The Rules
SG has never really had an explicit statement of the rules. I've always been of the opinion that the rules were pretty much a common sense issue. Increasingly, though, it seems that people have interpreted this as an absence of rules. This is not the case.
So, here are the rules, or, at least the majority of them. It's been discussed in admin, and everyone's had the chance to contribute to their development.
First, let me stress the common sense nature of this list – consider this a handy guide to the rules, not the comprehensive statement of them. You can still be banned for things that are NOT on the list. If you are unsure as to whether something you want to do can land you in trouble, contact a staff member BEFORE you do it, because after, you're open to punishment.
1. Offensive posting. I'm a little hesitant on how to define "offensive posts," since we tend to be pretty casual about certain topics of conversation. Regardless, I think we can apply a pretty straightforward standard. If you transgress, we'll usually warn you before banning you. If you use some defamatory language in a joking manner, we'll be more inclined to forgive it, unless the person you're aiming it at TAKES offense. And, in some instances, no amount of "I was only kidding" will save you.
2. Trolling. Posting specifically to annoy or offend other users, or to provoke them into responding with a flame.
3. Commercial stuff. This is more of the traditional definition of spam. "Unsoliciated commercial communications." Don't do it. (I don't think anyone has, so far, but whatever.)
4. Off-topic posts. Posts should essentially be related to the topic of the thread. There's wiggle room here -- if the conversation goes off in an unexpected direction, feel free to follow it, so long as it's actual CONVERSATION and not bickering. If a staffer tells you to get on topic, either get on topic real-quick-like, or stop posting in the thread while you PM the staff and talk to them about why they felt the discussion was out-of-bounds.
4(a). The Spam Thread. Rules still apply to the various spam threads (well, the "off-topic" rule is a little more hazy on this point, but the others are applicable). They exist mostly to give you a place to stick material that doesn't really deserve its own thread. There's been confusion on this point recently, so now you've been warned. If you engage in some unsavory behavior and then try to hide behind "But it's the Spam Thread," it doesn't work.
4(b). The above point about the staff. When a staffer tells you to get on topic, or to stop doing something, or whatever, DO NOT sandbag the thread with arguing about how you disagree with the rule. Stop whatever-it-is and work it out via PM – any member of the staff will be perfectly willing to hear you out and try to help you with whatever problem you're having.
5. Spoilers. No-no. If you're going to post spoilers and DON'T want to mark them, mention it in the thread title with the words "Spoilers Unmarked" or something close to it. If you want to post spoilers in a thread WITHOUT that warning, use spoiler tags. If the game/movie/product has been out for quite some time and you think most people will have had to experience it, you're probably okay. But, when in doubt, err on the side of caution in all cases. If you think someone MIGHT consider it a spoiler and aren't sure, assume they will and mark your spoilers. Now, having said all that, there's common sense to apply here, too. If you're posting about something that's been out for a while, it's less of a deal than when posting about the Next Big Thing. Just try to be considerate about it. When posting a spoiler, make it clear WHAT you're spoiling, so people don't have to highlight the spoiler to find out if it IS a spoiler. If a bunch of games/whatevers are being discussed, specify.
6. Assorted annoying behaviors: 1337-speak, taking arguments from one thread into another, continuing something after being told to knock it off, double posting, unnecessary use of nested quotes, posting near identical replies or topics, flooding a thread or subforum with multiple posts/topics, uploading material to our server space and leeching it for other forums. Just try to keep it a decent place to have a conversation.
7. No animated avatars or sigs. Sigs should be, well, not very big. What people have now by way of sigs is spot-on, so keep to that (sorry I can't be more specific, but I'm not well-versed in pixel sizes and the like). Also, sigs should only be posted once per page, tops. (If it's a single line of text, we're more likely to overlook a transgression of this point than if it's a picture of some kind. Don't like it? Tough.) Neither sigs nor avatars should be explicit – if people want to avoid "not work safe" content, then they can avoid going into those threads, but, by having explicit stuff in avatar/sig, you make this meaningless.
8. Impersonation -- creating/using an account with the intent of antagonizing or impersonating another user, or any other action intended to impersonate another user.
