Revision as of 12:56, 12 July 2010

OCAU Forum Rules

This is a comprehensive list of all OCAU forum rules, including the overarching rules and policies and rules for the specific subforums.

All members should be familiar with these rules!

Site Rules

The OCAU Forums are a privately-owned system with access provided to the public under limited conditions. We reserve the right to revoke your access, without warning or notice, for any reason that we may or may not disclose.

Forum Etiquette

1. Please post politely and show respect to other forum members. If someone posts something that you think is offensive, do not respond to them in the thread! Instead, use the Report Post function to notify the administrators of the post or thread. The Report Post icon () appears next to every post in the forums.
2. Do not hotlink files or images on other websites that you are not hosting yourself, unless you have the permission of the website owner. OCAU is a busy website and linking files in our forum can cause considerable bandwidth and/or load issues for remote hosts. It is fine to hotlink images from sites that specifically allow hotlinking (e.g. ImageShack, OCAU Pix or the UGBox Image Store).
3. Do not quote large posts unnecessarily. If the person above you has posted a long message, don't quote the whole thing. Either refer to them in your text (e.g. "gords: I disagree...") or just replace the large amount of text with "<snip>".
4. General requests for help with school, TAFE or uni homework or assignments will be closed or deleted. However, specific questions about topics are allowed, providing your post demonstrates you have put in a reasonable effort yourself.
5. Don't post any copyrighted material unless the copyright on that material is owned by you, or you have the permission of the copyright holder.
6. Post new threads in the appropriate forum. Please take a moment to read the forum descriptions on the main page and post your thread in the most appropriate forum. Threads that are not posted in an appropriate forum may be closed and the thread starter asked to start a new thread in an appropriate forum.
7. Cross-posting (posting the same message in multiple forums) is not allowed. If you cross-post, it is likely that your threads will be closed or deleted.
8. Posting personal information about people (including, but not limited to, real names, telephone numbers, street or postal addresses and email addresses) is not allowed without permission from that person.
9. Do not try to get around the word censor. Some words are automatically censored by the forum software; this means we don't want you to post them! If you try to get around the word censor your post or signature will be edited or deleted.
10. Please choose a sensible and polite title for your thread. The thread title should be concise and informative. Thread titles which contain swearing, or do not give any information about the content of the thread (e.g. "HELP" or "hey...") may be renamed.
11. Please use the edit button instead of posting multiple consecutive posts. There is a "multi-quote" feature which allows you to select all the posts you would like to quote in your reply.
12. Search the forums before you post a new thread!

Abusive Posts

1. Offensive, illegal, abusive, threatening or deliberately inflammatory messages are not to be posted. If the admins are made aware of them, they will be deleted and the offenders may be banned.

Spam, Affiliate Links, etc.

1. Do not spam the forums or send bulk quantities of private messages to members. If you'd like to advertise on OCAU please email Agg, the owner of the site.
2. Pyramid schemes, affiliate programs or any links containing affiliate identifiers are not to be posted. This includes putting them in your signature! If you do this, your post or signature will be removed or edited by an administrator.

Useless Posts

1. Useless posts and threads are not welcome here and will be deleted.
2. Examples of posts that don't contribute anything to forum quality include posts which contain only phrases like haha, LOL!, FTW, Quoted for truth, 10char, +1, x2, GOLD!, fixed it for you or smileys. If you're not sure whether a post qualifies under this rule, ask yourself whether it adds anything of quality to the forums. If it does not, please save your time (and the time of the admins) and do not post it. If you agree with a post, tell us why and provide your own viewpoint.

Adult Content

1. Adult content of any kind is not to be posted. Not only are our forums open to people of all ages, but they are also viewed by many people at work, school or other places where unexpected adult content is inappropriate. Posts and threads deemed inappropriate will be deleted.

Piracy and Copyright Circumvention

1. The rules about piracy and copyright circumvention apply to operating systems, software, games, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, music CDs and so on.
2. The discussion of software or hardware copyright circumvention methods is not allowed. This means that posts or threads about warez, leaked alphas/betas, key generators, illegal torrents, hardware modchips and no-CD patches will be closed or deleted.
3. Threads which requesting a 'backup copy' of any of the above (OS, software, games etc.) will be closed or deleted.

Forum Bans

1. Forum bans are a measure that the forum-wide administrators may decide to take if the forum rules are broken.
2. Depending on the circumstance, an administrator may choose to warn someone by PM or in a thread, post a general warning in a thread (e.g. "Any more discussion of piracy in this thread will result in 24hr bans for offenders") or issue bans to offenders.
3. There is not a set table for bans or ban periods - it is largely dependent on the offence, the circumstance, the past behaviour of the person and so on.
4. If a number of bans have been issued to one person and they persist in breaking the rules, the ban periods will get longer and a permanent ban may be issued.
5. If you read and follow these rules and any further instructions from administrators (e.g. "Do not post this item for sale again") then you do not have to worry about being banned from the forums. If you're ever in doubt about whether you can post something or where it should go, please contact a forum administrator who will be happy to advise you.
6. Permanent bans will be issued to spammers.
7. Every ban that is issued has a reason, but if you still have questions about your ban, please contact an administrator. If you feel you have been unfairly banned, please email Ma Baker, the Forum Manager.

Misc

1. There is to be only one forum account per person. If your account is banned, you as a person are banned. Multiple accounts believed to be "false" accounts for another will be banned. If you persist in creating false or duplicate accounts after you have been banned, formal complaints will be filed with your ISP and legal avenues may be pursued.
2. OCAU has a "Private Messages" system. These messages are called private because they are not available for public view like your other forum messages. In extremely rare situations, usually when investigating trading forum complaints, the Senior Administrator may view your private messages.
3. OCAU's trading forums are for occasional use by private individuals. Commercial sellers, selling new and/or multiple items, must be site sponsors in order to advertise and are restricted to our Sponsor Specials forum. Vendors may respond, within reason, to messages in the "What/Where Should I Buy?" forum if they can provide the service or product required. Note that spamming, excessively promoting your business or promoting your business in a manner that we deem unethical will result in the cancellation of your forum account. This includes advertising via our Private Messages system or via forum email links.
4. Group buys (i.e., where one member purchases a larger quantity of an item on behalf of a group of members in order to secure a discount or save on shipping) are only permitted after discussing the details with Agg. Please contact him before posting a group buy thread or 'expressions of interest' thread.
5. By becoming a member of the Overclockers Australia Forum system, you agree not use the Overclockers Australia Forums to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy or otherwise violative of any law. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agreed to indemnify and hold anyone else, including Overclockers Australia and the Forum Operators, harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s).
6. Further, by becoming a member you indicate your agreement that the contents of all messages are the responsibility of the individual message posters and therefore agree not to hold Overclockers Australia, the Forum Operators or any other entity associated with the Forums responsible or in any way liable for damages of any kind with respect to the content of any message on the Overclockers Australia Forums and to the extent permitted by law you waive all rights to make any claims against Overclockers Australia, the Forum Operators or any other entity associated with the Forums. You agree that if you have a complaint about a message contained within the Forums your first and only action will be to notify an Administrator so that we may remove the message if necessary.

