Forum rules - simple edition + full edition (OLD!)

[Numbuh 0xFF]

[NOTE BY NUMBUH INFINITY -

This is the old version of the rule thread. Please use the new version for now on.]





This contains the simple variant of the forum rules designed to offer a clear, easily understandable picture of what's okay and what's not. A (much) more detailed version is also available in the same subforum.

If you wish to ask for clarifications or offer criticism please do so in a the Rules Discussion thread in the Suggestions/Updates sub-forum.

---

Forum Rules -- Simple edition

By the Moderation Team

1. Don't spam. Spamming is posting messages with not much in them or posting too many messages. This also includes posting two (or more!) messages one after the other on a thread. This is called doubleposting (or multiposting) and is universally disliked. It's okay if you do it when updating your fanart thread, though.

2. Don't go offtopic. Try the best you can to stick to the topic of the thread. Remember: if someone clicked on the Father/Chubbo Discussion thread it's because they want to read about Father/Chubbo -- not your visit to the dentist.

3. Don't insult people. This is called 'flaming' and will land you in a world of trouble.

4. Don't troll. Trolling is when you make a post that is made so it provokes people: sometimes to anger (this is most common -- Like posting "I hate KND" on KND Main) or to sympathy (It's called a 'pity party' and will get you at best ignored and at worst banned).

5. PLEASE try to write coherent posts. Try your best with spelling and grammar and always re-read to make sure your sentences make sense.

6. No-one likes posts that make your eyes bleed. Avoid posting animated GIFs, overuse of smileys or writing in odd colours. Specifically stay away from red -- this is the colour used by Mods to indicate that they edited something.

7. Don't attack characters or ships you don't like. This is called character/ship bashing and will get you almost universally hated. Remember, YOU may not like Father/Chubbo but to someone else it's the perfect pair.

8. Signatures are very nice. They serve as an indication of any sub-groups you belong to, identify your favorite ships and characters and can display absolutely adorable bits of fanart (A little bird told me that 62 makes some sweet graphic signatures). HOWEVER it is not your homepage. They have to be small because some people have smaller monitors and GIHUGIC sigs throw the whole forum layout off-kilter. Also a sig must take a small amount of (computer) space. This is for people with slow dial-up connections who'd rather not suffer though a several minute loading of your sig. First here's the rule for SPACE:



Second is the rule for size: Your signature in total must NOT be larger than 250 kb.

8. If you have any troubles on the forum, or you don't know how to do something ask a mod. It is (one) of the jobs of a moderator to assist members, newbies in particular. Also remember: if you see someone break one of these rules it would be appreciated if you'd PM a mod or post on the Forum Moderation Thread. Mods know how to handle trolls and trouble-makers.

9. Another modly duty is a lot less pleasant -- for you, that is. It is a mod's duty to issue sanctions against you if you overstep these boundaries. You may find yourself warned, publicly warned, banned for a short period of time or banned permanently. Don't let it be you! These rules are all simple and require almost no effort to follow. If you disagree with a ruling of a mod complain to the Admin. If you disagree with a ruling of the Admin better hope there's a deity on your side.

10. Don't steal fanart. This is one of the most heinous things you can do here. Fanartists are a treasure of the forum -- ripping them off is decidedly uncool. So, remember: when you post a piece of someone else's fanart (esp. in a signature get their permission and make sure you credit them. They worked hard to make the wonderful stuff we can see on the forum -- they deserve all the kudos they can get. Also, don't take anyone's art change it a bit and then post it as your own. That's also theft.

11. Remember the first rule of the forum: We are all here to have fun. Anything that impedes that is bad and anything that helps it along is good. All else is formality.

[NumbuhInfinity]

I'm going to post the Full Version of the rules, here. It was typed by Numbuh OxFF.

----------

This represents the full text of the forum rules under the semi-jocular title of "Forum Constitution". Despite the dense writing style it contains, more or less, the same things the 'simple' rules do, it is presented here for completeness sake, to help resolve tangled issues and to appease the inner lawyer.

If you wish to ask for clarifications or offer criticism please do so in a the Rules Discussion thread in the Suggestions/Updates sub-forum.

---

Forum Constitution

By The Moderation Team

As the title suggests, these are the rules that hopefully will keep this forum in order and make it a more enjoyable experience. We have no intention of forming a forum-wide Inquisition but if you do break these rules you will suffer consequences. These range from verbal warnings to being banned from the forum permanently. Be warned.

1. Spam

Do not spam. Simple as that.

Spam is defined as one or more of the following:

• (A) Posting several consecutive posts on a same thread (double-, triple- and ntuple posting)excepting as follows:
  (a) You are allowed to multipost if you are updating a thread with a substantial amount of info. Good examples are fanart threads.
  (b) You are allowed to post a reply to your own post if the totallity of what you have written cannot fit into the size limit for the post (25kb)
  (c) You are allowed to post a reply to your own post if said post is over two weeks old and you wish to resurrect a thread.
  
