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2000AD Online Forum Rules

Started by VinceBot, 08 September, 2009, 10:59:30 AM

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VinceBot

Alright folks, here lie the rules to the 2000AD Online forum.

These rules are here to improve the quality of everyones forum experience, so please give them all a read as they need to be followed if you want to keep your account. If you break a rule you will likely be punished for it [see "Punishments" below].




Posting Rules

English Only: Just as we expect you to be able to read these rules, we expect to be able to read your posts. Do not use "txt spk" or "l33t sp34k" in your posts (unless theres a good reason, such as satire).

Account Accountability: Please don't create more than one account or create "gimmick" accounts. Likewise please don't share your account with other people.

Hazardous Waste: Don't post anything which can screw up the forum or mess with other forum users. Posting mallicious links (spyware, annoying code in websites) will get your link erased and your account suspended.

Spam: There is absolutely no place for any kind of spam anywhere on this forum. If you run a shop and wish to advertise your services here, contact a staff member and we'll work something out.

Repeat posting: Don't double or triple post on purpose - theres an edit button for a reason. If the edit timer has expired then wait until someone else replies before adding your next point.
Repeat posting offences, especially ones that are just to reiterate a point you've already made, are the fastest way to get yourself suspended.

Necroposting: Generally, don't do this. And certainly do not post to a very old thread unless you have something substantial to add to the conversation AND it's relevant and timely to resurrect such an old thread.

Spoiler Policy: Spoiler tags are [spoiler] or use the button . They're used like any other forum tag to surround text. Spoilers are sensitive information, events from any recent books, etc.


  • Anything inside the forum "Spoilers" category, such as the review boards, are exempt from the spoiler policy. Spoilers need not be used in those boards.
  • If you're talking about a comic that has been out for less than a month or the following issue hasn't yet shipped please use spoilers. If a comic has been out longer than a month or the following issue has shipped then don't use spoilers. You can still use them to be polite, but don't stress over it.
  • Known future events should be spoilered. If you work at 2000AD and you know Judge Dredd is going to grow another arm in prog 1697, spoiler it.
  • Speculation is a special case - speculation based on spoilers should be spoilered. Speculation based on nothing in particular doesn't need to be spoilered.
  • Try to lead into your spoilers so we can tell if we want to know the subject matter before we start reading them:
    Good: The bad guy [spoiler]got away[/spoiler] because Dredds [spoiler]gun fails to fire[/spoiler].
    Bad: Judge Dredd [spoiler]dies[/spoiler] when he gets shot.
    Bad: [spoiler]See, you had no idea what may have been here before you moused over it.[/spoiler]




Member Conduct

Respect the Staff and 2000AD Creators: The staff keep this place nice and tidy and habitable, while the 2000AD Creators provide extremely good insights and are nice to have around. Do not harass or intentionally annoy either of these people.

Disagreements: From time to time you will disagree with eachother on certain subjects - please try to respect other peoples views and if you wish to enter into debate, provide reasonable arguments for your differing viewpoint and do not resort to personal attacks, flames, harassment or insulting.
Sometimes you may not be able to win an argument through the sheer stubborn nature of your opponent - it's their perogative if they want to believe that the earth is flat. Rather than get worked up about it or insult them, it may be better to just walk away.

Ignorance is Bliss: If you really can't stand someone there is always the ignore button , which will hide their posts from view.
You can easily un-ignore a user, or even view their posts content while they are ignored. Try it out!

Forum Drama: If someone is harassing you on the forum then please attempt to resolve your differences over PM or email rather than in a thread. We don't need personal disagreements clogging up and derailing threads. If the problem persists, you can try to ignore the user or report their harassment.
Do not enter into flame wars, personal character attacks or threaten others users, post peoples personal details (addresses, phone numbers, emails, etc.), and please keep in mind there is a distinction between the internet and real life.

Hate Speech: All kinds of offensive terms may or may not be rule breaking depending entirely on the context they are used in and the staff member reviewing your post. Use these words at your own peril.




Images and Files

Keep all images work safe: Do not post anything pornographic, illegal or disgusting. Ask yourself "would my boss or mother be happy viewing this image?".

Image Sizes: Please keep all images to below 800 pixels in width. If you wish to post an image larger than this, either link to it or attach it to your post.

No Warez: Please don't attach or post links to anything illegal or shady, such as warez, cd keys, serials, cracks, copyrighted material, etc. You may post links to legitimate downloads or "audio sample" clips 45 seconds or less.

Signatures: Keep in mind that each time you post your signature shows up. Try to keep these to a sensible size and non-irritating, otherwise it will be deleted by a member of the staff without notification.




Punishments

Softly Spoken: In most instances of rule breaking you will simply be contacted by a member of staff and told not to do it again, and we will clean up any mess that has been created. You'll get off scot free, so count your blessings.

Suspension: If you fail to heed a prior warning about breaches of the rules, or break a particularly strict rule, you wil temporarily lose the ability to post for an amount of time suited to the offence.

Bans: Intentional repeat offences or particularly bad offences (illegal activity, spam, etc) will lead to an outright ban from the forum, both posting and viewing.




Forum Etiquette

Here are some rules more related to specific posting points.

Someone said my opinion was stupid!
While flaming and straight insulting people is more or less against the rules, if you do have a rediculous opinion then don't be suprised if someone calls you on it. If you find yourself using any of the following phrases, you may wish to stop and re-think your position:

  • "If X does Y, I'm giving up Z comics forever."
  • "X is abusing my childhood/nostalgia/history/favorite character."
  • "Anyone who likes X is a moron."

That guy has a stupid opinion.
Feel free to call him out on his opinion, but don't insult him. Flaming is against the rules, so explain why his opinion is stupid.

This guy won't stop flaming me!
Use the report button. Flaming back will only get you in trouble as well.
If you don't report it, we won't see it, and nobody gets held accountable.

Nobody is posting in my thread!
People may find your post to be of general interest and not feel the need to reply. Please don't bump your thread more than once, and don't be indignant about it.

Those guys should be banned because ...
Don't backseat mod in any thread, it'll get you suspended. You can still give people a friendly warning that they may be breaking the rules, but in most you should PM a staff member who can forward it up the chain or use the report button and cram your reasons into the tiny box provided.

I wrote a fanfic, can i...
You can take it to the Creative Common, but pray to god it's good.




Things That Annoy the Staff


  • Thread titles that don't summarise the subject of the thread
  • Backseat modding
  • Reports that don't explain what the problem is
  • Quoting the entire post directly before yours
  • Quoting the entirity of a large post for no reason
  • Forum Drama




Final Words

Crazy Catch-all: Don't try to be clever and circumvent the rules or their wording - these are guidelines for the staff and as such are very flexible, both in and out of your favour.

Exceptions: Each rule has its exceptions and enforcement of the rules is entirely at the discression of the staff. If you think you have a thread worthy of being posted but think it may break one or more of the rules, please contact a member of staff first and get it authorised before posting.

Futureproof: These rules may change at any time without warning.




We try our best not to punish the innocent or unitentional offences, and we expect most people will never have a problem with any of these rules.