1. Do not flood the forum with an excessive amount of threads.
2. Do not post anything that is related to global politics, racism, sexuality, religion, or any other sensitive or controversial issue.
3. Do not post anything related to illegal activities.
4. Do not post flaming topics about Ayumi Hamasaki or any other artists, regardless of genre.
5. Derogatory, foul, obscene, rude, racist, sexist, anti-religious, homophobic, or any other kind of hateful language is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. This includes words spelled creatively to bypass the vBulletin censor.
6. Do not post spam. Spamming includes, but is not limited to, money earning programs or other self-serving schemes that require member recruitment, advertisements, off-topic posts, double posts, and multiple threads on the same subject.
7. Pornography and violent material are STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Do not post links to sites containing porn or offensive content.
8. Do not harass or flame other initiates. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, attacks on another initiate using profanity or insulting language. If you feel you or another initiate is being attacked report it to a staff member immediately.
9. Do not bring your personal disputes into the forum. If you have a problem with someone deal with it outside of the forum or through private messaging.
10. Do not reply to trolls or spammers. A troll is a person who tries to start arguments, provoke flames, and upset people. Replying only encourages them and exacerbates the problem.
11. Do not violate the privacy of others. Do not post or re-post anyone's personal information without permission. Personal information includes, but is not limited to, pictures, email addresses, other contact info, and anything else the owner does not wish to be made public.
12. Any other behaviors that are are disruptive to AHS, but not explicitly covered by the above rules, are prohibited.

1. Discussions should be carried on in a civilized, courteous, and constructive manner.
   It is inevitable that you are going to meet someone at AHS whose habits or personality you dislike. Be mature about it. Name-calling is unacceptable. Accusations and baiting are unacceptable. If you are upset about something someone has said to you, report it to the staff. Do not retaliate. If you do retaliate you will face the same consequences as the person who attacked you.


2. Be helpful to other initiates.
   Don't give anyone a hard time just because they are a new Ayu fan or are new to AHS. If someone makes a mistake, posts in the wrong forum, or posts something that is inaccurate don't correct them in an arrogant way.


3. Be respectful to other initiates.
   Please think about how the things you say will affect others. Being sarcastic or hurtful achieves nothing. If you know that something will make others feel offended, insulted, or uncomfortable it would be best not to post it at AHS. There is a real person behind every screename. Respect their feelings and their right to have their own opinions.


4. Be tolerant.
   There are all kinds of people at AHS. Don't try to force your beliefs on others. Sometimes it is difficult to express one's true intentions through text messages, and things can easily be taken the wrong way. Try not to get angry or offended by things you read, but think about what there other person is really trying to say. We don't want fights to start over misunderstandings. If you see something you think is wrong report it to the staff using the "report" button. We will try our best to resolve the matter in a way that is fair to everyone.


5. Search before posting.
   Before starting a new thread make sure that a topic on that subject doesn't already exist. Try searching first when you have a question. Many common questions have already been discussed in the forum. You may find the information you need more quickly by using the search function. Use the wildcard * to increase your search results.


6. Write descriptive topic titles.
   Everyone should be able to know what a thread is about just by looking at the title.


7. Read before replying.
   Please read all the posts in a thread before replying to avoid unnecessarily repeating what has already been said.


8. Be patient.
   It isn't necessary to reply to every post in a thread. Give others a chance to add their thoughts first.


9. Stay on topic.
   Don't continue to reply when a thread starts to go off topic. Start a new topic instead.


10. Please don't double post.
    Double posting is okay if you are adding attachments, or if a significant amount of time has passed since the last post. But if you only want to add to or change what you just posted please use the edit feature. You are also allowed to delete your own posts.


11. Please don't use the forum like a private chat-room.
    Private conversations should be carried on via private message, mIRC, email, AIM, or any other messaging service.


12. Post in the correct forum.
    The moderators would really appreciate it if everyone started their topics in the proper place. If anyone is unsure please feel free to ask in the FAQ, Tech Support and Guidelines forum, or you can contact a staff member outside of the forum by email, AIM, MSN, mIRC, etc.


13. Do not post file requests in the Ayu Downloads or Off Topic Downloads Forums.
    Request for files should only be posted in the Asian Music Requests and Ayu Requests forums.


14. Use the correct tags when starting a new topic in the Downloads or Requests forums.
    Request topics should always contain the tag [request] or equivalent. Download topics should always have a tag specifying the type of download, e.g. [YSI].


