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                           RULES AND
         REGULATIONS
  
    


1)  PURPOSE AND DIRECTION

    OmniLink was founded to combat the dearth of technical related 
    mail networks.  Although we may carry a few technical related 
    conferences, our major focus will be on fun, theme type conferences.
    
    Although expansion is not our major thrust, we will be adding hubs as 
    the demand arises.  Also in order to make the conferences more 
    enjoyable we will be soliciting new members.
    
2)  ADMINISTRATION

    OmniLink is administered from StarPort Omega, located in Clementon, 
    NJ and is under it's sole control.  Although we often seek input from 
    our hubs and nodes, StarPort Omega will have the final say on all 
    administrative matters and decisions.  Memeber nodes are encouraged 
    to make suggestions and comments as this will only make the network 
    more enjoyable for all involved.
    
3)  ORGANIZATION

    OmniLink is a QWK Packet mail network served by SuperRegional Hubs 
    and Regional Hubs.  Each Node will be assigned a unique node number 
    consisting of their mail path.  For instance, a node whose number is 
    assigned as 2/5/23 is the 23rd node that transfers mail to the 5th 
    Regional Hub in the 2nd SuperRegion.  This will become important when 
    the mail software can support direct node to node mail transfers.
    
    Mail is transfered along a tree.  As a node, you will upload your 
    mail to your Regional Hub, your Regional Hub will then transfer your 
    mail along with all the other hubs mail in the Region to it's 
    SuperRegional Hub.  Your mail will then be forwared from the
    SuperRegional Hub to the National Distribution Site (which is 
    StarPort Omega), from there, your mail is downloaded by ALL of the 
    SuperRegional Hubs, then by ALL the Regional Hubs and finally by ALL 
    the nodes in the Network.  By this method your mail is distributed 
    throughout the network.
    
    Initially, until the network gets large enough, StarPort Omega will 
    also act as a SuperRegional Hub (1) and a Regional Hub (1/1).  Anyone 
    reporting to either of these two Hubs numbers will by nature have 
    mail transferred faster as they are leapfrogging the network tree.  We
    will continue to act in these capacities until the network is large 
    enough to support more Hubs.
    
    OmniLink has 4 basic positions within the network to help expitite 
    processing and make the network more enjoyable to its users.  They 
    are the positions of SuperRegional Hub, Regional Hub, Node and 
    Moderator.  The last postions is open to individuals and not BBS 
    Systems themselves.

    A)  NODE
    
        1)  APPLICATION FORM
        
            BBS Systems may apply for memebership in OmniLink by filling
            out the APPLYFRM.TXT file contained in this archive and
            posting it as a private message to NILES BISHOP in the
            OMNITALK conference on the BBS System that will be acting as
            your Regional Hub.  Valid Regional Hubs are those Nodes on the 
            NodeList that have a HUB name associated with them.
            
        2)  SYSOP REQUIREMENTS
        
            It is the decision of the founding memebers of the network 
            that membership be limited to BBS Systems whose SysOps are at 
            least 21 years of age or older.  Although there are many 
            BBS's run by minor SysOps, we feel that the incusion of BBS's 
            with minor SysOps tends to be problematic.

        3)  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
        
            A)  FULL TIME BBS
            
                BBS's applying for admission to OmniLink must be full 
                time boards and must be accessable to users 24 hours a 
                day, with the obvious exception of down time for 
                maintenance and the dreaded system crash.
                
            B)  NETMAIL SOFTWARE
            
                The BBS's must be capable of running NETMAIL Software 
                that can create and insert QWK mail packets.  This is not 
                the same as a Mail Door.  Mail Doors create QWK packets 
                and insert REP packets.  NETMAIL software does the 
                reverse, it creates REP packets and inserts QWK packets.
                The NETMAIL Software must be able to create compliant 
                NETMAIL taglines as in the following example:
                
                ---
                  NSFT 1.0  OmniLink  BBS Name  BBS Location  Phone #
                 
                or optionally if the message included a user tagline that 
                is compliant it should recognize it and configure as 
                follows:

                ---
                  MailReader 1.0  This is a user tagline
                  NSFT 1.0  OmniLink  BBS Name  BBS Location  Phone #
                 
                where NSFT 1.0 is the name and version number of your 
                NETMAIL software.  The netmail software must be able to 
                attach your Hosts Network Tag also.  The following 
                NetMail Software packages are already approved for use on 
                this Network.  If the software you wish to use is not 
                listed, please upload the ShareWare version of it to 
                StarPort Omega so that we may evaluate it.
                
