These templates should give you an idea of the type of verbiage to use when you must contact members in regard to violations. Whenever possible, please use the template in its entirety. However, if the template does not fit the violation perfectly or if you are contacting a user in regard to more than one violation, please feel free to combine templates and add additional, consistent wording that follows the usage and tone expressed in the templates posted here. Don't forget to change "post quoted below as it" to "posts quoted below as they" if you are quoting from more than one post.
If a template does not exist for a violation and you feel one would be valuable, please feel free to make one and post it as a reply to this thread. I will take a look at it and approve or deny it and edit it as I see fit.
Pay close attention to the text in between the angle brackets (< and >) as that is the text that you need to edit. Do not leave any arrows in the private message. When quoted posts are required, feel free to press the quote button next to the removed post and paste the output in the template, replacing the already existing quote tags, so that you do not have two sets of quote tags.
Thank you.
Copyright Infringement: Text
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as copyright infringement.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
When quoting an article or written work that you did not author or do not have permission to reproduce (which is our assumption in this case - if it is incorrect, please let us know and include some way for us to verify this fact), you may only quote a small portion of the article (usually no more than 1/5 or 1/6) and you must link to the source (if online) or provide the source (if offline).
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Cross-Posting
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as cross-posting.
[quote]<PASTE THE POST THAT WAS REMOVED>[/quote]
Cross-posting is posting the same content in two or more locations.
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
General
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as <DESCRIPTION OF VIOLATION>.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Hotlinking
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as hotlinking.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Hotlinking is when you link directly to a graphic, video, audio clip, archive (.zip, .rar, etc.) or otherwise downloadable or streamable file instead of linking to the page where that item can be found. Generally, people place this content on their websites as a means to bring people to those websites. When you link directly to the file, the person clicking the link does not visit the site, while using the site owner's bandwidth, which costs money and/or resources. Instead, you must link to the page where this content can be found, rather than directly to the content itself. This is unless you have permission to link directly to the content or the site owner has posted on their site that it's allowed. If this is the case, please provide us with information that allows us to verify it.
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Inappropriate
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as inappropriate (<DESCRIBE WHY IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE>).
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderato
Inflammatory
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as inflammatory.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Generally speaking, when a post is inflammatory, it isn't adding much to the thread outside of hostility.
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Report, Don't Respond: No Violation in Response
If the post they responded to was not actually a violation, please remove "as it was in response to a post that had to be removed as it violated our User Guidelines".
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it was in response to a post that had to be removed as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url].
[quote]<PASTE THE POST THAT WAS REMOVED>[/quote]
In the future, if you feel a post may be against our User Guidelines or may otherwise require some sort of attention, you should always report it through [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/contact]e-mail[/url] or send me or another member of staff a private message. After you have done so, forget that the post exists (do not reply to it further, even to say that you have reported it). We will then handle it appropriately.
We appreciate when members inform us of violations to our User Guidelines, rather then responding to them and making the situation worse.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Report, Don't Respond: Violation in Response
If the post they responded to was not actually a violation, please remove "as it was in response to a post that had to be removed as it violated our User Guidelines".
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as <DESCRIPTION OF VIOLATION>.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
In this post, you were responding to a post that violated our User Guidelines. In the future, if you feel a post may be against our User Guidelines or may otherwise require some sort of attention, you should always report it through [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/contact]e-mail[/url] or send me or another member of staff a private message. After you have done so, forget that the post exists (do not reply to it further, even to say that you have reported it). We will then handle it appropriately.
We appreciate when members inform us of violations to our User Guidelines, rather then responding to them and making the situation worse.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Signature: General
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, your signature is currently in violation of our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as <DESCRIPTION OF VIOLATION>.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Please adjust your signature as soon as you can and please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Signature: Too Long
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Your signature is currently <NUMBER> lines long, which is in violation of our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url], which only allow for 5 lines.
Please adjust your signature as soon as you can and please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Site-Related Feedback, Problem/Error Reports, Etc. Posted in Forums
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below.
[quote]<PASTE THE POST THAT WAS REMOVED>[/quote]
We ask that all site-related feedback, questions, problem/error reports and the like be sent via [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/contact]e-mail[/url] or private message so that we do not miss them and can handle them in the most efficient manner possible. Please be sure to keep this in mind for the future.
<PROVIDE ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTION, IF POSSIBLE - IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER OR CANNOT ANSWER, LEAVE THE FOLLOWING> Patrick, our administrator, will be in touch with you as soon as possible regarding your post.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator
Vulgar
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Hello <USERNAME>,
Thank you for visiting Example Forums.
Unfortunately, I have had to remove your post quoted below as it violated our [url=http://www.managingonlineforums.com/exampleforums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2]User Guidelines[/url] as vulgar.
[quote]<PASTE THE PORTION THAT VIOLATED OUR GUIDELINES>[/quote]
Please note that if we do not allow a word or term, we do not allow a word or term - it doesn't matter if it is abbreviated or self-censored.
Please keep this in mind to prevent further violations in the future.
Thank you for your time and cooperation.
Sincerely,
<YOUR NAME>
Example Forums Moderator