Forum Rules (Updated 16/12/11)
Oct 29, 2010 8:28:21 GMT -8
Post by Heartless Hìppíe on Oct 29, 2010 8:28:21 GMT -8
We have rules for the chatroom posted, and people confuse the standard ToS of Proboards as being ours, although you are very much expected to adhere to Proboards'.
here are the rules for the forum that we expect every member to follow, beyond what they outline. More might be added in the future if staff members can think of anything that wasn't covered, but these are the basic rules of the forum as we have always followed. Up until now, having them be unwritten and implied has worked, but apparently we've got some kids on this site who don't understand the concept of freedom of speech and open discussion..
So, here we go.
Rule #1: Discussion of anything and everything is encouraged, just keep discussion topics in their designated places. No elaboration needed, as it's quite obvious.
Rule #2: A discussion cannot take place if the opposing sides of a topic are not being considered. If you can't stand talking to people you don't agree with, don't participate in discussions. Again, this should be obvious.
Rule #3: This site promotes freedom of speech. All opinions are accepted, but be ready to support yours if you enter into a discussion. We have a word filter in place, that you can turn on and off at your discretion. No words are prohibited otherwise. If someone's using a word that you find to be offensive, ask them to stop or even discuss with them why it offends you. If they're mature enough, they'll take your words into consideration and maybe even not use the word around you. Who knows? You might even change their mind and they'll stop using the word altogether. If you're not mature enough to even ask them to stop without demanding that they be punished for offending you, then Twilightsucks is not for you.
Rule #4: There are various types of trolls. The ones we ban are unfunny trolls that attack the site and/or its members directly. Just because what someone said offends you does not mean that they were attacking you. Pointing out that what you said was wrong and/or not thought out well is not attacking you. How does this interact with Rule #3? Quite simply. Just because someone said something that "offends" you is not grounds for punishment. What they said must be directed at you, another member of the site, or the site as a whole AND must be more of an insult than "you're a stupidhead". If you insult someone, don't complain about them insulting you, as you've made yourself fair game. If someone questions your intelligence, either prove them wrong or get on with life.
Rule #5: Staff members are, in fact, considered members of the site. If you say something specifically against one that's intended to offend, you've no one to blame but yourself if the banhammer falls on you. If you have a problem with a staff member, take it up with another staff member. Whether you believe it or not, we are not all the same person, we do have different points of view, and we don't always agree on things.
In addition, if a staff member does determine that you are an unfunny troll and should be banned, you are more than welcome to ask another staff member to look into the situation. Provided, of course, that you actually weren't an unfunny troll. Because we have differing backgrounds, what one deems to be banhammer-worthy might not be such to another. If you do request a reconsideration, it will be discussed amongst the staff as a whole.
Rule #6: There has been some questioning as to what the rules are regarding the posting of images. Basic rule of thumb is that if it's not safe for work, don't embed it, just link and provide a description. The exception to this rule is in the Artist's Venue, where people can seek critique of their art. The rule there is that if it's not safe for work, you say so in the subject of the topic.
Rule #7: Don't import drama. So you've been banned or got into a dispute on another site. Guess what-we don't want to know. If you have a problem on another site you need to take it up with the staff on that site. Don't bring it here and stir up trouble with other members of that site. We have enough drama on this site as it is, without more being imported here.
Just a note- If a post or a topic violates #4 or #6, please use the report button. Even though we try our hardest we can't be in every thread at once. Reporting a post is the quickest way to call it to our attention.
For those concerned, no. Unless you've been punished already, you won't be punished for breaking any of these rules if you broke them before they were posted.
Okay, so. We've covered pretty much all the rules we can think of. What happens when they're broken?
Well, we're not unreasonable, so this is how we do:
1. If what you did was only a mild offense (as determined by the staff member dealing with the situation), you'll get off with a warning. Better straighten up, though, because if you get three strikes, and rule-breaking tends to be habitual (so once you get that second, you've pretty much doomed yourself to get the third). *It's Important to know that deleting your account and/or creating a secondary account does not reset your warning level.*
2. If the offense was medium (again, as determined by the staff member dealing with the situation), or you've gotten your third strike, you get a temporary ban. A medium offense ban or third strike for mild offenses will be anywhere from a few days to a week, depending. As mentioned above, if you think you've been dealt with too harshly, you can plead your case with another staff member. Know, though, that we do talk to one another about problematic situations.
3. If the offense was harsh (..you know the drill by now..), you're going to get a much longer ban. Could be about a month, but that'll be determined by the person dealing with your case. Again, you can plead your case, but if you did something warranting a ban longer than a week, chances are good that more than one staff member was involved with the ruling.
4. If the offense was worse than that, or you're discovered to be a troll and not an actual member (and we will know the difference when we check your post history), have fun elsewhere. You'll probably have a better hope of convincing Meyer to accept criticism than having your ban lifted.
TSdC's Trolling Policy:
1. Twilightsucks.com does not promote trolling of other sites.
2. Any members who choose to troll other sites shall do so knowing that it is not done in the name of Twilightsucks.com.
3. Anyone who trolls in the name of Twilightsucks.com is a stupid noob, and shall be dealt with accordingly.
4. Anyone reading this far has, in fact, lost the game.
5.
