Community Rules

[flapjack]

Community Rules
There are only a few simple rules we ask you to follow.

It is mandatory for ALL members to read and understand the rules; by the very act of posting, you acknowledge these rules and the consequences for breaking them.


1. Respect your fellow member.
Eventually, your opinion will differ from those of another forumgoers. You're free to express your opinion, however controversial it may be, and dispute other peoples opinions. It is this constant clash of world views that leads to mutual understanding and innovation. But even when debating a highly controversial issue with an utterly belligerent forumgoer, remember to attack a person's idea or argument, and not them as a person. Any ad hominem attacks are strictly off limits.


2. Respect your fellow member's right to be an individual.
Any type of discrimination based on religion, sex, race, orientation is not acceptable. If you see a topic about something you don't like and you feel the need to voice your disgust for what's being discussed, don't bother. If you have a meaningful perspective or disagreement to present, you are welcome to, but simply posting to voice your disgust or shove your viewpoint down another's throat is unacceptable.


3. Label any adult content appropriately.
If you are going to post something that could be seen as offensive or touchy, particularly to someone who is underage, please make use of the "[spoiler]" tag. This includes anything involving nudity, sexuality, violence, etc. Simply label a topic "NSFW" (Not Safe For Work) or use the spoiler tag when necessary.


4. Do not spam blatantly, troll maliciously, or advertise other forums or websites.
Spamming can be defined as posting a message but not contributing to the conversation. For instance, one word ("lol") or replies with just smiley faces are not acceptable. Trolling is defined nicely by Wikipedia: "A troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional or disciplinary response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion." Advertising is self explanatory.


Some other examples of spamming and trolling include:

• Creating multiple accounts.
• Replying with a message that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the thread.
• Advertising another forum in the guise of asking for help. (NOTE: Actually asking for help with something, including a website, is fine, but if it becomes obvious you are just looking for traffic, you are breaking this rule.)
• Intentionally double posting in order to bump threads or obtain a higher post count.

5. Do not post illegal content.
Anything illegal, such as posting copyrighted files (or discussing how to obtain copyrighted files) will be deleted. Discussing illegal activity, such as saying "I do drugs!" or something to that effect is not actually against the rules, but discussing how to do something illegal, inciting others into doing something illegal, or actually posting illegal material is.

Consequences

Infractions


An official "infraction" is issued for every significant rule broken. Intention, while relevant, is immaterial in determining whether or not an infraction is issued. Infractions are simply an official documentation of the rule-breaking. In infraction will result in the following:


1.) An official warning of the rule broken to the user(in the form of a private message), with a specific explanation of the behavior in question.
2.) Points being assigned. Points are explained below.


Warnings

Warning infractions (an infraction that carries no points is issued for a users first offense. Only repeated offenses or intentional/serious infractions will be met with the assignment of points.


Points


Points are an objective way of fairly addressing broken rules. A certain amount of points are distributed for each infraction, the amount depending upon the offense. After a certain number of points are reached, a temporary ban is automatically assigned. The point value of offenses are listed below as well as how many points represent a temporary ban and the length of time bans last. Points come with an expiry date. After points expire, they are no longer counted towards a users "total" infraction points and will not be calculated to assign a temporary ban. After a temporary ban is assigned, the point total remains the same until the individual infractions expire. Generally, points only remain on an account for 45 days (a month and a half) before expiring.


Point Values by Rule


1. Respect your fellow member.
--Infraction worth 3 points.


2. Respect your fellow member's right to be an individual.
--Infraction worth 4 points


3. Label any adult content appropriately.
--Infraction worth 2 points


4. Do not spam blatantly, troll maliciously, or advertise other forums or websites.
--Infraction worth 3 points
---PLEASE NOTE: Any advertising done without first seeking permission from a moderator can be met with a permanent ban (this is primarily for any attempts at automated or for-profit advertising)


5. Do not post illegal content.
--Infraction worth 6 points.


Points required for temporary ban


5 points results in a one day ban.
6 points results in a one week ban.
10 points results in a three week ban (on top of the one week ban).
15 points results in a permanent ban.


Questions
If you have any questions regarding the rules or anything discussed within this document, please feel free to private message flapjack or any of the moderators!