEMBERS CREED

As this is an un-moderated newsgroup we are at the mercy of those who choose to post into the group. A way to recognize those who are actually "Supporting Members" of the group was proposed as a means of identifying just who is trying to help and who is in it for themselves. Whether or not someone is a supporting member is not a declaration by anyone but a way that we can tell if each of us meets these criterea in our own mind. If you want to be a supporting member of this group:

1. Assist those asking questions in a polite, professional and accurate manner whenever possible.

a. Polite - The phrase "if you can't say something good then don't say anything at all" applies here. Name calling, swear words and other retalitory statements are not needed.
b. Professional - Our goal is to assist others with security alarm related matters. Present yourself as you would if making a sales call to a prospects home or business. For all you know, your next prospect could be lurking in the conference and is about to read your latest message.
c. Accurate - Bad advice can be worse than no advice at all. None of us know everything and you don't have to respond to every question posted. If you aren't 100% sure then state in your message that you aren't absolutely sure.

2. To promote awareness of the newsgroup to other industry members and associates, trade magazines and customers.

a. Industry Members - Discuss the group at local Burglar and Fire Alarm Association meetings and other gatherings with members of the industry. The more people involved in the group, the more diverse the group will become.
b. Trade Magazines - When you advertise or submit press releases, let them know that you are a participant of the newsgroup. It shows your commitment to the industry as a whole and that you are eager to embrace new technology (the Internet).
c. Customers - Let your customers know about the group in newsletters or other methods. Once again it shows your commitment to the industry and can benefit you if others ask about your services or are looking for recomendations.

3. Remember that this is a global newsgroup and everyone won't have the same software, bandwidth or time that you do.

a. Keep postings short and sweet. Only quote what is needed to carry the thread for those just joining the conversation. Quoting the whole message is a waste of bandwidth.
b. Keep auxillary information such as signature files, taglines or other information not directly related to the subject of the message, below 240 characters. This could be three lines of 80 characters, ten lines of 24 characters or some other combination like this.
c. When creating a new thread, use identifiers in the subject line to identify the content of the message. Common ones in use in other newsgroups are "PR:" for Press Releases, "FORSALE:" for items for sale and "WANTED:" when you are looking to full a job opening or buy something.
d. Messages longer than 100 lines should have a "LONG - " prepended to the subject line to let those with slow connections avoid them if desired.
e. Messages with graphics or other files attached to them should be identified by prepending "IMAGE -" or "BINARY -" in front of the subject line for those with slower connections.

4. No posting made by a supporting member should violate any of the items in the original proposal or newgroup messages for this group.

a. No discussion should reveal information that would jeapordize the effectiveness of any existing or future alarm system. This includes master codes, means of bypassing the system and other similar topics. The only exception to this is where the information is publicly available either on-line at another web site or in printed material available to non-industry members in a library or other forum.
b. Messages which are cross-posted to the newsgroup and are not directly related to the alarm industry shall be considered
spamming and ignored by all participants. Note this says ignore it, no response should be made.
c. Advertisements of any type shall not be allowed. Announcements of new products or services directly related to the alarm industry will be permitted providing they do not provide pricing or odering information. An email address, web site URL or phone number shall be provided so that people with inquiries can respond privately instead of in the group.

ORGANIZATION OF THE GROUP

This is an un-moderated newsgroup so that people can feel free to post without the fear of being subjected to a small group of people's opinion on what is allowed and not allowed in the group. No one person in the group has the power to remove someone else from the group or prevent their postings from occuring.

We use a "self-moderated" principle which means that the group as a whole will control it's own destiny. A "Group Host" will oversee the group and provide a single reference point for ISP's and access to the FAQ however. The Group Host may be replaced at any time by the members of group requesting a "Call For Votes" in typical Usenet manners. More on this is provided later in this FAQ.

Users of the group with a complaint about a particular person's posts content of messages should report it by private email to the Groups Host. No reply should be made in the group itself with the exception of personal attacks, the person being attacked is allowed to respond with a message acknowledging that they are responding by private email and/or to the Group Host.

Upon receipt of a complaint, the Group Host will advise the person being complained about, the location of our FAQ and provide a copy by email if desired. The Group Host will explain why they are being contacted and what section of the FAQ applies. The Group Host will ask for cooperation first. If it becomes apparant that the actions will not stop for one reason or another the Group Host may contact that users ISP and ask for cooperation from them. At this time we would only be asking for their cooperation in making their user aware of our FAQ and with the ISP's own terms of use if applicable. We would not request any action by the ISP such as suspension of service at this time.

