UseNet News Acceptable Use Policy

	INTERNET ACCESS, SERVICES AND SUPPORT

Acceptable Use Policy -- Newsgroups(Usenet)

NOTE:WE DO NOT PROVIDE ANY INTERNET NEWSGROUP SERVICES.
NOTE:THIS SECTION WILL BE REMOVED WITH THE NEW WEBSITE.
NOTE:NEWSGROUP ACCESS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM NEWS.GOOGLE.COM.
Aside from the provisions defined in the following acceptable use policy, Imagine.com does not place content restrictions on newsgroups except in acknowledgment that each newsgroup sets its own policies for appropriate topics of discussion, and that no illegal material may be transmitted. Conduct that violates this policy is defined follows:

Off-Topic

Posted articles should fall within the newsgroup topic. An article is off-topic if it provokes complaints from the regular readers of the newsgroup or does not fall under definitions described by the newsgroup charter.

Commercial advertisements are off-topic in all newsgroups not specifically named for such purposes, i.e., *.forsale, *.marketplace, and the biz.* hierarchy, or binary files posted to newsgroups not specifically named for such purposes, namely the *.binaries and *.pictures hierarchies, and are prohibited. Continual posting of off-topic articles is also prohibited.

Spam

Cross-posting 10 or more copies of the same article, or individually posting substantively similar articles to multiple newsgroups, is considered to be "spam" or "excessive multi-posting" (EMP) and is prohibited.

Imagine.com will cancel articles that are "spam" or "EMP" originating from Imagine.com and the originator may be charged for the cost of cleanup and responding to complaints.

Engaging in spam or EMP from a provider other than Imagine.Com to advertise services hosted by Imagine.Com, using a Imagine.Com account as a mail drop for responses, or using a domain hosted by Imagine.Com or which has a Imagine.Com account as a contact address is prohibited and will result in immediate suspension and possible termination of the user account(s).

Impersonation and Forgery

Adding, removing, or modifying identifying network header information ("spoofing") in an effort to deceive or mislead is prohibited. This includes attempts, whether successful or unsuccessful, to circumvent the article approval procedure for moderated newsgroups or the issuance of news control messages.

Attempting to impersonate any person by using forged headers or other identifying information is also prohibited. Please note, the use of anonymous remailers does not constitute impersonation and is acceptable use provided the use is not otherwise in violation of this policy. An altered "from:" field may be permitted as long as contact information is apparent, i.e., "userNOSPAM@imagine.com", or accompanies the article, i.e. , "remove 'NOSPAM' to send email."

Users may not issue cancellations for postings except those they have posted themselves, those that are forged to appear to come from them, or in newsgroups where they are the official moderator.

Harassment and Threats

Continued harassment of other individuals on the Internet after being asked to stop by those individuals and by Imagine.Com, or threats of bodily harm or destruction of property will result in account suspension and immediate termination.

"Netiquette"

Users should use their best judgment when posting to any newsgroup. Many newsgroups have charters, published guidelines, FAQs, or "community standards" describing what is and is not considered appropriate. Spam and off-topic articles originating from Imagine.Com diminish the usefulness of this resource for everyone.

Flames, hostile attacks, or invectives aimed at a group or an individual poster, are inappropriate. Users are better off ignoring flames than responding to them. Many news readers offer filtering capabilities that will bring certain messages to their attention or skip over them altogether (killfiles).

Customers whose accounts are terminated for any of the above violations of this policy are responsible for the cost of labor to cleanup and respond to complaints incurred by Imagine.com.