Before your heart stops, I'm not posting up rules. I'm putting up a thread where we can talk about which matters should be addressed and which shouldnt. I would put this in the site suggestion portion but I know most people will be attending this.

Please post serious suggestions. I will speak with KJ and anyone else who wants to actively get involved in this and post a set of rules and guidelines for everyone to critique.

Well here goes


1.Cussing- I dont think it should be inforced NEARLY as much as it was on BOM, but at the same time not let it me jsuta vile place....cussing is really not that big a deal unless like every other word becomes one, then it just gets old

2.Spam-Now a goofy thread every now and then is all good...but you know what I mean


Thats what i cant think of for now

This is what I came up with: Tell me what you guys think:

cept for 1 rule here or there (because those might have to be more rigidly enforced) i kept a most somewhat open ended because I want them to be applied in moderation. Thats why I prefer calling them guidelines more than anything. I've sent a copy to eagle and now I'm hoping for you guys to look over them and comment

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1. Profanity: It is encouraged to avoid the use of profanities when posting, though it is not an offense.

2. Obscenity: Explicit nudity will not be allowed on the forum. Explicitly violent images will also not be allowed on the forums.

3. Duplication of threads: Duplicating a thread already in existance will be discouraged, and in most cases, will be locked with a message pointing to the relevant thread to post in.

4. Duplicate Accounts: 1 user will be entitled to no more than one account at any given time. Banned users must make a request to the administrators for posting previledges. Banning of posters on this site will occur in the most extreme cases so if you were banned, there is very good reason why the community does not want you back on the forums.

5. Crediting stories and copyright material: Avoid posting entire articles as they may be copyrighted material. Falsifying stories or quotes will result in indesirable consequences.

6. Warning/Bannings: Anyone not following the rules/guidelines or not conforming to moderator requests on the boards will be warned. If a member is still not conforming, a temporary ban will be placed and if this behavior continues upon their return, a permament ban will be enforced. At this point, if members on this forum feel the banning was unjust, an open forum may result allowing for both point of views to be voiced.

7. Personal Attacks: Avoid personal attacks. Though they may be healthy for all forums, attacks getting out of control WILL cause the moderators to step in and take appropriate action.

8. Member input: Please advice the moderators and administrators of the site of your concerns. This may be regarding the behavior of another member, problems with the site or anything that may concern the forum directly.

9. Moderation: It will be the administrator's and the moderator's job to moderate this forum. While the rules and guidelines will not be extremely rigid on the forums, the moderators will step in if this leniency is abused.

Note on Moderation: Moderation extends beyond just the rules and guidelines. Moderators will reserve the right of informing posters to change the way they format text if it harms the user experience for members on this site or informing and requesting changes to any other matter they feel may be relevant.

FINAL WORD
Treat the above 9 points as guidelines. While abstaining from posting explicitly violent or sexual images is a must, the other rules will only cause moderators and the administrators to step in if they feel they are being abused.

I think there should only be a couple rules...Also, this isn't BOM. We don't have a business to run.

Also, I don't like the profanity rule because then I can't have my avatar up. And I won't do that.

On another note, rules should be placed to prevent moderators from abusing their powers.

For the Users:
1. Spam - Spam will not be allowed. While it is a broad term, try to demonstrate some moderation. Don't make five threads within ten minutes that ask yes or no questions. Try to be thoughtful in your posts. That doesn't mean 5-10 lines, but, try to say something. I know Maverikk brought this up at BOM, and I don't want to stress it too much here. We're here to have fun, but I personally don't want to see a user who doesn't have anything to add except a smiley.

2. Obscenity - Images that show skin are allowed, but total porn (or pictures that show breasts/etc.) will be deleted, as the age limit to register and post on these boards is thirteen. To legally look at such images, a web host is required to ask whether the user is eighteen. So, while I know you probably lie and click it anyways, you won't find anything here.

3. Plagiarism - No. Just. No. Don't rip off other people's articles. If you want to post a full article, you must cite it and either put it in quotation marks or make use of the quote function.