• (B) Posting severely offtopic things. In certain threads and/or subforums this rule may be relaxed to a greater-lesser extent. Things not regarding strictly to the topic at hand but having to do with KND, the forum or fandom will be generally allowed provided they provide some material to the discussion. Minor digressions in totally offtopic directions are discouraged but are tolerated provided that such posts contribute something of worth [insightful commentary, well-crafted humour or useful explanations]. It is considered good form when a digression includes a section that talks about the topic at hand and the presence of such a section will count in favour of the post not being counted spam.
  
• (C) Any sort of promotion for any commercial service/product of any sort except when such a service is directly controlled/endorsed by Curious Pictures and/or Cartoon Network and pertains directly to KND.
  
• (D) Self-promotion excepting as follows:
  (a) Promoting your non-commercial artwork pertaining to KND [Fanart section]
  (b) Promoting your non-commercial writing pertaining to KND [Fanfiction section]
  (c) Promoting your non-commercial creative work of any sort [General Creativity Board]
  Provided no complaints arise such self-promotion may occur on other threads as well.
  
• (E) Posting threads specifically designed to garner pity, sympathy, compassion and such esp. if it includes posting fraudulent information. This would also be considered trolling (see 2D)
  
• (F) Posting threads on topics already covered by other threads excepting as follows:
  (a) The existing thread has over 100 pages and must be locked for safety reasons.
  (b) The existing thread is too old and hasn't had any activity in a while (a 'while' being defined as around two weeks). NOTE: 1F(b) doesn't apply if the original thread is still visible on page one and/or is stickied.
  (c) The creator of the tread is capable of providing a reasonable reason for the creation of the second thread.
  (d) Both threads have an active community of posters. In that case a merger should be advised though not required.
  
• (G) Creating threads which deal with any of the subjects proscribed above in A to D
  

Please note that the term 'spam' as defined here deviates from the standard accepted Internet definition (unsolicited bulk email).

The sanctions (see section 8 on sanctions) imposed for spamming are:

• (H) Verbal warning for first offenses and inadvertent rule breaking.
  
• (I) Public rebuke for repeated light offenses or for a single more serious offense.
  
• (J) Suspension of posting privileges for the period of one day for repeated serious offenses or repeated light offenses in case 1I doesn't work.
  
• (K) Suspension of posting privileges in the period of at least five and at most twenty days for persistent, repeated offenses.
  
• (L) Permanent ban in case no other method appears to work. In case of aggravated circumstances this sanction may be applied earlier at the discretion of a Moderator though such a decision is subject to review.
  

2. Trolling

You are explicitly forbidden to troll. The term 'troll' is defined within this forum as making posts/threads designed solely for the purpose of causing a disturbance and provoking impassioned replies: either flames (which see) or, say, sympathy (see 1-E). Specifically the term commonly includes one or more of the following:

• (A) Posting blatant insults and obscene language (which see).
  
• (B) Joining the forum and then attacking KND as the show. It is taken as a given that if someone joins the KND fan forums it is because one is a fan. If you are not kindly stay away.
  
• (C) Deliberately acting in a disruptive manner as to impede the smooth functioning of the forum. This includes but is not limited to:
  (a) Excessive multiposting
  (b) Opening an overlarge amount of threads with no real topic
  (c) Mounting attacks against the forum's security system
  
• (D) Making posts designed to garner sympathy and/or pity. This would also be considered spamming (see 1E).
  
• (E) Posting deliberate character/show bashings on the forum in order to provoke the regulars. This would also be considered character bashing under the relevant rule (see 5)
  

The sanctions (see section 8 on sanctions) imposed for spamming are:

• (F) Verbal warning in case of first case of 2D.
  
• (G) Public rebuke for first cases of 2E.
  
• (H) Suspension of posting privileges for the period of one day for repeated cases of 2D or 2E or for first cases of 2A or 2B.
  
• (I) Suspension of posting privileges in the period of at least five and at most twenty days for persistent repeating of 2D or 2E and for repeated 2A or 2B; also for first cases of 2C(a) 2C(b).
  
• (J) Permanent ban for unrepentant offenders under 2D or 2E or for repeated cases of 2A, 2B, 2C(a), 2C(b) or for first cases of 2C(c).
  
• (K) Permanent ban, being added to the killfile (which see) and the deletion of all posts for extreme cases such as several of the offenses combined or for repeated 2C(c).
  

3. The Composition of posts

Users are kindly asked to strive to have their posts be readable. Please accept the following guidelines:

• The posts must be as correctly spelled as you can, investing a reasonable amount of effort, make them. Also avoid typos.
  
• Please try to follow the rules of English grammar and usage.
  
