Post by Darkurai on Jul 26, 2008 16:57:49 GMT -5
The following is a list of the rules of these forums. The rules were actually adapted from the rules of the official Tales Series Forums, but they are fair and effective. In order to maintain consistency in rule enforcement, anyone who breaks a rule will get a certain amount of points, and when you get 100 points, you get banned. (See the bottom of the list for more info.)
Your points total will be displayed in your Mini-Profile under your username. Other members (moderators and administrators excluded) will not be able to see your points total.
POST IN THE RIGHT SECTION 0-10 pt
All sections of the forum are clearly labeled as to their purpose. Although you will not (usually) be punished for screwing this up, please be courteous and try to get your topics in the right place. As long as it is clear that you were trying to post in the correct section, then you won't be penalized.
READ THE STICKY TOPICS 5 pt
Most forum sections have sticky topics at the top of the topic list to answer frequently asked questions. People will be annoyed if you ask something that's already answered in a sticky. You save everyone's time, including your own if you just read the sticky instead of making yet another stupid topic asking the same thing a million other newbies have asked.
DON'T MAKE STUPID POINTLESS POSTS (aka SPAM) 10 pt
DON'T MAKE STUPID POINTLESS TOPICS (aka SPAM) 30 pt
Don't post just to say "Ok!" or an emoticon or something. Also, don't quote if you're not going to add anything; just saying "quoted for truth," for example, is not contributing. Your post needs to have some actual content of its own. If you're not going to contribute to the discussion at all, you might as well just be quiet. Everyone is expected to have read these rules, so there are no exceptions. This applies to topics as well; there is no need to make a topic if it has no purpose.
DON'T DOUBLE-POST 10 pt
There's usually no need for posting twice in a row. If you realize you forgot to say something, you can just edit your last post. Not many newcomers to forums realize that there is an edit button. If your computer messes up and creates a duplicate post, you won't be punished, but should delete the second.
Double-posting is justifiable only as a legitimate bump to a topic. A legitimate bump is explained below.
DON'T REVIVE OLD TOPICS WITHOUT GOOD REASON 1-5 pt
Generally speaking, you should not bump a topic in which the last post is over three months old unless you have something incredibly relevant to add. For instance, if a topic about a certain game hasn't been touched in four or so months but new information just cropped up about its impending release, feel free to post in the old topic with that news. Of course, you're just as welcome to create a new topic if the old one has fallen beyond the first page.
There is, however, an exception to this rule. Any topic which is still on the first page of a forum is immediately exempted from the aforementioned rule. Thus, in slow-moving sections, topics on the first page which could potentially be a few months old are still valid to post in no matter how old the latest post. There's no reason to create duplicate topics on the front page as it only leads to confusion, particularly among newer members.
Aside from topics which meet the first-page criteria, any topic which is over three months old and is revived for no clear reason will result in five points for the poster, as well as 5 more for each month after those three in age. So, if you post in a topic over three months old, you'll get 5 points. If you post in one that's over four months old, you'll get 10, and so on. The maximum number of points which can be awarded for a single offense is 30.
DON'T POST UNMARKED SPOILERS 0-5 or 15 pt
Posting a spoiler means to reveal part of plot of a game/book/movie/etc, which will ruin the story for people who haven't gotten that far yet.
You can hide spoilers by putting a spoiler warning in the topic title or using this button:
Never put a spoiler in the topic title itself.
Using the spoiler button will display the following result:
TIP: If you don't want to mess with that, avoid using spoilers when you don't have to. For example, if you're having trouble with the last boss, you can say "I need help beating the last boss," and everyone who's gotten to the last boss will know who you mean without you revealing the boss's name.
If you put a warning in the topic title, you usually don't need to use spoiler tags in the discussion. The exception is when the topic creator is commenting on or asking for help on something that makes it clear they haven't beaten the game yet, so you should mark spoilers for any spoilers that come after where s/he is in the game.
About the points: It's normally 5 pt per unmarked spoilers, but if you post some huge spoiler just for the purpose of ticking people of, it's 15 points. If there's room for doubt about whether what you posted was a spoiler or if the discussion slowly/accidentally became spoilery, no points.
