SWIFT FORUM

An INTERNET discussion group for U.S. Navy Swift Boat Sailors.

This forum was created to provide a safe port for all Swift Boat sailors. It also serves as a place to record historical information and folklore about the men who served on or supported swift boats during the Vietnam War. This service is provided by the Swift Boat Sailors Association, Inc. (SBSA)

As a member of the SBSA forum community, it is your obligation to make sure you are aware of the information provided below:
This forum is primarily for those veterans who served on, with or provided logistical support for Coastal Squadron One Swift Boat divisions during the Vietnam war, their families and certain other interested parties as approved by the SBSA Board of Directors.

NETIQUETTE
Because some members are just becoming comfortable with computers and are new to email discussion groups, the following email etiquette rules are posted here to help you become aware of the niceties of this type of communication. These rules have evolved over time as people have had experience with forums.

Try to keep your messages constructive, courteous, and brief.
Send personal messages (e.g., "Enjoyed dinner last night") backchannel to the intended reader, not to the whole forum.

Be supportive of fellow forum members. As discussion gets going furiously on some topic, don't forget that some people on the forum don't know you are a sweetheart under that sarcastic growl! Keep it cool.

Be sure your subject heading reflects the content of your message. Sometimes when a thread develops, the main content changes. If you continue to use the original subject heading, others may be confused as to the current content of the message.

Use copyrighted material only with permission (see below).
Please do not copy and distribute other members' communications unless you have obtained their expressed permission to do so. Forum members' email communications are intended for the Forum membership only. Essentially, this will maintain a boundary between the members' forum and cyberspace at large and protect intended meanings and contexts.


The Swift Boat Sailors Association, Inc. provides the electronic forum for SBSA, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt group. As such, all participants must adhere to SBSA's specific guidelines in order to remain a part of these services, particularly as applies to posting advertising, full-text articles, political endorsements, and discussions not appropriate to the tax-exempt status. This may be different from your experience with other forums that have a different tax status.

Participation is a privilege, not a right. Participants may be removed from the forum under certain circumstances as described below. The SBSA Board of Directors is responsible for the enforcement of forum policies.



The rules are:
Rule 1: Do not use the forum for illegal purposes, including but not limited to defamation of character, violation of intellectual property laws, violation of antitrust or unfair competition laws, violation of criminal laws, or infringement of copyright laws. Sending an entire article to the forum without the permission of the author or publisher results in a prima facie case of copyright violation. A synopsis of the article may be given and a link may be made to the original site.

Rule 2: Do not intentionally interfere with or disrupt other forum members, network services, or network equipment. This includes distribution of unsolicited advertisement or chain letters, propagation of computer worms and viruses.
Rule 3: Do not use Swift Talk for commercial purposes such as advertising services.

Rule 4: Do not use the forum to support in any way electioneering, soliciting funds, or the endorsement of a candidate for federal, state, or local political office.
By following these rules and standards, a climate will be created that encourages trust and a friendly, informative and spontaneous discourse.

Failure to adhere to the rules may result in your removal from the forum.

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Forums have many positive attributes and can serve the interests of furthering organizations' purposes in myriad ways. There are pitfalls that can ensnare the unwary in forum discussions. So here are a few of the top trouble areas and some guidance on how forum Administrators and forum members can avoid problems.
1. Copyright -- Not infrequently a forum member wants to tell others about an article or news item related to the issues discussed on the forum. It may surprise you to learn that sending the entire article to the forum, without the permission of the author or publisher, results in a prima facie case of copyright violation. While there can be defenses to a claim of copyright infringement where the purpose of copying is clearly not for commercial purposes (e.g. "fair use" or academic teaching exceptions), those defenses are complicated, have been construed differently in different jurisdictions and are not necessarily applicable to forum distribution. It is okay to provide a brief quote from the copyrighted material or to provide a link to the story if it is published electronically but it is best to refrain from posting an entire item to Swift forum.

2. Defamation -- Sometimes a robust debate about ideas spills over into ad hominem attacks on the proponents or opponents of the ideas. Forum members need to be reminded that a false statement that harms someone's reputation can be actionable as libel. There is a substantial difference between disagreeing with what someone did or said and maliciously attacking them. Keeping criticism on an objective basis that is factually verifiable and skipping personal commentary about character, competence or motive minimizes legal risk.

3. Risks affecting tax exemption -- While using the forum to endorse political candidates in a federal, state, or local election or for commercial purposes likely won't expose a member to personal legal risk, it can jeopardize SBSA's tax exempt status under section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. To keep this advantageous tax status, SBSA cannot ever be involved in or support in any way electioneering or endorse a candidate for federal, state, or local political office.

MMMM nice read, When will we have the test??? What is the passing score?? It good to have this given to us again. I tend to be a slow learner. Good job.

Dan