If you do not agree to these terms, do not become a member! We wish you much happiness in one of the many other forum systems on the Internet.

Defamation and Free Speech

We recently faced a serious problem in which some people claimed that they may have been defamed by comments which were posted by some other people on the OCAU forums. Despite the fact that we made it very clear in the site documentation that OCAU are not responsible for comments made by other people and indeed there is a section of the Broadcasting Services Act which seems specifically designed to protect Internet Content Hosts in our situation, they were threatening to sue us and forced us to obtain legal advice. This is a serious concern (and expense) for the operators of this website - and one reason why the OCAU forums have been down for so long.

The forums were one of the driving forces behind OCAU and we want to bring them back to their former glory. However, we won't do this unless people recognise and adhere to a few basic standards when posting comments on the OCAU forums.

We have never and will not be censoring the forums or monitoring every post that appears. To check all messages is impossible for the people that run OCAU given the sheer volume of messages that appear almost constantly. Further, as we are not lawyers, we cannot reasonably be expected to know which messages are legally appropriate and which are not. In the majority of cases, there will be no way for us to tell if a message is comprised of entirely factual statements. Deleting all messages that are negative in any way would be a severe infringement upon the free expression of our contributors. Therefore, OCAU will in no way take any responsibility for comments you make on these forums.

You are personally responsible for what you say on these forums. If you post a comment that might be defamatory, expect that someone will sue you personally for defamation! Think: Do you want to lose everything you own/ your parent's house over a comment you made on these forums?

If you post a message about someone and they think that it may be defamatory, we will happily and fully comply with any court order requiring us to hand over everything we know about you and that post. If we didn't, we would likely be found in contempt of court which carries severe penalties including imprisonment - so don't think for a second we won't hand over any and all info we have. Remember, you are not anonymous on these forums! We log your IP address and connection time and if a court requires us to reveal that information, it can be used to link you to your ISP (they know who you really are).

So what is defamation and what about free speech?

These forums are hosted in Australia and there is no "right of freedom of speech" in Australia (except in relation to political speech: ie. comments about politicians and political parties). So forget everything you've seen on American legal dramas on TV - it just doesn't apply in Australia.

Basically, you can be sued for defamation if you write a post that could lead a reasonable person to have a lower opinion of the reputation or honour of the person whom you are talking about in that post. Eg: Do NOT say that [Mr X/Company Y] is a liar, a thief, a cheat, a criminal, a scumbag, they ripped me off, they suck, they are dodgy, etc - anything you say must be based on facts you can prove in court.

You are allowed to post messages which contain statements which you can prove in court are true. Therefore, we suggest that if you have critical or negative comments to make about a person, a product or a supplier, you limit your comments to a strict factual description of what happened. For example, I ordered [insert product] from [insert name of person/store]. It [arrived broken/never arrived/wasn't what I ordered]. I have contacted them but received [no response/unsatisfactory service]. Based upon this experience, I will not order from them in the future. Bear in mind that as per point 5 this is not legal advice - if you are considering posting a critical comment you should seek legal advice first. We take no responsibility for you relying on this statement. It is provided merely to alert you to the issue of defamation when criticising vendors. Use it at your own risk!

If you are concerned that a message that you are considering posting to the OCAU forums may be defamatory in any way, you MUST seek your own legal advice before posting it on the forums. Don't ask us whether it would be defamatory or not - we are not lawyers!

Think twice before you post a message. A defamatory message starts doing damage the instant it is posted.

If you are in any doubt, don't post! Instead, take some time to chill out and think about what you want to say - you can communicate that you are disappointed with what someone has done to you without being defamatory. Ask a friend, ask your parents - ask a lawyer! Posting forum messages when you are angry or upset is never a good idea.

If someone complains to us about a post that you have made that they consider defamatory, we will delete it as soon as we can - this is for YOUR protection.

If you have a complaint or are concerned about a message you think may be defamatory, click the Report Post link () which appears next to every post in the forums.

The Broadcasting Services Act provides a statutory defence for Internet Content Hosts against suits for subsidiary publication of defamatory materials. Therefore, if a person has a problem with the content of a post, their only remedy is to contact OCAU to ask that the post be removed. If they want to know the identity of the person who made the potentially defamatory post, they should apply to a NSW court for an order for OCAU to hand over whatever information OCAU has which could potentially be used to identify the person. They will have to pay all costs associated with that court order. Once OCAU receives such a court order, we will happily comply with it and then the person with the complaint is free to attempt to directly sue the person who actually made the post for defamation, at their own cost. OCAU will play no further part in the matter.

Forum Administrators

OCAU has administrators for many of the sub-forums as well as forum-wide administrators who are capable of administering the entire site, issuing bans, etc. You can find a list of all the forum administrators here.

• Owner and Caring Overlord: Agg
• Site Manager: Ma Baker
• Forum-wide Administrators
  • Admiral
  • Andypoo
  • Bern
  • gords
  • Jab
  • Manaz
  • sabretooth
  • Sciby
  • SLATYE
  • VooDoo
  • Wolfy
• Per-forum Administrators

Subforum Rules

Newbie Lounge

Administrators: looktall

1. The Newbie Lounge is a flame-free zone. It is a safe haven for those people that have questions that are generally so simple that they might get laughed at or flamed in other forums. Posts that break this rule will be quickly and harshly dealt with.
2. What/Where to Buy threads posted in the Newbie Lounge will be closed. Threads that ask about what parts to buy, or where to buy them from should be posted in the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. Questions about how to connect a part, how to upgrade a part, or even about whether parts are be compatible are fine to be posted in the Newbie Lounge.

Overclocking and Hardware Discussion

Administrators: Dr Kildare, RaD, DiGiTaL MoNkEY

Troubleshooting Help

Administrators: looktall

Modding

Administrators: BlueSmurf, skootyloops, ChrisH

1. Employees of vendors (apart from site sponsors) are not permitted to advertise their products in this forum. Threads which advertise products will be closed at the discretion of the admins. However, to encourage discussion of new products, there is no problem with non-employees of vendors discussing products.
2. Threads asking "Where can I buy XYZ?" belong in the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. However, if you are after an obscure part and have already tried posting in the What/Where Should I Buy? forum, PM one of the Modding forum admins for permission to create a new thread in the Modding forum.