9. Multiple accounts. Users are allowed one account per person. Any more may result in suspension of all accounts. This also applies to banned users.
10. Circumvention of bans. If you're banned, you lose your right to interact with the forums. You may not create new accounts to post, have other users post material for you, or take any other actions to circumvent your ban.
The New Ban Policy
Hopefully, people can abide by the previous section enough to make this section moot. Nevertheless...
We'll start with the "Model Ban System," which just lays out how the bans are going to work in what's more or less a "textbook" system. I'll follow it up with some remarks aimed at less straightforward situations.
The Warning. This will probably take the form of a PM from a member of the staff, saying that you're on notice and that further actions like this will result in Getting In Trouble.
Strike 1: 2-Week Ban. Just what it sounds like. You get banned for 2 weeks. No posting on the forum, no registering new accounts, all that stuff. After that, you get to come back, but you're more or less under the microscope. Screw up again and, without warning, you can get bumped to...
Strike 2: Banning. One year. When your year is up, you're welcome to come back. Still under scrutiny, of course. Hopefully, you've learned your lesson, or we'll proceed to...
Strike 3: Exile. You're gone, you're not coming back. Find somewhere else to post, because we're done with you.
Now, a few further comments.
Say you come back from a 2-week ban and continue to be a jerk, but less of one. You need to be banned, but we don't really want to kick you for a year. We reserve the right to give you another 2-week ban. Or, say you come back and are a MAJOR jerk. We reserve the right to skip a full year's ban and cast you out to the wilderness. In any case, if we have to ban you three times, no matter WHAT the circumstances, or even if your previous bans were just for 2 weeks, we'll probably skip straight to exile, since you clearly can't behave like a human.
If you do anything to circumvent a ban (#10, above), we reserve the right to pretty much do anything we want to you, including increasing the length of the ban, taking action against anyone who may have helped you get around it, or contacting your ISP for accessing the site after being instructed not to do so.
Also, if we feel like it, we might just fob off an annoying punishment on your. Limiting your number of posts per day or giving you an annoying avatar or changing your name to something insulting, for instance.
That's pretty much it. Feel free to ask for any clarifications or anything you might need. At the end of the day, the only real "change" to the system is that we have a more unified way to handle bans, and we've made the rules a touch more explicit than you may have found them before – if you're a regular poster on this forum, I doubt your experience will change to any measurable degree.
The Rules/Ban Policy
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Entr0pi3
- Hone Hone Cock
- Posts: 1215
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- Location: Earth
Re: BAN RULES
Would this count ?Garbo wrote:1. Offensive posting.
2. Trolling.
7. No animated avatars or sigs.
?Actually it would be nice to have an option in the user's profile that does that automatically. I tend to forget about that stuff.Also, sigs should only be posted once per page, tops.
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man of txt
- Admin|Admin Enforcer
- Posts: 612
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- Location: London
- Contact:
Re: BAN RULES
You can already do this! Each user has the choice to disable images, avatars and sigs. Click...Entr0pi3 wrote:Would this count ?Garbo wrote:1. Offensive posting.
2. Trolling.
7. No animated avatars or sigs.
Actually it would be nice to have an option in the user's profile that does that automatically. I tend to forget about that stuff.Also, sigs should only be posted once per page, tops.
profile
profile profile settings readingThen choose what you want to display!
where is a admin when you need them...... or how about even a mod!!!! you would think they would be smart to delete my name....
I mean... im a nice guy... but i do not like it when other people change my posts!!!!
I mean... im a nice guy... but i do not like it when other people change my posts!!!!
Last edited by vejida on Mon May 09, 2005 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Garbo... do not change my posts... that infringes on my privacy!
Re: BAN RULES
But people are too lazy to do that and would rather bitch, scream and whine.man of txt wrote:You can already do this! Each user has the choice to disable images, avatars and sigs. Click...Entr0pi3 wrote:Would this count ?Garbo wrote:1. Offensive posting.
2. Trolling.
7. No animated avatars or sigs.
Actually it would be nice to have an option in the user's profile that does that automatically. I tend to forget about that stuff.Also, sigs should only be posted once per page, tops.
profile
Then choose what you want to display!
"There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works." - anonymous
