PERSONAL DISPUTES - Please do not use these forums for personal disputes, flame wars etc. You are expected to treat each other with respect in the forums and take any personal disputes to a private mode of discussion off the forums. If you should find that your discussion is becoming too heated or someone is becoming far too passionate about their argument, please take the discussion to private message.

PERSONAL TOPICS - Personal topics are threads that, whilst posted in public forum, are intended for a discussion between only a few members. These kinds of topics are frowned on and will be locked/removed as soon as they are discovered. Public posts should be open and inviting to all members. Personal discussions among a select group of users should take place in private message.

RESPECT OTHER USERS - Sometimes people can write something that you may find offensive. Before launching into a public condemnation though, please consider that the person may not have intended to cause offence. It is very easy to misinterpret a post on forums. There is absolutely no need to resort to insults. Respect others' views even if you disagree with them. Use the emoticons (smilies) in your messages so people will know the tone of your post.

ADVERTISING/SOLICITATION - Posting for the sake of advertising is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, transportation posts, and wanted posts.  Posts directing LB traffic to other online auctions, sale boards. forums, and/or interactive Miniature horse sites without permission/agreement will also be removed. Second offence of this violation may result in being banned from further use of the LB Miniature Horse Forums/Sale Boards/LB-LC Auction and other public places on the LilBeginnings.com web site.

NO TROLLING - What is a troll? It's a person who posts something which is bound to stir people up and then sits back and watches as dozens of people jump in and start arguing. Sometimes trolls get their friends to join in or post under different names. Generally they will do anything it takes to get attention. If you see a message like this, please try and refrain from replying to it - it may well be locked/deleted anyway. Trolling is further considered one of two things. Either continual running a topic into the ground incessantly, or dragging up old arguments against a specific user/group/ect. long after they're appropriate discussion and targeting them specifically in arguments needlessly. Trolling is the first step towards outright harassment of other members. This is the single biggest no-no in the community. Letting every argument drop isn't always a possibility, but learning when to let things go is a valuable tool, and not just in this community.

POWER-POSTING - Power-posting is when board members post 'empty' messages to the board, in order to simply increase their number of posts more quickly. Examples of power-posting are replying to a message with only 'LOL' or 'I agree', but failing to contribute anything further to the discussion. If you reply to a message, make sure you have something to say. Power posting clutters up the forums, clutters up the 'new posts' function, and uses extra bandwidth and server space. While we don't mind people using bandwidth to chat usefully on the board, we do mind people using it just because they want a more impressive 'post counter'. If you're not sure if you're power-posting, take a moment and think it over before you post. If all your post contains is a 'LOL' or an emoticon, it's a power-post. If it adds something to the discussion, it isn't.

IGNORE SPAMMERS - Spam is a blight upon the face of the net. Nobody likes it. However, it is hard to avoid. Despite our best efforts, you will very occasionally see spam on the forums. Complaining about spam in public increases noise, but not signal. It may make you feel better, but it doesn't help. PM a moderator and they will review it for removal. Repetitive posts by one user, or posting a new thread when one is already easily accessible can be considered spam. It's hard enough to let community members easily track this forum as days go on, they don't need to wade through two dozen threads about the same thing every day. Try searching first. ALSO do not post pictures daily! People actually get sick of seeing your horse day-after-day.. Post pictures that are informative.

IMAGES - No images in signature area.  Images are allowed ONLY in the avatar area of each personal account. Also, absolutely no posting of pictures that are not yours. If you do not personally own them, do not post them without permission - no exceptions!

FAMILY FORUMS - Please remember, this web site is family oriented, and must be a safe, educational environment for visitors of ALL ages.  Please keep it clean, and "G" rated.  No profanities in typed words, or images will be tolerated.

DO NOT FLAME - Flaming, in the most common sense definition, is saying something negative in an attempt to get a more negative response. This is completely and totally unacceptable. It will not be tolerated, and in most cases will be punished severely. Never resort to personal insults, never extend a debate beyond the topic on hand needlessly, and try to avoid patronizing language.

DO NOT FLAME THE STAFF - They have the final say. This forum isn't a democracy. Your vote doesn't always count. They try to please everyone they can, but in the end, they're charged with making this community as enjoyable for as many people as they possibly can. They can not always be right, nor can they please everyone with the decisions made, but they're doing their "jobs" and hopefully we can all agree that they're doing their best to ensure a good community here. If you feel that an egregious oversight has been made, then pm the moderator group. Do not post complaints on the forum.

WARNINGS, USER LOCKING, BANNING - If the Moderation Team feels that a user has "crossed the line" one too many times, they will issue the user a private warning. If the warning goes unheeded, further action will be taken. This can be anything from locking the offending user account, to deletion and banning of the user. Action is generally on a case by case basis.