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ASMPproAdvice rules of the road - Subscribe

By posting any message to the ASMPproAdvice forum or subscribing to the forum digests, you indicate your acceptance and agreement to abide by the forum rules. These rules are subject to change at any time, without notice. Forum rules are posted every few weeks for review by all subscribers. If you have any questions, complaints, or suggestions for the improvement of the forum, contact the moderators off-line, via email.

Summary of the rules

Forum Email Links

Post a message: ASMPproAdvice@yahoogroups.com

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List owner: ASMPproAdvice-owner@yahoogroups.com

Your participation in the forum signifies your acceptance of all of the terms and conditions below.

Subscriptions And Subject Matter

The Forum’s Purpose

ASMPproAdvice is a place where students and emerging photographers can discuss issues and seek answers to questions related to commercial photography from established, experienced working professionals. Only discussions relating to photography that appears in publications such as magazines, brochures, annual reports, advertisements or other printed materials or the World Wide Web are appropriate for this forum. The emphasis is on business practices and professional standards, but discussion of technique and equipment is appropriate provided it is within the context of an assignment or starting a commercial photography business. This is not a forum for amateur photo concerns. This list is open to both ASMP members and non-members.

ASMPproAdvice is a service of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), celebrating a 60-year tradition of excellence and a future of opportunity.

Limit your posts to topics directly related to the business of photography. Discussion of specific techniques — cameras, lighting techniques, color management, Photoshop tips & tricks, etc. — are discouraged, except within the context of a specific assignment you have undertaken. When in doubt, ask a moderator.

Moderators may, at their discretion, close threads that don’t pertain to the business of photography or that otherwise violate ASMPproAdvice rules. Due to federal antitrust regulations, please refrain from posting or requesting specific pricing recommendations.

ASMPproAdvice is a private forum, wholly owned by the American Society of Media Photographers. ASMPproAdvice participation is not limited to members of the ASMP trade association, but is limited to working photographers, assistants and students.

All subscriptions to ASMPproAdvice are subject to the discretion of the moderators and can be limited or revoked at any time, for any reason. The ASMP welcomes constructive suggestions for the improvement of the organization. However, as many ASMPproAdvice subscribers are not ASMP members and have no interest in discussion of the ASMP, ASMPproAdvice is not an appropriate forum for voicing concerns regarding the ASMP organization, volunteer board members, staff, events, or initiatives. Any posts on these topics will result in the loss of ASMPproAdvice posting privileges or revocation of ASMPproAdvice subscription.

To submit constructive suggestions for the improvement of the ASMP, please contact a local chapter officer or national board member (see the contact info page on ASMP’s web site), or contact the ASMP national office staffers at webmaster@asmp.org. In these channels, your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.

No Anonymous Posts

ASMPproAdvice is a professional discussion group. Sign your posts with your full name. Anonymous posts are not allowed on ASMPproAdvice.

Yahoo Profile Must Be Complete

Membership in ASMPproAdvice is free, but is open only to working photographers, assistants and photography students. Therefore, we need to see this information in your Yahoo ID. Due to the number of applications we receive, profiles that do not include the below listed info will, by necessity, be automatically declined.

To reach your profile, use this link, or log into Yahoo and use its links.

To edit your profile click on “edit” next to your Yahoo ID. On the next screen select “Edit Profile Information”. The following minimal information is required:

  1. Your first and last name (both are required)
  2. Your city and state (province)
  3. In the field labeled “Latest News,” one sentence describing your level of experience as a photographer. If you are an ASMP member, also indicate the chapter. Indicate your website if you have one.

And don’t forget to “Save Changes” at the bottom.

How To Format Your Replies

If you are replying to a message in an existing message thread, consider adding a short quote from the message so that other members will understand exactly what you are responding to. When quoting from previous messages, place the quote above your message, and type the author’s name above the quote. To distinguish your reply from the quote, you can also use the “>” symbol at the start of the quote, the “<” symbol to indicate the start of your reply and differentiate your message from the quote.