                APPROVED NETMAIL SOFTWARE
                ========================
                PCBOARD BBS Software
                    RNET, QNET, TNET, CAM-MAIL

                WILDCAT BBS Software
                    TNET
                    
                GAP BBS Software
                    GAP-NET
                
                You may download copies of any of the software on our 
                approved list from StarPort Omega, Confernce 7 or any 
                other BBS that carries them.  Generally the best place to 
                look is the support BBS for your BBS Software.
                
            C)  REQUIRED CONFERENCES & RESTRICTIONS
            
                Although you may carry as many or as few conferences 
                there are certain conferences that are either required or 
                restricted or both.
                
                1)  NET ADMIN
                
                    This conference is required so that we may post 
                    messages that are important to the administration of 
                    the network such as annoucements of new conferences or
                    new nodes or any other matter that we feel will be of
                    importance to the SysOps who are members of OmniLink
                    
                    This conference may only be accessable to the BBS 
                    SysOp and their Co-SysOps.  A Co-SysOp, for our
                    definition, is any person you nominate and have given
                    access to drop to your operating system.  If you do 
                    not trust them with your system, we don't trust them
                    in this confernence.
                    
                2)  OMNITALK
                
                    This conference is required so that we may have at 
                    least one public conference that every BBS carries so
                    that a user can use it to send a message to any 
                    memeber of OmniLink.
                    
                3)  SYSOP RETREAT
                
                    Although this conference is not required, if a Node 
                    does carry it, it's membership must be restricted to
                    verified SysOps.  This means that you have personally
                    called their boards and verified that they are a SysOp
                    and currenty running a board.  The age of the SysOp 
                    for purposes of inclusion to this conference does not
                    matter.
                    
                4)  MODERATOR
                
                    This conference is required by any Node who has a 
                    member that is a Conference Moderator.  Moderators
                    must register with us as to who their "Home" BBS will
                    be and we will inform that Node that they must carry
                    the conference.  Do not take the Moderators word as 
                    the user may be pretending to be a moderator (you may
                    of course suspend this rule if YOU are the conference
                    moderator).
                    
                    Access to this base may only be given to the SysOp and
                    the approved CoSysOps and the Conference Moderator.
                    
    B)  REGIONAL HUB
    
        From time to time, OmniLink may find it benificial to promote a 
        node to the status of Regional Hub.  Any node asked to be a 
        Regional Hub may decline without any adverse affect as we know
        that not all SysOp have either the resourses or the inclination
        to be Regional Hubs.  There ar only 6 requirements to being a
        Regional Hub.
        
        1)  CONFERENCES
        
            Regional Hubs must carry all OmniLink Conferences so that
            there associated nodes may pick and choose from the full
            gamut of conferences available
            
        2)  SYSTEM NODES
        
            Regional Hubs must have at a minimum of two nodes (or dial
            in lines).  Regional Hubs need not dedicate a line to mail
            runs but we feel that the added traffic requires two lines
            so that nodes calling in for mail runs do not encounter
            busy signals that will prevent them from running mail.
            
        3)  MAIL DOOR
        
            Regional Hubs must have a mail door capable of supporting
            Net Status flags, Network Node Numbers compliant with
            OmniLink's configuration as described above, be able to
            accept mail that is not from the logged user, reject duplicate
            messages and does not in any way alter or attach text to 
            mail that passes through it.  The mail door must also be 
            able to support TrashCanned users. If the mail door is not on
            the approved list, please follow the same procedure for getting
            a NETMAIL program approved above.
            
            APPROVED MAIL DOORS
            ===================
            PCBOARD
                QMAIL, CAM-MAIL
                
        4)  MAIL RUNS
       
            Regional Hubs must call their SuperRegional Hub on a daily
            basis, preferably by an automated event early in the morning
            or at a time set up with the SuperRegional Hub.
    
