Serious Community » Forum Rules Serious Community Charter This board hosts a primarily english speaking community and for that reason we discourage the use of other languages in the open forums, but feel free to communicate in any language you wish through the private messaging system. You may also express yourself in any way you like in your user profiles as long as it abides by the forum rules and a translation is provided on request. If you abuse these freedoms in attempts to circumvent the rules then they will be revoked. These rules are forum wide, and you are expected to adhere to these rules whenever you post. Hosted forums are allowed to make additions to these rules. By posting in a forum, you are declaring that you have read these rules, and agree to abide by them. This will cover the basic rules of this community, and what you should expect from administrators, moderators, forum-specific moderators, and tribunes. Roles of Administrators, Moderators, and Tribunes Administrators: This group is comprised of site admins and official staff. They mainly oversee the operation of the community as a whole, and act on decisions such as the creation and modification of the different forums on the system, they also will take action against offenders as they deem necessary. Moderators: This group is comprised of forum-wide moderators and forum-specific moderators. They mainly keep the peace and remove disruptive posts/threads to maintain the friendly environment we promote, they also assist the administrators in areas of forum security. Tribunes: This group is comprised of elected community representatives. They help guide the self-moderating aspect of the community, help with disputes between members, and serve as community representatives in the administration council. The main job of administrators, moderators, and tribunes is to ensure that the rules are followed by all members. All decisions are based on the guidelines below and are final. We're not here to oppress, dictate to, or babysit anyone, but unfortunately we must respond accordingly if your actions disrupt the flow of the forums. Our main goal is to maintain a user friendly environment for all involved. When someone breaks the Rules When the rules are broken, then the mod or admin involved will make a decision on how to deal with the problem. These are general guidelines or what you can expect to happen. Administrative actions are based on a 5 count system. The first offense will be met with a verbal warning via PM. The second offense will see a public warning in response to the offense. The third offense will be met with an immediate 1 month ban. The fourth offense will be met with a 3 month ban. The final offense will be a permanent ban with no chance of being allowed back into the community. All of these actions will include any administrative action required to remove the offense. This may seem harsh but in most cases administrative action is not required so incidents that do require them are isolated and truly do need to be taken care of. Generally speaking we try to minimize our use of administrative actions - that way offenders do not disrupt the flow of the community. The only exception to this is if a user attempts to circumvent the system after being banned, these users will be permanently banned with no chance of being allowed back into the community. How to act if you see someone breaking a rule This is important; do not respond to the post. You must ignore it. Let me repeat that; if you see a post or thread that breaks a rule, IGNORE IT. This is for two reasons; first, so that the offender does not have the satisfaction of causing a stir; but more importantly, so we can simply delete the offending post and the thread can continue. If people start replying with "that's spam!" etc, then it becomes harder for us to remove the offensive post (see 'when a post is deleted or edited'). Similarly, do not reply to a new thread that is clearly a rule-breaker; that way we can simply delete it, or it'll just get pushed out of view. If it is something that is listed under bannable offenses then please use the 'Report Post' form and let us know so we can take care of it as soon as possible. Forum Rules Most of the rules listed here are common sense but they are listed anyway. Because there are many moderators and staff constantly moderating these forums, mistakes will occasionally happen. If you think you have been punished unfairly, then please email a staff member using our contact form. If you don't receive a response, try a different staff member but do not send more than 1 email to any single person. State when you were banned, by whom (if you know), and any related threads. We will then review the decision as a team. If you attempt to rejoin the forums after being banned, we will not look over your response and it will result in an immediate permanent ban. We do not tolerate users who attempt to circumvent the rules and will take action against those that do with extreme prejudice. Please keep in mind that these guidelines are not set in stone. We still withhold the right to warn or ban someone for their behavior, regardless of it fitting a criteria below. This is simply a guideline. It basically comes down to common sense. You will be verbally warned for the following Light spamming and posting in the wrong forum. We all make mistakes; if you post rubbish, posting unrelated topics in the wrong forum, you will only be warned on your first 2 offenses. After that, we presume you are doing it with intent. Short responses (4 word responses and emoticon-only replies) in succession that do not have any relevance to the thread will be considered as spam. Replying to really old topics which bear