No Excessive Or Misleading Quoting

If you include a quote at the top of your message, there is rarely need to quote the entire message. Quote selectively, and keep your quotes short. Quote fairly — try not to quote in such a way as to change the intent of the author’s words. Where you remove entire sentences, indicate an edit like this: >snip< and where you remove the beginning or ending of a sentence, use … (ellipses).

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us
It wad frae monie a blunder free us

If you are posting to the forum through the web interface, we recommend using the Preview function to see your post as others will see it.

Posting To Closed Threads

Do not post to closed threads. Posting to closed threads will result in the loss of posting privileges. If you wish to reply to a closed thread, you may contact the individual off-line by private email. Only moderators may close threads.

Creating An Appropriate Subject Line

If you receive messages in Digest form, do not allow the digest information to appear in the subject line when replying. It completely ruins the server’s thread-following mechanism.

When starting a new thread, create a concise subject line that accurately describes the subject matter of the thread. When replying to a message in an existing thread, do not change or reword the subject line unless you intend to change the direction of the thread significantly. When posting a message that is an offshoot of an existing thread, add a forward slash / to the existing thread and add a short description of the new subject. This will facilitate searching of our archives in the future.

Stay On Topic

Your posts to ASMPproAdvice should be pertinent to the subject line stated in the thread. If not, start a new thread with an appropriate subject line. Threads that drift away from the stated subject line will be closed or renamed by the moderators. This is for everyone’s benefit, and for building accurate archives which all of us research frequently.

Stick To The Issues. No Personal Attacks

Your messages on ASMPproAdvice may not include personal attacks, profanity, or defamatory statements directed at other individuals on or off of ASMPproAdvice. Posting such statements will result in the loss of posting privileges. You may debate points with intensity, and voice alternative perspectives, but stick to the issues and do not attack other people for voicing their viewpoints. In short, your messages must be respectful of others, even if your viewpoints are very different.

Practice Self-Moderation & Respect The Moderators

Unlike some other forums, ASMPproAdvice is a “self-moderated” discussion group. Your messages will not be reviewed by moderators before distribution to all ASMPproAdvice members via email broadcast. Every participant is expected to exercise self control by moderating themselves. This is your responsibility, for which you will be held accountable. Moderators have the authority to put you on a no-post status or remove you from the group entirely. It is the responsibility of moderators to ensure that our discussions continue without disruptions or distractions as laid out in these rules.

If you disagree with the way this group is being moderated, or have an issue that you feel needs moderation, bring it to the attention of one of the moderators off-line. Then, if the issue needs to be brought before the group, a moderator will do it for you.

Handling Personal Conflicts Off-Line

If you have a concern about the nature or tone of the content of a post on ASMPproAdvice, or if you are offended or irritated by something included in a post, or if you simply have a personal problem with another ASMPproAdvice member, make an attempt to resolve the matter by sending a polite, respectful, private, off-line message to the offending party, or contact an ASMPproAdvice moderator and describe your concerns. Handle it off-line, not on-line.

As a general rule, if your message does not serve to educate or inform other photographers on the business of professional photography, don’t post it on ASMPproAdvice — handle it off-line.

Reproduction Or Forwarding Of ASMPproAdvice Posts

To facilitate open and sincere discussion, all messages posted on ASMPproAdvice are private and confidential, in the sense that they are reserved for viewing on ASMPproAdvice by ASMPproAdvice members only. You may store or print out ASMPproAdvice posts for your personal reference. However, ASMPproAdvice posts may not be copied, quoted, reproduced, or otherwise distributed to off-list to third parties or to other discussion groups without the advance permission of both the author and an ASMPproAdvice moderator. And if you do receive permission from ASMPproAdvice and the author, you must credit both ASMPproAdvice and the author when distributing or reproducing quotes outside of ASMPproAdvice. Unauthorized distribution of ASMPproAdvice posts will result in the permanent termination of your ASMPproAdvice subscription.

Cross Posting Is Not Allowed

Messages posted to ASMPproAdvice may not be posted to other discussion groups without permission of both a moderator and the author of the message. Likewise, messages posted to other discussion groups may not be posted to ASMPproAdvice without permission. If circumstances might justify cross posting, contact an ASMPproAdvice moderator before proceeding.

