For reference, these were our rules up until this spring:
Talya wrote:
GladeRebooted Posting Guidelines
To help foster a friendlier community, the Glade has adopted some guidelines for posting. Note that these are guidelines, and moderators have a lot of discretion on how they are enforced. This is because strict rules tend to inspire people to try to follow the letter of the law and ignore the spirit, and also get well-intentioned people making one-off innocent remarks banned. These guidelines are subject to change without notice.
Moderators
We have selected a number of Moderators to help keep the forums in line; what they say goes. When a Mod is acting in their capacity as a Moderator, they will indicate such by posting in a different color or font than usual. When they post in this manner, pay close attention to what they have to say.
Currently, the Moderation staff includes:
Dash (Administrator)
Mookhow (Administrator)
Lenas (Global Moderator)
Micheal (Global Moderator)
Moobot (Oracle)
Reporting Posts
If you believe a post is violating these rules, you can report by clicking on the Report Button Image which can be found in the lower right hand corner of each post. This report is entered into a system where all Mods can see and review it, eliminating the need to contact a Mod directly.
We strongly suggest you Report rule violations rather than respond to them, as responding may put you in violation of one of the Forum Rules.
Moderator Actions
Warning, Suspending, Banning
Warnings can be given for serious violations of the rules of posting. Repeated warnings, or particularly egregious violations, can result in suspension or banning from specific subforums or even the entire message board.
Editing
Moderators will not normally remove any part of a post that violates these forum rules, however, in extreme cases, for particularly disruptive posts (spammers come to mind) we may delete or remove certain offending material.
Moving, Merging Threads
Sometimes threads get started in the wrong place; this is understandable. If we find one, though, we’ll shunt it off to the right forum.
Locking Threads
Some threads reach a point where they need to be locked. This may be because the thread has reached a point where it is violating so many rules that it can’t be recovered by other Mod actions, or because it’s a copy of another active thread. Re-starting a locked thread without permission is against the rules. Mods may also lock a thread in order to review its contents without having additional posts added, and then unlock it after resolving the situation. If the thread is unlocked by a Mod, you may post to it again.
Rules of Posting
Responding to Spam
If you see a Spam post, please Report it. Please do not respond to it, even if your response is "This is spam!" or a similar variation. All this does is draw attention to the thread, furthering the spammer's goals, and potentially make it more difficult for a Moderator to correct the problem; it does not in any way help.
Posting Oversized Images
Oversized images can cause thread formatting problems for viewers. Please embed your large images inside spoiler tags. Posting oversized images is unlikely to result in a warning, but don't be surprised if a moderator edits your post to fix the problem.
Re-starting a Previously Locked Thread Without Permission
Certain threads will be locked by Mods for a variety of reasons. If a poster decides to start a new thread on the exact same discussion topic without first gaining permission from the Mods, the thread will be deleted or locked and they will be issued a warning—even if the new thread does not, in and of itself, violate any other rule. Re-posting is only allowed if a Moderator gives express permission beforehand.
Flaming
Any poster that openly attacks, insults, belittles, or abuses another poster will receive a warning or further disciplinary action. You can be critical of another poster's viewpoint in a debate, even going as far as to explain why you believe them to be mistaken and backing your points up with sources as appropriate, but the moment your criticism extends to the person who posted that viewpoint, it has crossed the line.
Specific things you cannot do on this message board:
* Tell a poster to shut up or to stop posting on the current thread.
* Name calling, including terms obviously meant in a pejorative sense.
* Use passive-aggressive insults, such as "Anyone who believes that is an idiot," or "I'd call you an idiot, but it's against the rules." Yeah, we know that technically, you didn't call him or her an idiot, but guess what? It's still not allowed.
* Harassment of other posters, such as repeatedly following them from thread to thread to dispute them, personally.
* Responding in kind to a poster who has flamed you. Please inform a Moderator via PM. Remember, the more they flame, the deeper a hole they dig for themselves, but don’t spur them on.
* Belittling people for having different viewpoints than yourself.
* Belittling or putting down anyone or their opinions based on post count, member rank, or how long they have been a member.
* Posting insults or slurs based on anyone's race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation
* Telling others what they can or cannot post here
There is some wiggle-room here. Merely suggesting that someone may not have the background knowledge to state an informed opinion may or may not be a personal attack, depending on how it is done. Suggesting that someone didn't read your post is different from suggesting that they are illiterate. Once again, these are guidelines. Use common sense and think about the spirit, rather than the letter of the law. If a post looks like its primary (or only) purpose is to cause strife, or is intended to "bait" flames, it can fall under this as well, at the discretion of the moderators.
Trolling
We will not be moderating "trolls." Trolling involves posting inflammatory messages in an online community with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. Determining if a post is intended as trolling involves a bit of guesswork, and is, in essence, censorship and policing of content. That's not our purpose here.
External Baggage
Each thread should exist in a vacuum. What this means is that you can't carry over anger from a debate in another thread into a new discussion.
Ignoring Moderation
Any poster that deliberately ignores or disrespects a post made by a Moderator posting in that capacity will receive a warning or worse.
Spam
Generally, you know when you're posting spam, so don't. Posting spam to the boards is a banning offense. Any account created solely for the purpose of posting spam will be deleted immediately, and the spam removed.
They can still be found on page 45 of the general forums, about halfway down.
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