4. Profanity - Don't use profanity to attack other members. We all need to have people poke fun at us at some point, but, this is a place to have a good time, so, don't get hostile with the attacking. Don't start using racist remarks, like "kike" or "nigger". Such will not be allowed.

5. Duplicate Threads - We want a nice looking forum, so if the topic is being covered elsewhere or already has been, it'll automatically be merged into another thread, with a note from a moderator, or it'll be closed.

6. Duplicate Accounts - Not allowed. If you want a name change, contact Eagle or wdw04.

7. Advertising - Feel free to plug something of yours, just don't plug it in a fourth of your posts.

For the Administration/Moderators:
1. Regarding the Board - Moderators will answer all questions related to the forum. E-mail is another great tool, and, if the moderator doesn't mind, feel free to contact them on a messaging program.

2. Warnings - Moderators will notify all members beforehand of any violation of rules. A warning will be private.

3. Removal of Threads/Closure of Threads - Moderators will post the specific rule it violates and add a comment that expands on the reasoning behind the closure.

4. Bannings - Bannings will be private, but, people questioning a particular ban will have their questions answered. Three instances of a broken rule will be enough to constitute a banning, as long as the member has been alerted. Thus, if I go and scream "FUCK ZINGALING" in three threads, and I haven't yet been warned once, I won't be banned. A temporary ban or a permanent ban will depend on the extent of the situation.

I like torrino's rules as well :?

torrino's rules sound good to me

I like your idea for moderator accountability.
I'm sure to add something in like that.

The profanity rule:
I have a small issue with this. Which is why I kept it open ended. I think your avatar itself would not be a problem but your profanity rule allows a person to post in the form:

"F this movie. This movie is fing stupid. Anyone who likes this movie is fed up. This is fing unbelievable. F this, f that"

While one post like this is no problem, a poster engaging in this very frequently will become plain annoying.

a) I say we work together and create a more compromising profanity rule (so we can all be happy)

b) I like your spam rule. So lets add that.

c) I'll add the plagerism rule to the existing "other sources" rule.

d) The duplicate A rule is already put up. I'll tweak it to incorporate the merging point.

e) Advertising. Ask Eagle about this.

f) Moderator accontability. I actually wanna improve on that point of yours and add some more responsibility.

g) Warning, and banning I think I covered already. I'll tweak it again to allow for more levy and a better understanding. Give me time till I come home : )

Keep in mind that even though this is not a business, some rules are mainly put up to cover Eagle's ass and will probably need enforcing. Its not about business but just some legality issues .....

I agree about the cussing. So it basically just in Moderation? Cussing that is, and not making it every other word every single post one makes?

Hmm. Well, the porno rule I put was added for that purpose: to cover up Eagle's ass.

As for the profanity, I think we should compromise. A person won't be banned for profanity (a la rusty) unless they have been violating another rule (and put the thing I wrote about bashing other users/racist remarks as another rule). Basically, I have low expectations for someone who writes "Anyone who watches this movie is a little fucker". Chances are, they'll break another rule.

1. Profanity: You are allowed to express yourself using profanities and swear words. However, the mods will be forced to step in and take action if
(a) The members are engaging in excessive swearing/profanities that serve little to no purpose (the measure of this is left to the member's and moderator's descretion)
(b) are targeted towards other members of the forum.

2. Obscenity: Explicit nudity will not be allowed on the forum. Implicit nudity is fine. Explicitly violent images will also not be allowed on the forums. The explicit nature of any image posted up will be determined by the moderators.

3. Duplication of threads: Duplicating a thread already in existance will be discouraged, and in most cases, will be locked with a message pointing to the relevant thread to post in.

4. Duplicate Accounts: 1 user will be entitled to no more than one account at any given time. Banned users must make a request to the administrators for posting previledges. Banning of posters on this site will occur in the most extreme cases so if you were banned, there is very good reason why the community does not want you back on the forums.

