Post by RyuSpike on Sept 27, 2011 20:37:43 GMT -5
Here are some rules of the forum that members need to keep in mind.
1) Be kind, courteous, and respectful to other members on the site. We are all human beings and none of us want to be pushed around by people who are suppose to have most of the same interests as you. So sit back and think about what you are going to post before posting it.
2) Watch your language. This means no sailor talk or using this place like a bathroom stall. This isn't because we are being nazis and free speech is highly promoted here. It is because that kind of talk is really unnesserary and really unproductive. It also makes you seem less of a credible person when all you are known for is saying racist slurs about furry ponies. So keep things PG at best, and just pinching PG-13 when it's in good taste. You'll be much happier if you did.
3) Keep drama to a minimum. Yes, free speech covers this, but is it worth it? If you feel like you want to get a personal matter out then do so in a collective manner. Make a post about it if you feel like sharing, but don't go around asking for sympathy from other members. That is petty and unhealthy in general. Also, do not try looking for a fight. Flame wars are easy to start but harder to put out. If you are having trouble with another member then don't go tell the mods or admin about it in hoping we can solve the problem for because we can't. You will need to be responsible about your own relationships and not anybody else.
4) Please type as if you are a professional. I'm not saying this because I have a rock up my butt when it comes to spelling or grammar because frankly I'm not all that great at it either. But I do try my best to be as clear as possible while making a post. So all I ask is that you try your best when writing out your posts because people will be reading them, and they will want to know what is it that you are trying to communicate with them. The forum has a spellchecker so there is no excuse for you not to do a quick scan with it before posting. Be in control and don't rush your posts, and you'll see that people will respect you for effort.
5) Be creative. This is an important aspect that can't be overlooked. Too many times do I see characters who all have the same personality, the same generic look, and strangely the same set of pokemon. I'm not trying to force you all into being unique because, frankly, you all are unique! Everybody has different styles of creativity and should follow what makes them comfortable. Your characters and pokemon should be an extention of yourself as a person and should reflect your own being for all to see. So don't go down that bland, cookie cutter road. Use the one that is much more refreshing and interesting to look at.
6) Be yourself. Make friends. It isn't hard at all. Be honest and open up to the world of the internet. Yes, it can be dangerous if you give out any personal information, but that doesn't mean you should close yourself off from the world either. You can speak your mind and talk about yourself without endangering your well-being to strangers. All it takes is a little faith and you will find that getting to know each other isn't so scary. You will be much happier for it, and you will discover that the truest and greatest friends that you can find are not always the ones you can see.
7) Have fun and don't take everything so seriously. There are people who join sites like this just so that they can roleplay with utmost seriousness, but is that all there is too it? On this site, we don't rank others with things like "Literates" or "Semi-Literates" or any of that funky jazz. We all can read, right? So technically we are all "Literate". Putting down others because they don't want to write paragraphs upon paragraphs upon paragraphs about how their character are taking a leak and how it reminded them of how their grandparents had been turned into undead superheroes. So don't try to make the style of roleplay consume everything fun about the art because what really makes a great roleplay is not how well it is written but by how many people were involved with its creation.
8) Communicate with everybody in your roleplays. Don't go into a session blindly and just play the game. You need to be able to speak with each other. This will make roleplaying all the more easier. Not everybody is in the same timezone so that means you need to coordinate your meetings for faster results. Roleplaying will move faster if players were on at the same time. This is especially important for battling. Be smart and organize yourselves as a group. Actually, in terms of roleplay, you are a team. Nobody is aiming to overtake anybody else because players are heading for the same goal. So for the good of the team, work together and you will be glad when the adventure ends so a new one will begin.
9) Don't view the Admins or Moderators as the bad guys! I can assure you that we aren't secretly messing with you while stroking our cats inside our sinister lairs. We are just people who want to make this place as user friendly as possible because we didn't make this place for ourselves. We made it for all of you. You, the user, is what makes up this place. A forum without members is a sad and lonely place, and trust me when I say that having nobody around sucks. So if you feel slighted in anyway because you feel that the staff is against you then you should think twice. If you were banned for a day then it is probably your own fault. You were the one who was being antagonistic towards everybody else so you should take responsibility for you own actions and accept it. If it turns out a mod or admin has been abusing their power and you have a strong enough case to prove it, please send tell me about it through a PM or email. I'll sort it out because I do not tolerate such behavior from anybody. Especially from people who are my friends!
10) Admins and Mods do not share the same roles. Admins do not police the members. That would be the Moderators' job. It is their job to inspect the roleplays and forum discussions to make sure everything is green. Moderators will warn you if you are being a disturbance and if you refuse to be cooperative then the mod will report you to an admin. The admin will then decide whether or not to place a temporary ban on you. Temporary bans should only last one day on the first couple offenses. Further trouble making will lead to longer bans. If behavior is too antisocial for the site then a permanent ban will be in order, but that is only as a last resort. If you want to report about a misbehaving member, PM a moderator and not an admin. Policing isn't our job! Admins are more like the city hall for forums. Our focus should only be focused on how to make Advent more interesting for the users. It is our job to organize special events and adjust the Codex section so that players can enjoy the roleplay more. If you are going to PM us then make sure it is purely about the site and not some jerk who called you stupid. You can ask us questions or report an error that needs to be fixed like a link that doesn't lead to the page it should be going. Don't think of us as corporate bosses who'll ignore your every word, but as carpenters who want to fix up your house so it doesn't collapse on top of you.
I hope this will help you in understanding our policies here at Advent. If you have any questions or suggestions then please state them below. We will be sure to take them into mind and amend the guidelines if it logically fits.