no relevance to anything anymore will be let by the first couple of times, but doing this repeatedly without bearing to the thread will be seen as disruptive behavior. Provoking other users into flaming, generally being anti-social. Newbie bashing - you were new at one point, as was everyone else. Pleae treat newcomers to the forums with respect, and new members should treat everyone else the same way. Excessive profanity - while profanity, when used properly, is an effective way of conveying emotion and/or thoughts, when abused it can be detrimental and offensive. Please keep in mind that we do have young people browsing these forums. Oversized sigs and obnoxious avatars, this includes animated avatars and sigs with glaring colors or oversized text. You will be publicly warned for the following Inappropriate Material (further explanation under section of same name) Posting disgusting or otherwise offensive material and/or pictures will get you a warning. Please don't ruin it for everyone else by posting offensive material. Unprovoked flaming - flames are considered a deliberate personal attack on another member or group of members. Having a difference of opinion is fine, but if it gets out of hand and turns into a fight to get the biggest jab at the other person, then it has gone too far. Spamming; as in advertising (both in topics and by PM), and extremely off-topic/pointless posts. Post something stupid like a 'funny' picture, or 'ur mom is gay' in a specialized forum, it will be removed and you will be warned. Naturally we will understand if something was posted with good intentions in the wrong place by accident - but blatant spamming of the forums will not be tolerated. Bannable offenses All warez, hacktools, cracks, and crack making tools are considered illegal. We have a zero tolerance policy towards them, including but not limited to, the distribution, advertisement, or admitted use of these materials. Penalties for violating this policy may include an immediate and permanent ban or a mild warning depending on the circumstances. Racism against a person or a group of people over nationality, political stance, or religious beliefs will not be tolerated at all and you will be banned immediately. Harassing and flaming the staff on or off the forums. If it's just a personal argument with someone you know, that's one thing, but if it turns into an obsessive or racist flame-fest in regards to official actions taken by us on the forums, then you will be banned. If it's off the forums (AIM, MSN) and is a result of something that happened on the forums, it is still related to the forums. Moderators and administrators work hard for you guys to keep these forums in check. Any abuse will simply not be tolerated. Mass-spam. If you are flooding the forums with nonsense, you will be banned. Impersonating any members (using their accounts without permission, picking near-identical username etc). Posting deceptive links to boost your referral rating on other websites. (ie: that 'out war' place, pay-per-click ad sites, porn sites, etc..). Private Messages posted publicly or forwarded to a 3rd party without the consent of both parties will result in an immediate ban. This is a violation of privacy and considered a very serious offense. The only exception is if the message is required for proof in a complaint to the forum council. Inappropriate Material As this community is made up of members of all ages, it must be sensitive to material inappropriate for its younger members. All links, images and films must be free of sexual content and nudity, including partial nudity. Areas that must be properly clothed are those normally covered by an ordinary bathing suit, thus no topless pictures or thong bikinis; transparent or semi-transparent material will not be considered proper clothing. Additionally censors do not qualify as proper clothing. The only exceptions are sculptures or paintings established as art by museums, which must be at least 50 years old to be considered “established.” If you are unsure whether something you wish to post meets this standard, then you should contact an administrator, moderator or tribune through the private messaging system with the link/attachment you have questions about. When a post is deleted or edited If the post breaks a rule (e.g. warez, link to lewd material etc) then the post will be edited to remove the offending information. Posts will generally only be deleted if they are repeated (someone spamming a thread) - to keep the thread readable. If a large proportion of a thread is filled with rule-breaking, or people pointing out someone has broken a rule, then it could be deleted or locked. When a topic will be deleted or locked Threads breaking many of the rules will be deleted under most cases. This is to keep the forums clean. Threads will be locked (instead of deleted) under the following situations; To make an example of why the thread was locked. To give an explanation to the thread starter and others, and a reason why a user was punished. If it generated significant replies to warrant it staying up. If you don't like a rule and think it should be changed If you have a problem with one of these rules and would like to see it changed, removed, or replaced by a better one then please contact a Tribune and present your case. Keep in mind that the administration council is very busy and does not have time for pranks so only serious requests will be heard. Also make sure that you present your case clearly, thoughtfully, and un-biased. Mandate Above all we want you to enjoy your time in this community and by following the rules in this charter you will have a good time while you are here. Continue to the forums Register on the forums