Electronics

Administrators: Goth

PC Audio

Administrators: DiGiTaL MoNkEY

Extreme Cooling

Administrators: Goth

1. Do not post aircooling/HSF questions in the Extreme Cooling forum. It is for discussion of non-standard cooling methods only (e.g. Peltiers, water and vapour-cooling and modified air-conditioners and refrigerators). Aircooling threads belong in the Overclocking and Hardware forum, and will be moved there if posted in the Extreme Cooling forum.

Business and Enterprise Computing

Administrators: saba, Rogue, spectral

1. The ‎broad nature of this forum means that the posters and thread starters will have a wide range of ‎abilities and skills, ranging from beginner to guru. Please bear this in mind when you post; ‎remember that when everyone started out, they started at the beginning and were not an expert ‎immediately. So, if you think a particular topic is not worthy of a reply from you, the solution is ‎simply to not reply to it. Unhelpful, rude, snide, or impolite comments will be deleted (like they are ‎in other forums on OCAU) and people that persist in posting such comments will be banned.‎
2. Please ensure your posts are civil, polite and helpful, and remember that not everyone knows the ‎systems, specialities or acronyms you do. What may be a really obvious question to you might be ‎difficult for someone else to find the answer to if they're not sure what search terms or acronyms ‎to use. ‎
3. Do also keep in mind that people are replying to your thread or answering your questions of their ‎own volition and usually in their own time. Be patient and try and phrase your questions and posts ‎so that you provide as much information as possible. It is a real disincentive to help someone when ‎they won't provide useful information when someone requests it. ‎
4. Please do not post here expecting people to do your job for you (an extension of our 'no ‎homework' rule, which exists so the forums don't become inundated by "Can you do my ‎assignment for me?" type threads). People are quite accommodating and will generally help out ‎when they can, but there is an expectation that you will at least try and come up with a solution to ‎a problem. For this reason, threads asking others to critique or give their thoughts on something ‎you've already suggested will generally go down better than threads which ask "Can you fix this ‎problem or situation for me?"‎
5. If you post a thread here about a problem or situation and posters advise you that the best solution might be to bring in outside, expert help, please take their comments on-board and not personally. We each have differing levels of experience and different strengths and weaknesses, so if you are advised in this way, it might be wise to give the idea some consideration.

Topics which are suited to the Business and Enterprise Computing forum

• Discussions about the computing systems used in any business, irrespective of its size, are ‎welcome here. This includes Small Business Server or SBS equivalents which run on other operating ‎systems.‎

Topics which are not suited to this Business and Enterprise Computing forum

There are some topics which are more suited to other forums. They include:

• threads about home computer setups (even fully networked homes with servers),
• general questions about operating systems (including Windows desktop and server products),
• general questions about software, and basic networking questions.

Threads on these topics should be posted in a more appropriate forum, like Windows Operating Systems, Other Operating ‎Systems, General Software, or the Networking, Telephony and Internet forum.

Networking, Telephony and Internet

Administrators: TheWedgie

1. Threads on cabling are now allowed, but you should bear in mind that if you install fixed data or telephone cabling and you are not registered to do so or supervised by someone who is a registered cabler, you're committing a criminal offense and may be penalised (either an on-the-spot fine of $1320, or a fine of up to $13,200 if prosecuted in court).

Cabling Rules

The official word from the ACMA is this:

All customer cabling work in the telecommunications, fire, security and data industries must be performed by a registered cabler. This includes all fixed cabling that connects to, or is intended to be connected to the telecommunications network. All data network systems that connect to or may be connected in the future to the telecommunications network are included in this requirement.

In summary, if the cabling is run through a wall, ceiling, floor or crawl space, it must be installed by a registered cabler. This includes the use of pre-terminated cables and 'clip-through' keystone jacks/wallplates.

If you are aware of these regulations, not a registered cabler and decide to install cable regardless, be aware that you are solely responsible for your actions and their consequences. You cannot blame anyone here for providing incorrect or poor advice.

For more information:

- Cabling regulation Frequently Asked Questions - Cabling

Video Cards and Monitors

Administrators: DiGiTaL MoNkEY, skootyloops

1. This is not the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. If you want help spending your money, please post a thread there.
2. If a thread already exists on the topic you're about to post on, please reply to it rather than starting a new thread. It is a good idea to check the Current Useful Threads sticky and search the forums before posting a new thread.

Storage and Backup

Administrators: BlueSmurf, eva2000, saba

1. This is not the What/Where Can I Buy forum. If you are looking for help in spending your money, then that is the best place to post.

Memory

Administrators: eva2000, skootyloops

1. This is not the What/Where Can I Buy forum. If you are looking for help in spending your money, then that is the best place to post.

Portable and Small Form Factor

Administrators: DiGiTaL MoNkEY

Intel Hardware

Administrators: flu!d, chainbolt

AMD Hardware

Administrators: Lombers, Mal

1. The AMD Hardware forum is not the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. Threads posted in the AMD Hardware forum that belong in the What/Where Should I Buy? forum may be moved, closed or deleted at the discretion of the admins.

VIA Hardware

Administrators: (none)

1. The VIA Hardware forum is not the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. If you want help spending your money, please post a thread there

Apple Hardware and Software

Administrators: skootyloops, Dr Kildare

1. Discussion of hackintosh or OSX86 is NOT allowed on OCAU. These threads or posts which contain anything about the topic will be deleted and repeat offenders will receive bans.

Windows Operating Systems

Administrators: mpot, DiGiTaL MoNkEY

1. Any blatant warez comments/queries/discussions posted in these forums will be deleted.

Discussions relating to illegal activities will not be tolerated, to prevent any possible legal issues.

Other Operating Systems

Administrators: mpot, cleary

1. Any blatant warez comments/queries/discussions posted in these forums will be deleted.

Discussions relating to illegal activities will not be tolerated, to prevent any possible legal issues.

Programming and Software Development

Administrators: mpot, bugayev

1. OCAU is not here to do your homework. Discussion of concepts, principles and validation of a solution once submitted are fine, but until you have had a reasonable attempt at the work yourself, you cannot post here. These threads will be deleted immediately.

Games

Administrators: aftahours, RaD

1. Discussion about Zest (and everything related to it, such as its licensing, legality etc.) is a banned topic, and posts or threads about it will be deleted.

General Software

Administrators: mpot

1. Any blatant warez comments/queries/discussions posted in these forums will be deleted.

Discussions relating to illegal activities will not be tolerated, to prevent any possible legal issues.

