From Craig Barnes:

PhinsBlog.com has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for PhinsBlog.com.

Information Automatically Logged

We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our website. The IP address is not displayed anywhere on the website.

Cookies

This site uses cookies to store comment profile information.

Advertisers

Now or at some time in the future, we may use an outside ad company to display ads on our site. These ads may contain cookies. While we use cookies in other parts of our website, cookies received with banner ads are collected by our ad company and we do not have access to this information.

Registration Forms

This site currently does not require registration to comment or view.

External Links

This site contains links to other sites. PhinsBlog.com is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites. However, we do moderate comments, in line with our User Guidelines, as to minimize the impact of inappropriate content that enters our website.

Security

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Data Quality and Access

This site gives users the following options for changing and modifying information previously provided:

1. You can e-mail the administrator: patrick@ifroggy.com.

Contacting the Website

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site or your dealings with this website, please contact us at patrick@ifroggy.com.

Would you like to blog at PhinsBlog.com? Please keep in mind that PhinsBlog.com is an unofficial Miami Dolphins fan blog. We're looking for true Dolphins fans that support the team and root for them through thick and thin. We're a little different in that we want to create a family friendly atmosphere based upon respect - for all teams, including the Dolphins. We work hard to maintain this through our editorial standards and User Guidelines.

If this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, please contact us with some background information on yourself, your experience in writing, etc. You don't need a lot of experience, but you need to be driven and you need to take pride in your work. There is no pay in the form of monetary compensation (although there are other benefits here and there), but we are very flexible and do not require a lot of activity on your part to remain a PhinsBlog.com Blogger.

Thank you for your interest.

I live in Harbinger, North Carolina. I have been a Dolphins fan since birth. My first favorite player was Dan Marino. After he retired, it was Sam Madison. But, now that he has left... I don't have one.

I've been to Dolphins Stadium (then Joe Robbie Stadium) once. It was for the 1992 Division Playoff game against the Chargers that the Dolphins won 31-0.

As far as non football, I own the iFroggy Network, of which this site is a part. I wrote a book on internet community management called Managing Online Forums. I like sports (obviously), writing, investing, music, TV (House, 24, The Simpsons, , The War at Home, Family Guy), reading and plenty of other things.

Participation in the PhinsBlog.com website constitutes agreement to the following guidelines, which apply to comments, profile information, any other content on this site and participation in general.

Because of the live nature of the discussions on this website, it is not possible for us to review and/or confirm the accuracy or validity of a comment before it is posted. If you believe that someone has violated our User Guidelines or you have spotted content that may otherwise require attention, please contact us with a link to the content and a brief description of what you believe is wrong. Notification is voluntary and anonymous, but in no case should a user respond to a situation personally, thereby aggravating the situation further. Responding to a violation in an inflammatory manner is a violation in itself and will result in appropriate action.

This is a for profit website that will attempt to generate revenue through avenues that we deem appropriate. Any content that violates our User Guidelines will be removed. Interpretation of our guidelines is at the discretion of the staff.

1. Cross posting is not allowed and will result in the removal of one or more comments. Cross posting is defined as posting the same information in two or more locations. When posting your comment, please try to post it in the most appropriate place. Identical comments posted on the same or different entries will be removed.

2. Advertisements are not allowed. Generally speaking, comments made specifically for the promotion of a website, product or service are considered advertising or, at least, posts made that unnecessarily send people to a website that you are in some way affiliated with. It does not matter if it is a commercial website, a personal website, a non profit website, etc. We do authorize and/or sell advertisements on a case by case basis. If you are interested in utilizing this option, please contact us.

