Post by thedarkvampire on Jul 15, 2005 18:56:49 GMT -5
I. General Board Questions
1. Who’s in charge here anyway?
The big boss is admin. He founded the board. Next up in the chain of command would be thedarkvampire, he’s the board admin and keeps everything working properly. Below them are duffgirl and thedeadman they are Global-Moderators, and can do things like banning and can moderate in every forum. Below them are the regular moderators but we don't have any yet.
2. How do I become a moderator?
Basically, you don’t ask. When we want new moderators, we’ll come looking for them. We don’t take solicitations. Be a good member of the board, have good posts, don’t flame or troll, and we’ll notice you. Don't Ask. Quickest way to NOT become a mod.
3. OK, well, I see some posts that are bad, or are spam. How do I let a moderator know?
For now all you can do is PM a mod leave a link to it and he will take a look.
4. I don't like my username anymore, how can I change it?
You can't. You're stuck with the name you signed on with. And don't even THINK about starting a new account, each person is allowed ONE account. if we find you with another account, you are liable to have ALL your accounts banned. We are just that mean.
5. What's up with all the forum rules and enforcement?
Let it be known that we at Kaibacorp5 are strict, and our moderators are vigilant. This message board is also geared towards the younger crowd, ages Pre-Teen to Teen for the most part. We have a responsibility to keep inappropriate topics and conversation off the boards.
6. Why did you delete my post? It broke no rules, I’m pissed! Who do I scream at?
If your post was deleted, then it DID break a rule, or was deemed inappropriate for our community. Get over it.
7. Why don’t you allow flaming and trolling?
“Imagine yourself at a friend of a friend's party. You mingle with other guests, strike up some conversations, and generally get along with everyone else even if they might not share the same opinions as you do on everything. You don't go ripping on people for having a different view of something, jumping up and down on the couch and calling them stupid. You'd be shown the door. So it is at Kaibacorp5
“We like to say "think twice, post once." Be respectful of your fellow posters, agree to disagree when differences present themselves, and never ever make things personal. Otherwise, you'll get a visit from the ban stick”
7a. “Well, you might ask, if I can't use the boards to tell a moderator that s/he sucks, what is my recourse?”
“You really shouldn't tell a moderator s/he sucks. It's rude. But if you really have to get it off your chest, you may private message her/him.” However, bashing a moderator directly to them via PM will most likely get you banned. THINK about what you want to write before you write it, and be nice.
8. “Why can't I be a snotty jerk or present my views as God's gospel?”
“If you can't talk to other people as if they're intelligent, you can't post. Don't talk down to your fellow posters, don't lecture them, and don't state your opinion as fact. And please don't think we're going to argue technicalities of whether you said "uh" or "um" at the beginning of the post; we can tell when you're being snide and snotty about other people's opinions.”
“If you're having a problem keeping your temper under control, get it under control, or post somewhere else. It's supposed to be fun. It's not combat. It's not necessary for it to become personal.”
“If you want to point out an error, that's fine, but please find a way to do it that isn't the written equivalent of an eye-roll.”
9. What type of topics can’t we start or discuss?
There are a lot of them actually. They somewhat vary by forum. If you have any question, read the specific rules of the forum. Universally, the following topics are not allowed:
1. Sex
2. Religion
3. Politics
4. The Illegal Downloading or Uploading of Copyrighted Materials (this includes, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO bootleg DVDs, Scanlations, Fake Cards, Song Sharing and anything else that’s against the law).
5. Threads that specifically bash another user, board or company.
6. Selling or Buying only threads
7. Auctions or Links to EBAY auctions.
8. Polls or topics that require a vote.
9. Threads that are designed to discuss other message boards or other sites. ESPECIALLY threads designed to discuss the idiocy of Toywiz, or what stupid people are selling on Ebay.
10. Homework help topics.
11. Games, lotteries, contests, quizzes, etc.
And please don’t ask WHY these topics are taboo, just accept that they are taboo and move on. By the way, this is by no means an exhaustive list of taboo topics, it’s just what I can think of off the topic of my head.
II. Questions About Starting New Threads
1. I'd like to start a new thread. How can I make sure I'm not starting a duplicate thread for the same subject?
1.Search for it
2. What happens if I do start a duplicate topic?
Depends. Were you too lazy to do a search, or did you KNOW there was another topic already? If you were too lazy to do a search you'll just get a warning, and either your topic will be locked/deleted, or it will be merged into the existing topic. If you KNEW there was another topic already, you just might find yourself banned for a couple days.
3. “Can I start a topic if I have nothing to say myself on the subject?”
“No! Do not start topics if you have nothing to say. Start the thread off the right way with your opinion and/or some talking points. There's nothing as half-assed as a first message in a thread that says ‘Discuss.’” Cheeses us off to no end. So just don't do it.