5. Crediting stories and copyright material: Avoid posting entire articles as they may be copyrighted material. Falsifying stories or quotes will result in indesirable consequences. This site will not tolerate any kind of Plagiarism whatsoever. If you haven't written something, credit it. Or do not post it.

6. Language: You may speak in any language you wish. Members will be requested to be civil towards each other and not engage in any kind of racial slurs whatsoever. The moderators realize that there are occasions where certain undesirable words may be used in a discussion topic. The moderators will reserve the right to judge if it will pass for an offense or not.

7. Warning/Bannings: Anyone not following the rules/guidelines or not conforming to moderator requests on the boards will be warned. If a member is still not conforming, a temporary ban will be placed and if this behavior continues upon their return, a permament ban will be enforced. At this point, if members on this forum feel the banning was unjust, an open forum may result allowing for both point of views to be voiced.

note: does not mean that your second offense will automatically result in a temporary ban. If the moderators feel that someone may have acted outside the parameters of the guidelines without realizing though, the member will be warned again, not banned. Once again, this is upto the descretion of the moderators and administrators.


7. Personal Attacks: Avoid personal attacks. Though they may be healthy for all forums, attacks getting out of control WILL cause the moderators to step in and take appropriate action.

8. Member input: Please advice the moderators and administrators of the site of your concerns. This may be regarding the behavior of another member, problems with the site or anything that may concern the forum directly.

9. Moderation: It will be the administrator's and the moderator's job to moderate this forum. While the rules and guidelines will not be extremely rigid on the forums, the moderators will step in if this leniency is abused.

Note on Moderation: Moderation extends beyond just the rules and guidelines. Moderators will reserve the right of informing posters to change the way they format text if it harms the user experience for members on this site or informing and requesting changes to any other matter they feel may be relevant.

10. Moderator and Administrator accountability: The site allows the administrators and moderators to exercise a certain amount of power. Having said that, members are encouraged to bring into question a moderator's or an administrator's actions. In such a situation, the administrators and moderators are REQUIRED to provide a good explanation and if this is not to the liking of the members of the forum, an open discussion will take place to see how a compromise between the 2 parties may be reached for that instance and for future reference.

Furthermore, all threads locked or moved will be accompanied by a reason from the moderator closing the thread. If this is again, not to the liking of the forum members, the moderator's actions will be called into question.

FINAL WORD
Treat the above 9 points as guidelines. While abstaining from posting explicitly violent or sexual images is a must, the other rules will only cause moderators and the administrators to step in if they feel they are being abused.

Eagle, I rephrased and went into detail for clarity so it could be more to your liking. please critique it and tell me what you think. I think this one handles the profanity issue much better, makes moderators more accountable even if i write a lot about moderator's descretion (I only put in that part so a mod can indeed know when he can close or report something ... but then covered the members here with rule 10 where every MOD action can only be called into question but requires an answer and an open debate to each a compromise for that instance or future instances.

Hope you like it.

2 or 3 rules wouldnt have covered any ground really. I'm hoping to put in some structure, but just making sure nothing gets rigid other than the porno and plag rule.

Oh, i added this one as well. there are not always 3 steps to get to a ban. people can make mistakes sometimes and if someone hasnt made an offense in like 6 months and makes another one on another issue, that will probably result in another warning, not a temp ban.

Ya. The profanity issue is better. I'd mention racist remarks though. Fuck, Shit, Bitch, Cunt, Asshole don't do much, but hearing someone call me a "kike" is much worse.

Look at number 6. That covers racial issues.

Avaiator Rule- Don't make it excessively big. No bigger than how big the box really is. No pornographic in it either. Keep it Clean.

I think that one of the rules should be that all potential site rules must be pitched in haiku format:

1. No boob pics on site. No erect penis either. Flaccid penis fine.

2. No insulting peeps. Insulting baba's mum fine. In fact, encouraged.

3. Swearing frowned upon. Swears about baba's mum fine. Encouraged more so.

And so on...