• Strive to make your posts make logical sense -- rereading them before you post is a very good idea.
  
• Please avoid using bad colour combinations. Writing all your posts in purple will net you few friends.
  
• Do not overuse the formatting functions, this goes double for large letters and scrolling letters.
  
• Smileys have their place but should be avoided in excessive amounts. Each line should have at most one, or, rarely, two smileys. Furthermore avoid having several smileys for emphasis. And finally please do not make posts that consists entirely of smileys.
  

The above are, of course, only guidelines and are not mandatory but be warned that people are likely to either ignore you if you go to far (and have posts that are indistinguishable from gibberish) or they will mock you.

The following are rules, that is to say they are mandatory:

• (A) Post will be written solely in English excepting as follows:
  (a) You can use snippets of some other language for illustration or for the purposes of amusement.
  (b) Certain threads may receive permission to be based in a different language if: (i) There is a mod fluent in said tongue OR (ii) The denizens of the thread agree to have the thread deleted in case of a single complaint.
  
• (B) No post will contain code that is malicious and/or intended to subvert security. This will be treated under rule 2C(c).
  
• (C) No post will use the colour red -- it is reserved for use by mods to indicate that something has been edited.
  

4. Flaming

The forum utterly an completely forbids flaming. A 'flame' is defined as a post specifically designed to verbally assault another poster with malice. A post such as this one wouldn't be okay:

You are an idiot! Only a moron would like Father/Chubbo, I bet you are gay!

The above would be considered an aggravated flame because it was both a simple loudmouthed insult (flame) and utilized an national/religious/ethnic/racial/sexual slur as part of insult (aggravated).

A post such as this one, on the other hand, would be fine:

Your opinions are stupid! You are intellectually lazy because you accept the easiest explanation without thinking.

It does sting but isn't a purely personal attack. Overuse would be bad (and treated as poster abuse, see 4) but used in a legitimate debate it wouldn't be grounds for a mod intervention.

The rules regarding flaming are:

• (A) No flames, as defined above, can be posted.
  
• (B) The use of national/religious/ethnic/racial/sexual slurs and/or insults makes flaming aggravated which proportionally increases mod response.
  
• (C) Repeated attacks on a poster without provocation and outside of the original thread of conflict is counted as poster abuse.
  

The sanctions (see section 8 on sanctions) for flaming are

• (D) Verbal warning for first offenses of flaming in case the offended party doesn't press the issue.
  
• (E) Public rebuke in case of repeated offenses of flaming, flaming with the offended party making a complaint and aggravated flaming as defined in 4B or in 8I(b).
  
• (F) Suspension of posting privileges lasting no less than one day and no more than fourteen days in case of repeated flaming with the offending party making a complaint or repeated aggravated flaming as defined in 4B or in 8I(b).
  
• (G) Permanent ban in severe cases.
  

5. Character bashing

Refrain from character/ship bashing which is defined as deliberate attacks on a certain character or pairing and by extension people who are fans of said character. Doing so will be treated as flaming, above. An example of a bad post would be:

Father/Chubbo is STUPID and and soooo DUMB!1! Father should be with Cat Lady 'cause they are soo romantic1! Chubbo is a stupid smelly pile of FAT!

Disregarding the (intentionally) absurd ship this would be an example of what NOT to do. Especially don't attack characters because they are fat, bespectacled, bald or for anything you deem a physical failure. Another very bad thing would be making threads devoted to character/ship hatred and-or bashing this would be treated under both rules 1B, 2E and 4A.

A good post would look something like:

I dislike Father/Chubbo. We have no evidence in canon, especially since they never met, Chubbo is dead and, well, FlaimingDemonThing/Hamster? Ain't gonna work. Plus I don't see their couple dynamic -- I think Father/Cat Lady is the way to go.

Here we have a reasoned critique which is, of course, okay. Another example of a okay post would be something like:

Father/Chubbo proof? That? Don't be silly people, they weren't even in the same shot. Please stop seeing proof where none exist. Canon, people!

Non-shipping people should have their say, especially when too-enthusiastic shippers start warping canon.

6. Obscenity

The use of obscenity on the forum is forbidden. Obscenity is defined as the use of certain 'bad' words and the posting of text or images or video of pornographic content. This rule is relaxed in the Adult RP thread.

7. Signatures

The size and dimensions of a signature must be controlled for the benefit of dial-up users and to conserve screen-space. The rules are as follows:

• (A) A signature, including all text and graphics, will be no taller than 250 pixels (take note that a character is about 8 pixels tall).
  
• (B) A signature, including all text and graphics, will be no wider than 500 pixels (take note that a character is about 6 pixels wide)
  
• (C) A signature, including all text and graphics, will have no more than 250 kilobytes.
  
• (D) The tolerance for these rules is +/- 15px and +/- 5 kilobytes.
  