        5)  TRASHCANNING USERS
       
            Ocassionally, moderators will request that a user be either
            temporarily or permanently removed from OmniLink.  The
            Network Administrator will make the determination and inform
            the Hubs via the NetAdmin Conference that a user should be
            added to the list of TrashCanned users to keep their mail
            from entering the network.
            
        6)  NODE ACCOUNTS
        
            Regional Hubs will need to create accounts for each of the 
            nodes that will be reporting to them.  The only access that
            the nodes need be given is access to the mail door and access
            to the OmniLink Conferences.
            
    C)  SUPERREGIONAL HUBS
    
        On very rare events a Regional Hub will be promoted to the status
        of SuperRegional Hub.  There are no additional requirements for
        being a SuperRegional Hub.
        
    D)  MODERATORS
    
        From time to time, it is in the best interest of OmniLink to pass
        the responsibility of watching over and fostering the development
        of a conference over to a user in the network.  The user need only
        be a person who is active in the network and can call their host
        BBS on a daily or every other day basis.  Requirements to become
        a moderator and responsibilities are as follows:
        
        1)  MESSAGE POSTING
        
            The moderator is responsible for fostering the message traffic
            in their conference.  This generally means that there should 
            be at least one message a day in the conference, even if it is
            only from the moderator.  From our experience, users log onto
            BBS's in reply mode.  If there are no messages in a conference
            for a user to reply to, none will ever get written, therefore
            it is incumbent on the moderator to post messages that will 
            spark conversation in their conference.
            
        2)  RULES INFRACTIONS
        
            Moderators are required to make sure that messages to not
            start to get off-topic or debates become flame wars in
            nature.  To do this, the moderater is allowed to invoke 
            several steps.
            
            1)  FORMAL WARNING
            
                The moderator may post a formal warning to the user.  This
                is best handled as a public message basically stating why
                the offending message is not acceptable and should be
                worded in a general fashion so as not to offend the user.
                The user is given 7 days to correct their action unless
                it is flagerant and unrelenting.  This is to allow time
                for the warning to reach the user.
                
            2)  CEASE & DESIST
            
                After 7 days is the user has not changed his actions, the
                moderator should post a private message to the user that
                if they do not cease and desist their actions they will
                be given a 60 day vacation from OmniLink.  The users name
                should be posted in the Modrators Conference so that the
                Network Administrators can monitor what is going on.  
                Again, the user is offered 7 days to rectify their 
                actions.
                
            3)  REQUEST SUSPENSION
            
                If the moderator feels that the user has not conformed to
                policy, they can leave a message in the moderators 
                conference requesting that the user be suspended from the
                network for a period of 60 days.  The decision to suspend
                will be made by the Network Administrator and the 
                moderator will be notified of the decision.
                
            4)  PROBATION
            
                After a users suspension is up, they will be placed on a
                90 day probation period whereby additional infractions of
                the same type will cause expulsion from the net.  The
                moderator must post the request for expulsion in the
                Moderator Conference which will be reviewed by the 
                Network Administrator and the Moderator will be notified.
                
4) GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

    A)  NO ADULT MATERIAL
    
        OmniLink is not an Adult Network.  Language must be constrained to
        what you would normally see on TV during prime time hours on the
        regualar broadcast stations.  Innuendo and insunuation are fine so
        long as they do not become blatent or descriptive.  Again, if you
        could put it on the air in prime time, it is probably OK on the 
        network.
        
    B)  TOPICALITY
    
        Comments made on a base should pertain to the conference that they
        are written on.  The only exception to this is the OmniTalk 
        conference, which by it's nature is a general message base.
        
    C)  FLAME MAIL
    
        No mail may be posted whose sole intent is to infuriate another 
        user.  This includes insults, racial slurs or anything that can
        be taken as a personal attack against a user.
        
    D)  ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES
    
        Illegal activities will not be tollerated on the net and any
        messages found discussing the commiting of a crime will be
        promptly turned over to the authorities.
        

