Board rules

These rules are disclosed to clarify the various responsibilities of all community members here on Axis History Forum. They shall be adhered to by everyone to ensure that our board runs smoothly and provides a fun and productive experience for all of our community members and visitors.

  1. Introduction
    Axis History Forum wish to facilitate a positive environment for historical discussion. To achieve this, we require all members to adhere to some simple rules. The rules are detailed below, and can be summed up by these statements: The forum staff does not see all posts. If you see a post that you believe violates the forum rules, report it using the Report button in the top-right corner of the post. All reports are reviewed by a member of the forum staff, who will determine whether any sanction is required. Forum staff members may also review threads and posts on their own initiative.

    Sanctions are given at the discretion of the forum staff, and may include, but are not limited to, informal warnings, locking threads, editing of posts, removal of posts and threads, formal warnings, temporary bans, and permanent bans. #
  2. Be respectful
    We have members from all over the world, who have very varied backgrounds and personalities. Passionate, and even heated, discussion is part of a forum, but this should not escalate into vitriol or offense. All members have a responsibility in maintaining a good tone.
    • Bear in mind that not all members have your background.
    • Focus on the arguments, rather than the poster.
    • Do not insult other members. This includes, but is not limited to, personal remarks and insults, negative remarks or generalizations about ethnic, national, or cultural groups, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, and ridicule over level of experience, knowledge, or language skills.
    • Do not cause unnecessary offense. This includes, but is not limited to, excessively vulgar or profane text or images. If you need to post an photo that includes nudity, dead bodies, or similar strong imagery as part of an historical discussion, you must post the photo as a link with a clear warning of the nature of the photo.
    • Do not spam or use exaggerated visual effects. This includes, but is not limited to, commercial and for sale-posts and -signatures (outside the for sale-section; see the for sale-guidelines for more information), posting the same post in multiple sections, having an animated avatar, including images in your signature, and using bold/large/colored text to highlight your signature or post.
    • Do not post in languages other than English (outside the translation request forum). If you are quoting from a non-English source, you must provide a translation into English (for long quotes, an English summary is acceptable).
    • Do not use rhetorical tricks, polemics, trolling, or other online discussion tricks.
    • When discussing persons who are still alive, write about the facts, not your opinions.
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  3. Stay on topic
    The forum covers many wide subject matters, and most members do not visit all sections or threads. A post made in the wrong section or thread is therefore unlikely to get much attention. At the same time, most members are not interested in off-topic remarks while engaged in a discussion.
    • Post in the correct sections and threads. If you are in doubt about the section in which to post a new thread, feel free to select the section that you find most appropriate.
    • Do not start a discussion on a new subject within an existing thread. If a new subject arises within an existing discussion, it is always better to start a new thread.
    • Use existing threads if they exist. This does not mean that you must go through the entire forum every time you wish to post a new thread, but you should always try a simple search if the subject seems likely to have been discussed in the past.
    • Do not post about politics or what-if scenarios of the 21st Century.
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  4. Make an effort
    Many of the members have a lot of detailed knowledge about very specific subjects. Consequently, the discussion can at times be at a high intellectual level. Also remember, that the forum isn't a school report or research service, and very broad or basic questions will therefore often go unanswered.
    • Before you ask a question, use the forum search to check if the question has been already been answered. Several sections also include pinned threads with frequently asked questions.
    • When you ask a question, show that you have done some work yourself (for example, which books or articles you have already read), and be concise about what you are asking.
    • When you answer a question, try to adjust the level of your answer to the level of the question.
    • Don't intentionally write in a way that is difficult for others to understand. It is not a problem in itself if you write at a high level but do so because it is the general level of the thread.
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  5. Back up your claims
    We wish the forum to maintain a high standard. While posting on the forum isn't on the same level as writing an academic text, we want to maintain a balanced level of scholarship.
