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Post by Dashe on Jul 1, 2007 14:54:34 GMT -5
Foreword:
“As a member, it's your duty to abide by the rules and guidelines in this thread. Being a member of these forums is not a right, it's a privilege. The staff has the right to take away that privilege if it is abused, and the admin has the right to ban any member for any reason she sees fit.”
~fab
With the dawn of the new Legends Station administration, I've decided to tweak the rules a bit to help bring some more order to the forums. I feel the previous system was a bit too lenient, especially where lesser infractions were concerned, and that having such a system was abusable. This doesn't mean this place is going to become a boot camp or anything, just that rules of conduct won't merely be suggestions anymore.
Believe it or not, banning people isn’t as fun as I make it sound elsewhere in the forum.
In order to make the Mega Man Legends Station Forums the best forum it can be, read and follow the rules below--that's all we ask of you!
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Post by Dashe on Jul 1, 2007 15:08:58 GMT -5
#1: Do Not Post 'Mature' StuffMegaMan Legends is a fun-filled, light-hearted world, and is therefore popular with younger people. We thus do NOT tolerate explicit jokes, images, or descriptions on this forum under any circumstances. #2: Respect OthersThis includes: - Explicitly harassing or bothering members
- Bashing fan works (constructive criticism is fine; being unnecessarily brutal isn't)
- Racist/sexist/homophobic/prejudicial or otherwise offensive commentary
- Posting in a manner that is likely to prompt a hateful response or instigate an argument
This goes for posts, as well as unmonitored communication such as forum related e-mails and PMs (private messages). Also, do not send PMs that urge others to visit or post in your threads, or other web sites. Most people find it quite annoying. In the event that you do receive a PM which violates this rule, please report it to the staff as soon as possible, with a copy of the offending PM, since we cannot monitor PM etiquette directly. #3: Do not SPAM (Stupid Pointless Annoying Message)Idiotic members who SPAM can and do ruin online hangouts. The sort of posts listed below make forums messy, and can chase away good members who don't want to engage in a forum filled with such rubbish. - Posts must be five words or longer. Anything less is considered SPAM. (unless for very good reason, such as certain forums games that require short responses, or in instances where one can only logically respond with a post of less than four words, determined at the discretion of the staff). For example, if a thread is asking you who your favourite character is, a response of simply the character's name would be unacceptable. Give some insight as to why you like the character. Also, be aware that 'five words' is not set in stone; even if your post is five words long, but it's still excessively short compared to what could be posted, it might still be considered a small post.
- Posts with an excessive amount of emoticons and smileys are considered SPAM, as it can slow browsing while the small images load and are rendered in-browser.
- Posts that appear to be total nonsense or have no relation to the topic are considered SPAM, as well as posts which add nothing to the topic by simply agreeing or disagreeing with something and not explaining why, or by stating the obvious or that which has already been established.
- Posts that do nothing but point out SPAM are considered SPAM. It's the staff's duty to deal with it, not yours. If you wish to help, do so by PMing a staff member, and providing them a link to the thread where the problem is.
- Posts which quote the entire last post without good reason is considered SPAM. If you aren't replying to the entire post, you can cut down the quote to only include that which you're replying to or commenting on. If you are replying to the entire post, you should consider not quoting at all or breaking the quote into smaller sections and replying to each part between the quotes.
#4: Do NOT provide tips on how to perform illegal activities on the forums!Just...don't. This applies to any sort of internet crime (e.g. piracy) or non-internet crime. Casually mentioning something illegal is fine, but providing links on the forums to sites which promote illegal activities, or instructions on how to do something illegal, is not. Modding Legends is fine, though, since we haven't got much left to do with the original games at this point anyway. #5: Do NOT double-post!If you were the last one to post in a thread, but you have something more to say, use the "Modify" button on your post. That way you can add to your first post without making a second one. The only exceptions to the rule concern the Fan Works boards, where it might be necessary to double-post to show that you've made something new, and when a post becomes so long it becomes longer than the board limitations (only applies to long-winded posts), a second post is permitted so you can finish your message/post. While this may seem like a silly thing to list as a major infraction, the fact of the matter is that it is one of the most commonly-broken rules here, and even older members sometimes neglect to abide by it. Double-posting makes the forum look messy, and is really unnecessary with the Modify button and the horizontal rule code. #6: Speak Proper EnglishWe have absolutely nothing against foreign languages and people, but the fact of the matter is that these forums are English-based, and if you don't know the English language well enough to at least get by and understand the rules, then you simply aren't ready to be part of an English-speaking forum yet. To those of you who are fluent in English and insist on making your posts in incomplete, abbreviated, or horrendously misspelled sentences, you’d better have a good reason for doing so. Laziness is NOT a good reason! #7: Notify a staff member before organizing any form of member-related activity within the forums.This includes contests, games, celebrations, and anything else which affects the other forum members and encourages their direct participation. When creating an event, make sure that it adheres to the forum rules and guidelines as well, and send your proposal to the staff via PM for approval. If an event is not approved, it is considered to be in direct violation of this rule--no exceptions! Consequences depend on the severity of the infraction. Breaking these rules will earn you a warning, or in extreme or frequent cases, get you banned from the forums temporarily or permanently.