• (E) Whatever is in the signature must conform to the overall forum rules (such as those regarding obscenity, flaming and such).
  
• (F) If the signature has fanart in it and the fanart does not belong to the person whose signature this is the following conditions must be met:
  (a) The fanart can only be used with permission.
  (b) The fanart must be attributed clearly and unambiguously.
  NOTE: This rule also applies to:
  (c) Posting a piece of fanart by another person anywhere while claiming that you yourself have drawn it.
  (d) Posting a piece of fanart clearly derived from the work of other fanartists without getting their permission and crediting them in your posts.
  Offenses under (c) and (d) will be treated as aggravated (in concordance with 8I(a))
  

To ease construction of signatures the following graphics is provided:

The sanctions (see section about sanctions) for the signature rules are:

• (G) Verbal warning in case of first offense. The mod may or may not remove the signature.
  
• (H) One day suspension of posting privileges in case the signature is not concordant with the rules after a 2 day grace period excepting as follows:
  (a) If the user does not log in during those 2 days the mod must instead of utilizing penalties remove the sig alone.
  (b) If an obvious attempt is made to correct the error but fails though a simple oversight the mod reissues a verbal warning without using suspension. This can happen once per infraction.
  
• (I) In case the poster persists keep increasing the suspension period for as long as it's necessary.
  

8. Sanctions

These are the rules regarding sanctions the mods may impose. Note that the judgment of mods (especially moddish consensus) is final.

• (A) A verbal warning is a message either posted on the relevant thread or PM'd to the offending party containing a firm but courteous warning about a broken rule.
  
• (B) A public rebuke is a mass PM to every forum member detailing the offense of a member. A mod may, if so desired, substitute the PM with a public post containing a sharp attack on a poster.
  
• (C) Suspension of posting privileges means that the user will be unable to log in or do anything for as long as the suspension lasts. The mod must PM (and/or e-mail) said person with a warning that they have been suspended and with an explanation of the reason.
  
• (D) Banning means that the user will be unable to log in ever and that the username used will be unavailable. Furthermore the originating IP will be unable to register an account again.
  
• (E) Being included in the killfile means that the user will not only be banned as in but will also be banned if they appear again and will have every single post they made deleted.
  
• (F) If an offense is made in a certain post a mod is free to, at his/her own discretion, edit and/or delete the post.
  
• (G) If an offense is made by making a certain thread a mod may either delete the thread or move it to the Wall Of Shame area where merciless mocking will ensue.
  
• (H) While some guidelines (like ones about spelling) do not carry sanctions be warned that the forum at large may respond to the braking of said guidelines with mockery and/or hostility. Also if you indulge in writing OOC (Out Of Character) fiction you may incur the terrible wrath of the IC Brigade. Be warned.
  
• (I) An offense is considered 'aggravated' when one of the following occurs:
  (a) A condition set in the original rule is met.
  (b) Another offense is made in the same act that made the first offense.
  In case an offense is aggravated the sanction is of one degree higher.
  
• (J) An offense is considered 'mitigated' when one of the following occurs:
  (a) A condition set in the original rule is met.
  (b) The breaker of the rule is a 'member in good standing' (defined as having more than 500 posts and no rules violations warranting more than a warning [note: if they warranted a warning only because they were mitigated under this rule then the member loses his/her privilege for one month] in the last month).
  (c) The rule was broken inadvertently.
  A mitigated offense draws sanctions that are one degree less severe.
  

9. Administration

These are the rules governing the administration of the rules, their alteration and the ascertainment of whether a rule was broken or not.

• (A) These rules are subject to change under the direction of the Admin or trough moddish majority. Upon the rules being altered there will be a mass PM warning all and sundry of the change.
  
• (B) Each mod has full powers to apply these rules with full extent.
  
• (C) In case a sanctioned party feels unjustly sanctioned he or she may appeal to the mods by making a thread in the Suggestions/Updates forum bearing the title "APPEAL: <sanctioned party> vs. <mod>". In the original post the sanctioned party is due to explain to the fullest his or her grievances. Upon reviewing the same the mods will make a ruling declaring further action.
  
• (D) A final appeal can be made to the Admin via PM. The judgment of the Admin is then final and, if necessary, terminal.
  
• (E) In case of a dubious situation the mods may create a Forum Tribunal. The tribunal functions by having both sides of an issue present their cases (via proxy if so desired) while a council of two randomly selected mods and two members in good standing with at least a thousand posts and no serious rule violations in their posting lifetimes. The tribunal may also function in the interest of discovering the truth about some knotty problem (say, a fraud) where there are no opposing sides and the tribunal's only purpose is to ascertain the truth of something. Be as it may the tribunal makes its decision by voting. In the case of an even 2-2 split the Admin is called in to break the tie.