.::UrbanPK::.: UrbanPK Rules

URBAN PAKISTAN RULE BOOK:

Article I: Declaimer of "The Team" Rights & Responsibilities

UrbanPk is designated as a public forum, but managed by "The Team" – referring to The Root Admin and the Management. UrbanPk reserves the right to increase or decrease the size of "The Team" as and when required. It also reserves the right to change the content of The Team as and when required.

I (a): Rulings about Rule Book

1. The Team reserves the right to Add, Modify or Remove any of the Rules at any time.
2. The Team will announce the Rule Change (if any) with consensus on appropriate time. It is members' responsibility to keep them selves updated on these changes.
3. Rule changes can apply to past, current and/or future posts.
4. The Team has the right to impose the Rules universally or selectively, depending upon the situation but in a non-discriminatory way.
5. The Team has the right for relaxing the Rules for certain members based solely on their contribution for UrbanPk and/or their seniority.
6. Article II and Article III applies to The Team members as well.
7. Rules relaxation will not be challengeable by the Members, but a private appeal (via PM or MSN) can be made by Members to offset any potential injustice.
8. The Team has the final say in any Rule dispute.

I ( B) : Laws of Membership

1. Members are here because they had an "Open Invitation" by UrbanPk to join the forum. The Team has the right to revoke that Invitation at any time if any Member is found to have breached the laws of UrbanPk forum.
2. Revocation will be valid only with the consensus of The Team.
3. Revocation will only be based on the formal notice of the breach of law(s) of UrbanPk.
4. Revocation will not be challengeable in the public forum, but in private through PM or via MSN with The Team.
5. Membership shall not be revoked based on Race, Religion, Ethnicity, Nationality, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender, Language Barrier or Retaliation.
6. Basic Membership at UrbanPk will remain free, and no charge or fee can be associated with any aspect of Membership.
7. Membership at UrbanPk shall remain open for ever, and cannot be stopped at any time.
8. Multiple accounts shall be deleted immediately, and the invitation of the member found engaged in such an act could be revoked.
9. A Banned Member could be permitted to join back upon request by consensus of The Team.

I ©: Moderating Actions

1. The Content of UrbanPk is primarily a property of the Organization. Members have been granted the permission to Edit or Remove their material (Posts, Articles, Pictures and Multimedia), but UrbanPk is primary owner of the original material.
2. All Rights of copying and plagiarism from UrbanPk are reserved by The Team. Copying, Plagiarizing or Quoting from UrbanPk is OK only with proper credit to the site, under Intellectual Property Rights Control act in Article III (e) of Rule Book of UrbanPk.
3. The Team will have the right to Edit, Append or Delete any Post or Thread by any Member at any time, if the Post or Thread is in violation of Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk. Any other Editing, Appending or Deleting shall be done only with the consent of the Member in question. Such an action by The Team is not challengeable in public Threads. Members can challenge such an act through PM or MSN.
4. The Team shall have the right to Close the Topic, if the Topic is in violation of Article III of Rule Book of UrbanPk. Closing the Topic would require The Team to put the reason for action as the last post of the Topic.
5. Topic closed can be re-opened by The Team at any time, after the cause of closure is taken care of.
6. The Team will have the right to Edit/Append/Delete a single sentence or word in the Post, if the sentence or the word goes against Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk. In such cases, a formal statement of broken rule is not necessary. Members, however, can request the reason for Edition/Appending/Deletion of the sentence or word via PM or MSN. A new post or thread for this kind of request could be deleted without reason, as it is a distraction from the original topic. In case of a request via PM or MSN, The Team will be responsible to provide the reason in terms of Rules for Edition/Appending/Deletion. In event of failure, Members can restore the sentence or word.
7. The Team will have a right to increase the "Warning" level for a Member, after a formal notice of action taken and the reason, via PM. The "Warning" after the formal notice is not challengeable. Multiple increases in Warning level shall not be practiced.
8. The Team will have a right to decrease the "Warning" level without a formal notice to the member, at any time and by any degree. Decreasing of Warning level by The Team is not challengeable by any other Member.
9. The Team will have a right to revoke the invitation of Member(s) if the "Warning" level has reached maximum. After 5 Warning level increments, Member(s) is banned, and this Ban is not challengeable.

