Rocky Mountain DSM Forums FAQ

Read our simple rules:

1. No flaming or trolling, period. This means that you are not to attack, insult, harrass, belittle, threaten, accuse, or spread slander about another member, person, shop, website, etc. Nor are you to post a topic that is meant to attract flaming (trolling). This applies to all public posts, private messages and email. Public complaints and accusations are not welcome here. If you have a complaint about a vendor or possible scam artist, post it on Vendors-Reviewed.com. If you have a complaint against a member of our site with whom you've done a transaction with, use the trader rating feedback feature to voice your discontent. If you want to praise a vendor, you can recommend a shop in your signature.



2. Report bad posts as necessary. Do NOT get involved or retaliate against someone insulting you. If another member is breaking the rules, report the post and move on. Do not add to a thread that is in need of moderator attention. Do not try and tell other members what they've done wrong. If you have a complaint against one of the Moderators, handle it offline with the Site Administrator. Do not post your complaint publicly in the forums. Report posts which have broken the rules, posts which have gone off topic from the original subject, posts that contain misinformation, posts that contain spam or self promotion by a person or vendor, and threads that contain duplicate or similar subject matter to a past discussion. Repeated reporting of the same post is considered to be abuse of forum features and can result in the users account being permanently revoked.



3. Keep the BS out of our forums. We don't want to see: spam, self promotion, advertising of products/services/websites (unless you are an authorized vendor), politics, war, religion, nudity (hot chick threads), racism, drugs, illegal activities, bench racing, relationship discussions, post-whoring, misinformation, bickering, etc - especially in the Tech Forums where we're a little more strict. Be mature, act like an adult, and know the difference between acceptable behavior and childish behavior. This applies to public forum posts, private messages, and email.



4. One account per person. If your account is suspended, and you register a new account, we will automatically suspend that account and may even consider contacting your host and looking into taking legal action.



5. Use good forum etiquette



6. When Asking/Answering Tech Questions:
   
   
   • Be sure you've done research on the question before you ask. This site has been around a while now, and most of the basic questions and topics posted by newbies have already been covered here and in other DSM resources. Nobody here wants to answer the same questions over and over again.
   • Post in the correct forum, use a descriptive thread title, give as much info as possible and make sure your profile is filled in.
   • Do not reply to a thread with "Use the Search" - answer the question, link to the answer, or don't reply at all. Explain your answer in detail. If someone is asking about which clutch is best for their application, don't just say "ACT 2600". Explain to them why you think the ACT 2600 is the best for their application. If you don't know why, then you probably aren't experienced enough to be answering their question in the first place.
   • No Guessing - if you don't know the answer for sure, don't reply - we don't need you spreading misinformation. If your reply contains phrases like "I think", or "I've heard", or "everyone else does it", or "my brother's uncle's friend did it and had no problems" - it is not useful. Only post a reply if YOU know the answer from YOUR own first-hand experience. Instead of replying with a guess, post a link to a thread where the answer can be found, or the same discussion already took place.
   • No getting off-topic - if you're not replying to the thread starter's question, take it to PMs/email or start a new thread.
   • If you come across a question that is answered in our FAQ Forum or in another area, report the thread and do not reply. We want to discourage duplicate questions and limit the amount of duplicate discussions that show up in our database.
   • If you ask a question and get the problem solved, be sure to reply to your own thread and let everyone know what solved it. If someone helps you with a tech problem, be sure and return the favor by giving that member reputation points for their helpful reply.

If you disregard these rules, a few things can happen. If the offense is severe enough, you'll be permanently banned without warning and will not have access to the forums at all. If the offense is minor, then you will recieve one friendly reminder to read the rules. After that you will have two official warnings. On the second warning your account will be suspended for 14 days.

Premium membership is a status that is earned by contributing to Rocky Mountain DSM. In order to obtain this status users must contribute 50 techincal posts. After 50 technical posts have been obtained the user will automatically be upgraded to premium status. Posting random posts to obtain a post count of 50 is not allowed on Rocky Mountain DSM. Each post must contain technical information. However if you wish to not wait for 50 posts you can purchase the premium membership upgrade in the Paid Subscriptions area.