Please no signature links. In our comment form, we offer you the ability to provide a URL which will be linked from your name on your comment. Please take advantage of this option instead. Anyone found to be posting excessive links to their websites or suspected of using "sneaky" advertising methods is in violation of this guideline. You may only post a link to your site/a site that you are in some way affiliated with if the link specifically answers the question that is being asked and the answer cannot be simply posted without the link or is not greatly enhanced by the link. Even then, link directly to the page where the information can be found. You may not comment on an entry to say "here is my take on the issue" with a link to a blog entry at your site, unless you have mentioned the entry from our site in your entry and your comment is acting as a direct TrackBack from our entry to your entry. General and unnecessary links will be tagged as advertising. If you are found to be excessively posting links to your site (or you appear to be seeking out entries where your link may be relevant, so that you can post it), you may lose the ability to post links to your site.

3. You are not allowed to post an affiliate URL that leads to you earning cash, banner impressions, credits, points, etc. Such links are only allowed as your comment form URL link, but may not be referred to in comments.

4. Do not post personal, real life information such as home addresses and home phone numbers.

5. As this is an English speaking website, we require that posted content be in the English language, so that it can be well received and properly monitored.

6. Vulgar language and inappropriate material is not allowed and will be removed. Abbreviations, self censoring and attempts to circumvent the word censoring feature of the blog software also violate this guideline. If your comment contains a word that is censored by the software, you must remove that word or the comment will be removed. If you feel that the censor is acting in error, please contact us.

We try to maintain a family friendly atmosphere whenever it is possible within the main subject matter of this website. Please keep this in mind when participating.

7. When linking to outside websites, you must ensure that the content of the link is appropriate for our website, in line with the guidelines laid out here. This includes mentioning or referencing a site, even if the mention is not hyperlinked. If you post a link and that link is automatically censored, it is considered to be an inappropriate link and you should remove it from your post immediately. If left, all posts that feature inappropriate links will be removed.

8. Comments that discuss illegal activities, transactions or websites such as warez, cracks, etc. will be removed. This includes the posting of information that you have obtained illegally.

9. Political and religious discussions are not allowed on this website. If it is believed that the end result of a discussion will be political or religious, the comment may be removed. Likewise, strong political and religious sentiments should be kept out of usernames and other content.

10. Do not post copyrighted materials (articles, videos, audio, etc.) that you do not have permission to reproduce or distribute. For text articles, most of the time you may quote a small portion of the article (usually no more than 1/5 or 1/6) and link to/provide the source. Posting the entire article, even with the source, constitutes copyright infringement. This is not the place to illegally trade or distribute copyrighted (or those with questionable copyright status) video or audio clips.

11. When posting and linking to images, videos, files, etc., please refrain from hotlinking. This is the direct linking to of images (.jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, etc.), video (.avi, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, etc.), audio (.mp3, .wav, etc.), archives (.zip, .rar, etc.) or otherwise downloadable or streamable files, on servers that you do not have permission to link to, instead of linking to the page where the item can be found. This includes providing a direct link to the file, even if that file is not embedded into your comment. This practice costs the server owner money and resources.

12. Respect is the name of the game. You must respect your fellow members. Please refrain from inflammatory and defamatory comments as well as flaming, taunting and general disrespect. Do not simply put down the opinion or advice given by others. If you don't agree with it, say why - respectfully. Don't just tell them they're wrong. Do not make uninvited remarks about typos, duplicate posts, posting styles, etc.

When an opinion based discussion is being had, do not state things like "there is no argument" as if your opinion is the only one or the only one that matters. When someone has clearly stated their opinion, do not say things like "Are you serious?" and "Are you kidding me?" Remember, this is not a debate club. This is a place for friendly discussion. Allow people to have their opinion. No one is to act as some sort of opinion judge, responding to each one to say whether they agree with it or not or whether or not it is a valid, well thought out opinion.

13. Automated participation and content scraping is not permitted.

14. We know that people will have to leave our website (of their own free will or otherwise) from time to time and to that end, we do not delete comments or other content posted on our website. All content is granted to us with perpetual electronic publishing rights because any content posted on this website becomes a part of the website, even if you no longer are. You may request an item to be removed at any time, but we will decide when and if to remove content from our website.