    • When you include a quote, cite the source. Include enough information to allow other members to find the source themselves. As a minimum, include the author, title/issue, and page number (for monographs and serials) or a link to the specific article (for websites).
    • When you cite a source, the source must be of sufficiently high quality to substantiate the nature of the claim. Do not cite racist or supremacist websites, unsourced secondary articles, opinion pieces and reviews (other than as evidence of the opinion or review itself), or similar sources.
    • If another member challenge one of your claims, you must cite a source for your claim.
    • If you make a claim that is obviously controversial, you should cite a source immediately.
    • Do not post your opinion without supporting it with facts or context.
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  6. Respect the law
    We do not accept that the forum is used for illegal activities. If a member engages in illegal activity on the forum, we reserve the right to report such activities to the proper authorities, and where relevant, to aid in their prosecution.
    • Do not post or link to copyright-infringing material. This includes, but is not limited to, file-sharing websites with unauthorized scans of books, articles, music, and videos.
    • Only post enough photos to make your point. This is rarely more than three.
    • Provide sources for your photos in the same way that you cite written sources. It is not enough to write "Google" or "eBay"; you must specify the specific website or seller name. If you can't remember, you must write so. If you post a photograph from your own collection, write so either on the photo or in your post.
    • Do not mass-post photos in discussion threads, and defer image posting to the specific photo sections where they exist. Do feel free to share photos of your collection and models in separate threads.
    • Do not try to sell illegal items or items that require special permissions, such as weapons and munitions.
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  7. Don't deny the Holocaust or glorify dictatorships
    While we welcome open debate, the debate must be based on reality. At the same time, some counter-factual claims usually have very sinister undertones. The fundamental aspects of the Holocaust have been very firmly documented by documents and eye witness reports from all sides, and there is no doubt that millions of humans were deliberately murdered as a matter of policy. Violations of this rule are moderated with particular zeal.
    • Do not deny the Holocaust, the Holodomor, the Armenian Genocide, or any of the other 20th century atrocities.
    • Do not post about the Holocaust or other atrocities outside the Holocaust & 20th Century War Crimes section.
    • Do not glorify Nazism or Fascism, or the dictatorships of the 20th Century. This includes, but is not limited to, overt glorification, selecting an avatar with Nazi or neo-Nazi symbolism, selecting an offensive username such as the name of a leading Nazi or war criminal, or having Nazi or neo-Nazi slogans or symbolism in your signature.
    • It is permitted to discuss specific aspects of the atrocities of the 20th Century. This includes, but is not limited to, the veracity and motives of individual witnesses, specific pieces of evidence, and interpretation of policies. Such discussion must be based on good-faith arguments and proper sources. Denial disguised as discussion is a violation in line with overt denial.
    • Read the Holocaust & War Crimes Section Rules and the Note on Denial for more information.
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  8. Mind your privileges
    We wish for all members to feel comfortable while visiting the forum. At the same time, this is a privately owned and operated website, and the forum staff works without compensation.
    • Do not argue with forum staff, especially not in public. If you feel that you have a justified complaint about a forum staff member, send a PM to either Georg or David.
    • Do not choose a username that matches the name of an historical person. You are encouraged to post under your real name, or at least sign your posts with your first name.
    • Do not choose a username or otherwise behave in a way that may give the impression that you are someone else.
    • Do not create more than one account. If you forget your password, you can request a new one. If you can't get access to your account, use the contact form to ask for help.
    • Do not post from anonymous proxies or VPNs. This may be interpreted as an attempted circumvention of a ban or the one-account rule.
    • Do not try to moderate a thread yourself.
    • Do not post contents that you do not wish to remain public. You can only edit or delete posts for 24 hours after posting them, or until someone responds, after which the post is permanent. You may use the report button to request to have a post modified or removed under special circumstances (for example, if you have posted your e-mail address or similar personal information). Whether this such a request is granted is up to the discretion of the forum staff member who reviews the report. Requests for mass-deletion of posts are never accommodated, as this would compromise the integrity of the discussion.
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  9. Rule changes
    These rules may be changed at any time at the discretion of the forum owner. #