Talking Reds User Guide 

Welcome to the Talking Reds User Guide. Here you can find The Rules which all message board users must follow and also some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

The board is reactively moderated.  This means that the moderators only read the posts that you alert to them using the ‘report abuse’ link, so do help us to keep the forum in good shape by alerting us to bad content;  we can then remove it and take further action if necessary.  Should you read something on the board that offends you, or that you think may break the rules of the site, please alert the moderators by using the ‘report abuse’ link that you can find at the bottom left-hand side of every posting.   

We hope this guide helps you to fully enjoy using the Talking Reds message board.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can I swear? NO

Can I swear if I use **** or other symbols to hide the offensive words? NO

Can I post my contact details on the board? NO

Can I post messages in another language on the board?
NO – There are separate boards for the English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese versions of the official Manchester United website. Languages must not be mixed on these boards – for example, Japanese text is not permitted on the Korean board.

Can I post links to other message boards? NO

Can I post links to adult rated or sites with swearing? NO

Can I post links to other sites? YES but the other sites' content must not be offensive.

Can I post links to video clips of players, goals etc? ONLY if the clips are on the official websites of the copyright holder, eg MUTV Online, UEFA.com, BBC.co.uk.

Can I use the board to advertise a company or product? NO

Can I use the board to sell my own stuff? NO

Can I use abbreviated text, for example like mobile phone text talk? NO

Can I criticise other message board users, players, coaches etc? ONLY if your criticism is constructive. Personal insults are NOT permitted

Can I discuss media rumours? YES, if the rumours are about football, for example transfer speculation. NO, if the rumours are about people's, eg players’ private lives.

Why are there so many rules?
The message board is open to people of all ages, so there are stringent rules for the protection and benefit of all users. Also, this is the official Manchester United message board and its content must not damage the Club’s reputation. The Club has set the rules and expects the users to follow them and the moderators to enforce them.

Do the moderators read and check through all of the content posted to the boards?  NO, the moderators only read the postings that the community members alert them to using the ‘report abuse’ link, so if you do see something that offends you, or that breaks the rules in some way, you must alert the moderators  if you think it should be removed. 

The Rules

You are expected to follow these rules at all times. If you breach the rules, you could be warned, suspended or – if the breach is serious or continual – be permanently banned from using this message board. The rules are for the protection of all users.

Rule 1: Swearing and derogatory or defamatory remarks

Swearing or the use of language which is obscene, threatening, sexual, sexist, libellous, defamatory, or invasive of another person's privacy.

No swearing is allowed. Any attempt to swear by misspelling or including **** or other characters is not allowed. Also you may not post messages containing language or topics that are considered risqué as defined above.

Rule 2: Expressions of hatred

Expressions of hatred towards racial, ethnic, national, religious or other groups including those pertaining to sexual orientation.

You cannot post messages which demonstrate any bias or prejudice as defined above.

Rule 3: Promoting illegal activities

Discussions that encourage, promote or provide information about illegal or criminal activities (including pornography, explosives, weapons, drugs, programming viruses, computer hacking and copyright infringement).

You cannot post messages which promote illegal acts as defined above. You may also not accuse others, including celebrities, players etc of any illegal or unlawful act, including reproducing such allegations printed publicly on the world wide web, prior to such allegations being proven in a court of law.

Rule 4: Banned website links

Posting of addresses for websites that contain content that is banned from our message board by these rules.

If a website that you link to in your message contains material that breaches one or more of our rules then you will be held responsible for that. 
Examples of websites that you must not link to:

Websites that allow you to reveal or share your contact details

Websites that contain message boards, guest books etc

Personal web sites that contain your contact information

Posting links to copyright infringement materials like video

Posting links to any organisation involved in commercial or stock and share activity

Rule 5: Intellectual property rights

Posting material that infringes a third party's intellectual property rights or any other rights is not allowed.

Your message must not include other people’s materials (written, photographic, video etc) that you do not have permission to reproduce. This includes video clips from matches which clearly are copied from authorised TV broadcasts.

Rule 6: Exchanging personal contact information

Exchange of user telephone numbers, emails or addresses, IP numbers is not allowed.

You cannot post any contact details on the message board nor make any attempt to contact or meet each other. Any attempt to do so is taken very seriously. This is for your own safety and to protect other users, particularly those under 18, from acting under peer pressure.

Rule 7: Harassing other users

Harassing or intentionally provoking other users, either privately or in a public forum, is not tolerated.

Rule 8: Impersonation

Impersonating our staff or any celebrities or characters is not allowed.

You cannot make claims or use alias names that insinuate that you are a celebrity or a member of staff of either the Club or the message board.

Rule 9: Potential disruption

Actions that would disrupt or impair the functioning, stability or security of the message board are not allowed.

This includes both actions related to the technical security of the site (an attempt to hack for example) and posting messages which are interpreted as attempts to disrupt the community.

Rule 10: Unauthorised commercial content

The posting of message and links for the purpose of advertising a commercial venture and/or to any membership or other scheme where a fee or any monies change hands is not allowed.

Rule 11: Promoting stocks and shares

This is the posting of messages and links for the purpose of advertising or given any advice towards the buying and/or selling of any stock and shares, pyramid schemes, or other financial services is not allowed.

 
Rule 12: Rival fans

Rival fans are welcome to post messages on the board but they must not deliberately antagonise United fans. Any breach of this rule by a rival fan is likely to result in their being banned from the board.
 

Rule 13: Different languages

There are separate message boards for the English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese versions of the official Manchester United website.

Languages must not be mixed on these boards – for example, Japanese messages are not permitted on the Korean board. The moderation team and users on each message board can only be expected to read and understand their own language.

Links to websites in different languages are not permitted on the message boards.

Rule 14: Invading rival boards

You cannot discuss invading rival message boards. This is to protect the integrity of this message board. Such behaviour brings this board into disrepute.