SIGNATURE/AVATAR GUIDELINES
No spoilers in images or text 5 pt or 15 pt
(See above)
Avatar image size limit: 100x100 pixels (implemented automatically by proboards)
Sig image size limit: 600(width)x200(height) pixels 5+ pt
Don't use others' fan art without permission 0-5 pt
That limit for sig sizes applies to all of your images combined.
If you are found using fan art without permission, we will request that you remove it. No penalty will be given as long as you remove it.
Signatures that exceed the limit will receive 5 points, and an additional 5 points for every 100 pixels over the limit it is. You will not be penalized for having a signature over the limit when you first join.
Avatars that exceed the size limit in dimensions (100x100 max) will be resized to 100x100.
We don't currently have a file size limit for sigs or avatars. If everyone keeps their images sane, we shouldn't need to limit you for that, but if too many people do stupid stuff like try to cram a bunch of anime into 100x100 pixels to use as an avatar, we may have to put the rule in place, which is bad for everyone.
NO ADVERTISING SPAM 15 pt
Nobody wants the forums to be flooded with "Omg go 2 mai sight lol" topics, so please try to limit the plugging of websites to discussions in which they're relevant. You can advertise in your sig. If you want comments/help/advice with your web design, post in the art section.
DON'T REQUEST OR PROVIDE ILLEGAL MATERIAL 10 pt for requesting, 50 points for providing.
This rule is very very serious, and cannot be stressed enough. We, the staff of the SMYN Forums, can be put in trouble if illegal content is exchanged on our boards. Chances are, if some commercial company made it, it's illegal for you to get it for free. Don't ask for how to download or pirate anime episodes, games, computer software, etc. The legality of emulators is debatable, but to be safe, we're labeling them illegal. As for Homebrew for Wii, we'll allow the discussion of homebew, but do not provide any information on how to obtain it, and do not post any links to where you can obtain it.
Remember, we're not trying to go "ZOMG YOU GUYS CAN'T DO THAT IT'S ILLEGAL". But the staff of the SMYN Forums can be put in trouble if illegal content is exchanged here.
DON'T DERAIL THREADS 15 pt
Derailing a topic is defined as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the direction a thread is heading or intends to head. This is not to say that going a little off-topic will get you penalized; this is mainly for posts with the sole intent of disrupting the flow of a topic. For example, posting irrelevant or mocking information in a thread that requests help; or in a discussion about a certain game on XGamestation, you mention that GameXstation is better.
DON'T ABUSE EMOTICONS (SMILIES) 1 pt per emoticon
You don't need a big long row of them to get your point across. You're not limited to a certain number of emoticons per post, but using a whole bunch of image emoticons together with nothing else of note between them is pointless. In other words, you will not be punished for having over 10 emoticons in your post if they're actually be used, but if you have a row of 20 smiling faces, then you will be penalized.
The point penalty applies to any more than 3 emoticons. The points will count for every emoticon in the row, not just the ones after the three-emoticon limit.
DON'T SWEAR 5 pt per word
If it has to be misspelled to get around the auto-censor, you can't say it here (can't misspell it either). Though it's not in the censor, slang definitions of "thingy" are subject to this rule as well. Other words that aren't blocked by the censor should be fine.
Should be self-explanatory. Not appropriate here.
TREAT OTHER USERS WITH RESPECT; DON'T DO THE FOLLOWING:
General disrespect 5 pt
Name-calling 20 pt
Outright flaming 15 pt
Sexual name-calling 20 pt
Racial slur 5 pt per word
Gay, etc, as an insult 5 pt per word
Threaten bodily harm on another user Instant Ban
General disrespect that doesn't fall into the other categories will fall under the first. Note that this punishment is only if you clearly intend to be disrespectful; just playing around or being sarcastic won't get you penalized. However, the "sexual name-calling" will often violate the Sexual Material rule, regardless of wether it's sarcastic or not.
Name-calling has a rather high penalty, but that is because there isn't really any question as to it being an offense. Calling someone a name that's also a swear word has both penalties combined, by the way.