15. Staff members have the final say on anything. If you have a problem, you may make a complaint to them directly and not publicly on the website. Posting comments that question or reference administrative decisions or potential administrative decisions, such as comment removals, is not permitted. We are not perfect and if you feel that we have made a mistake, please privately contact us and we will review the situation. If you would like a copy of your removed comment so that you can adjust it and repost, please contact us. As long as we wouldn't prefer you to simply start over, we'll be glad to send you a copy, if we have one.

16. If you ever need clarification on any part of our User Guidelines or have a question, suggestion, a bit of feedback or a problem with the site, please feel free to contact us directly to ensure that it receives the proper attention. Please do not post it as a comment as it will be removed.

17. Whenever you are participating in this website, please keep in mind that we strive to create a fun, friendly and inviting atmosphere. So, please have fun and enjoy the website!

Freedom of speech rights do not extend to privately owned websites, such as this one. These guidelines detail the types of behavior and activities that are allowed here.

If a user violates our guidelines and shows a disregard for them, our staff and our website, they run the risk of losing their ability to participate. We reserve the right to block any individual and to edit or remove any content without warning. These guidelines are subject to change at any time without notice.

Do you have a question about our User Guidelines or anything else? Do you have a suggestion? Do you want to offer some feedback? Or are you experiencing some trouble with the site? Well, no matter what it is, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be glad to help in any way that we can.

Thank you for visiting PhinsBlog.com.

Please keep the following guidelines in mind while blogging on PhinsBlog.com. We don't try to hide it - we are Dolphins fans. We are in the corner of Dolphins players, are supportive of them and loyal to them. Heck, we love them. And we blog from that perspective. This is the truth and the reason you are writing for PhinsBlog.com. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Posting Entries

This is a blog about the Miami Dolphins, so stick to the Miami Dolphins. For instance, who cares if the Patriots signed so and so? Ok, we do. But, we're not a New England Patriots blog. If the Patriots (for example) sign someone - talk about how it affects the Dolphins and how it relates to the Dolphins, don't just report it.

Being a part of this team is a responsibility. At the minimum, you should make 3 posts per week, if not more, if the opportunity presents itself. There is plenty to blog about. Plenty of news, plenty of action. You should make blogging a part of your daily routine. That doesn't mean you have to blog every day, but it does mean you should see if there is something to blog about.

When adding a blog post, feel free to use the formatting options (bold, italic, etc.) that are available. Likewise, feel free to upload photos for use within your piece. Make sure that these photos are positioned appropriately and optimized for web viewing. If you do not know how to do that, please do not upload images. Do not ever hotlink images to another server. They should always be uploaded to ours.

Always check to make sure that what you are blogging about hasn't already been blogged about. No one wants to see "Dolphins trade for Culpepper" posted twice, unless there are updates in the story or you are speaking from a very different perspective (analysis).

If your entry is going to extend more than a full screen length, place the first few paragraphs in the body field and then place the rest in the extended field.

In Season Recaps

During the season, we'll have a basic schedule for recap posting. This means that specific people will be responsible for posting recaps for specific games. We should post a recap for every single game as there are only 16 games in a year, plus playoffs. Obviously, if you get sick or have an emergency, don't worry about it. If you have a planned absence, please try to notify me ahead of time.

If it is a 1 PM or 4 PM game, the recap should be posted on the day that the game is played. If the game is played later in the day, the recap can be posted the day after, such as the next morning.

A recap can consist of any number of things. You can include descriptions of key moments, notable events (career milestones, players being thrown out of the game, injuries, fights, etc.), notable performers, stats and so on. After you finish your recap, you may want to mention what is in store for the Dolphins next week.

On occasion, if your schedule permits, you may want to live blog the game. Live blogging a football game is basically updating your entry throughout the game (such as after each drive). It is basically play by play done through the blog. You simply "edit" your entry to include new info, hit the "Edit Item" link, go back and do it again. Over and over again. As soon as you enter something new, hit the "Edit Item" button so that it is added on the site. The idea is that people can reasonably keep up with the game by refreshing the blog entry. Live blogging a game is not, in any way, required. It is simply an "if you enjoy it, want to do it and have time" thing.