I (d): The Team Connection

1. All correspondence with The Team must be through PM or MSN. Personal emails to individual members are not forbidden, but discouraged.
2. The Team includes The Root Admin and the members of Management, any one of whom can be contacted by the Members.
3. The Team's PM and MSN address shall be available to all Members, without restrictions.
4. Contact with one member of The Team would mean contact with the entire Team. The decision of one Team member is understood to be the consensus of The Team.

Article II: Members' Bill of Rights


Members include every body outside The Team that is registered with UrbanPk. By virtue of the Open Invitation to join UrbanPk, The Team holds these truths to be self-evident, that all Members are equal, that they are endowed by The Team with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Freedom of Speech/Expression and Freedom of Space. These Rights are subject to restrictions imposed solely by the Rule Book.

II (a): Anti-Discrimination Act

1. UrbanPk shall be an atmosphere free from discrimination against Race, Religion, Ethnicity, Nationality, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender, Language Barrier or Socio-Politico-Economic philosophy.
2. The Team will not discriminate posts or members on the bases of the traits stated in Article II( B) (1) of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
3. All issues or complaints of Members regarding Anti-Discrimination Act shall be resolved via PM or MSN. For the sanctity of UrbanPk, such issues are not discussable in the public areas of the forum.
4. In event of Revocation of the Invitation based on discrimination, Article I( B) is not applicable for reinstatement. The reinstatement in such a case will be immediate without strings attached.

II ( B) : Freedom of Speech

1. The Team shall make no law showing the suppression of the right of free speech granted under Article II( B) , save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
2. Members have a right to peaceful argumentation and objection to the ideas represented by others, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
3. Members have a right to criticize any aspect of the country's Socio-Politico-Economic matters, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
4. Members have a right to speak or represent any Race, Religion, Ethnicity, Nationality, Sex, Gender role, Sexual Orientation, Language, Political ideology, Social group, Economic policy or Philosophy.
5. Members have a right to petition The Team for a redress of grievances regarding behavior via PM or MSN.

II ©: Privacy Act

1. Members have a right of privacy. Members have a right to keep their original name, location, age, sex, contact information, personal snapshots and other personal information discreet.
2. In event of a willful disclosure of personal information, The Team is not responsible. The Team strongly discourages such an act, and shall make no law asking for Members' personal information.

II ©: Rights of Navigation

1. Members have a right to create any thread on any topic at any time in the right category, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
2. Members have a right to Post in any Thread created by any body without Discrimination. No restriction shall be made to limit Members' posting rights in Thread(s).
3. Members have a right to read any Post from any Thread in the public space of the forum. No restriction shall be made to limit Members' viewing rights in Thread(s).
4. Members have a right to Edit their Post(s) at any time for any reason. UrbanPk, however, encourages Members to state the reason for editing to let The Team know what went wrong. This encouragement is non-binding.
5. Members essentially have a right to unlimited Reply(s) on a topic, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.

II (d): Signature, Avatar, Profile Freedoms

1. Members have a right to choose any signature, avatar and profile, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.
2. Members have a right to write long text or graphics in Signatures, but UrbanPk encourages very short lines, and least or no graphics in Signatures, in order to lessen the distractions in posts. This is a non-Binding rule, but in severe cases, The Team reserves the right to criticize the Signature on public threads or via PM.
3. The Team shall not alter/edit/delete Members' profile, avatar or signature without Members' consent, save under Article III of Rule Book of UrbanPk.

II (e): Language Freedoms

1. Although English is the official language of UrbanPk, Members have a right to use other language, as long as the translation it is posted as well. In case of missing translation, The Team can request the English translation, or delete the text.
2. Posting articles in non-English languages is allowed, as long as manual or computerized translation of the text is also posted. In case of absence of translation, The Team can request the English translation, or delete the post.

II (f): Identity Freedoms

1. Members have a right to change their display name. UrbanPk shall be more concerned about the content, rather than the identities.
2. Stereotyping based on previous identities on UrbanPk is discouraged. This is non-Binding rule, but in extreme cases The Team reserves the right to object to such stereotyping for the offenders.
3. Members have a right to change their personal information, picture, avatar and signature at any time, for any reason. The Team will not have a say in that, save under Article III of the Rule Book of UrbanPk.

II (g): Emoticons And Code Freedoms

1. Members have a right to use Emoticons as and when desired in a post or thread. In certain extreme cases (like using 20 emoticons in a row to emphasize a point), The Team can request deletion of some of the emoticons to make the thread look neat.
2. Members have a right to use Codes like Quote, Bold, Hyperlink and Underline etc as and when desired in a post or thread. In certain extreme cases (like using extreme BOLD or huge sized objects to emphasize a point), The Team can request deletion of such codes.

