Forum rules suggestions

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Forum rules suggestions

Post by takyoji »

As you may have noticed, we've finally posted the forum rules. This has been talked over deeply amongst all the moderators and administrators and has been worked over every now and then for months. However, not everything is quite complete, thus I figured members would be able to suggest of what rules to add/remove.

Some examples of what people have said are (but of which haven't been applied):
  • The 'no swear' policy should be revised a little
  • A post below a certain percentage of readability should be considered as spam
  • No one-worded or one-emoticon posts.
  • A specification for signature size
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Forum rules suggestions

Post by Xiroteus »

Regarding staying on topic, I believe it depends on the subject matter, if it is some general random topic, conversation can move back and forth and get a little off topic.
# A post below a certain percentage of readability should be considered as spam
# No one-worded or one-emoticon posts.
It may depend on the forum, personally, such rules just seem to cause more so-called spam, I have seen boards where people are commenting on short replies and such thus causing more problems then a short simple answer, I felt seeing that every other topic was much worse then a simple reply, people do not want to be double checking them self every time they want to make a comment.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Midnight »

Guidelines are looking good at the moment... There's only a couple of things that could be added (depending on whether anyone else thinks they're good ideas):

* a caution against "bashing" a group of people (whether or not they're represented amongst us) just because they're Christian / Jewish / Muslim / American / non-American / Furry / Therian / liking "Traditional" werewolves / whatever. Mainly because that's the sort of behaviour that sparks off flame wars in the first place.

* a reminder that role-playing belongs in the role-playing forums and not the serious "what is a werewolf?" discussion forums. Apart from anything else, it could be considered highly disrespectful to people who have a genuine spiritual association with wolves.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Sioux »

takyoji wrote:No one-worded or one-emoticon posts.
I don't think you need to make a rule for that. In my opinion, that's just ridiculas. We're people; sometimes we have a lot to say and others times we don't. There might come a time on this forum where words can't fully express a particular persons' feelings. Only one emoticon will.
Enforcing that kind of rule is just too strict. Who made up that rule anyway?

Honestly takyoji, I think that rule is unnecessary.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Spongy »

Wahey, Sioux, don't go bashing Tak for that idea, since it was mine :P

I'm just tired of seeing posts that simply contain a single emoticon or just a single word.

It doesn't hurt to elaborate a little when you post, as in if you are confused about something, dont just post "???", but state what confuses you. Also, a lot of new people tend to do this just to increase their post count so that they can think they are "cool" and above everyone who has a lower post count than them. Which leads to a suggestion I made to eliminate post count.
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Forum rules suggestions

Post by Xiroteus »

I have no suggestions for any new rules because I believe the standard basic rules are enough, I have seen forums with too many rules and it leads to problems.
Which leads to a suggestion I made to eliminate post count.
Or hide them within the profile, I have seen a couple forums that only have a user title and their name, posts counts cannot be seen until you look at their profile, when you think about it, post counts should not be all that important.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Sioux »

spongypants23 wrote:Wahey, Sioux, don't go bashing Tak for that idea, since it was mine :P

I'm just tired of seeing posts that simply contain a single emoticon or just a single word.

It doesn't hurt to elaborate a little when you post, as in if you are confused about something, dont just post "???", but state what confuses you. Also, a lot of new people tend to do this just to increase their post count so that they can think they are "cool" and above everyone who has a lower post count than them. Which leads to a suggestion I made to eliminate post count.
One, I was not bashing Tak. If I thought it was him who suggested the rule then I wouldn't have asked, "Who made up that rule anyway?"
Besides, I haven't seen any new people recently posting one-word or one-emoticon responses to increase their post count. I also don't see why anyone would think having a higher post count would make them cool and above everyone. Even though I'm still new myself, I've been coming to this board as a guest for a couple of months now. Noobs posting one-worded responses, etc. would have been pretty easy to spot. Therefore, I'm sure more pack members would have said something sooner. But, from what I can see, the only person it seems to bother is you.

Even so, if there are people that do that, no offense spongypants23(this goes for everyone as well) I'm surprised you've allowed such a petty thing to bother you. If your THAT SERIOUS about it, then I think we should put that particular rule to a pack vote. If most of The Pack are behind such a rule, then I say enforce it. But, if not, then we shouldn't have it. Because, from what I can see, this rule will only be made out of mere annoyance for one-worded(emoticon) post, and that is not a good enough reason to have it.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Spongy »

Whoops. My bad. From the way I read it, it seemed like you were. I guess I didn't catch that last "Who made up that rule anyway?".

And it's not the one-word posts that bug me, it's that new people (and this /has/ happened), as i stated, do so just to up their "social status" on the forum, when really it has no effect on anyone's status. This can lead to messy or cluttered topics.

And it doesn't just bother me. I've discussed the idea with Tak, and since he agrees on the idea of hiding post counts from view, it can't just be /ME/ that it bothers. I'm all for a vote on the matter, and if people still want a visible post count, well hey, that's democracy right? I can live with that.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by outwarddoodles »

5. Post in pre-existing topics.
Check the older posts for the subject you want to post to. Don't start a new thread if one already exists. We have pages and pages of old posts and try searching them first before making a new or duplicate thread.
In truth, I'm really opposed to this rule.

