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TSN is about quality over quantity. I'm not recruiting more users for this site. There are more than enough users. In fact, the focus is on the best Saab Owners in the world. You will notice many forums focus on bickering and personal attacks but you will rarely ever see that here. This is a unique forum on the Internet in which smart, respectful people are having discussions with other smart, respectful people. Quality, not quantity. If someone tells you they lost their privileges here... they did something that showed they clearly did not fit that description.

As you read this site, be aware that people usually only post something when they are seeking answers and solutions to a problem. Most of the traffic will be geared towards problem solving. This doesn't mean Saabs have a lot of problems. It means that this is the place for Saab problem solving. In a recent poll on The Saab Network, over 90% of Saab owners responded that they would purchase another Saab (Past Polls). That says a lot about this car!

The web site is intended as an information resource and has been designed to efficiently accomodate one million users each month. Currently, about 200,000 Saabers visit each and every month. The flashy graphics of an entertainment site have been omitted, although you'll probably find it entertaining enough if you are a Saab fan.

Misusing the site or abusing the spirit of the site will result in restricted access (i.e. Although you will still be allowed to read the site, your posting privileges will be restricted). You are sharing this resource and should respect its purpose and contents. This is an advertising supported web site and as such is reserved first for those users loading the ad graphics. You may not make mass downloads of the site. If you do, you will be restricted from using the site. If the server detects that you are using ad blocking software against the TSN site, you will lose read and posting privileges and will be required to pay $24 to have your access reinstated.

I do make links to many other Saab sites on the Internet. However, I do not promote other Saab sites providing classifieds (or promoting a competing classifieds site on their home page) or English-based bulletin boards as these areas at this site help to support its existence. There are no exceptions.

The Saab Network was born out of the desire to get away from the flame-wars and personal attacks that dominated the USENET rec.autos newsgroup back in the late eighties. The Saab Network has been a moderated forum since 1988. The bulletin boards are not a free-for-all. Inappropriate postings are removed. If you have a problem or question with how the site is administered, the appropriate action is to contact me directly. I do not respond to messages on this topic that are posted on the public bulletin boards. Posting on this site is a privilege, not a right.

Common reasons why postings are deleted or people lose their access privileges.

• All (noname) posts automatically expire about once each week.
• All responses to a deleted message are also deleted to maintain thread context.
• Items For Sale, For Free, Wanted, or available in an auction may not be posted to the bulletin board. Please use the TSN Classifieds. If you post a car for sale/auction, you will find that you will lose your future posting privileges on the BB. Since there is no charge for ads to list items being given away for free, those items will be solely listed in the Free Items Classifieds area.
• Are you a New User Here?: If so, you should read this page thoroughly and then get to know the community that exists here. There are many folks who have been here ten years compared to your one day/week/month. If you show up and your first postings are all negative, you will be asked to leave. Like it says over and over and over again, this is a Saab enthusiast site. Your one-time post of a negative review of a Saab is useless here and will be removed. We want new members/friends who want to be a part of this community.
• "How much can I get for this car or part" postings are only allowed as long as you do not include any contact info including email address. All others are deleted.
• Personal attacks are deleted. Those who continue to engage in such behavior will lose their posting privileges. When you come across someone who claims to be 'banned' from this web site, please understand that the only way to lose access privileges is to do something very seriously wrong here. In the past, there have been people who have engaged in racism and even threats of violence against other users. These people have indeed been banned from the site. If someone says they have been banned, it is because they have an even bigger problem with their lives and which they have demonstrated through the gross inability to socially interact with others within an online community. Hopefully, by seeing that there are consequences to such grossly inappropriate behavior, they will modify their behavior on the next web site they join.
• Site administration issues are deleted. You should contact me directly. Any messages that start with, 'Scott - I have a question for you' should have been sent by email and will be removed. My email address is on every post I make.
• If you leave a (nm) [no message], subject only response that is either an insult or includes no useful comment, it will be removed.
• Posting someone else's email address in the clear is bad netiquette. Don't do it because I'll have to remove it.
• If you post something controversial, you have a responsibility to respond to questions or comments. If you post and do not return in a reasonable timeframe, your posting may be deleted.
• Sometimes people post or email me incredible personal attacks. I've even had one reader suggest I should be mortally (his exact word) afraid of how I run the site. Doing stuff like that will not only result in your posting being deleted, but will also result in loss of posting privileges. I work hard on this site and should not have to endure such attacks. Another quick way to lose your posting privileges is to accuse me of censorship. I take that as a direct attempt to carry out a very personal insult against me. If you cannot understand the difference between a moderated forum and censorship, you are not yet mature enough to use this site.
• If you use ad blocking software against the TSN site, you will lose all access privileges and will be required to pay $24 to have your access reinstated.
• A quick way to exit the site is to claim you're never going to own another Saab. Clearly, you don't want to establish any relationship with the site or users and you'll be helped to the door.
• Asking people to join your litigation against Saab on TSN will result in restricted access to the site.
• Monitoring the chat room without being logged in will result in the loss of your posting privileges. We've had some hacking in this area.
• Discriminatory remarks of any kind, including racist remarks, will result in your loss of privacy and immediate expulsion from this community. Threats of violence will cause the same result.
• If you have a Saab website and you promote other Saab classifieds on either your home page or many of your pages, please don't bother emailing me to ask why I don't allow you to post your site on TSN. It's obvious why your link is not allowed and I have a lot of email already.