Article III: Garbage Control Act


In order to ensure a peaceful and friendly atmosphere at UrbanPk, certain principles are made in accordance with commonly understood ethical rules in argumentation. These rules are not understood as a violation of Freedom of Speech, as understood in Article II of the Rule Book of UrbanPk. In reality, it makes sure that UrbanPk can afford such freedoms, while striving for intellectual distinction. Content in violation of these rules is considered Garbage; it then becomes the responsibility of The Team to limit or eliminate the Garbage from UrbanPk to maintain its sanctity.

III (a): Sexual Perversion Control

1. Sexual Harassment can result in Revocation of the Invitation to stay at UrbanPk.
2. Sexually explicit content in speech would be censored either completely or partially by The Team. The Team has a right to increase the "Warning" level of such members after a formal notice. The Team also has a right not to increase the "Warning" level, and merely sensor the explicit content.
3. Sexually explicit content in pictures and videos would be deleted immediately, and The Team has a right to revoke the Invitation of Member(s) indulged.
4. Links to websites/pictures/addresses with sexual contents will be deleted, and The Team has a right to increment the Warning level of such Members.
5. Dating or the use of site for relationship purposes is not permissible. The Team has a right to remove Posts, Threads and/or Members. Such an action is not challengeable. The Team is not bound to take actions on such issues either.
6. Pictures and Video Clips of models with vulgarity are discouraged at UrbanPk. It is up to The Team's judgment to consider such content as Sexual Perversion, and The Team reserves un-challengeable right to increment Warning level the matter.

III ( B) : Language Control

1. Profanity towards other Members and The Team can result in increment of "Warning" level, or in swear cases Revocation of Invitation at UrbanPk.
2. The use of curse words in general in speech can result in censoring the word/sentence, increment of Warning level or Revocation of Invitation at UrbanPk. In case of simple "***" censoring, formal notice via PM is not required. For other two actions, a formal PM notice is required.
3. Racial, Ethnic, National, Sexual, Orientation, Religious, Gender and behavioral Stereotyping is discouraged, and can result in increment of Warning level. "Sexual" includes stereotyping based on Sexual Orientation.
4. Hate speech, violence or xenophobia is discouraged and can result in increment of Warning level. It shall be a non-binding rule, to ensure Freedom of Speech under Article II (a) of Rule Book, and is up to The Team to interpret the abuse thereof.
5. Article III (a) and Article III ( B) (1,2,3,4) also applies to Members' signatures, avatars, profiles, photos, display names, headings, attachments and PM.
6. The Team has a right to selectively impose or let go the Language Control rules, in order to maximize the quality of work at UrbanPk. Such decisions are not challengeable, after a formal notice of action via PM.

III ©: Sense Control

1. Non confrontation with The Team is encouraged. It shall be a non-Binding rule, open to interpretation by The Team, and may/may not result in increment of Warning level, not challengeable after a formal notice via PM.
2. Confrontation with other Members is discouraged. This is a non-Binding rule. The Team reserves a right to increment "Warning" level, in event of excessive confrontation with Members.
3. General negativity towards Pakistan is discouraged. This is a non-Binding rule, to ensure the Freedom of Speech Act of Article II ( B) of the Rule Book of UrbanPk. Excessive negativity can result in selective "Warning" level increment, if The Team feels that the root of the negativity is hatred towards Pakistan. On such consensus of The Team, the increment is not challengeable.

III (d): Chaotic Posting Control

1. Spamming control is strictly enacted. Multiple topics will be Deleted/Merged to maximize performance. The Team has a right to issue a Warning on continuous violation of the rule.
2. Members/The Team must post in right forum. Continued posting in wrong forum would result in increment of Warning level.
3. Members can not post Advertising in UrbanPk threads or posts. Promotion of personal websites is included in this act. Such a behavior can result in "Warning" level increment along with deletion of Post/Thread. In case of a prior approval from The Team, the law is not applicable.
4. Members are responsible to keep the topic of the Thread from derailing. This rule is non-Binding to preserve the Freedom of Speech Act of Article II ( B) of the Rule Book of UrbanPk. The Team shall have the responsibility/right to put remarks on such threads in an effort to bring it back to the topic. In case, The Team feels that the derailing has resulted in another important tangent of the discussion, they have a right to create another appropriate Thread and move the irrelevant discussion to a separate thread.