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Post by Dashe on Jul 1, 2007 15:26:10 GMT -5
#01: Post In The Right Place
When starting a new thread, make sure you are doing it in the right area of the forum and check that there isn't already a thread focused on the same topic as yours would be focused on.
#02: Name Your Topics Well
It's nice when you can give your thread a clear name, so others will know exactly what to find within and newcomers don't repeat the thread. For example, "When did you first play Legends?" is nice, but one called "When did you...", which leaves the rest of the question in the thread itself, isn't so good.
#03: Avoid Unnecessary Bumping
To bump is to post in a topic with the sole intention of bringing it up to the top of the list and get it more attention. Most threads that drop down the list and fade away do so for good reason. However, if you have something meaningful to post, it isn't considered a bump.
#04: Avoid Having Direct ConversationsThe forums are all about the community of members discussing things together. It can get annoying when two people talk back and forth to each other in a thread. It's not a chat room. Take one-on-one conversations to PMs, E-mail, or an instant messenger program.
Just for clarity, if people are posting long, thoughtful posts or the posts are a day or so apart, it’s safe to say that nobody else wants to join in the conversation.
#05: Do not post large images—use links instead!
Believe it or not, some people here still use dial-up. Instead of posting large images directly onto the boards, provide text (url) or thumbnail links to the larger image. The size of your avatar cannot exceed 150px by 150px, and the combined total of images in your signature cannot exceed 500px by 150px and 50KiB
#06: Do not randomly change your name!
In order to preserve the sense of community present in the forums, please try to commit yourself to one, and only one, user name, and do not choose a name similar to that of another forum member. This particular infraction will be wavered on special occasions (i.e. Halloween). It makes forum browsing far more convenient if everybody knows who everybody is. Also, simple names tend to function more nicely in these communities where not much is already taken.
#07: Watch Your Language
We don't want excessive cussing around here, particularly when aimed towards other members. It's alright in moderation, but don't overdo it or we'll give you the custom title "POTTY MOUTH."
Consequences: Because all of these are lesser infractions, they aren't a matter of life and death. In most cases, a staff member will take care of any problems by editing or deleting posts, locking or moving topics, etc. However, this is no excuse for you to deliberately take advantage of the system. These ARE rules, and if they’re broken frequently enough, you will be warned. If the warning is ignored and the behavior continues, more drastic measures will be taken.
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Post by Dashe on Jul 1, 2007 15:28:33 GMT -5
The staff are responsible for keeping everything running smoothly around here. It's their duty to uphold the rules and guidelines posted in this thread. They are:
Forum Staff Members
Station Master: Dashe
Station Guardians: Eric Chiz, Buster Cannon, Mikey, and JMC47
Do not disrespect the staff if they correct you. If you receive a suggestion or warning you may feel free to PM the staff member who corrected you in regards to the situation and plead your case. Do not argue with them, and do not carry the issue into the open by starting a thread about it either--this is considered very distasteful. If you truly feel you have been unjustly treated, contact me (Dashe) via PM.
Being a staff member is not a position of glory, but if you want to be one, here are some tips:
1. Don’t ask or hint about it. If we think you’re right for the job, we’ll come to you.
2. Follow the rules! If you can't/don't follow the rules, then you're not worthy of being a member, let alone a part of the staff!
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Post by Dashe on Jul 1, 2007 15:29:30 GMT -5
When a member has broken so many rules or in whatever way violated the terms in this thread, the staff will have to decide on a penalty. Depending upon the severity of the crime(s), they may get their account temporarily disabled (the length of which is at the sole discretion of the staff), or in extreme cases they may be permanently banned.
A banned member is no longer allowed to post in the forums. They have lost the right to be a member here. Banned members can be distiguished by their "X" avatar and the "Banned!" title beneath their name.
UPDATE
In the event that a member should find themself being considered for a ban, they will be notified one week prior to the tentative ban date via both PM and e-mail, along with a list of all of the infractions that have led up to this decision. They will then have seven (7) days to make an appeal if they so desire. If the staff does not hear from the accused within those seven days, we will render a verdict on our own, though they may attempt an appeal after the seven days if they were genuinely in a situation in which they couldn't have been reached.
Should a member receive a ban consideration notification, he or she is not to disclose this information with any other member(s) of the forum aside from the staff. If they do, they forfeit their right to a defense.
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