I knew I'd wind up getting rejected on my first try, and I sort of looked forward to the letter as a milestone.  "Aw see honey, my very first rejection letter!"  I thought about framing it.  But then, I have a warped sense of humor.   

Paige, excellent points. Seriously. However, I think they actually belong on the board themselves, rather than the EULA, because they're more specific than I intended to be. (And, on a side note, some folks can miss something while others totally get it, so it's a weird balance.)

Rough draft:
Welcome to the Cogni Writer’s Group.
This is a private board, the purpose of which is to aid its members with the production of and marketing of prose. This is a board of peers, and any account hierarchy is strictly due to the administration of the board.
To be a member of this group, you agree to the following:
1)   I shall respect the other members of this board, including respecting their intellectual property…in short, I shall not steal ideas or prose from other members, and they shall not steal from me.  I also understand that if this does happen, only the thief is responsible and accountable, not the administrators of this board, or the host (Invision.)
2)   I shall be courteous and offer constructive criticism to other’s prose. This does not mean I cannot be brutally honest, but my intention must be to aid the other authors, not to belittle them. Likewise, I should not just say that their work is the best thing since sliced bread unless I really mean it…authors cannot hone their craft without constructive criticism. I understand that others will be expected to treat me in the same fashion. I understand that constructive debate is encouraged, not just one-off criticism, because it can delve further into a subject and open up new avenues. I understand that this concept should not lead to flame wars, however. I understand that this is a conceit within this board, and that Real Life Editors ™ can be harsh and not prone to debate.
3)   There are no requirements on this board for members to read/review a certain amount before they can post their own work. It is therefore my own responsibility to let people know I have new work posted if I want people to review it. I understand that some authors may receive more attention from readers than others, because of this lack of structure. The reason for this board lacking such requirements is to encourage a stress free, creative environment. I do understand that despite this, I will be expected to comment on other’s work and participate in the community, rather than just post my prose and wait for the comments to flood in.
4)   I understand that there may be the occasional non-writer on the boards who is here to help. Likewise, it is possible that there may be authors who help, but don’t post their prose.
5)   I understand that I may recommend someone to join these boards, and that to do so, I need to tell the administrators…and have my recruit say that I sent them.

Comments?

- christian fantasy (fantasy in general has really been kicking christianity around for years and promoting wicca and new age religions.  I think this will backlash; I'm not even christian, and yet I really like Jim Butcher's Carpenter family, because it's christianity treated with respect, which is so rare in the genre.)

The subject of J.A. Konrath came up on another writer's forum today.  He was quoted as saying that he spends 80% of his time promoting and 20% writing.  While promotion is important, that seems a bit excessive.

All that promotion comes to nothing if you don't have a next book to put out.  And the only way to publish another book is to write another book.