Welcome to Banners on the Parkway, the SBN blog about the Xavier Musketeers! We're glad to have everyone who chooses to stop by, but, in order to keep the discourse on a high level and the conversations civil, we ask that you abide by a few rules.

1. Political talk. This is a basketball blog, not a political one. Fans who read this blog come from all points in the political spectrum, but have one thing in common: they are Xavier fans. That's the community we want to cultivate here at Banners on the Parkway: a group of diverse individuals who love talking to each other about the Musketeers and basketball. Political debate is not something we want to bring into this community.

2. Personal attacks. In other words, steer clear of "you're an idiot" or "you suck." A good rule of thumb: attack a poster's ideas, not the poster himself/herself. We want this place to be somewhere where people can debate various topics with civility, not a demolition derby.

3. Trolling/flame-baiting. Trolling shouldn't be too much of an issue now that registration is required, but I wish to avoid flame-baiting as well. Posting incendiary content (posting "Chris Mack is an idiot" multiple times would qualify) in order to get a reaction out of other posters will not be tolerated.

4. Profanity. Avoid the Seven Dirty Words, and you'll be fine.

5. Snobbery. Users are not required to like The Republic of Wolves — though we can't imagine who wouldn't — and should not be badgered about it.

6. Comment Spam. This is dumping a bunch of links into a comment in order to boost a site's search engine ranking. First offense: banishment.

7. Sock Puppets. These are users with multiple accounts. This hasn't happened all that often, but we'd like to nip this in the bud before it becomes a bigger problem. If you've forgotten your password, e-mail us and we'll send you a reminder. Don't create a new account.

8. Blatant Site Pimping. Don't miscontrue the title; we have absolutely no problem with users mentioning their sites/blogs here, and in particular posting a FanShot with a link to one of your articles. The larger the Musketeers blogoshere, the better for all involved. But please do not post content verbatim from your website or blog. Post a proper FanShot link, and you'll get traffic. If you've started a new blog and would like to be added to our Xavier Blogroll, please e-mail either of us. Provided the blog (a) is relevant, (b) has original content, and (c) is updated regularly, we'll be happy to include it.

9. No subject line. This one is just a personal preference of the moderators. We find it helps the page flow more smoothly to not have it broken up by the bold subject line.

In short, treat this site like your local sports bar or your friend's living room. Spirited debate is great, boorish behavior is not. Enjoy, and go Muskies!