The absolute best way to kill any new, fresh discussion is by telling members that we already discussed it. In fact, I think the reason why a lot of Pack members are starting to feel run-down lately is because we've all accepted that "It's all been discussed. Ther's nothing more we can do."

Also, you have to keep in mind that the people who post repeat threads are new, and most the people who will then proceed to post in that thread have most likely never participated in the original. Why should we subject them to our old, out-dated posts? Also: Why should we expect users to look through pages of old topics to ensure they never made a repeat? That's a lot to ask.

My Opinion: We should only redirect repeat threads if the previous thread on the same topic is on the first or second page of that particular section -- beyond that, asking users to check for old topics past three pages is A LOT to ask for. If an older member who has participated in the original topic doesn't want to type up a whole new response, then redirecting or copying/quoting their old post should be acceptable.

WE have new and fresh ideas constantly streaming into this forum, thus we should have new and fresh threads.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by takyoji »

outwarddoodles wrote:
5. Post in pre-existing topics.
Check the older posts for the subject you want to post to. Don't start a new thread if one already exists. We have pages and pages of old posts and try searching them first before making a new or duplicate thread.
In truth, I'm really opposed to this rule.

The absolute best way to kill any new, fresh discussion is by telling members that we already discussed it. In fact, I think the reason why a lot of Pack members are starting to feel run-down lately is because we've all accepted that "It's all been discussed. Ther's nothing more we can do."

Also, you have to keep in mind that the people who post repeat threads are new, and most the people who will then proceed to post in that thread have most likely never participated in the original. Why should we subject them to our old, out-dated posts? Also: Why should we expect users to look through pages of old topics to ensure they never made a repeat? That's a lot to ask.

My Opinion: We should only redirect repeat threads if the previous thread on the same topic is on the first or second page of that particular section -- beyond that, asking users to check for old topics past three pages is A LOT to ask for. If an older member who has participated in the original topic doesn't want to type up a whole new response, then redirecting or copying/quoting their old post should be acceptable.

WE have new and fresh ideas constantly streaming into this forum, thus we should have new and fresh threads.
Honestly, I agree with your view. A large majority of other forums call it "necroposting" as well. It does sometimes hurt the amount of discussion that even goes on (considering there could probably be even more if that rule didn't necessarily apply). And people probably don't feel like commenting after reading a topic that was discussed ages ago which probably went over everything.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Gevaudan »

takyoji wrote:A post below a certain percentage of readability should be considered as spam
That one is especially relevant, because there are many new users that don't seem to follow this rule. They drift off-topic into random chit-chat, seem not to care about proofreading their posts before posting them, and often post about something that has already been discussed. Some veterans are complaining and considering leaving. Howlitzer explained it much better in this thread, which is a thread about the need for more moderators.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by outwarddoodles »

I agree with that suggestion. All posts should be as coherent as possible.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Baphnedia »

One rule that I'm considering adding to my own forum concerns Avatars. It's a very rare thing for someone to use their avatar as an advertisement, or for something else, but it's distracting when it does occur. Likewise, I'm opposed to 'big' images inserted into signatures. None of the ones on The Pack really bug me (there are a couple on my own forums that do, though, because of how eye-jarring they are).

Suggestion: Avatars are used to represent yourself on the internet, not ad space, or advocating political opinions or parties.

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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Gevaudan »

Well, there's a difference between "advocating" and "displaying" your opinions, and I hope that most of our members are smart enough to know that difference.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by PariahPoet »

I guess the sig size would have applied to me. ^^
Even though that one would have caught my last sig image I still agree.

As far as one-word posts I don't see why it's a problem. There are many instances where I will post " Image " instead of "That was really cute!" or "That made me laugh!". I just like to be concise.

The unreadable posts drive me crazy! I don't know about treating them as spam though. There are just a lot of people who may be just learning the language, or speak it and are functionally illiterate(or sometimes willfully ignorant). But in either case I think it's fair to allow it and simply request clarification. This may help the original poster to learn more successful written communication skills.

As far as profanity goes. I like the FYOS rule. Make sure that what you post is something you wouldn't mind your fourteen-year-old sister reading. The forum doesn't have to be appropriate for babies. Making the board strictly g-rated would stifle a lot of valid discussions about werewolves, art, and current events. But I think it would probably be good to have a few words/topics that just do not need to be posted here.

I think the reason this board has enjoyed some level of success so far is that most people self-regulate their posts out of an understood respect for others. (though sometimes we have seen that fly out the window) I think that more rules and strict enforcement of them just leads to strife. I like the laissez-faire style of the board. Sure we need someone to step in when things get out of control, but for the most part I think we should let things work themselves out.