Note that the instant ban for threats of bodily harm only applies to serious threats. Just playing around by saying things such as *kick* or *bite*, or just simply saying something like "I'm going to destroy you" to someone who just proved you wrong aren't going to get you punished. Serious threats are very rare, so I doubt that will be implemented much.
DON'T TROLL 15 pt
Trolling is defined as posting with the intent of ticking everyone else off or trying to cause an argument. It's fine if you disagree or debate with someone on some matter, but if you post in an antagonizing manner, it could be considered trolling.
DON'T RESPOND TO FLAMERS/TROLLS 15 pt
If they're obviously just trying to cause trouble, anything you say to them only causes more trouble. Contact a moderator rather than try to deal with it yourself.
DON'T POST EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIAL
Reference to body parts related to sex 5 pt
References to sexual acts 10 pt
Sexually suggestive emoticon (from other websites) 5 pt each
Arguably artistic but inappropriate anyway 5 pt
Though artistic nudity isn't bad, it's not something proboards would allow on their forums, sorry. The only reason there's any point penalty for it is to make sure someone who really is misbehaving can't get out of trouble by claiming, "But it's ART!"
ONLY HAVE ONE ACCOUNT 5 pt
Alternate accounts (known as 'alts' for short) are not allowed. There's no need for more than one. If you want to switch to a new account, we'll deactivate the old one for you if you ask. If you misbehave on multiple accounts, the points collected by each account are added together.
GOOD BEHAVIOR -10 pt
This isn't actually a penalty; it's just the opposite. Once you have received points, you will lose 10 points for every month days you go without getting another offense.
ACTUAL PUNISHMENTS:
How to get temporarily banned:
--Get 70+ points total (14 day ban)
How to get banned:
--Get 100+ points total
--Get 15+ points in your first post upon joining
--Get 20+ points when you first join
--Threaten bodily harm on another user
-- Say anything bad about Sonic Adventure 2 (just kidding)
If you get to 70 points, you'll get a fourteen-day deactivation of your account. Any attempt to circumvent this deactivation will result in a penalty of 20 points.
If any problems arise with these rules, the staff will discuss it.
Note: To add spaces and capital letters to your name, use the "Display Name" field in your Modify Profile area.
Your points total will be displayed in your Mini-Profile under your username. Other members (moderators and administrators excluded) will not be able to see your points total.
POST IN THE RIGHT SECTION 0-10 pt
All sections of the forum are clearly labeled as to their purpose. Although you will not (usually) be punished for screwing this up, please be courteous and try to get your topics in the right place. As long as it is clear that you were trying to post in the correct section, then you won't be penalized.
READ THE STICKY TOPICS 5 pt
Most forum sections have sticky topics at the top of the topic list to answer frequently asked questions. People will be annoyed if you ask something that's already answered in a sticky. You save everyone's time, including your own if you just read the sticky instead of making yet another stupid topic asking the same thing a million other newbies have asked.
DON'T MAKE STUPID POINTLESS POSTS (aka SPAM) 10 pt
DON'T MAKE STUPID POINTLESS TOPICS (aka SPAM) 30 pt
Don't post just to say "Ok!" or an emoticon or something. Also, don't quote if you're not going to add anything; just saying "quoted for truth," for example, is not contributing. Your post needs to have some actual content of its own. If you're not going to contribute to the discussion at all, you might as well just be quiet. Everyone is expected to have read these rules, so there are no exceptions. This applies to topics as well; there is no need to make a topic if it has no purpose.
DON'T DOUBLE-POST 10 pt
There's usually no need for posting twice in a row. If you realize you forgot to say something, you can just edit your last post. Not many newcomers to forums realize that there is an edit button. If your computer messes up and creates a duplicate post, you won't be punished, but should delete the second.
Double-posting is justifiable only as a legitimate bump to a topic. A legitimate bump is explained below.
DON'T REVIVE OLD TOPICS WITHOUT GOOD REASON 1-5 pt
Generally speaking, you should not bump a topic in which the last post is over three months old unless you have something incredibly relevant to add. For instance, if a topic about a certain game hasn't been touched in four or so months but new information just cropped up about its impending release, feel free to post in the old topic with that news. Of course, you're just as welcome to create a new topic if the old one has fallen beyond the first page.
