Forum rules regarding “MTB Company” status, with effect from 09/11/06

To qualify for “MTB Company” status on Southerndownhill.com, you must:

1)Be a sole representative for the company you are representing.
2)Be a bona fide representative for the company you are representing.

This is to stop the backlash we receive from MTB firms complaining about certain users acting on behalf of mountain bike firms as representatives, when the reality is that they are not.

What we will look out for primarily is:

1)People with no connection to the company they are “representing”.
2)People who have been 'inventing' MTB companies purely to gain an alternative status.
3)People who use 'T-Shirt printing' as an excuse for MTB Company status.
4)People with "@ XXX Company" in their username.

The original, unchanged rules regarding company status are:

1)Companies cannot sell without our permission.
2)Companies cannot use the forum purely to advertise their services.
3)Companies cannot steer people towards their products by hijacking threads.
4)Companies can respond to helps topics regarding their products.

The absolute majority of all the companies using Southerndownhill.com have been a credit to themselves and their customers, and their contribution towards the community is noted and appreciated.

If you are not a MTB Company, you will no longer have MTB Status.

Each MTB Company member will be dealt with on an individual basis. I must reiterate, there is no problem with the behavior of any genuine MTB Company, and as such the situation for these individuals will only improve.