Family Friendly

Bear in mind that this is a site for all ages. How you write should be in line with this. This includes no vulgarity or offensive material. What is a vulgarity? Basically any type of profanity that you can think of. I don't want you saying cr*p, ars*, as*, pis*, etc. The worst words you can use are heck and freaking, if that gives you any idea. If you are quoting someone who used those words, please sub asterisks (*) in for every letter except for the first one in the word.

Do not make any inflammatory comments. No Patsies, etc. No "anti" comments. We can be critical, but to come out and say "anti" something is to cross a line and that's not what this site is about.

Politics and Religion

Please keep politics and religion out of your posts. Obviously, things like "President Bush was in attendance today" and "My prayers go out to him" are perfectly acceptable, but giving or inferring views in these areas is not acceptable.

Styling

When quoting a news piece, article, etc. only quote small, relevant bits and pieces. Always link directly to the piece you are quoting and encase the quote with <div class="quote"></div>. Place a line break between the last line of text before the quote and the quote itself. Place the opening tag on the same line as the first line of the quote and place the closing tag on the same line as the last line of the quote. If you type anything below the quote, start it on the very next line, do not put a line break between the </div> and your next line. For example:

Here is a quote about Dan Marino:

<div class="quote">Dan Marino was the greatest quarterback ever to play the game.

We were lucky to have drafted him.</div>
Next line starts here.

Do not double space to begin a new sentence.

Break your post into meaningful paragraphs (no indentation). Do not post one big block of text.

Spell words according to their correct spelling in the United States. So, color instead of colour, etc.

Spelling is important. Make sure that you spell check your entry before you post it. If you are an Internet Explorer user, check out ieSpell. If you use another browser, some sort of plugin is most likely available for it.

If you use an ellipsis, make it three periods (...).

Specific Words/Terms

PhinsBlog.com is the name of the site. Not Phinsblog, not Phinsblog.com. PhinsBlog.com is it. It can be abbreviated to PB.

Stat abbreviations should always be in caps. As in TD, INT - not td, int. Do not add periods in between each letter. The same goes for positions. QB, WR, RB, TE and not qb, wr, rb, te.

American Football Conference/National Football Conference/National Football League, not american football conference/national football conference/national football league. Can be abbreviated to AFC/NFC/NFL.

The issues of styling and the formatting of specific terms and words may not seem like very important issues - but they are. At PhinsBlog.com, we want to offer Dolphins fans something of real value - content worth reading. Consistency is important because it allows us to accomplish this and that is why styling rules exist.

Linking

The nature of blogging is the giving and sharing of information. To that end, most of our ideas for content will come from other sources. Always mention and link to these. If you are updating something we may have previously written, link to that old entry.

One exception is links to your own sites. If you intend to post one of those, please let me know first so that I can approve it. Do not post links to outside sites that lead to you earning cash, credits, etc.

Long Posts/Short Posts

Long posts are fine. Short posts are fine. Use your discretion and I will let you know if there are any issues. When you post a bit of news, try to give your thoughts on it. However much that amounts to is usually alright. Not every post is going to or should be long.

Posting to the Future

If we have already published a long piece today and you have a long piece in mind that is not time sensitive, the software that we use can post to the future. So, you can make a post that will appear in the future at a specific time of your choosing (such as tomorrow).

Posting Corrections, Editing Entries, etc.

Mistakes happen. Although we do our best to prevent it, sometimes we will post something that is incorrect. Whether it is a factual error where you thought you knew something you didn't or a typo. However, mistakes generally can't just be corrected. When you edit or update an entry to correct a mistake, make a note of it near the correction or in the entry, such as "Edit: It was 5 attempts, not 7." If a reader pointed it out to you, add "Thanks Reader's Name."

Finding News to Post About

You can find news and items to talk about in a number of places. Our links page is a great place to go as are the blog links in the side menu. Feel free to frequently check these links out. Ideally, whenever there is a notable news item, an entry should be posted. That won't always be the case, but keeping up with Dolphins news is part of the job.