?
6. Profit!
here are the rules for the forum that we expect every member to follow, beyond what they outline. More might be added in the future if staff members can think of anything that wasn't covered, but these are the basic rules of the forum as we have always followed. Up until now, having them be unwritten and implied has worked, but apparently we've got some kids on this site who don't understand the concept of freedom of speech and open discussion..
So, here we go.
Rule #1: Discussion of anything and everything is encouraged, just keep discussion topics in their designated places. No elaboration needed, as it's quite obvious.
Rule #2: A discussion cannot take place if the opposing sides of a topic are not being considered. If you can't stand talking to people you don't agree with, don't participate in discussions. Again, this should be obvious.
Rule #3: This site promotes freedom of speech. All opinions are accepted, but be ready to support yours if you enter into a discussion. We have a word filter in place, that you can turn on and off at your discretion. No words are prohibited otherwise. If someone's using a word that you find to be offensive, ask them to stop or even discuss with them why it offends you. If they're mature enough, they'll take your words into consideration and maybe even not use the word around you. Who knows? You might even change their mind and they'll stop using the word altogether. If you're not mature enough to even ask them to stop without demanding that they be punished for offending you, then Twilightsucks is not for you.
Rule #4: There are various types of trolls. The ones we ban are unfunny trolls that attack the site and/or its members directly. Just because what someone said offends you does not mean that they were attacking you. Pointing out that what you said was wrong and/or not thought out well is not attacking you. How does this interact with Rule #3? Quite simply. Just because someone said something that "offends" you is not grounds for punishment. What they said must be directed at you, another member of the site, or the site as a whole AND must be more of an insult than "you're a stupidhead". If you insult someone, don't complain about them insulting you, as you've made yourself fair game. If someone questions your intelligence, either prove them wrong or get on with life.
Rule #5: Staff members are, in fact, considered members of the site. If you say something specifically against one that's intended to offend, you've no one to blame but yourself if the banhammer falls on you. If you have a problem with a staff member, take it up with another staff member. Whether you believe it or not, we are not all the same person, we do have different points of view, and we don't always agree on things.
In addition, if a staff member does determine that you are an unfunny troll and should be banned, you are more than welcome to ask another staff member to look into the situation. Provided, of course, that you actually weren't an unfunny troll. Because we have differing backgrounds, what one deems to be banhammer-worthy might not be such to another. If you do request a reconsideration, it will be discussed amongst the staff as a whole.
Rule #6: There has been some questioning as to what the rules are regarding the posting of images. Basic rule of thumb is that if it's not safe for work, don't embed it, just link and provide a description. The exception to this rule is in the Artist's Venue, where people can seek critique of their art. The rule there is that if it's not safe for work, you say so in the subject of the topic.
Rule #7: Don't import drama. So you've been banned or got into a dispute on another site. Guess what-we don't want to know. If you have a problem on another site you need to take it up with the staff on that site. Don't bring it here and stir up trouble with other members of that site. We have enough drama on this site as it is, without more being imported here.
Just a note- If a post or a topic violates #4 or #6, please use the report button. Even though we try our hardest we can't be in every thread at once. Reporting a post is the quickest way to call it to our attention.
For those concerned, no. Unless you've been punished already, you won't be punished for breaking any of these rules if you broke them before they were posted.
Okay, so. We've covered pretty much all the rules we can think of. What happens when they're broken?
Well, we're not unreasonable, so this is how we do:
1. If what you did was only a mild offense (as determined by the staff member dealing with the situation), you'll get off with a warning. Better straighten up, though, because if you get three strikes, and rule-breaking tends to be habitual (so once you get that second, you've pretty much doomed yourself to get the third). *It's Important to know that deleting your account and/or creating a secondary account does not reset your warning level.*
2. If the offense was medium (again, as determined by the staff member dealing with the situation), or you've gotten your third strike, you get a temporary ban. A medium offense ban or third strike for mild offenses will be anywhere from a few days to a week, depending. As mentioned above, if you think you've been dealt with too harshly, you can plead your case with another staff member. Know, though, that we do talk to one another about problematic situations.
3. If the offense was harsh (..you know the drill by now..), you're going to get a much longer ban. Could be about a month, but that'll be determined by the person dealing with your case. Again, you can plead your case, but if you did something warranting a ban longer than a week, chances are good that more than one staff member was involved with the ruling.
4. If the offense was worse than that, or you're discovered to be a troll and not an actual member (and we will know the difference when we check your post history), have fun elsewhere. You'll probably have a better hope of convincing Meyer to accept criticism than having your ban lifted.
TSdC's Trolling Policy:
1. Twilightsucks.com does not promote trolling of other sites.
2. Any members who choose to troll other sites shall do so knowing that it is not done in the name of Twilightsucks.com.
3. Anyone who trolls in the name of Twilightsucks.com is a stupid noob, and shall be dealt with accordingly.
4. Anyone reading this far has, in fact, lost the game.
5.
?6. Profit!