Announcements Of Events, Programs, Services, Products

Do not post announcements regarding events, services, or products. Instead, send your announcement to a moderator, who will examine it on a case-by-case basis. If it is approved, the moderator will post it to the forum.

The moderators have discretion and authority in admitting or denying announcements on ASMPproAdvice at any time, for any reason. For more details, contact a moderator.

Advertisements In Messages, Footers Or Signatures

Your messages, footers, and signatures may not contain anything that solicits ASMPproAdvice members to use or purchase use your services or products, visit your web sites for any reason, or attend events in which you are participating.

Your footer may contain: your name, title, business name, address, phone, email address, URL, professional affiliations, and any other information that could not possibly be perceived, by anyone, as a solicitation of photographers.

Posting of solicitations and announcements is limited according to ASMPproAdvice Rules and each instance must be approved by a moderator, in advance. Anyone posting unauthorized solicitations or using ASMPproAdvice as a conduit for delivering marketing messages to our members will be immediately removed from ASMPproAdvice, together with any recent posts.

The Authority Of The Moderators

ASMPproAdvice moderators monitor the forum and are charged with ensuring that members, as a group, receive maximum benefit from their participation in ASMPproAdvice. Moderators not only enforce ASMPproAdvice rules, but also catalyze discussion on topics important to professional photographers. Moderators have the authority to moderate discussion by closing threads, renaming threads, starting threads, and deleting threads.

In the event that ASMPproAdvice rules are violated, moderators have the authority to sanction members by placing members on “moderated status,” removing posting privileges, or removing a member from ASMPproAdvice entirely. Where appropriate and depending on the nature of the violation, moderators may issue a warning to first-time offenders before taking action.

Concerns With ASMPproAdvice Moderators

If you have a problem or concern regarding the action or inaction of one of our moderators, address the issue off-line, first with a private email message to the moderator involved, respectfully stating the problem and requesting a response. If the moderator does not reply within 48 hours or does not address the problem to your satisfaction, then send a private, off-line email message to ASMPproAdvice-owner@yahoogroups.com.

ASMPproAdvice moderators are photographers like you who have volunteered to monitor this forum. Moderators are good people trying their best, but nobody is perfect. In the event that you have a complaint or comment about a moderator’s actions, it is inappropriate to post your complaint to the forum. Posting complaints about moderators or their actions to the forum is not allowed and will result in the immediate and permanent loss of posting privileges.

Liability

Messages appearing on ASMPproAdvice often include hypothetical examples and scenarios. ASMPproAdvice messages are the opinions of individual ASMPproAdvice members, and are not approved, adopted, or endorsed by the ASMP. ASMPproAdvice members who post messages to ASMPproAdvice assume sole responsibility for the content of their posts, and agree to hold the ASMP and its staff and volunteers harmless from any liability related to messages posted on ASMPproAdvice. Though ASMPproAdvice moderators make every attempt to monitor ASMPproAdvice, ASMPproAdvice moderators may or may not review all messages posted to ASMPproAdvice, and are not responsible for controlling the content of ASMPproAdvice messages or delivering warnings with regard to ASMPproAdvice content. The failure of an ASMPproAdvice moderator to respond to a message posted to ASMPproAdvice does not indicate the moderator’s or ASMP’s approval of such content.

ASMP does not recommend, set, or enforce pricing standards for its members. Messages posted to ASMPproAdvice by ASMP volunteers or staff are personal opinions and do not represent the recommendation or position of the ASMP. Messages are not intended for distribution outside of ASMPproAdvice, and are copyrighted by the author and by ASMPproAdvice.

Play By The Rules

If you do not agree with the above rules, do not post messages on ASMPproAdvice. You may either participate on a “read only” basis, or you may unsubscribe from ASMPproAdvice by sending a blank email message to ASMPproAdvice-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Your continued subscription to ASMPproAdvice or your contribution of messages to ASMPproAdvice signifies your acceptance and agreement to abide by all of the above terms and the direction of the moderators.