There is, however, an exception to this rule. Any topic which is still on the first page of a forum is immediately exempted from the aforementioned rule. Thus, in slow-moving sections, topics on the first page which could potentially be a few months old are still valid to post in no matter how old the latest post. There's no reason to create duplicate topics on the front page as it only leads to confusion, particularly among newer members.
Aside from topics which meet the first-page criteria, any topic which is over three months old and is revived for no clear reason will result in five points for the poster, as well as 5 more for each month after those three in age. So, if you post in a topic over three months old, you'll get 5 points. If you post in one that's over four months old, you'll get 10, and so on. The maximum number of points which can be awarded for a single offense is 30.
DON'T POST UNMARKED SPOILERS 0-5 or 15 pt
Posting a spoiler means to reveal part of plot of a game/book/movie/etc, which will ruin the story for people who haven't gotten that far yet.
You can hide spoilers by putting a spoiler warning in the topic title or using this button:
Never put a spoiler in the topic title itself.
Using the spoiler button will display the following result:
the following result
TIP: If you don't want to mess with that, avoid using spoilers when you don't have to. For example, if you're having trouble with the last boss, you can say "I need help beating the last boss," and everyone who's gotten to the last boss will know who you mean without you revealing the boss's name.
If you put a warning in the topic title, you usually don't need to use spoiler tags in the discussion. The exception is when the topic creator is commenting on or asking for help on something that makes it clear they haven't beaten the game yet, so you should mark spoilers for any spoilers that come after where s/he is in the game.
About the points: It's normally 5 pt per unmarked spoilers, but if you post some huge spoiler just for the purpose of ticking people of, it's 15 points. If there's room for doubt about whether what you posted was a spoiler or if the discussion slowly/accidentally became spoilery, no points.
SIGNATURE/AVATAR GUIDELINES
No spoilers in images or text 5 pt or 15 pt
(See above)
Avatar image size limit: 100x100 pixels (implemented automatically by proboards)
Sig image size limit: 600(width)x200(height) pixels 5+ pt
Don't use others' fan art without permission 0-5 pt
That limit for sig sizes applies to all of your images combined.
If you are found using fan art without permission, we will request that you remove it. No penalty will be given as long as you remove it.
Signatures that exceed the limit will receive 5 points, and an additional 5 points for every 100 pixels over the limit it is. You will not be penalized for having a signature over the limit when you first join.
Avatars that exceed the size limit in dimensions (100x100 max) will be resized to 100x100.
We don't currently have a file size limit for sigs or avatars. If everyone keeps their images sane, we shouldn't need to limit you for that, but if too many people do stupid stuff like try to cram a bunch of anime into 100x100 pixels to use as an avatar, we may have to put the rule in place, which is bad for everyone.
NO ADVERTISING SPAM 15 pt
Nobody wants the forums to be flooded with "Omg go 2 mai sight lol" topics, so please try to limit the plugging of websites to discussions in which they're relevant. You can advertise in your sig. If you want comments/help/advice with your web design, post in the art section.
DON'T REQUEST OR PROVIDE ILLEGAL MATERIAL 10 pt for requesting, 50 points for providing.
This rule is very very serious, and cannot be stressed enough. We, the staff of the SMYN Forums, can be put in trouble if illegal content is exchanged on our boards. Chances are, if some commercial company made it, it's illegal for you to get it for free. Don't ask for how to download or pirate anime episodes, games, computer software, etc. The legality of emulators is debatable, but to be safe, we're labeling them illegal. As for Homebrew for Wii, we'll allow the discussion of homebew, but do not provide any information on how to obtain it, and do not post any links to where you can obtain it.
Remember, we're not trying to go "ZOMG YOU GUYS CAN'T DO THAT IT'S ILLEGAL". But the staff of the SMYN Forums can be put in trouble if illegal content is exchanged here.