15. Give credit.
    Acknowledge the source when you repost news, translations, or links. Don't hotlink to files and pics from other sites and forums without permission. This is the recommended procedure for crediting:
    *Use quote tags when copying word for word.
    *Give the name of the site/forum and person who originally posted it.
    *Include a link to the original topic.
    *Don't hotlink. If someone hosts a picture, do not repost the picture at another forum unless you ask their permission first. So if you want to repost a picture, either ask that person for permission, or host the file yourself. Small files can be uploaded to AHS as attachments. If you need help hosting a larger file, just ask.


16. Avatars and signatures.
    Please keep your signature and avatars reasonably sized so the pages load quickly for those on dial-up, and the topics are easier to read. The current size limits are found here: Signature and Avatar Size Restrictions


17. Please don't use another person's custom avatar or signature without permission.
    If you are using someone else's avatar or signature an admin will change it. Most custom avatars and sigs people use are made by them, to be used only by them.


18. Do not hotlink to avatars hosted by AHS.
    AHS does not have the resources to host files for other sites. Hotlinked avatars will be deleted.


19. Respect the staff.
    The staff of AHS are volunteers and do not deserve to be abused. If you think a moderator has acted improperly contact another staff member privately so it can be investigated.

1. Do not post or request illegal copies of software, cracks, ROMs, movies, or other copyrighted media.
2. Do not post links to sites that contain, promote, or give instruction about illegally obtaining software, cracks, ROMs, movies, or other copyrighted media.
3. Ayumi Hamasaki, J-pop, and Asian pop mp3 and videos may be posted and downloaded for personal evaluation purposes only.
4. Do not post or request downloads of music that is commercially available in the USA.
5. DO NOT directly link to files stored on remote servers without the permission of the site owner. If the staff find out you are hotlinking your thread will be edited or deleted. If someone continues to post hotlinks after being warned their ability to post in the downloads forums will be permanently revoked.
6. DO NOT copy download links posted at AHS to other sites or forums without the permission of the link owner. If the staff find out you have done this, your access to the downloads forums will be permanently revoked.

• VISEE: 450x350
• rose: 469x350
• air: 527x350
• kono omoi: 527x350
• rain: 527x350
• radius: 528x350
• DDR: 529x350
• Rainbow: 529x350
• Child of Peace: 534x350
• AHS retro: 535x350
• 1825: 556x350

WHAT IS HOTLINKING AND BANDWIDTH THEFT?

Bandwidth theft or "hotlinking" is direct linking to a website's files (images, video, etc.). An example would be using an tag to display a JPEG image you found on someone else's web page so it will appear on your own site, journal, weblog, forum posting, etc.

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transferred from a website to a user's computer. When you view a webpage, you are using that site's data transfer to display the files. Since web hosts charge based on the amount of data transferred, bandwidth is an issue. If a site is over it's monthly bandwidth, it's billed for the extra data or taken offline.

A simple analogy for bandwidth theft: Imagine a random stranger plugging into your electrical outlets, using your electricity without your consent, and you paying for it.
(Definition copied from altlab.com)

• www.not_your_own_website.com/song.mp3
• www.not_your_own_website.com/video.wmv
• www.not_your_own_website.com/file.zip
• www.not_your_own_website.com/picture.jpg

• Post a link to the site, but not the file.
• Download the file to your computer and then re-upload it to your own site.
• Download the file to your computer and then re-upload it to a free hosting site like www.yousendit.com or www.imageshack.us.
• Upload the image to AHS as an attachment.
• Ask a staff member for help.

1. Spoilers warnings MUST be marked in the thread title. Staff members reserve the right to edit any thread title without notification to include spoiler warnings. Since spoiler warnings are required in thread titles, spoiler space is not required in the thread itself.
   ex. [Spoilers]
2. Do not post spoilers in the thread title. The thread titles can be seen on many parts of the forum and spoilers in thread titles would be nearly impossible to avoid. Staff members reserve the right to edit any thread title without notification to remove spoilers.
3. Please try and avoid posting spoilers in threads that aren't marked as spoiler threads. If you do, spoiler space is required. If a thread that isn't marked as a spoiler thread later contains unmarked spoilers, please contact a moderator so the situation can be rectified.
4. Do not post or request illegal copies of television programs or movies.
5. Do not post links to sites that contain, promote, or give instruction about illegally obtaining television programs or movies.
6. Though not required, the following tags are suggested for easy navigation:
   
   • [TV] or [Movie] for threads based on main subject.
   • [News], [Trailer], [Review], etc. for more specific subjects, along with the aforementioned tag.
   • General discussion can be left unmarked.
7. Of course, all basic rules outlined here also apply in the TV/Movie Chat Forum.