Many people have offered, but I do not accept direct contributions. If you really want to support the site, you can do any of the following:

• Become an Official Saabnet.com Member! Get your Members only shirt, pin, and much more!
• Put a link to The Saab Network on your web site.
• Put The Saab Network Site User Decal on your Saabs - They're free!s.
• Buy something from The Saab Network gift area.
• Purchase a TSN Classified when you want to buy or sell something.
• Advertise your business on TSN - See the TSN Media Kit.
• Share your Saab knowledge on the TSN BB or mailing lists.

In the fall of 1988, I was using the Internet to try to find out more info about my 1985 Saab 900. I posted a note to the rec.autos newsgroup and instead of receiving useful info, I received many replies to the effect of 'you should have bought a Ford, BMW, Honda, etc etc etc...' At that time, I decided that Saab owners needed an Internet-based resource to discuss these cars. I created The Saab Network mailing list. Later, as the world-wide-web was born, the archived discussions were made into the initial TSN web site which has evolved into what you see today.

Note: This paragraph contains an important concept that is at the heart of The Saab Network (saabnet.com). TSN was created as a kind of 'safe haven' for Saab owners to enjoy discussing their cars without having to endure 'bashing' comments (e.g. Your Saab Sucks - you should've bought a BMW). The same applies within this site. If you've come here to bash a particular Saab model - you've come to the wrong site. This site does not support bashing other people's cars, no matter what the model. For each model, this site is here to support the owners and enthusiasts of that model. If you don't like a particular model, don't bother with it - in any way.

R. Scott V. Paterson, Creator and Moderator, The Saab Network

Since 1988, I've put an incredible number of hours into working on the site. Before 1997, every penny to cover every single cost of operating the site came directly out of my own pocket. I've never once asked anyone for a donation. The site is now fully supported by the Site Sponsors, so you can thank them for things like no pop up/under advertising by patronizing their businesses.