DON'T DERAIL THREADS 15 pt
Derailing a topic is defined as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the direction a thread is heading or intends to head. This is not to say that going a little off-topic will get you penalized; this is mainly for posts with the sole intent of disrupting the flow of a topic. For example, posting irrelevant or mocking information in a thread that requests help; or in a discussion about a certain game on XGamestation, you mention that GameXstation is better.
DON'T ABUSE EMOTICONS (SMILIES) 1 pt per emoticon
You don't need a big long row of them to get your point across. You're not limited to a certain number of emoticons per post, but using a whole bunch of image emoticons together with nothing else of note between them is pointless. In other words, you will not be punished for having over 10 emoticons in your post if they're actually be used, but if you have a row of 20 smiling faces, then you will be penalized.
The point penalty applies to any more than 3 emoticons. The points will count for every emoticon in the row, not just the ones after the three-emoticon limit.
DON'T SWEAR 5 pt per word
If it has to be misspelled to get around the auto-censor, you can't say it here (can't misspell it either). Though it's not in the censor, slang definitions of "thingy" are subject to this rule as well. Other words that aren't blocked by the censor should be fine.
Should be self-explanatory. Not appropriate here.
TREAT OTHER USERS WITH RESPECT; DON'T DO THE FOLLOWING:
General disrespect 5 pt
Name-calling 20 pt
Outright flaming 15 pt
Sexual name-calling 20 pt
Racial slur 5 pt per word
Gay, etc, as an insult 5 pt per word
Threaten bodily harm on another user Instant Ban
General disrespect that doesn't fall into the other categories will fall under the first. Note that this punishment is only if you clearly intend to be disrespectful; just playing around or being sarcastic won't get you penalized. However, the "sexual name-calling" will often violate the Sexual Material rule, regardless of wether it's sarcastic or not.
Name-calling has a rather high penalty, but that is because there isn't really any question as to it being an offense. Calling someone a name that's also a swear word has both penalties combined, by the way.
Note that the instant ban for threats of bodily harm only applies to serious threats. Just playing around by saying things such as *kick* or *bite*, or just simply saying something like "I'm going to destroy you" to someone who just proved you wrong aren't going to get you punished. Serious threats are very rare, so I doubt that will be implemented much.
DON'T TROLL 15 pt
Trolling is defined as posting with the intent of ticking everyone else off or trying to cause an argument. It's fine if you disagree or debate with someone on some matter, but if you post in an antagonizing manner, it could be considered trolling.
DON'T RESPOND TO FLAMERS/TROLLS 15 pt
If they're obviously just trying to cause trouble, anything you say to them only causes more trouble. Contact a moderator rather than try to deal with it yourself.
DON'T POST EXPLICIT SEXUAL MATERIAL
Reference to body parts related to sex 5 pt
References to sexual acts 10 pt
Sexually suggestive emoticon (from other websites) 5 pt each
Arguably artistic but inappropriate anyway 5 pt
Though artistic nudity isn't bad, it's not something proboards would allow on their forums, sorry. The only reason there's any point penalty for it is to make sure someone who really is misbehaving can't get out of trouble by claiming, "But it's ART!"
ONLY HAVE ONE ACCOUNT 5 pt
Alternate accounts (known as 'alts' for short) are not allowed. There's no need for more than one. If you want to switch to a new account, we'll deactivate the old one for you if you ask. If you misbehave on multiple accounts, the points collected by each account are added together.
GOOD BEHAVIOR -10 pt
This isn't actually a penalty; it's just the opposite. Once you have received points, you will lose 10 points for every month days you go without getting another offense.
ACTUAL PUNISHMENTS:
How to get temporarily banned:
--Get 70+ points total (14 day ban)
How to get banned:
--Get 100+ points total
--Get 15+ points in your first post upon joining
--Get 20+ points when you first join
--Threaten bodily harm on another user
-- Say anything bad about Sonic Adventure 2 (just kidding)
If you get to 70 points, you'll get a fourteen-day deactivation of your account. Any attempt to circumvent this deactivation will result in a penalty of 20 points.
If any problems arise with these rules, the staff will discuss it.
Note: To add spaces and capital letters to your name, use the "Display Name" field in your Modify Profile area.