Use good forum etiquette as much as possible - especially in our Tech Forums. When posting in the forums:

• Be friendly and helpful at all times. No elitist or negative attitudes.
• Use the Spell Check feature and proper grammar. Don't be lazy, type out the whole word and use capitalization. No web-speak!
• Fill in your profile completely, including your Name, City, State and vehicle info.
• Avoid using vulgarities, or at least keep them to a minimum.
• Respect our Signature Policy and Gallery Rules.
• No bumping threads (replying to your thread for the sole purpose of moving it to the top of the forum for more exposure). If your question doesn't get answered, it's either because you didn't provide enough info, your profile isn't filled in, or you asked a question that was already answered in our FAQ forum.
• When linking to images that are not hosted here on Rocky Mountain DSM (like ImageStation for example), if they are larger than 700 pixels wide, please just post a link to it. Do not use the BB IMG code to make it display inline, use the BB URL code instead. Why you ask? Page load times and display reasons. Large images cause slow load times and cause the page to be displayed funny for most people. If the moderators come across large images, they will likely replace them with a hyperlink for faster page loads and better page displays. Attachment uploads (which are hosted on our server) are limited to 700 pixels.

Though we do have paying authorized vendors who help support our site and members, we do not allow the promotion of products and services in our public forums from an unauthorized vendor. Our forums are not to be used as a means to produce revenue for your business. Do not use our public forums to announce new products, pricing, availability, market feedback, etc. This applies to unauthorized vendors. Authorized vendors are allowed to promote their business in our Vendor Promotions/Discounts forum ONLY. They are not to discuss their products outside that forum. Authorized vendors are allowed to respond in the technical forums and recommend their own shop only for services.

1. No spam, self promotion or advertising of products you sell or services you provide outside the Vendor Promotions/Discounts forum in any way - PERIOD. Vendors are encouraged to share their knowledge with our members in the tech forums, not discuss their products. Soliciting our members via the Private Message feature or Email Feature of our website is also strictly against the rules and can get you banned instantly. Do not send any unsolicited messages to our members.



2. The posting of links, phone numbers, addresses, logos, or banners in your signature or in your posts is strictly prohibited. Posting a link to your website in your member profile is acceptable. Sponsors may post links in the Vendor Promotions/Discounts forum. Site sponsors are also allowed to post the name of their business in their signature, but it cannot contain a URL.



3. Mentioning your products in a thread where a user is not specifically asking about your products is prohibited. When a member does ask about your products, keep the discussion tech-related. There should be no mention of pricing, product availability, ordering info, contact info, etc outside the Vendor Promotions/Discounts forum.



4. We don't allow customer service discussions in the forums. Resolve all issues outside of our forums or via the Private Message system.

Sponsors do receive the special privilege of posting in the Vendor Promotions/Discounts forum, but the rules above apply to everyone. Our moderating team will remove all content that we feel violates this policy in the public forums. This means that messages containing spam-like content will be edited or removed completely. If the vendor continues to violate the policy, they may be temporarily suspended or banned permanently.

The signature area should only be used for your first name and a short description of your car. That's it. If it's anything more than that, your signature will be removed or edited - and you will lose the ability to use the Signature area for multiple offenses. We'd prefer that you just used your first name in your signature. Images are no longer allowed, since you can use the Avatar feature to post an image of your car. When we say short description, we mean:

1. A short summary that quickly describes your car - your mod list should be posted in your profile, along with your 1/4 Mile Time and your Dyno info - don't use the signature area in place of your profile. Examples of acceptable signatures would be "16g-powered 91 TSi" or "11-second 97 GSX" or "2005 SCCA Class Champion 95 GST". If you are unsure whether your signature is acceptable, please just use your name for your signature and nothing else.



2. Absolutely NO text that doesn't describe your car or isn't your first (or last) name. Our site sponsors are the exception - they will be allowed to post their shop name if they choose. There should be no URL's, domain names, addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers, etc.

Avatars

Avatars should consist of a photo of your DSM. If you don't own a DSM or don't have a photo of your DSM to use, please do not use the feature. The photo should be 170 pixels wide. If it is not that size, it may not display correctly. Please, no photos with people posing with your car.

