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1. General Rules The following General Rules apply to ALL aspects of The Forum. This includes forum threads, posts, links, user profiles, avatars, and signatures. 1.1. Use English with proper grammar and spelling Since this is an English forum we ask that all communication be in English. Ideally this means using proper English, with appropriate punctuation and capitalization, at all times. Excessive abbreviations and "l33t speak" are particularly unwelcome. Also, excessive use of the color, font and size tags along with the use of ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation and smiles are highly discouraged. While we understand the occasional mistake, the excessive and intentional abuse of the English language will result in a warning from the staff and can also lead to a ban. 1.2 Do not insult or harass other members Insults, harassment, flaming, trolling, baiting, or other similar abusive behavior towards other members will not be tolerated. This includes the use of "retort images", images used to convey a "come back" message (i.e. to "retort"). 1.3 Do not provide inappropriate content Any content (e.g. images, text, video, etc.) that is of a pornographic, extremely violent, repulsive or disturbing nature, or otherwise unsuitable for minors, is expressly forbidden. While you are strongly discouraged from posting potentially offensive or risque content, that could be considered unsuitable for viewing at work and school; we understand that in some cases it is of value. In such cases you may link to it using a URL tag provided it is both suitable for a PG-13 audience and is accompanied by appropriate warnings. The inline-image feature (IMG tag) must NOT be used for such content. 1.4 Do not use more than one account One User, one Account. The use of multiple accounts or allowing more than one person access to an account is expressly forbidden. If you want a different username or are having trouble accessing your account please contact a member of staff. If you find your account has been banned, do not make matters worse by creating a new one to ask why. Instead, contact a member of staff (via a private message) using your original account. Duplicate accounts will be merged, removed, or permanently banned without warning. 2. Posting Rules These rules govern what posts and threads members are allowed to create on the forums. They apply to ALL forums but do NOT apply to signatures or user profiles. The staff may allow exceptions to these rules or impose additional rules for certain threads and forums. Details of any such exceptions or additions will be given in forum announcements, sticky threads or the first post of an individual thread to which they apply. Messages that break the Posting Rules will be edited, closed, or deleted. Depending on the severity of the offense, members found breaking the Posting Rules will be given a warning, a temporary ban, or a permanent ban. 2.1 Do not post nonsense You are not required to reply to every single thread and post in a forum. Please only reply if you have something useful to add to the thread. Posts such as "I agree", "OK" and "Me too" are all considered nonsense. If you do not have anything helpful to say in a thread or you do not know the answer to a question, please do not post simply to say that you do not have anything to say or that you do not know the answer the question. Posting just to "bump" a thread (i.e. move it to the top of the forum) is also considered nonsense. 2.2 Do not make image heavy posts This is a discussion forum not an image board; posts must contain more than just images or links to images. In addition, please do not make posts with large images unless it's specifically applicable to the thread in question. If you want to include screenshots, wallpapers, art and so forth, please link them by means of the URL tag. Small thumbnails, which link to the larger images, are an acceptable alternative. 2.3 Do not "cross post" You are not permitted to post the same message in more than one forum or more than once in the same forum. Please take care to post your message in the forum or thread for which it is best suited. Do not post your message to an existing thread when it is not relevant to the topic. Reading the description under each forum title, and careful use of the search features, should help you find the right location for your message. If you post in the wrong location please send a private message to a member of staff who will move your post for you. Please do not make the mistake worse by posting the same message again in another location. 2.4 Do not advertise your products, services, or events You are not permitted to post the URL of, or information about any website, product, service or event with which you are affiliated unless it forms an important part of an on-topic reply to a previous post, where providing the URL or information would be of specific interest to the topic. This also includes soliciting other members to send you electronic mail or private messages in exchange for such information. Tsubasacon will not tolerate the use of its facilities to send or in any way distribute unsolicited advertising. All advertising must be authorized by a member of staff prior to its posting on the forums; either by explicit exception in the rules or by a private message from a member of staff. The only exceptions to this are anime and manga related events held in the states of Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, which can be freely announced once without staff authorization. Also, artists who have been officially recognized as part of Artist Alley in the upcomming convention can create one topic announcing the premier or exclusivity of their work, such as a dojinshi, on the forums. 2.5 Avoid flammable and cyclic topics Please be aware that political and religious discussions often cause very heated debates with little give or take on either side. They normally start out interesting and sensible but degrade rapidly. This produces the same arguments repeatedly for pages and induces many members to start "flaming" each other. Such topics will most likely be closed unless care is taken to keep the thread both interesting and polite. Similar discussions, concerning the illegality of fansubs and subs vs. dubs debates, may also be treated in this way. 2.6 Avoid openly posting spoilers While discussion of anime and manga plot lines is encouraged, be aware that other members may not have seen or read the plot line to that point. For this reason, spoilers should never be posted openly. Instead surround the spoiler with the [spoiler][/spoiler] tags. 3. Signature Rules These rules apply only to member signatures. Users who do not wish to see member signatures may disable them in their User Profiles via the User Control Panel. The Signature Rules are only loosely enforced. Never-the-less, signatures that violate them will be replaced with a warning. Members who ignore this warning and keep violating the Signature Rules will be temporarily banned. Annoying signatures, or those that break the General Rules, may be edited or removed without warning at the sole discretion of the staff. In addition, please do not use spoiler, indent or quote tags in signatures. 3.1 Size Limits In order to keep The Forum fast for those who wish to see signatures we feel it is necessary to impose limits. Various combinations of images and text are permitted in signatures; these are summarized below:
If multiple images are used, then the limits apply to all images combined. 3.2 Limited Advertising Permitted Signatures are excluded from the advertising restrictions found in the Posting Rules; provided the site, product, service or event being advertised and the content of the advertisement complies with the rest of The Rules. If you are not sure please ask a member of staff. |
