General etiquette
- Be respectful and civil. Criticize ideas, not individuals. Do not engage in personal attacks, harassment, or name-calling.
- Keep it constructive. Disagree respectfully and offer different perspectives. Avoid sarcasm or condescending tones that could alienate other members.
- No spam or self-promotion. Do not use the forum for excessive advertising, promotional content, or unsolicited commercial messages. This includes affiliate links and repeated offers.
- Stay on topic. Create new threads in the appropriate category and ensure your posts are relevant to the discussion. Avoid derailing a topic with unrelated content.
- Use proper language. Don't use excessive capitalization, as it is considered shouting. Write clearly and use proper grammar and spelling to make your posts easy to read.
Restricted content
- No hate speech or discrimination. Do not post content that promotes hatred or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
- No illegal or inappropriate content. Posting or linking to pirated material, copyrighted content without permission, or other illegal activities is strictly forbidden. This also includes obscene, sexually explicit, or NSFW content.
- No sharing of private information. Respect the privacy of others and do not share personal information, such as real names, phone numbers, or email addresses, without consent.
Content creation
- Cite your sources. When referencing external information or content, give proper credit to the original source. Linking to the source is preferred over copying large portions of text.
- Make quality posts. Avoid "no-content" replies and contribute meaningful, thought-provoking posts that add value to the discussion.
- Do not post identical threads. Avoid creating duplicate posts or cross-posting the same message in multiple topics.
- Use descriptive titles. When starting a new topic, create a clear and concise title that accurately reflects the content of your post.
Moderator and community interaction
- Respect the moderators. Follow directions from administrators and moderators, as they enforce the rules to keep the forum constructive and safe.
- Report violations. If you see a comment or behavior that violates the rules, report it to the moderators instead of engaging in an argument.
- Do not discuss moderation in public. If you have a concern about a moderator's decision, address it privately rather than complaining about it on the public forum.
Consequences
Be respectful and civil
- Minor offense: Sending a private warning to the user explaining the specific issue and asking them to edit or remove their post.
- Repeat offense or moderate rudeness: Temporarily suspending the user's posting and commenting privileges.
- Severe harassment or repeated personal attacks: Permanently banning the user from the forum.
Keep it constructive
- Minor offense: Sending a private message warning the user about the condescending tone and reminding them of the constructive feedback rule.
- Repeat offense: Temporarily muting or silencing the user for a brief period.