I run this site for Saab owners who are Saab enthusiasts. That doesn't include all Saab owners. I like to think I cater to the type of Saab folks I'd meet at a Saab Owners Convention. Most of all, I run the site in a manner that allows me to be happy doing this work because if running TSN did not make me happy, my wife would surely give me hell for spending as much time as I do on it. That said, in the 14+ years I've been running the site, I've had about one person a year who is equally enthusiastic about their displeasure in how I run the site and which usually includes some very personal insults. I don't think I should be subject to such abuse and subsequently, I don't grant access to the site to these individuals. This happens rarely and only to those that are incredibly rude or threatening - definitely someone I'd probably never meet at a Saab Owners Convention. Also, of those one per year people, about 80% of them only owned one Saab and no longer own it so they're no longer really concerned about accessing this site... ;-) Seriously though, if you've read this far, you'll know that The Saab Network was born out of frustration with passive Internet abuse in the rec.autos USENET newsgroup in 1988. I've been using the Internet since 1986 and the one part of the Internet that I find disheartening is that the keyboard combined with a lack of face to face interaction can make it easy for people to casually engage in what I call passive (and very direct) abuse of others... I mean, they're strangers, so who cares... This site is not made up of strangers and I care and I'm so tired of casual passive abuse on the net that I just won't allow this server to be a vehicle for it. The people who like and use this site are very respectful and friendly to each other and many great friendships have arisen through online interactions followed up by real-life interactions at local Saab club meets and National club conventions. We even mourned the loss of a good friend awhile back - it's actually a little scarey - the Internet gives us the power to expand our positive social interactions so much wider than ever before, but at the same time, when you expand your family, you chances of experiencing a tragic loss are increased too. The interactions on this site have proved to be worthy of that risk. I have met some of what will be my life-long friends here that would not have been possible otherwise. So, I care about the type of interactions that occur here.

Some people who have lost their privileges on this site complain that their freedom of speech is being limited. Freedom of speech, as protected by the constitution of my country (I live in the US and The Saab Network server is also based here in the US), doesn't mean that everyone runs their web site as you see fit; freedom of speech means that we each are free to set up our own web site and run it as we see fit. Set up a web site - run it as you see fit. That's what I am free to do here and that's what you are free to do also. That is what is meant by freedom of speech. You can spray paint a message on your garage door if you like, but I cannot spray paint my message on your door unless you invite me to do so, and even then you might not let me write anything I want. You may even ask me to tell you what I plan to write first before giving approval.

I hate to have to mention this and I know it will shock all the Saab folks I ever met face to face, but I do get threats. In a webmaster forum I participate on, I've been told by other publishers who have similar sized user-bases that this is not uncommon, but I have even received threats of violence. There is a wonderful Saab enthusiast who is a great fan of The Saab Network and she provides TSN with free legal counsel. I am to take threats of violence pretty seriously especially for the safety of my family and to allow various law enforcement agencies to act swiftly To date, I've only received two such threats that were serious enough to warrant reporting to the local police via a formal and filed report. The first occured just prior to SOC03 and since my wife was accompanying me, we wanted to make sure that nothing like this would happen and such a great Saab event. On June 29th, 2004, John Garland of Indianapolis IN made a threat of violence against me (amazingly enough in front of 16 other Saabers chatting at the time) and a report was filed the next day. I've been on the Internet since 1986 and it's come a long way in both bad and good senses. People use it to create amazing things and others use it to try to deliver messages of intimidation and violence. You will find that TSN does not cater to the latter and never will. Sad, but true.

Last but not least - thank you to those of you who have sent in notes of support. I wish I had saved all of those from the beginning like I do with the amazing positive Saab classifieds feedback (some hilarious). From what I have saved, I could make a little bed time book full of the positive side of running a high-traffic web site and the best news is they come in at a rate of about 1000-1 vs the ugly stuff. So, thank you to those that took the time write all those kind words - they literally keep me going and allow me to ignore the John Garland's of the world.

Thank you Saabnet.com Members. I'm focusing all of my future work on making this site full of features for those that have become members and by providing excellent response to member questions, bug reports, feature requests, and feedback.

-Scott

• Privacy Notice

From: Randy Kasal 
Subject: Re: Re: I met President Clinton at Starbucks tonight
To: saab

So, um, Scott, do you declare all income from the
Saabnet board?  I assume I will be back posting
tomorrow when I get off of work.

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