This is a proposal for a new set of rules with the new site. I take these from another forum which has amazing posing quality and a great signal to noise ratio in the posts. This makes reference to a ‘report post’ system and a PM system. The report post function is a great way to single out problem posts in a much cleaner way then the Troll Thread. The PM system can easily be replaced by Steam chat.
What I think would be another good ideais a sort of ‘random stuff’ sub form that would consist of topics like forum games and have more lax moderation.
I’ve taken out some parts that are irrelevant for this type of form.
Proposal for Rules Thread Content
I. Writing Skills
The odds are, you are not accessing this website from a mobile phone, so don’t type as though you are. Presenting your thoughts clearly and coherently encourages others to take you seriously and to listen to what you have to say. The best way to do this is to use proper punctuation and capitalization; use coherent grammar and sentence structure; and spell your words correctly. Simple enough.
Also, don’t post in ALL UPPERCASE letters; it’s like shouting into someone’s eyeballs. And unless you’re the reincarnated spirit of the beloved 20th century poet e.e. cummings, don’t post in all letters either.
Use paragraph breaks to separate larger thoughts and avoid writing run-on sentences. Also keep faddish abbreviations in check -- that is, spell your words out.
We know that no one is perfect and we won’t hold anyone to unreasonable standards. Basically just take the time to post so that others will care what you have to say. A good gauge of this and something we encourage everyone to do is to preview your post before making it public. If something looks wrong or isn’t making sense, edit your post so that it does.
After you’ve submitted your post for the whole world to see, read what you wrote one last time and edit accordingly. The more obsessive amongst us go so far as to write most of their longer posts in Notepad before putting anything near the Internet. We don’t expect you to be this fanatical, but we do expect you to make an effort to write quality posts that people want to read.
II. Courtesy (No Flaming)
Simply, be respectful of other forum users.
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Basically, just use common sense and be respectful, publicly (forum posts) and privately (PMs). If you see someone acting like a raging douche bag to you or someone else, Report the Post to the administrative staff. (It’s that little red triangle in the bottom left-hand panel in every post.) Engaging trolls and responding to flame-bait will get you a warning, so just ignore them and report it to us.
A Note about Private Messages. While the threshold for flames and insults are lower in the public areas of MTS, if you're using the forum software to deliver insults and harassing comments via Private Message (PM), that is not acceptable either. While we ask that you attempt to resolve the conflict through less formal means at first, if you continue to receive derogatory and insulting messages via PM, forward the message(s) to a mod/admin and we'll take care of it. Harassment of other users via PM may result in warnings, up to a site ban.
III. Lack of Content (No Spam)
Ever since Internet bulletin boards and Usenet newsgroups sprang up in the early 90s’, we’ve all had to deal with worthless posts and ideas - honestly, far too many of them. At MTS, posting without meaningful and relevant content is the easiest way to get a thread locked. Before you post, ask yourself if anyone cares what you have to say on the topic. If no one will, don't bother posting.
Other posts that fall into this category:
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* One-liners or even one-word posts. There's a fine line between wit and spam.
* Hijacking threads with off-topic posts. Stay on topic and make your posts in the appropriate thread to keep the discussion on-track and relevant.
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IV. Prohibited Topics
Most of the following should go without saying, but for the record, here’s a list of other off-limits topics and content.
1) Racially offensive or chauvinistic ranting: 1) makes you look like an ass and 2) will not be tolerated on MTS.
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3) Thread redundancy. If you’re about to start a new thread on a deck, do a quick search to make sure that discussion isn’t already happening somewhere else.
4) "Bumping" of threads. If you have no relevant content to add, don’t bump a thread to the top of the forum to get the discussion rolling again. The only exception to this rule is bumping of tournament announcements, but don’t go crazy with that.
5) Double-posting. Double posting is annoying and is just like bumping. If you wrote the previous post in a particular thread, just edit that thread and put in your new content. An exception to this is if a thread has been inactive for a few days (at least three) and you have something relevant and worthwhile to add to that thread …<esoteric stuff>… Otherwise, just edit your posts with new content.
6) Whining about the moderation on this site. We’re not infallible and if something is bugging you about the way a moderator handled something, PM that moderator, but don’t rant about it publicly. Which leads us to:
7) Backseat moderation. Don’t “wonder how long a thread will stay open.” If you see spam, just report it and let the staff deal with it.
8) Bold Red Text and regular old red text are reserved solely for MTS Moderators and Administrators. Don’t use it.
9) Public personal messages. If you’re writing a post for one or two other people, you’re writing a personal message and no one else cares. Send a PM (Private Message) instead.
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12) Assorted things that are annoy people. This is is not an exhaustive list, but avoid the following: a) annoying signatures (length, .gifs, etc.); b) offensive usernames and avatars; and c) blatant third-party advertising.[/i] The staff reserves the right to moderate this shit with extreme prejudice.
13) Discussion of politics or incendiary social issues. Discussing politics, religion and the like just brings out the worst in people and invariably leads to insults, then warnings and thread lockage. Exceptions can be made in some cases by clearing it with Mod/Admin first; otherwise, don’t do it.
VI. Warning and Bannings
Violating the forum rules described herein will get you a warning for rules violation(s). If you receive three (3) full warnings, you’ll be banned from the site. It’s as simple as that. While we (usually) don't relish banning users, if a few disruptive and problematic posters have to lose their posting privileges to increase the value of this site for everyone else, that is a sacrifice we are willing to make.
The Mods/Admins will make it clear what you’re being warned for and it will usually be a violation of a rule found herein, though there may be fringe cases that we haven’t considered.
We may issue verbal warnings for minor infractions of the rules, but repeated violations of that rule (shitty grammar, for instance) will quickly turn into a full warning. If you’re egregiously violating a rule -- especially flaming -- we’ll issue a full warning from the start, without a verbal warning.
When appropriate and as necessary, the staff may ban users who have less than three warnings. It will be for cause and it will be for the good of all (except that person).
Original content by; Bardo
Thank you for your time.