Audio Visual

Administrators: Tony

1. Please bear the following in mind when discussing "backups" of audio/visual material:

• • Making a copy of an Audio CD that you own for use in your car or another device such as an MP3 player is Legal.
  • Making a copy of a VHS or BETA Videotape that you own onto DVD is Legal .
  • Making any sort of copy of a DVD/HD-DVD/BLU-RAY, even if you own it outright, is Illegal.

Game Consoles

Administrators: Deeman, Freaek, DiGiTaL MoNkEY

1. Mod chips are not to be discussed in this forum until this rule is removed, any threads or posts about mod chips will be deleted and repeat offenders may be banned from the forums.

Geek Food

Administrators: PostModern

Recipes

See Agg's Standard Document Layout sticky thread for the headings to put in your recipes. If you did not invent the recipe, give credit to whoever did. Eg, "This is Margaret Fulton's way to cook Apricot Lamb Chops, I think it tastes pretty good and it was easy to make too" or "This is pasta the way Mama makes it". Follow these guidelines if you post a follow-up to a request post also. Claiming someone else's work or ideas as your own is called plagiarism.

Requests

If you want to request a recipe or advice on a food type, put the abbreviation "REQ:" in front of the thread topic so that it is obvious you are posting a request and not a recipe. Try using the search function in case a recipe has been posted already, maybe in response to an earlier request.

Follow-ups

If you post a response to someone's recipe, avoid responses like "sounds yummy". Pointless posts like those will be deleted. If you think it is yummy, try making the recipe then post feedback in the originator's thread. Suggest changes or list the things you did differently and whether the changes worked well or not, so that those who follow you and the original poster can benefit from your feedback. If you follow-up to someone's recipe request, try to follow the Standard Document Layout. If you really liked (or didn't like) a recipe, vote for the thread! Let's see how many "5 star" chefs we have out there.

Cookouts

From time to time, myself or an Admin will post an Announcement in the forum announcing a "Cookoff". Post your recipe for whatever the cookout subject is, for example the "Chilli Cookoff". Members can then try (or evaluate) the recipes and vote for them. Responses to cookouts should prefix "COOKOFF:" to the title of the thread. There are no prizes or anything, just a little fun for monthly (or so) themes.

Other topics

Obviously there is more to Geek Food than recipes. Sometimes we'd like others opinions on things like the best brand of canned tomatoes or how to cook pasta "al dente". First, check to see if the topic has come up before, and reply to that thread if the precise answer you seek did not come up. If you seek help or advice, prefix the thread topic accordingly with "HELP:" or "ADV:" etc. This will help forum readers know what the thread is about. Threads that are only vaguely foody or more suited to the Pub or of extremely low quality will be moved, locked or deleted.

Search

The forums have an excellent search engine. Use it to see if something you're after has been posted before. Threads asking for suggestions for what to eat for dinner, etc will be locked, moved or deleted. Exceptions may be made for interesting or important requests eg "Help me plan my wedding feast" etc.

Respect others' cultures and tastes

Blanket statements like "foul", "yuck", "vomit" etc in reponse to the postings of others will be treated with the disdain they deserve. Have respect for the tastes of others. If you are a chops and 3-veg kind of person, and have no wish to step out of your comfortable yet bland culinary boundaries, try to defend your narrow point of view without slurring other's tastes or by referring to bodily functions. If you cannot abide by this guideline, don't post at all. You'll save the moderators the trouble of clicking the delete button. I'm sorry that I had to add this, but the postings of certain individuals have made it necessary for me to clarify this.

If we all follow these simple guidelines, the quality of this forum will improve and we can all learn a little more about food and good taste.

One last thing: if your recipe lacks "that certain something", it's probably garlic.

Graphic Design and Digital Art

Administrators: mpot, bugayev

1. OCAU is not here to do your homework. Discussion of concepts, principles and validation of a solution once submitted are fine, but until you have had a reasonable attempt at the work yourself, you cannot post here. These threads will be deleted immediately.

Mobile Phones

Administrators: Freaek, DiGiTaL MoNkEY

Musicians

Administrators: ChrisH

Other Toys

Administrators: Freaek, Badger, DiGiTaL MoNkEY

1. There are strict controls about the distribution and ownerships of many types of weapons. Please bear this in mind when posting.

Pets and Animals

Administrators: Silent Remorse

1. If your pet is sick or injured, please take it to a vet. OCAU is NOT your first port of call for advice, and any delay could mean that your pet dies.

Photography and Video

Administrators: f@rmboy, White Rhino, sir_bazz, mpot

1. I will provide a positive contribution to the Photography forum.
2. I will not attack, troll, or slander a person, nor will I be offensive or make derogatory comments about models.
3. I will respect that every member of this forum has the right to share their opinion and I will treat others with respect and courtesy, as I would also like to be treated with the same respect and courtesy.
4. I don't have to comment on a photo if I don't like it. If I do, I will not attack the poster, nor make offensive or derogatory comments, but will respectfully state my opinion.
5. I will not attempt to troll, nor actively spam these forums.
6. I will search the forums before posting another 'what tripod to buy', or 'what DSLR is for me' thread, or other similar threads.
7. The moderators decision/s are final.
8. I will respect the copyright of other members and will not reproduce the photo under any circumstances unless I have their express permission.
9. Most importantly, I will have fun!

Critiquing Photo's

• What do you like about the image? What draws you in or makes the image interesting to you? Saying what worked in an image is just as important as saying what didn't work - it gives the photographer a chance to identify what techniques work for the future.
• What parts of the image do you not like? Be specific - a response like "thats a shit photo" is not constructive, just insulting. If someone had said it to you, would you be impressed?
• If you were there taking the photo, what would you do instead? Of course, not everyone can answer this, so don't feel too proud to say "I'm not sure what I would do". Humility stops people becoming defensive and stops threads becoming flame wars. Remember that the photographer has asked for critique, not off the cuff remarks. Being vague is not always helpful.

Remember that you are critiquing an artwork that someone has spent time and energy (and possibly some money) on. When offering your opinion, bare in mind that, even if you are only speaking of the image, people can still take your words personally. Nobody is forcing you to like an image - you can say that you don't, but be prepared to say why as well as offer some comments on how the photograph could be improved.

Brand vs Brand

Manufacturer discussion is healthy, as long as it's objective and doesn't turn into a slagging match. It's fine to discuss the merits of different technology - but discuss with fact, not baseless ranting. Everyone has a favorite, but don't try to force your opinion onto others.