4. What’s the Deal With “Official Threads?”
We get tired of seeing the same thread over and over and over ad nauseum…so typically he takes all the given threads on a topic (typically a TV show) and merges them together, calling it the “Official xxx Thread”. This is the ONLY place to post about that topic. If there’s ALREADY an official thread – for example, in the RTC (Random Topic Center) there’s an official thread for Professional Wrestling, do not go starting another topic about WWE Raw or Smackdown, or for a given Wrestler. Post in the official thread.
In the Anime Forums, there are “Official” threads for MANY of the Anime shows that are either on the air currently, or have aired in the past. There is also a sticky topic linking to all these official threads.
ONLY a moderator can make a thread official. Users who start “Official” threads get them deleted. Not only that, but we don’t start Official threads very often. Typically what we do is merge two or three threads together and rename it an official thread. It’s not an exact science, but it does seem to work.
And don’t go starting “unofficial” threads either, that’s just silly.
5. Why is Kaibacorp5 so against “List Threads”
List threads suck. “Threads that call for -- or produce -- simple, unreasoned lists are bad and will be closed. An example would be "Who's your favorite duelist on the YGO TV Show?" or "What's your favorite episode of xxx Anime?" These topics do nothing but waste space.
Threads that call for -- or create -- genuine dialogue and reasoned examples are most welcome, for example “What decks are the best?” where posters explain why various decks rise to the top of the crop.
Basically good list topics are ones where people are explaining "why" they listed what they did in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many good list topics on this board. In some cases, there’s a “Favorite” or “Worst” topic that doesn’t suck, but they’re few and far between.
6. I love typing in “733T”, or in all lowercase or all uppercase, ignoring proper grammar and punctuation, and writing my messages like I'm text-messaging on a cell phone with an eight-year-old. That's cool, right? I mean, who cares? This is the Internet!
“Well, we care...but the sad truth is that MOST other posters might skip over your posts if they're too hard to read. Things like proper spacing, capitalization, and punctuation make your posts much easier on the eye, and they make you look like quite the Captain Smarty-pants, too.
Look, we're not grading you. You won't get banned for misspelling "definitely" or anything. Just try your best to write neat, coherent posts. Don't type "2" for "to," or "U" for "you," or "l8r" or "LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!" or any of that nonsense. Throw in a carriage return now and then to break up the text, and please use proper capitalization. Your computer comes with two shift keys. Use 'em.
But another thing, don’t PM a moderator or post in one of the important forums with this type of stuff. If I have to spend more than 10 seconds trying to FIGURE OUT what you’re trying to say, I’ll just delete your post and move on.
7. I think this thread is great, it should be stickied.
That’s your opinion, we probably don’t agree. We have discovered that for the most part, our users IGNORE the stickies. If we think something is important, we’ll sticky it. So we don’t need you to tell us it should be stickied. The other day I saw a thread that said "Where's this 'sticky' site everyone always talks about. Laughed for about half an hour.
8. The Random Topic Center is called “RANDOM”, so I can post any old random thing in there right?
Wrong. The RTC is there as a catch-all for any topic that doesn’t fall under one of the MANY other forums that we have. Some places call it “Off Topic”, we call it “Random Topic”. Don’t just post random things in there, because, well, frankly it’s dumb. Many of our users take the word “Random” far too seriously. If we want something random, we’ll hit the “Feeling Lucky” button on Google. And if something SHOULD go in another forum, for Pete's sake, POST IT IN THAT FORUM. If you're not sure about where a topic goes, use COMMON SENSE to figure it out.
9. And speaking of Google
If you have a question that can be answered by a Google search that takes all of two seconds, then don’t post! Now that doesn’t apply to rules forums and Q&A forums, but, say for example you want to know Britney Spears birthday, you can google that. Don’t start a topic for it. And don't ask a question that only one in a million people would know the answer to. Like "Where can I find a Lituanian Language Translator." The Internet is a vast place, if it exists on the net, you should be able to find it on your own, don't expect someone else to go doing your work for you.
10. What is your definition of Spam anyway?
Spam is defined as “STUPID POINTLESS ANNOYING MESSAGE”. Anything that has been answered already, done to death, or basically doesn’t contribute anything to the board or the community. Food topics typically fall into this category, if you just HAVE to know what everyone’s favorite way to eat potatoes is, then START YOUR OWN MESSAGE BOARD.
11. What's your definition of bumping? And why can't we bump?
Bumping is anytime you post in a thread YOU start in order to bring it back to the front page, regardless of content of the post. Typically this is done in the trading forums, but it's done elsewhere as well. READ THIS CAREFULLY: DO NOT DO IT and we don't need them clogged up with posts that say nothing more than "Bump". There is ONE exception to this rule. Currently you may bump your thread in the Yugioh Trade forums once every 48 hours, but believe me, if you don't want 48 hours to bump your thread in there, you will get it locked. And then you're SOL. IT'S ONLY FOR THE YUGIOH TRADE FORUMS, AND NOT EVERY TRADE FORUM. So if you bump in other trade forums, your thread will be locked. And it's not allowed in Deck Discussion forums at all. This includes posts that say "Updated my list" or "Updated my deck" too.