III (e): Intellectual Property Rights Control

1. UrbanPk shall have strict anti-plagiarism policy. Members can not post material in UrbanPk Threads/Posts/Articles/Contents that is plagiarized from some body else, except with proper courtesy and credit. The Team has the right to delete the plagiarized material (partially or completely). The Team has the right to increment "Warning" level of Member(s) involved for plagiarism. The Team also reserves the right to revoke the invitation of such Members if the plagiarism is of serious nature.
2. UrbanPk shall have strict copyrights policy. Members cannot post material from UrbanPk to other forums, sites or any space on Internet, without crediting it to UrbanPk. The Team has the right to revoke the invitation of Members involved in copyrights abuse issues. The Team has the right to increment Warning level for such Members. The Team also reserves the right to put formal complaint of copyrights abuse to the beneficiary site/forum/space on the Internet.
3. UrbanPk has a right to watermark the original pictures/videos submitted/taken/created by UrbanPk Members. Such material would become UrbanPk's property, and The Team has the right to manipulate it in order to effectively present it, or in any other way beneficial to Pakistan's image.
4. Posting of pictures/videos from other spaces on Internet should be ideally be accompanied by credit to the source. Since the original sources are many times not known, this rule is non-Binding. In severe abuse of this law by Members, if UrbanPk's credibility/image/existence is at stake, The Team has the right to delete such material, increment Warning level of such Member(s) and/or revoke the invitation of such Member(s).

III (f): Quality Control

1. Deliberate posting of misleading information, especially related to development is prohibited. This is a non-Binding rule, to ensure Freedom of Speech Act of Article III. In severe cases however, The Team reserves the right to delete such misleading posts, threads, sentences, words, pictures, or videos.
2. Some threads/categories at UrbanPk have standard outlook defined by The Team. Example of this is "Projects" thread, where following a format is a must. Violation of this format gives The Team a right to edit/delete/fix the thread or post.
3. Misleading or Ambiguous titles for the Threads/Posts are forbidden. For better organization of UrbanPk, this rule takes precedence over Freedom of Speech Act under Article III of Rule Book of UrbanPk. The Team has a right to edit/change/fix such Titles.
4. Threads with no content but a link to somewhere are not allowed. The Team has a right to close such threads.
5. Single line or single word or single character posts/threads are specifically discouraged. This is non-Binding rule, to ensure Freedom of Speech. In certain extreme cases, The Team has a right to delete such posts to clean the thread.
6. Writing large portions of text in capital (i.e. with CAPS LOCK on) is discouraged. This is a non-Binding rule, to ensure Freedom of Speech. In certain extreme cases, The Team has a right to fix such text or request rewriting of such text.
7. Writing large portions of text in bold, large font, italic or underlined is discouraged. This is a non-Binding rule to ensure Freedom of Speech. In certain extreme cases, The Team has a right to object and/or fix these issues.
8. Before posting, Members must make sure if related thread already exists. UrbanPk would want to ensure maximum number of posts in a thread, so that minimum number of new threads is opened for a particular topic. To ensure the better organization of the site, this rule takes precedence over the Freedom of Speech and Navigation acts of UrbanPk. The Team has a right to merge topics of related genus, and delete similar topics.
9. Members must post in right thread under right category. To ensure the better organization of the site, this rule takes precedence over Freedom of Speech/Navigation acts. The Team has a right to move the thread/post to the relevant section, and/or delete the thread/post.
10. Reference to illegal content is not allowed. This is non-Binding rule, because it is hard to trace the legality of contents over the Internet. However, if The Team feels that the content referred to is obviously illegal, The Team has the right to remove the reference, post or thread. Examples include links to viruses, Trojan Horses, Hacking sites/tips, software piracy etc.
11. Members are discouraged to excessive editing their posts, especially if the following posts are referring / answering to the edited post. This is a non-Binding rule, to ensure the Freedom of Navigation at UrbanPk. However, excessive deletion of posts may give The Team right to restore the post through its archive, since all posts at UrbanPk also become the property of the site along with the poster.
12. All articles from outside must be provided with a direct link to that article over the internet. If the link is not available anymore, then The Team has a right to overlook the rule. If the link is available, then the Member(s) must put the link. Failure to do so gives The Team right to delete the article, or ask for the link.