If your signature or avatar is removed by the Moderating Team, then you probably didn't adhere to this policy. Do not attempt to challenge the removal or attack the moderators for the removal - both in your new signature or anywhere else in the forums. We feel the rules are very simple and make sense for everyone. Don't get banned over something as stupid as a signature file, please.

The intent of this Gallery is to share photos of your DSM with other enthusiasts.

What is allowed:
Exterior, interior and engine bay shots of your own DSM (Eclipses, Talons, Lasers, and Galants only).

What isn't allowed:

• Absolutely no photos of other cars (must be a DSM - Eclipses, Talons, Lasers and Galants only, and it must be YOURS).
  
• No Signature photos, Photoshop artwork or photos from other websites/magazines.
  
• No half-naked models in the photo. No females (or males) posing period. This is not an import model site.
  
• Please avoid uploading photos of your car audio system. We may choose to remove them.
  
• Photos cannot exceed 700 pixels wide and must be in jpg or jpeg file format. Resize your photos here...
  

If you do not follow the rules, expect your photos to be removed without warning.

Gallery Tip ***
 - Be sure to upload the best photo last. The last photo you upload will be the one everybody sees as they browse the gallery. If you need to, you can always delete your favorite photo and re-upload it so that it shows up first. If you experience any errors with the Photo Gallery, you can Contact the site administrator.

This is a Private Party service only. For Sale, Trade, or Wanted to Buy (WTB) type ads only. In order to post a new item for sale or a want to buy ad you must must have premium member access. However all posts and topics must follow the rules layed out in the Classifieds Policy.

1. No eBay links. This is for Private Party merchandise for sale, not to point people to eBay auctions.
   
   
2. List your ad once. Do not relist the same ad multiple times - this is a bannable offense. Do not list your email address in your ad.
   
   
3. No Group Buy posts or Vendor Ads in this forum or any of the other forums, period (vendors must contact us for special privileges). This is a private party classifieds forum for individuals, not shops to sell their personal items. Vendors/shops should also refrain from promoting their products in the WTB (Wanted to Buy) category. Vendors should not use this section as an opportunity to market their products to our members. All Vendor Rules still apply in this section, and can be found here: Vendor Rules
   "Vendor" is defined as: anyone who sells parts for a profit on an ongoing basis. If you're buying and selling parts or cars for profit, you are a vendor. If we determine you are a vendor, and are posting your parts for sale in our Classifieds forum, we will restrict your access on our site.
   
   
4. Transactions are your responsibility, not that of Rocky Mountain DSM. We will not be liable for any losses as a result of your transaction, nor will we assist in tracking down a fraudulent party, nor will we ban a user at your request.
   
   
5. No complaints should be posted about buyers and sellers in the classifieds section or in our forums. We recommend you use the trader rating feedback located in the buyers/sellers profile.

   Most transactions will likely turn out fine, but protect yourself and don't be naive. There are some people out there trying to make a quick buck by ripping people off. Take every precaution possible when doing business with other people online.

The Rocky Mountain DSM Administration/Moderator team is dedicated to providing the user base of Rocky Mountain DSM with the best possible experience while still enforcing the rules set fourth. Below are the rules that have been set better understand what the Administrators/Moderators functions are.

1. The moderator team reserves the right to Ban a user if s/he has been deemed a hazard to Rocky Mountain DSM. A hazzard being someone that has done something so severe banning is required.
2. Warnings are given out per the Rules & Regulations policy.
3. Rocky Mountain DSM has a topic repository for threads that are either A.) Contaminated beyond cleanup or B.) Requested to be removed by the thread starter.
4. Threads are not deleted from Rocky Mountain DSM. All threads are either A.) Public or B.) Located in the Topic Repository only viewable by the Administrator/Moderator team.
5. Posts are only edited by the Administrator/Moderator team IF the owner of the post requests verbage to be changed.

Rocky Mountain DSM has a strong Administration/Moderation team that has helped keep the site flowing. Under certaim circumstances can an Administrator/Moderator be removed if the Administration/Moderation team feels it is necessary.

Rocky Mountain DSM respects the privacy of our visitors and site members. We commit ourselves to protecting your privacy and explain in detail what information we collect and how it is used below.

