I almost clicked the "report" button on nccardfan's first post above. Not sure what made him feel like he could unload on zipp in this particular thread. That kind of personal attack from out of the blue seems particularly unwarranted.
But here's the reason I didn't click "report" then, and I never have: I don't know what the rules are. Are they posted somewhere? I'll never complain unless I know the rules.
These are the Rivals Forum Rules as have been provided to me:
Forum Rules
No profanity, racist or sexist comments. This includes using abbreviations or changing one letter of a swear word such that the word(s) are still interpreted by most as profane.
No pornographic or obscene material of any kind. Any user posting pornographic pictures, or links to such material will be blacklisted. This includes materials within a signature file or avatar.
No attacking other posters. If you feel the need to harass another poster, don't do it. What is considered attacking other posters?
Bringing up their name in posts that they did not start or were not involved in, just to get a reaction from them.
Consistently responding to their posts and responding with no merit other than to belittle them.
In short, making a poster a target.
Do not post unsubstantiated rumors about players, coaches, etc. If you have a link to a news story, that is one thing. But if you have heard something 'from a friend of a friend,' this is not the website to post innuendo and rumor. Those posts will be removed.
No repetitive negative posting. What makes a repetitive post? If you come to the forum and consistently say the exact same thing about the exact same topic day in and day out, that is being repetitive. Be sure to understand that no one is saying that you can not be critical. But this site will not be overrun by the same people coming on the site day after day saying the same negative things.
No flaming: If a poster come onto the board with the intent only to flame, and continues to post nothing but flames or engages in no substantive discussion, the poster's posts will be deleted and the poster will be banned at the monitor's discretion.
No attacks on players or coaches. Criticism is allowed, and encouraged if the shoe fits. But that does NOT mean you have free range to bash or alienate a player or coach with your comments. If you disagree with how they played or the effort they put forward, please voice your opinion and state why you hold that opinion. If it's something you would not say to their faces, then don't post it.
No attacking recruits: Just because a player may choose another school does not give you the right to blast them, in any circumstance. There will be zero tolerance on this issue.
No posting of commercial offers, competing websites or spamming of the board will be permitted.: All threads will be deleted at the discretion of the board monitor.
No posting or or distribution any material that infringes and/or violates any right of a third party or any law. Post will be deleted and member can be banned at the monitors discretion. This means no posting of premium information from other web sites.
Do not give out your personal information on the message board or chat room. Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information (such as your email, phone number etc.) online --- for example, via message boards or chat --- that information can be collected and used by people you don't know. You give out your personal information at your own risk. We are not responsible for any actions that occur if you give out your personal information.
No fishing. Do not attempt to trick fellow posters into posting their email address by promising the inside scoop on a situation. These poor attempts at humor are very disruptive to the board.
No dominating the conversation. Do not dominate the conversation, whether it is a single thread, or the overall conversation on the board for the day. A successful message board community involves give and take. If one poster contributes too much, to the point of disrupting the community, he or she may be banned.
Terms of service. By subscribing, registering or using the sites, you agree that Rivals and or the publisher(s) and board moderators of the sites have the right, in addition to other rights, to delete your posts or blacklist you or any other user at any time, if they believe that action is in the best interest of the sites, for whatever reason, and the reason need not be disclosed. For more information, you can read the Terms of Service for subscribers HERE.
The golden rule is a good one to follow: Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
To the vast majority of fans who read this site and already function within this rule set, thank you very much for your adult candor and responsible posting.