12. “Can I post a bunch of messages in a row if I keep thinking of things to add?”
“No. Instead, edit your initial post to add subsequent thoughts. As we've already said above, if you don't see the "edit" link over only your own posts, you're not logged in, and you should be.”
13. “Can I feel free to treat forum threads like chat rooms?”
“Absolutely not. Real-time posts don't make sense to most other users. Everyone has to read 15 pages or days of content (see below), so don't make people wade through a bunch of chat that's irrelevant.
Using threads as chat rooms will get you banned.”
14. “I can't possibly read all these messages; I'd just like to post my own thoughts.
Oh, is that so? Well, that's rather rude of you. If you have time to post, you have time to read what others have posted before you.
We know it's a lot to read on some forums. Tough. Show your fellow posters the courtesy which you expect, and read what they've written to make sure you aren't repeating what dozens of other people have already said.
You are expected to read -- and not rehash -- the content in a thread from at least the last fifteen pages or the last fifteen days.
And if you don't read the other posts before adding your own, for the love of God, don't say so. It's selfish, the mods hate it, and it'll earn you a boot.”
15. I got banned?!
"My computer has a virus, that’s why it posted a link to an adult entertainment site!"
"All I did was start a thread I was told not to!"
"So I started three trade threads in one day and ignored the mods -- so what?"
Well, that's not how we do things here. And it got you banned.
And when you’re banned, STAY OFF THE BOARDS. (At least for a little while, unless you're banned for trading offenses, then just go away.) As long as you keep coming back, we'll keep banning you. If we don't want you on our boards, we will find ways of making you stay off our boards, I don't care HOW net savvy you think you are. We're smarter!
16. What is a troll and how do I report them?
In a nutshell, a troll is a **** disturber.
A troll may
· post offensive messages only to get you angry
· post the same thing over and over again to take up space and ruin the flow of the forums
· post only to intrude on your goodwill and advertise some crap-ass site or try to sell you bootleg copies of something.
· start hurling insults left and right in hopes of starting a flame war.
A troll is not:
· someone who -- in the course of a real debate or discussion -- pisses you off with a opinion that is different from yours
17. I have a really cool site of my own. Can I tell people to check it out?
Nope. If it's cool, someone else will know about it and mention it. Register it on Yahoo, will ya? You MAY link to your site in your signature image, and ONLY your signature image.
III. Signature Questions
1. Why are you so tough on Signature Images?
We have a standard size FOR A REASON. 468x60 pixels are just enough to have a nice graphic that doesn’t distract from the real reason you’re posting here, your content! Every post of yours doesn’t have to have a page high graphic that you drew in Adobe Photoshop. Plus, some users (and mods) are still using Dial-Up. Do you know how annoying it is to have your computer lag because some moron’s half-page signature is still loading?
There are draconian punishments for signature abuse as well. The moderators can and will remove your signature at any time. Additionally, you can have your signature image privileges removed completely, which will also prohibit you from joining the Pojo Veterans. And if you have a question as to whether or not your signature image violates our size, right click (or ctrl click if you're a Mac user) on the image, and check the properties. If it's larger than 468 x 60 pixels in dimensions or over 20 KB in size, then it violates the rules. We don't care how MUCH over it is, just that it's over.
2. My signature image is just a little over the limit. Is that OK? Real answer, probably. But if you’re breaking the rules, you’re breaking the rules, and any mod can call you on it. Most probably won’t, but if you piss us off, maybe we will. Bottom line is that 468x60 pixels are big enough for everyone. If yours is too large or too tall, you’ll be warned.
IV. More General Stuff
1. How Many Warnings Will I Get Before I’m Banned.
Depends on what you do. If you drop an F-bomb or evade the swear filter, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be instantly banned. If you break the signature image rules, you’ll get one warning, then you’ll lose your sig image. Typically for most board offenses you’ll get one warning, then a temp ban of between 1 day and a week. BUT, AND I WANT TO STRESS THIS: WE ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO WARN YOU FOR ANYTHING, IF YOU VIOLATE THE RULES BADLY ENOUGH YOU MIGHT JUST GET BANNED WITHOUT WARNING. Multiple offenses will earn more time off. And there are some things that will get you banned instantly. Advertising is one of them. Continually posting bad topics is another. We log each warning in your permanent user file, so we ARE keeping track.
2. You guys have too many rules, there’s not enough freedom here.
We know we have a lot of rules. We like it that way. We like our community to be a fun place, but an ORDERLY place. We have a LOT of users, and we like our users. But we don’t like it to be full of snotty brats who are constantly breaking the rules.
And who said this was a democracy anyway? It’s not. This board is owned by an individual, and run by volunteers. If you don’t like something here, you have the freedom to leave. Likewise, if we don’t like what you’re doing here, we have the freedom to keep you from being here.