Nudes

Nudes/fine art photography/figure study are valid forms of photography, and it's OK to discuss photos of nudes in this forum, as long as:

• they're linked, not embedded in a thread (i.e., use [URL] tags instead of [IMG] tags)
• there's a warning in the thread title that it's not work safe
• they're not pornographic

The photos must be linked for their artistic merit, not simply because they're naked people. This is a fine line, and it's hoped that we can all show some common sense and maturity - there's no restriction on the age of forum members here, so assume that children will view anything you post. If you think it's borderline, don't post it.

Models

There will often be threads in this forum containing photos of models. Please keep the discussion related to the photography, not whether you think the model is hot or not. Don't be immature or derogatory.

Selling photographic equipment

We now have a Marketplace subforum for all your buying and selling of photographic equipment. Click here to visit it.

Quoting images

If you want to quote someone, remove any [IMG] tags from the quote, so any photos in the quote are linked, rather than embedded.

Copyright

All images posted in this forum are copyright to the author unless otherwise stated. It's your responsibility to ensure that any images you post don't infringe copyright. This means that you need to have copyright of the image yourself, or you must have permission from the copyright holder.

Please also be aware that there is a zero tolerance policy against silly, attention seeking, immature, abusive and insulting comments in this forum.

Science

Administrators: Goth

Career, Education and Finance

Administrators: chainbolt, Badger

1. Giving financial advice without a license is illegal in Australia. This forum is for general discussion, not for making specific recommendations. Comments made in this forum do not take into account your specific financial situation, needs and/or goals. Do not make financial decisions based on comments in this forum and please refrain from making comments which could be taken as advising specific courses of action.

What is financial advice?

Just as an attempt to clear up what actually constitutes "providing financial produce advice" the following are some links to guides from ASIC. I've also quoted some of the relevant content and the examples given in the first link:

Be aware that these are guidelines from ASIC and are not necessarily the rules of OCAU, we will tend to be more conservative, and please note that the law may change over time.

For further information, see: http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showpost.php?p=8360290&postcount=2

Politics and Policies

Administrators: Wolf, HyRax1, Badger, mshagg

1. The key difference between this forum and Current Events & Serious discussion is the political nature of topics being discussed. Thread topics should relate directly to domestic or foreign politics, policies of a political nature, elections (local, state, federal, international), events concerning politicians etc. Topics will generally be serious in nature - political jokes, parodies etc are better suited to the Pub. Thread topics not deemed consistent with the nature of the forum will be moved appropriately. Similarly, political threads posted in other forums will likely be moved to Politics and Policies.
2. No personal abuse. This includes attacking the poster via any sort of personal slander or insult. This also includes any silly personal nicknames you have created for another member. The nature of the forum is one which will result in strong differences of opinion - posters will be expected to focus differences of opinion on said opinions, not the person(s) expressing them. Members should refrain from taking matters into their own hands - please use the "report post" function to alert an admin to abusive behaviour.
3. No abusive slurs, regardless if they are not directed at a particular member. This includes any slurs related to race, sexuality, religious beliefs, gender or background.# No trolling. Simple.
4. When posting an online article for discussion, restrictions within Section 40 of the Copyright Act 1968 must be observed; namely, no more than 10% of an article should be quoted. Furthermore a link to the source must be given so that the author of the article can be identified.

Current Events and Serious Discussion

Administrators: MR CHILLED, Wolf, Badger, HyRax1

1. No personal abuse. This includes attacking the poster via any sort of personal slander or insult, such as "moron", "asshole" or "prick". This also includes any silly personal nicknames you have created for another member.
2. No abusive slurs. This includes any slurs related to race, sexuality, religious beliefs, gender or background.
3. No trolling/flaming/credibility attacks. This includes posts that contribute nothing but bait for OT argument, attacking posts based on the intelligence of the poster or right to post. People who troll will be banned, simple as that.
4. No off topic or derailing posts. If your post is off-topic, then it doesn't relate to the discussion. People can get extremely frustrated by posts that pull direction away from the post they took 30 minutes to write and research, so don't.
5. No pointless posts. This is not "The Pub" forum. No pointless picture-only posts, or other meaningless posts that add nothing of any value to CE&SD. This *is* a serious discussion forum, please keep that in mind.

Thread Guidelines

1. Grossly exaggerated, misleading or purposefully inflammatory thread titles may be edited.
2. Threads that don't relate to current events or inspire debate or discussion will be deleted, closed or moved to the correct forum at the discretion of the admins.
3. Threads may be closed permanently or temporarily if the topic is especially heated and posters refuse to adhere to the rules.
4. Conspiracy threads are still banned until further notice.
5. Threads relating to specific news or events must link to a reputable source.

Enough Rules! What can we do?

1. No restrictions on thread topics (other than the conspiracy rule - see Rule #12.).
2. No restrictions on post content, providing it is not abusive and constructively adds to the debate or knowledge of other users. See Rule #8..
3. No restrictions on the number of posts you make.
4. No mandatory citations or references required (but it helps!)

Responsibilities of CE&SD Administrators

The administrators are primarily here to make sure that the forum stays clean of abuse and spam posts. They are not here to push particular agendas on behalf of the forum or themselves. Any particular post that is not highlighted in red is their own opinion and is not related to their administrative duties.

Administrators will always endeavour not to edit or delete posts unless they are deemed to have broken the rules, even if they contain a point of view that they do not agree with.

If your post is found to have broken the rules by an admin, the following may occur.

• Your post is modified to remove the text (where only part of the post is in breach)
• Your post is deleted (where the whole context of the post breaks the rules)
• Your post is deleted and you are banned (if you have been warned before or if you intentionally breach the rules multiple times)

Administrators are not required to PM a member every time they receive a report, delete or edit a post or thread. If they wish, members can contact the appropriate administrator privately.

In some cases an admin may be required to take action on a post which may be considered grey in terms of the rules. In this case, you can either take it up with the admin in question or PM another admin to get a second opinion.

Most importantly - We're here to help out. If you have any suggestions, we welcome them in the Site Discussion forum. Most of us have full-time jobs or other commitments, so if your reported post isn't actioned straight away, or your PM hasn't been replied to, relax, we're trying!

Swearing in CE&SD

Aside from the words on the auto-ban list, swearing isn't banned, as long as its not excessive or used in a way that abuses another member or breaks any of the other rules.

