The Rules:

I.
What Voilà! wants to do is have thorough music discussion by all it's members to all of our readers. We're looking for posts such as:
a) Previews on bands, songs, albums, events, concerts, et. al.
b) Reviews on bands, songs, albums, events, concerts, et. al.
c) Discussions on music, such as with a genre, style of composing, instruments, musical theory, or anything else you can dream of!
d) Discussions on bands or artists specifically; whether it's their history til present time, or just your thoughts about them in general. This is very open to interpretation.
e) High Fidelity-esque lists: top 5/10 best [insert topic] lists. But please turn such articles into discussions on why so-and-so's song deserves their placement. If you don't understand this concept, you should go read High Fidelity.
f) Playlists! Mixing CDs for people is like a hidden sub-culture these days. If you feel like that last CD you burned was particularly profound, feature it. Trying to make playlists with themes in mind is interesting too. If you're intrigued, check out this site for more ideas/examples.
e) Finally, anything NOT listed that you can think of, that relates to music. Remember, if you're a writer for Voilà!, our blog is your blog. Speak as you wish about what you want, just try and keep it related to music.

One thing to note, Voilà! doesn't support numerical reviews. Don't compare a band/album/song to a number scale unless it's a top 5/10/etc. List of your own personal opinion. All sites grade albums and bands on a numerical scale, and we don't need them.



II.
This blog was made in the United States of America. Voilà! uses one of the most fundamental principles respected by the US people: freedom of speech. You can say what you want, how you want. Whether you're eloquent or profane, your writing is welcome. You can cuss if you wish, or choose not to; it's your choice. This is a liberal place; if you don't like naughty language, don't read it. We promise we'll keep it PG-13 though [see rule III].


III.
Be entirely aware, rule II is not a free invitation to spout off rudely or talk like a sailor (or rapper, for that matter). Cussing is welcomed, but still frowned upon; there are better words to use. Don't be racist or violent - there's nothing cool about that. If you're prone to the profane in your articles, and you cuss too much, you will be warned by the admin. to tone it down. If the down is not toned, you will be reprimanded; AKA, if you don't watch your mouth you could get kicked off the squad, kid. Try not to cuss too much. Also, verbally attacking or abusing ANYONE in any fashion, via comment or blog post, is serious business, and will not be tolerated. You will be in trouble, no exceptions. Just don't do it.


IV.
If you spam, you will be removed not only from Voilà!, but from Blogger. DO. NOT. SPAM.


V.
People who belong to bands: I know what you're thinking, "Tons of music lovers in one place, sweet! I'll plug my band." Good thinking. Yes, if you are in a band, you may post articles about your band. BUT BUT BUT, the deal is, don't over-expose yourself. This is not your band's blog, so updating about every step of your tour is not news to us. Don't blubber on and on about how great your own band is; that's just conceited, and you'll be removed from the blog. Futhermore, if you spam your band, you'll be kicked off. This doesn't mean you can't speak of your band though. We want to hear about it!, in a nice, proper manner. Talk about your new EP/LP, if you're launching on a new tour, or whatever, but limit it to a only a few posts; don't go crazy.


VI.
Unless you are the owner and/or proprieter to musical content, videos, or songs, don't upload downloadable content on Voilà!. File Sharing is nice, but generally no bueno, señors y señoritas. Voilà! wouldn't like to be involved in legal disputes. Any use of file sharing sites, unless you have permission to the content, will be deleted from your articles. BUT, if you still want to share stuff, feel free to post videos from YouTube, or share songs through 3rd party websites like Virb or iMeem. You can also link things in your blog to other sites, like Myspace pages with their music players, or anywhere else imaginable. Just nowhere with viruses please - make sure the site you link is safe and secure. You give bad link, you get in trouble.

Be warned though, if you're uploading the content to those 3rd party sites that doesn't legally belong to you, you do it on your own accord, and this blog claims no affiliation with your actions. We don't like the illegalities against music sharing either, but we're obeying the law, thanks.



VII.
Don't tamper with anything that is not yours or you know you shouldn't be tampering with. If you do something strange on this site, we'll notice, and you'll regret it. If you have any ideas or suggestions of any kind, approach one of the admins., and they'll help you out. Being a vigilante is so 90s.


VIII.
Don't post personal information on this site that could get you in trouble, or stalked and/or hunted by sexually hungry women (wait, that may be attractive... hunted by sexually hungry, CREEPY MEN!). You've heard this hundreds of times, of course. But if you post something personal on this blog, on your personal blog via blogger, or on your blogger profile, assume that anyone and everyone, including their newborn puppies, can see it. And who wants to be stalked by creepy men with newborn puppies?



IX.
If you post pictures, be entirely confident in doing so. Technically, if you are not the photographer, you need their photographer's permission. You can also give them credit. Give credit where credit is due, and leave a note about the picture you stole off of Myspace for whoever took it. A nice (and easy) thing to do is provide a link to the picture you use, or to the photographer's personal website.

Furthermore, don't go crazy and regurgitate pictures all over your article. It's very cluttered, that way. The only exception to this rule are coverages of live concerts, but even in this event, don't go overboard; provide a link to a photo-sharing site with more pictures. Use the rule of thumb that for every 2-3 paragraphs you write, you can upload a single picture.


X.
This is a MUSIC blog. Now, music encompasses a wide variety of things, from films, to motion picture soundtracks, music technology, music instruments, song composition, radio - what have you. Therefore, the term "music related" is relative to general interpretation. As long as all articles are directed sort-of toward music, there is no problem. But if it is deemed that your article isn't living up to the standards, it'll be asked to be removed via e-mail, or comment.

XI.
To maintain some sort of normalcy to Voilà!, I [Chris] might make an edit or two to an article you post. Like add a photo, or spell check, or make some links out of some of the words. Very minor stuff. I have no right changing your actual material, so I'm definitely not going to.





Just remember, rules about your personal writing aren't too strict. These rules are open to personal interpretation. You won't get kicked off the blog if you review a movie once or twice, or discuss something random. Just remember, this blog is directed to music, and isn't your personal blog - everyone will see everything you say, and likely will respond to it.

Furthermore, this isn't your online diary, or LiveJournal. Again, we're looking for MUSIC discussion, not what your weekend was like. I know the story of you getting hammered with your friends is hilarious, but don't forget, you can always create a personal blog with your Blogger account. We can find out about you there.


If you have any questions, feel free to ask me [Chris], further information. I can tell you everything you need to know. Welcome to Voilà!