Site Related Content

If you are planning some sort of entry that is related to PhinsBlog.com and/or uses the PhinsBlog.com user base in any way (such as a fantasy football league, a survey, anything), please clear it with me ahead of time.

Responding to Comments

People won't always agree with you, that's the way it is. But, you shouldn't debate every little point with them. You are the blog author. You had your say in the entry. Allow people to have their opinion. Allow people to comment. Do not get defensive. Do not feel like you have to address every point. If you feel inclined to respond, that's fine, but keep in mind that our User Guidelines and then some apply to you. More is expected from you than a regular visitor to the site. You are an example of PhinsBlog.com and must carry yourself as such. Let people have their say and do not get into arguments with them.

Comment Moderation

It is currently not in your power to moderate comments. This may change in the future. However, you should have a complete knowledge of our User Guidelines so that you can spot a violation. When you spot one or believe that you have spotted one - do not respond to it.

Finally

I reserve the right to edit any entry at any time without reason or notice. If I contact you in regard to a change, I expect you to be receptive to that change and to do your best to keep it from happening again.

In everything that you do here, be responsible. When you blog, you have a responsibility to me, to the readers, to the people that you talk about and to yourself. Be tasteful. We are not hear to be snarky or mean spirited, we are here to give people something worth reading and to be responsible in doing so.

If there is ever any question as to whether or not your piece or proposed piece will be appropriate, please contact me at patrick@ifroggy.com and I will give you a definitive answer. It is always best to do this as opposed to risking having your piece pulled.

Likewise, if you ever have any question about anything (including the blog software, etc.), please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your contributions to PhinsBlog.com.

In order to blog on PhinsBlog.com, you must agree to the blogger agreement, which is detailed below.

Please fill out the form fields below, read the agreement, make your selection and press the Submit button. Thank you.

PhinsBlog.com Blogger Agreement

Name:
E-Mail:

1. By blogging on PhinsBlog.com, I am testifying to the fact that I am the author of the writing that I submit.
2. These works shall be exclusive to PhinsBlog.com and cannot be published elsewhere without permission.
3. I grant perpetual electronic publishing rights for my submitted writing to PhinsBlog.com. This means that PhinsBlog.com can display my submitted articles on their website and that I cannot demand that they be removed at any point in time.

PhinsBlog.com reserves the right to edit articles for style, grammar, accuracy or any other reason as we see fit.

Do you accept this agreement?
YesNo

Official Sites

Miami Dolphins

Official Player and Coach Sites

Dan Marino
Don Shula
Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club
Jason Taylor
Jim Jensen
Larry Czonka
Offerdahl's Cafe Grill
Ronnie Brown
Seau's The Restaurant
Shula's On The Beach

Official Charity Sites

Association for Better Child Care, Development & Education
Junior Seau Foundation
The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis
The Dan Marino Foundation
The Russell Life Skills and Reading Foundation

News, Media, etc. Sites

CBS Sportsline.com
ESPN.com
FOX Sports
MiamiHerald.com
NFL.com
Orlando Sentinel
Palm Beach Post
Pro Sports Daily: Miami Dolphins News
Pro Sports Daily: Miami Dolphins Rumors
SI.com
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
SportingNews.com
Wikipedia
Yahoo! Sports

Other Dolphins Sites, Fan Sites, etc.

Phinfever
Phins.com

Research, Data, etc. Sites

Pro-Football-Reference.com

General Football Sites

Football for Breakfast

Other Sites

RedTram News Search Engine

If you would like to place a link to us on your website, please feel free to use one of the graphics below. We appreciate your support.

If you have any questions, suggestions or a bit feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us using the form below or via e-mail at patrick@ifroggy.com.

Thank you for visiting PhinsBlog.com.

Your Name
Your E-Mail Address
Your Message

Mailing Address

PhinsBlog.com
c/o iFroggy Network
P.O. Box 243
Harbinger, NC 27941