Entertainment

Administrators: looktall, MR CHILLED

1. Do not make threads or posts about pirated movies, music or tv shows. If you downloaded it illegally, OCAU and it's members don't care and don't want to know about it. This includes skirting around the topic using language such as 'uncle torrence', 'tuning satellite's' etc etc. Discuss the show only, it's that simple. Any breach of this rule in particular may attract a ban.
2. Official rule on spoiler tags. We will not be enforcing the use of spoiler tags at all times, nor a certain period after a movie/tv show has aired. Admins will however respond to members blatant malicious attempts to ruin things for others. Spoiler tags are optional, but please have some courtesy for others and understand that not everyone who enters the thread has seen the movie/tv show yet. Members also need to be responsible for avoiding spoilers themselves if they are bothered by them. That would include avoiding threads about specific events/episodes/movies until you have seen it yourself, and maybe even unsubscribing from the thread during that time.
3. Do not link directly to trailers. If you're posting about a movie trailer, please don't link directly to the file. link to the page the trailer is stored on. Even better is embed a youtube link.
4. Do not multipost. No consecutive posting, this goes for ALL forums. In the interests of good forum etiquette please use the EDIT button instead of posting multiple consecutive posts. It is a completely unnecessary exercise (and annoying to read) when there is an edit button. There is now a "multi quote" feature as part of a OCAU VB upgrade that allows you to preselect all posts you would like to quote in your reply. Please use it.
5. Posting images (AKA hotlinking). Need somewhere to host an image you want to display in the forums? The forums have their own picture hosting Pix. Another hosting is provided by some of our members over at ugbox.net. They have set up an image store system for exactly that purpose. There's info, conditions and instructions on their page: imagestore.ugbox.net
6. Zero tolerance on abuse and insults. If you disagree with another member or their viewpoint then please explain why. As per the global rules any abuse, personal attacks, derogatory comments, credibility attacks, will be dealt with by Admins. Please also respect that we all have differing opinions on what movie/tv/book we like, so please do not have a go at others simply because they do not like or appreciate the same things you do.
7. Thread Tags. Use them wisely and in an informative way. Any abuse of tags may result in a ban.

Lifestyle

Administrators: Silent Remorse

1. Any advice taken in these forums in regard to topics like conveyancing, developing, tax and duty, and other real-estate related issues should be taken with a grain of salt. Regardless of whether a member may claim they are a solicitor or work for the government, any advice you receive is likely to be flawed.

Motoring

Administrators: flu!d, Andres, Badger, Mal, spectral

1. Off topic / Useless / Frivilous Replies - Off topic rubbish, along with abuse, is probably the biggest problem this section faces. Lets make this clear, this rubbish will no longer be tollerated, light hearted comments and the like are one thing, straight out abuse is another. This isnt an area to continue giant 5 page flame wars, nor is it an area for constant bitching about who said what, who did what, or things which have happened previously. You can have a joke, a bit of fun and the like but the other rubbish isnt needed. A perfect example has been some of the suggestion threads or aftermarket modification threads (say for instance like the APS kits for the XR6 turbo). Some people have got it into their heads that their vehicle / marque is far surperior to anything else on the road, and, of course this means they have to let you know about it at any chance they get. Well this isnt on either, keep it on topic, keep it civil, we are sick of the replies bagging a manufacturer (or what ever else fits) simply because you " hate " them. Nobody is saying you cant post your opinion, if you feel it is crap, say so, but please do us the courtesy of explaining your opinion.
2. Abuse - This covers all forms of abuse, flamming, verbal abuse (name calling and the like), trolling and derogatory posts will not be tollerated. You will be edited, and you will be warned. Continual breech of the above will result in a temp ban, if it goes futher, you will be banned from overclockers australia permanently. We are sick of seeing posts with simple two line " you are a dickhead" replies. Keep the abuse to yourself and stay out of the thread, nobody is saying you cant rebut information posted, but do it without the rubbish and actually include something useful. A perfect example of abuse is the mitch crap, every time mitch posts someone jumps on the bandwagon. Yes mitch does a lot to futher his reputation (some of his posts are just utter rubbish), but coming into a thread with offtopic nonsense for the express purpose of abusing him is just not on.
3. The Search Function - Make yourself familiar with the search function in the top right hand corner menu bar. Quite a lot of information does make it's way through these forums, you may find your question has previously been replied to. This saves both us and yourself the hassle of a new thread and replies. If however you cannot find the information you require, or the information found has generated more questions, please feel free to create a new thread. As with rule 3, abuse will not be tollerated, it is easy to point out threads previously discussed, i would only ask that you link to the previous thread and leave it at that. No flamming about the question being a repost is needed.
4. Hot Linking - If you do not host the images yourself, or the host of the image does not allow linking to images off page, please link to the image in url form. Do not use the image tags.
5. Illegal Activity - Keep the seriously dodgy stuff to yourself, we dont wish to know how to flaunt the law or what was the last illegal thing you did no matter how impressive you think it might be. There is some lattitude here, but as with general overclockers forum policy, illegal activities are against forum policy and are not permitted.
6. No Forsale Threads - As with the other forum, obvious reasons, keep the forsale threads in the correct forsale forums.
7. Rants - The rant thread will stay, please use it that is what spectral intended it for. We dont want to hear about stupid drivers who got in your way when driving to work this morning, who cut you off, etc, nor do we want to hear how pissed you are at the cops for pulling you over with your unroadworthy vehicle. There is a difference between a discussion on something that annoys you and a straight out rant thread for the sake of letting off steam. If you want to have a cry/whinge , keep it in the thread and out of the main forum.

Sport, Fitness and Health

Administrators: kangfu, Badger

1. This forum is provided as a place to share experiences and discuss similar interests. Do not rely on it as a source of medical advice. If you require medical advice you should consult a doctor in person who can assess your specific needs and advise you a proper course of action.
2. This is also true for fitness, exercise and nutritional advice - consult an appropriate professional in a professional environment who can assess your specific needs.

Trading Forums

Administrators: Rogue (all), bugayev (all), Rod M (What/Where only)