1) Be kind, courteous, and respectful to other members on the site. We are all human beings and none of us want to be pushed around by people who are suppose to have most of the same interests as you. So sit back and think about what you are going to post before posting it.
2) Watch your language. This means no sailor talk or using this place like a bathroom stall. This isn't because we are being nazis and free speech is highly promoted here. It is because that kind of talk is really unnesserary and really unproductive. It also makes you seem less of a credible person when all you are known for is saying racist slurs about furry ponies. So keep things PG at best, and just pinching PG-13 when it's in good taste. You'll be much happier if you did.
3) Keep drama to a minimum. Yes, free speech covers this, but is it worth it? If you feel like you want to get a personal matter out then do so in a collective manner. Make a post about it if you feel like sharing, but don't go around asking for sympathy from other members. That is petty and unhealthy in general. Also, do not try looking for a fight. Flame wars are easy to start but harder to put out. If you are having trouble with another member then don't go tell the mods or admin about it in hoping we can solve the problem for because we can't. You will need to be responsible about your own relationships and not anybody else.
4) Please type as if you are a professional. I'm not saying this because I have a rock up my butt when it comes to spelling or grammar because frankly I'm not all that great at it either. But I do try my best to be as clear as possible while making a post. So all I ask is that you try your best when writing out your posts because people will be reading them, and they will want to know what is it that you are trying to communicate with them. The forum has a spellchecker so there is no excuse for you not to do a quick scan with it before posting. Be in control and don't rush your posts, and you'll see that people will respect you for effort.
5) Be creative. This is an important aspect that can't be overlooked. Too many times do I see characters who all have the same personality, the same generic look, and strangely the same set of pokemon. I'm not trying to force you all into being unique because, frankly, you all are unique! Everybody has different styles of creativity and should follow what makes them comfortable. Your characters and pokemon should be an extention of yourself as a person and should reflect your own being for all to see. So don't go down that bland, cookie cutter road. Use the one that is much more refreshing and interesting to look at.
6) Be yourself. Make friends. It isn't hard at all. Be honest and open up to the world of the internet. Yes, it can be dangerous if you give out any personal information, but that doesn't mean you should close yourself off from the world either. You can speak your mind and talk about yourself without endangering your well-being to strangers. All it takes is a little faith and you will find that getting to know each other isn't so scary. You will be much happier for it, and you will discover that the truest and greatest friends that you can find are not always the ones you can see.
7) Have fun and don't take everything so seriously. There are people who join sites like this just so that they can roleplay with utmost seriousness, but is that all there is too it? On this site, we don't rank others with things like "Literates" or "Semi-Literates" or any of that funky jazz. We all can read, right? So technically we are all "Literate". Putting down others because they don't want to write paragraphs upon paragraphs upon paragraphs about how their character are taking a leak and how it reminded them of how their grandparents had been turned into undead superheroes. So don't try to make the style of roleplay consume everything fun about the art because what really makes a great roleplay is not how well it is written but by how many people were involved with its creation.
8) Communicate with everybody in your roleplays. Don't go into a session blindly and just play the game. You need to be able to speak with each other. This will make roleplaying all the more easier. Not everybody is in the same timezone so that means you need to coordinate your meetings for faster results. Roleplaying will move faster if players were on at the same time. This is especially important for battling. Be smart and organize yourselves as a group. Actually, in terms of roleplay, you are a team. Nobody is aiming to overtake anybody else because players are heading for the same goal. So for the good of the team, work together and you will be glad when the adventure ends so a new one will begin.
9) Don't view the Admins or Moderators as the bad guys! I can assure you that we aren't secretly messing with you while stroking our cats inside our sinister lairs. We are just people who want to make this place as user friendly as possible because we didn't make this place for ourselves. We made it for all of you. You, the user, is what makes up this place. A forum without members is a sad and lonely place, and trust me when I say that having nobody around sucks. So if you feel slighted in anyway because you feel that the staff is against you then you should think twice. If you were banned for a day then it is probably your own fault. You were the one who was being antagonistic towards everybody else so you should take responsibility for you own actions and accept it. If it turns out a mod or admin has been abusing their power and you have a strong enough case to prove it, please send tell me about it through a PM or email. I'll sort it out because I do not tolerate such behavior from anybody. Especially from people who are my friends!
10) Admins and Mods do not share the same roles. Admins do not police the members. That would be the Moderators' job. It is their job to inspect the roleplays and forum discussions to make sure everything is green. Moderators will warn you if you are being a disturbance and if you refuse to be cooperative then the mod will report you to an admin. The admin will then decide whether or not to place a temporary ban on you. Temporary bans should only last one day on the first couple offenses. Further trouble making will lead to longer bans. If behavior is too antisocial for the site then a permanent ban will be in order, but that is only as a last resort. If you want to report about a misbehaving member, PM a moderator and not an admin. Policing isn't our job! Admins are more like the city hall for forums. Our focus should only be focused on how to make Advent more interesting for the users. It is our job to organize special events and adjust the Codex section so that players can enjoy the roleplay more. If you are going to PM us then make sure it is purely about the site and not some jerk who called you stupid. You can ask us questions or report an error that needs to be fixed like a link that doesn't lead to the page it should be going. Don't think of us as corporate bosses who'll ignore your every word, but as carpenters who want to fix up your house so it doesn't collapse on top of you.
I hope this will help you in understanding our policies here at Advent. If you have any questions or suggestions then please state them below. We will be sure to take them into mind and amend the guidelines if it logically fits.