What we collect
Rocky Mountain DSM collects personal information from you when you register to participate, enter a contest, or complete a survey on our website. Personal information consists of your email address, first name, last name, password, street address and zipcode. If you enter a sweepstakes, contest or survey we may also ask you for some demographic information such as your age or income range. Other information collected may include your IP address, browser type and operating system.

How we use this info
The information collected is used for administration purposes and to help improve the services we provide. This information will not be sold, rented or disclosed in any way to outside parties unless required to do so by law. We also may disclose aggregated information (for example, X number of our viewers visit the Gallery section) to third parties.

Use of cookies
We set and access cookies on your computer each time you access our website. These cookies are used to determine whether you have been to our website before, to automatically store your password, and to ensure the efficient use of ad rotation.

Receiving Email from us
We occasionally send out email to our members to announce site news and updates (no more than once per month). This email only goes out to those who have chosen to receive email from our website. If you no longer wish to receive news or updates, you can change this option setting in your profile.

Audit Clause
Rocky Mountain DSM administrators reserve the right to audit all user data stored on the system for any abnormalities at any time. This information is never shared to anyone outside of the administrator team. This data includes but is not limited to IP addresses, e-mail addresses and personal data. RMDSM staff may read messages in the system, when an abuse report is filed or for other administrative purposes. You agree to accept all liability for the legality of content you send through PM and will not hold RMDSM staff responsible for any damages that result.

This policy is subject to change, so please check back periodically. Direct all questions regarding this policy to the webmaster.

What you should know if you use an AOL account to connect to our site:

If you are an AOL user, you may find it difficult to participate on our site. Without going into heavy detail on how vBulletin (our forum software) works, let us just say that AOL makes it difficult for forum administrators to ban specific AOL members from posting. AOL uses dynamic IP addresses, which means that many AOL users share the same IP address. This means that if we ban an AOL IP address, many other AOL users can potentially be affected when trying to login to our site.

We apologize if this happens to you, but you'll have to take it up with the people at AOL - not us. They choose to use dynamic IP addresses, which makes it difficult on all forum administrators. They've also shown no interest in helping sites like ours solve the problem or track down fraudulent or problematic users of their service. Until they change the way they conduct business and the way they address site owners like us, we'll continue to encourage all AOL users to consider alternate ways of connecting to the internet, especially if you plan on participating in online discussion forums like ours.

Rocky Mountain DSM is in no way affiliated with Diamond Star Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Chrysler, Eagle, or Plymouth corporations. We are a web community which promotes the sharing of ideas and communication between all of our members in a respectful and honest manner.

Our Mission
The number one goal of Rocky Mountain DSM is to promote the modifying of DSM cars for increased performance. On our site, image and styling take a back seat to substance and real world performance. We cater to the performance enthusiast, promoting the sharing of information and ideas regarding modifications, parts, and the results of those modifications. We are an inclusive community that isn't selective in our registration process, however we do demand a certain level of respect and maturity from our members. We have a small set of rules and policies that everyone is required to follow.

We discourage elitist and negative attitudes and encourage teaching and helping. At the same time, beginners are taught how to do their own research and to not spread rumors and misinformation. We feel this creates an environment everyone will benefit from for years to come.

Rocky Mountain DSM takes pride in having a community that's knowledgable, experienced, and most of all helpful and friendly; attributes that are difficult to find all in one site. Register today for access to participate in our forums, our photo gallery, our free Classifieds system, and to search our Tech Forums database for valuable DSM modification information.

Background
Rocky Mountain DSM was established on January 30th, 2002 and was designed to offer a forum based organization for the Rocky Mountain region.

Disclaimer All communications made available as part of RMDSM forums and any opinions, advice, statements, views or other information expressed in this forum are solely provided by, and the responsibility of, the person posting such communication and not of RMDSM. RMDSM staff does not certify, endorse, verify, edit or review the contents of any communication posted to these forums. RMDSM makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, with regard to the posted communications or information contained therein. RMDSM staff is not responsible for defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of any author posting to this forum. Any user who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to contact us immediately by reporting the post/thread to a moderator. 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. This is a manual process, however, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. If you participate in a discussion, you are responsible for ensuring that any material you post to RMDSM (text, images, or other multimedia content) does not violate or infringe upon the copyright, patent, trademark or any other personal or proprietary rights of any third party, and is posted with the permission of the owner of such rights.