1. Any person caught shill bidding and bumping each others threads in order to gain higher selling prices or generate false interest in items they are selling will be permanently banned from the forums.
2. The For Sale forum is to be used by private individuals only, who may offer things for sale on an "occasional" basis. It is not for vendors or professional traders (with the exception OCAU Sponsors).
3. Maximum of 2 concurrent ACTIVE* (see below for more details) threads in each of OCAU's trading forums.
4. Do not 'repost' an item that has been listed for sale within the last seven days.
5. NO NEW ITEMS. Items must be at least 7 days old and used before they can be listed for sale here. New items for sale may only be posted by persons or vendors who are current OCAU advertisers or sponsors. Opening the package does not count, nor does using it for a few minutes just so you can evade this rule.
6. NO SELLING FOR OTHERS - If you do not own it, you can't sell it!
7. No Modded Consoles - We don't care if it is legal or not, it's not allowed here!
8. No mod-chips
9. No Flash Carts
10. No backup games
11. No MMORPG games or accounts (including Steam accounts)
12. We're going to allowed the sale of Steam games where you buy a 4 pack and sell off the extras if you're looking to save a few bucks? Sure, buy a 4 pack, sell the extras. Looking to profiteer? Here's your complimentary thread closure.
13. No CD Keys for games
14. If you have a stupid thread title (e.g. ****SALE SALE HOT STUFF*****) it WILL be edited or closed!
15. Links to sales on eBay, CarPoint etc. are not allowed.
16. If you are selling goods elsewhere, please don't offer them for sale here. If you have a thread closed due to this and decide to close/delete the other listing, you must wait a further 24hrs before re-posting it on OCAU. The only items that you're allowed to advertise elsewhere when you're advertising here are houses, cars and motorbikes.
17. No "Possible Sales" (EOI) - If it is not for sale right now, don't post it!
18. No selling firearms
19. No selling swords, knives or weapons of any kind
20. No selling lasers of any kind
21. No trading/selling alcohol/cigarettes
22. Selling of adult only content (including pornography, and anything else prohibited to minors) is not allowed, as the age of the purchaser cannot be determined.
23. No selling Engineering Sample items
24. Selling equipment/software circumventing a TPM
25. Selling OEM software is prohibited
26. Do not start a thread in the For Sale forum with a link to eBay, Gumtree or other similar sites. A small link in your signature is allowed.
27. Please do not cross-post in the Trading Forums. If you don't get a response from the forum you have posted in, please report it to be closed before starting a thread in another of the Trading Forums.
28. There is to be no feedback posted about members. We don't know the details of your transaction or who is telling the truth, and member feedback threads often become a 'he said, she said' affair.
29. If an administrator edits out an item in your thread, or even if he/she fixes your links, please do not remove their comments. They were made for a reason, and it's not your place to un-make them. Just leave them be.
30. If you're not bidding or making a genuine enquiry, do not post.
31. Do not post a price without a valid link to the exact same item to back up your claim.
32. Any discussion (including price/availability/avenues of purchase) for any item that isn't allowed to be sold on these forums, is also prohibited.
33. Tickets for any events, concert, sport etc can only be sold on these forums for the cost of the face value of the ticket. If you want to sell it for more than the cost price please take your sale elsewhere.
34. The sale of single use items is allowed (e.g. CDs, DVDs, ink cartridges, toners, movie tickets etc.), but only in reasonable quantities. For CDs and DVDs - less than a spindle, for ink cartridges and toners - only one of each model number or colour, for movie tickets - a maximum of six.
35. You are not permitted to request, or offer, funds transfers in exchange for cash/DD via Paypal. For further details, see below.
36. The Price Check forum is, as its name suggests, for price checks. You are not permitted to sell, offer, bid, or sneakily get around these ("You've got PM") - infractions result in an immediate 24 hour ban.

Active Threads

Any sale which is less than 7 days old or has not been completed is considered active. Active threads are total - you cannot have two PC-related threads and then a third non PC-related.

If you have completed a sale, please change the thread prefix to [Sold] and report the thread so it can be closed. Do not remove the title or the contents of the first post.

Commercial Trading

This includes bulk sales of multiple items. A couple of fans etc for sale privately is allowed. Bulk sales for systems, laptops, major components, phones is classified as commercial and will be deleted unless approved by Agg. The only exception to this is if you're a forum sponsor/advertiser. There is also a trend to sell a couple of items then starting a new thread with more of the same. Expect these to be deleted. Link HERE

Engineering Samples

If you read here it is illegal to even own an Engineering Sample if you don't have a Intel NDA agreement.

OWNERSHIP. All right, title and interest in the intellectual property embodied in the Pre-Release Product, Pre-Release Software and accompanying materials, if any, are owned by Intel or its suppliers and licensor's and may be protected by copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret law and international treaties. Any rights, express or implied, in the intellectual property embodied in the foregoing, other than those specified in this Agreement, are reserved by Intel and its suppliers and licensor's. Nothing in this Agreement shall constitute a license of all or any part of the Pre-Release Product or of any right to sell, make, or have made the Pre-Release Product. You will keep the Pre-Release Product free of liens, attachments, and other encumbrances. You agree not to remove any proprietary notices and/or any labels from the Pre-Release Product and accompanying materials, if any (including but not limited to the engineering sample label), without prior written approval by Intel.

Firearms

The sale of firearms and ammunition is prohibited because we cannot be certain that the legal requirements are being met.

The following is an extract from the Federal Attorney-General's Guide on Firearms

Who can sell or advertise firearms? Sales, including mail order sales of firearms, may only be conducted by or through licensed firearms dealers. Advertisement of firearms for sale will be prohibited unless the sale is to be conducted by or through a licensed gun dealer. Dealers will be required to ensure that purchasers are appropriately licensed, and record and maintain details (type, make, calibre, serial number) of each firearm purchased or sold against the identity (name, address, licence number) of the seller or the purchaser. Dealers will be required to provide records to licensing authorities. Commercial transport of ammunition in the same consignment with firearms will be prohibited. In remote areas where licensed gun dealers may not be readily available, special arrangements will be made to facilitate sales and purchases of firearms and ammunition.

Selling equipment/software circumventing a TPM

Recently the Copyright Act has been amended to incorporate provisions dealing with equipment or software whose primary purpose is to circumvent a Technical Prevention Measure (TPM). OCAU cannot risk allowing the trade of such software or devices, nor equipment in which they are an integral component. Consequently sales of such devices will be closed.

Selling for others

Selling on behalf of other people is not allowed under any circumstances. If they want to sell something they can sign up and observe the 90 day rule.

Selling OEM Software

Microsoft OEM, Licensing, Transfer Information for Selling, Using and re-selling Software. Click here for a downloadable Microsoft Word Document with all the details you will need. This document has been approved by Microsoft for publishing.

No selling of new goods

Unless you are a site sponsor, you are currently not permitted to sell brand new items on these forums. Unused goods, mostly new items, almost new things, refund items from RMA where a faulty item is replaced with a new item, or items still in their packaging. Opening the package does not count, nor does using it for a few minutes just so you can evade this rule. Items must be at least 7 days old and used before they can be sold here.

eBay/Sold/Other site sales

Links to auctions/sales on other sites such as eBay, Sold, etc are not permitted. If you are selling something, either sell it here, or don't talk about it here.

Selling on Other Sites

If you are selling something, either sell it here, or don't talk about it here. If you have a thread closed due to this and decide to close/delete the listing on the other site, you must wait a further 24 hours before re-posting it on OCAU. The only items that you're allowed to advertise elsewhere when you're advertising here are houses, cars/motorbikes.