(Putting my psychology degree to work)
The reason that this board has relatively little conflict is because the moderators usually stay out of small skirmishes. If a person is threatened with suspension from the forums, that motivation is purely external and he has no motivation to be respectful when the mods are not looking. But if the mods simply ask everyone to be nice and do not often threaten punishment, he will provide his own internal motivation for obeying the rules even when unsupervised.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Werewolf Warrior »

well what really strikes my nerves is when ppl tell me what to do on my post and replys which is really annoying. I think there should be a rule to stop ppl from doing that to others.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Kaebora »

It is everyone's right to ignore grammar and speak using 133+ language, but that certainly wont make them very popular here. It would be a bit controlling to force people to communicate in a certain way. I can't stand it when someone corrects my spelling on a forum. I try my best to use proper English everywhere, yet still manage to have someone tell me that "angery" is spelled "angry". Ignore the little mistakes, please.
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Sig sizes are not restricted to a set size, but only once or twice have I had to call someone out on it. I merely remove it from their profile and warn them about it. People here are mostly kind enough to have sigs that don't make my monitor bleed. Just report them to an Admin if you think it's too big.
Werewolf Warrior wrote:well what really strikes my nerves is when ppl tell me what to do on my post and replys which is really annoying. I think there should be a rule to stop ppl from doing that to others.
Again, this falls under the whole issue of people proofreading your posts for you. Just try and use complete sentenses and good spelling and that wont happen much. It's annoying, but not against any rules stated in the Terms of Service.
Werewolf Warrior's corrected post wrote:Well, what really strikes my nerves is when people tell me what to do on my posts and replies. It is really annoying. I think there should be a rule to stop people from doing that to others.
There. That's better. :) :lol: Don't worry I'm just messing with you.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by PariahPoet »

Poor spelling and grammar gets on my nerves, but I try to give people a bit of leeway. I make typos too, so I resist the urge to correct everything. When it gets to the point where people don't understand your post is where it becomes a problem.
But as long as a post is understandable I don't see a reason to point out all the picky details.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Werewolf Warrior »

Kaebora, the 1 or 2 of the words were text words (chat room type) the rest we okay. I just don't want people telling me and other people how to do our posts and/or replies.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by PariahPoet »

Dude- he was messing with you.
We get it. You don't want to be corrected. He was kidding.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Werewolf Warrior »

Okay O.o' I know I'm just saying.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by PariahPoet »

Your preferences are noted.

But it also bears mentioning that when someone does not even try to use anything that could possibly pass for spelling or grammar, I find it mentally painful. So far your posts have not done that, but I have seen many other members who have. Minor mistakes I can deal with, but pure laziness is irritating beyond reason.
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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Baphnedia »

Just as a note, I'd like to thank the admin and moderation team here who drafted The Pack's forum rules, as an inspiration for a new set of forum rules in Dreamers of Paradice. It makes me a very happy dragon to not have to think a whole lot while writing such things. All your time and effort did not go to waste (and no, I didn't copy everything verbatim). I may be lazy, but I'm not that lazy.

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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by Werewolf Warrior »

Baphnedia wrote:Just as a note, I'd like to thank the admin and moderation team here who drafted The Pack's forum rules, as an inspiration for a new set of forum rules in Dreamers of Paradice. It makes me a very happy dragon to not have to think a whole lot while writing such things. All your time and effort did not go to waste (and no, I didn't copy everything verbatim). I may be lazy, but I'm not that lazy.

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Re: Forum rules suggestions

Post by PUREVENOM »

outwarddoodles wrote:
5. Post in pre-existing topics.
Check the older posts for the subject you want to post to. Don't start a new thread if one already exists. We have pages and pages of old posts and try searching them first before making a new or duplicate thread.
In truth, I'm really opposed to this rule.

The absolute best way to kill any new, fresh discussion is by telling members that we already discussed it. In fact, I think the reason why a lot of Pack members are starting to feel run-down lately is because we've all accepted that "It's all been discussed. Ther's nothing more we can do."

Also, you have to keep in mind that the people who post repeat threads are new, and most the people who will then proceed to post in that thread have most likely never participated in the original. Why should we subject them to our old, out-dated posts? Also: Why should we expect users to look through pages of old topics to ensure they never made a repeat? That's a lot to ask.

My Opinion: We should only redirect repeat threads if the previous thread on the same topic is on the first or second page of that particular section -- beyond that, asking users to check for old topics past three pages is A LOT to ask for. If an older member who has participated in the original topic doesn't want to type up a whole new response, then redirecting or copying/quoting their old post should be acceptable.

WE have new and fresh ideas constantly streaming into this forum, thus we should have new and fresh threads.
Being new here my opinion may not matter or even be wanted. But I do have a forum of my own and active in others. That said, I have to agree with outwarddoodles opinion concerning the "only posting in pre-existing threads rule." A lot of forums have necroposting rules against this. If a thread is over a month old, it's considered a dead thread. Some often use the rule, that if a thread is beyond the first page, it's considered a dead thread. And outwarddoodles also made a few good points about new members as well that should be considered.

Sig size is almost a given. I've seen sigs that are so large or graphic intense, that they take a small while to load.
Most forums that I've ever visited, do place a limit on both sig and avatar sizes.

And I didn't see anything concerning this other than the, "don't post anything that will make our minds wonder." But you may want to clarify your standings on nudity. Especially given that you have an art posting board. I allow nudity at my forum, to a limit.
So if you do allow it, you should be specific as to what is acceptable and what is not.
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