If the user still persists, at that time the Group Host can issue an email "Request for Removal" and other members of the group can respond by private email to the Group Host with a "FOR" or "AGAINST" removal message regarding the user. Email will be tallied 48 hours after the Request for Removal was posted with the results posted to the group and the user (totals only). A 75% ratio in favor of removing the user must be reached before the users ISP will be asked to take action regarding suspending a users access to the group. At no time will we ask for a users account to be cancelled, only for suspension from our newsgroup. If the ISP decides to take more drastic measures based on our request, that is their choice.
Votes will be tallied as long as they are received within the 48 hour window. Multiple votes will be rejected with the only exception being that a change of vote can be made as long as the change is also received within the 48 hour window. The last message received from each email address will be the counted vote. All votes will be sent a confirmation email immediately and any confirmation which bounces because of an invalid email address
will automatically be voided.

If the ISP refuses or is unable to block the user, a certified letter will be sent to the ISP along with a list of each user who voted. How a particular user voted will not be released to anyone, only a tally of the votes as well as a list of who voted. At that point a "Request for Cancelbot" will be posted to the group with another series of voting. If a 75% margin is maintained in this vote, the users email addresses will be added to a Cancelbot which will remove their postings from our group.

Should a user become suspended or cancelbotted and wish to rejoin the group, they must wait at least 30 days and then email the request to the Group Host. The Group Host will the post a message asking for opinions regarding the return of a particular user. If the concensus of the group is to allow a return, the Group Host will contact the users ISP and notify them. The final decision is up the users ISP in determining whether they will be allowed to return or not. There is no maximum time imposed on how long a user could be suspended from the group but the Group Host would have to post a new message regarding their return every 30 days if repeatedly requested by the suspended user. Once a user is suspended, under no circumstance will they be considered before the 30 days have passed. The Group Host will only post a request for discussion regarding the return of a user, at that users request to the Group Host by private email. It will not occur automatically.

If a user who has been suspended is thought to be using someone else's account or a differant account of their own during a period of suspension, the ISP will be notified without the need for a vote by the members of the group if it can be confirmed.

If the current Group Host wishes to resign or the members of the group wish to replace the Group Host, a call for votes can be requested using a third party vote tally service at the expense (if any) of the person(s) requesting the call for votes. During periods of extended absence, the Group Host may appoint a Temporary Group Host by their own decision. A Temporary Group Host will only be allowed for a maximum of thirty days. If the Group Host will be unavailable for longer than thirty days (unless the result of medical reasons) the Group Host should be replaced. During periods of absence less than 48 hours a Temporary Group Host is not needed. Upon return of the regular Group Host, the Temporary Group Host shall immediately supply the Group Host of all the details of activities during their absence.

The Group Host may remove themselves from a vote if they feel it would be a conflict of interest and request that the users arrange a private third party tallying service for the vote instead of the Group Hosts own services.

A moderated mailing list is maintained where items about moderation and other group related activites will be posted, which do not directly relate to the topic of the newsgroup is available to interested parties. When the Group Host has responded to off-topic messages in the group or has taken other action they will post information on what action was taken to this mailing list. This will eliminate the need for everyone to read about these items which aren't in the spirit of the group or who's content isn't related at all. Likewise it will hopefully prevent the Group Host from receiving a dozen messages asking if action has been taken about a particular message.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Wiring diagrams and other related information will be linked to from this FAQ to assist those looking for more information. The criterea for these links are:

1. They must take the user directly to the information listed without having to go through advertisements or multiple layers of pages. There can be ads on the pages linked to as long as the information being provided is easily found and near the top of the page.
2. The link must have information relevant to assisting an installer or homeowner installing an alarm system. Links will NOT be made to a companies home page or an un-related page.
3. The site must not engage in marketing of data received from the web browsers that visit in any way. This includes the use of banner ad's on the page with the link if the service collects information on the source IP address or related information and it will be used for marketing purposes. Server Logs and counters are fine, just not the marketing of information from visitors.
4. If someone has a link to add or feels that an existing link is no longer appropriate they should contact the Group Host by private email for investigation.

Your Security Source - ASA (alt.security.alarms newsgroup) FAQ

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ASA MEMBERS CREED

ORGANIZATION OF THE GROUP

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Nuts 'n Bolts