Currency Trades are Prohibited

What does this mean for you?

It means you can't:

• offer to trade real money for paypal funds
• request someone pay for something on paypal, and then DD them cash later
• request someone transfer you money on paypal, and then DD them cash later
• sell an item for low value in return for more money via paypal, and then a cash refund along with the low-value item

What will happen if you do?

Your thread will be closed, and you will be banned. There will be no exceptions, regardless of urgency.

Importing, C-tick and A-tick

The short answer about C-Ticks and A-ticks is that most electrical and electronic products that are placed on the Australian Market for use in the domestic, commercial and light industrial environments are required to be marked with the C-tick compliance mark to indicate that they comply with Australian Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Standards.

The onus for demonstrating compliance falls on suppliers, i.e. manufacturers, for products manufactured in Australia, and importers, for products manufactured overseas. The compliance process is by way of making a declaration, for each particular product to be placed on the Australian market, that it meets the applicable EMC standard. The declaration must be held by the supplier in a compliance folder for possible audit by the ACA. Along with the compliance mark the product must be marked to identify the suppler, i.e. with the supplier's ABN.

There are three compliance levels depending on the level of risk the product poses of causing interference to other electrical of electronic products. At level 1 C-ticking is voluntary and testing is not mandatory, at level 2 a copy of a test report must be included in the compliance folder but it is not mandatory that the test report be obtained from an accredited test laboratory (test reports to equivalent European Standards are also accepted), while at level three it is mandatory to obtain a test report from an accredited laboratory (this may be overseas).

It is an offence to supply a product to the Australian market without being C-tick marked, if the legislation requires that it be so marked. It is also an offence, of course, to fraudulently apply the C-tick mark.

Full details of the EMC compliance arrangements may be found on the ACA's web site at http://www.aca.gov.au/standards/emc/emc.htm

Because the offence provisions apply to suppliers, it is unlikely that the forum organisers are liable as a result of the use of the forums to sell non-compliant equipment. However, you should be aware that intentionally aiding the commission of a crime is an offence under the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995.

Precautions to take when buying/selling

Please note: Neither OCAU nor its owners or administrators play any role in any sales. The following list of precautions are not guidelines, merely a list of things you may, or may not want to do.

1. Contact the buyer (or seller) via PM, and ask for their Full name, current address and email, current home phone number, and current mobile telephone number. Ring both, and double check that person exists at both numbers. Cross check the addresses in the white pages and (if possible) match the home phone numbers. Check that the email works. If they are a business, get their ABN and Fax no. too. In a worse case scenario, this info is essential. If the person sounds young, maybe even a parents work no., mobile no., or consent.

If the number is private, it won't be in the white pages. It's up to you then to trust them on their own accord. It's also worth checking if a mobile phone number is pre-paid or on a plan. Pre-paids are usually not liable to give valid details when signing up, people on plans do.

2. Ask the buyer/seller if they've traded with anyone else before, and get in contact with them to see what they thought of the trader.

3. If you are the buyer, get the users bank details - Account Name, BSB Number and Account number. If possible, ask for the branch name. It is possible to get the Branch name and location out of the BSB - ring any bank and ask. Cross check this with the address. It IS possible they have made an account in another state, then moved, but again, thats up to you to base on trust. Ring the bank and check the account is valid. Keep all receipt numbers of sent money. Then rectify that money was sent, by asking the seller for the transaction number.

If you are the seller, do not send anything out until the money is in your account and cleared. As simple as it sounds, I've noticed a lot of people have sent goods and not waited for money to clear. Do not send if postage costs are missing, the amount is incorrect or only partially sent. If you need the extra precaution as a seller, ask for their bank details too. Its extra collateral if the case comes down to a scam - the feds or local police will be able to get a lot of information out of a valid bank account. Check with the bank to see if its valid. Gather receipt numbers of sent monies.

If you are really paranoid - Escrow is another choice. Basically, it involves a trusted third party company, which inserts a middle man into the transaction. You send the money and the goods to the escrow, and the escrow sends the money and goods to the appropriate people. If you take this option it might be a fair idea to split the costs between both parties.

4. If you are selling, pack the goods properly. Nothing is worse then receiving a $400 OEM Geforce in a tiny little plastic bag. Measure the boxes/goods, then get the postage costs. Add on a few bucks, and get some decent bubble wrap and box. Use registered post, since they chuck on insurance for free, keep all receipt no's and post. If they ask for express post, clarify with them. If they ask for a courier, ask specifically which company. If they offer a tracing service, use it. Basically, make sure you have some sort of insurance or genuine way to back up the delivery. Because if it fails, it's your arse. Take responsibility for damaged goods.

If you are buying, make sure you choose a decent type of delivery method to avoid trouble. Avoid normal post at all costs. There is no guarantee you will receive it, no insurance and up to a weeks wait. Express post is a bit better - its guaranteed next day, they have a small type of tracking system (good luck though), and its only a few dollars more. Registered Post is easily the best service from Auspost - They have up to $100 free insurance (more if you pay a little bit), proper tracking system, and it really doesn't cost that much.

Couriers are different matters. Both can cost quite a hefty fee, depending on how big the goods are and where they are going. Companies like Australia Post, FedEx, Mayne Logistics all offer pickup and deliver to the door services. If your goods MUST arrive at a certain time, date, hour - couriers are the best way to go, if you are willing to pay.

5. If there are any problems - consult the buyer directly FIRST. Ring them up, send an email, send them a PM. Don't fight about it in the public forums, it brings other people into it and makes it a huge scene. If you have taken all the precautions noted by now, the person would either be a REALLY fantastic scammer, or simply just made a mistake. Rectify everything carefully, and don't hesitate to call the police if weeks pass and you hear nothing. You do not have to sit by and be ripped off.

A useful thing to remember when considering purchasing an item:

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Big thanks to Christopher Nolan, Voodoo, Silent Remorse, Rogue, and Wolfy for their contributions to this guide. __________________

The Pub

Administrators: Whitey Ford, aftahours

1. There are specific threads for certain activities (such as the consolidated video thread, the introductions thread, and the birthday thread). Please use them as your thread will be closed if you don't.
2. Do not abuse your fellow members
3. Please link only to images that you have on your own webspace or a dedicated image hosting service. Hotlinking is not allowed.
4. Please do not quote pictures
5. Posts that don't contribute anything to forum quality (such as, but not limited to, "haha LOLZOR!", "xyz FTW", "Quoted for truth", pretty much any post with "10char" in it, posts that make reference to dragons or grout, or smilie-only posts) are not welcome here and will be deleted by the admins.

Team OCAU: Distributed Computing

Administrators: Bollocks, Teddy2