Rules & Guidelines (Updated 20th July 2008)

Below is the list of rules you are expected to know and follow as a member of this site. Any violation of these rules will result in disciplinary action enforced by our staff. This will help ensure that this community remains an enjoyable and family-friendly environment for everyone.

This list covers content and actions that are not allowed on this site. Even though there is only a short title for each type of rules, you will be held responsible for following the details under each title.

Please note that while this list gives you an idea of what is expected and what will happen if these rules are broken, the staff has the final say on rule violations and disciplinary actions. As a member of this site, you will be expected to accept their decisions.

Violation Descriptions

Each set of rule descriptions has a set of violations which relate to each rule. Each set of violations can be found beneath their respective rule, and the colour of the violation represents it's severity:

- Minor violation which will only result in punishment upon repeating the offense multiple times.

- Moderate violation which will result in a user warning, and account suspension if repeated multiple times.

- Major violation which will result in suspension, and account deletion if repeated multiple times.

- Extreme violation which will result in account deletion immediately!

NOTE: Whenever these rules are updated, this shall be put into the title next to the Portal link.

1 - Content Rules

1.1 Offensive Language
All offensive language must be censored. No member is allowed to on purposely write offensive language in any way that bypasses our filters.

- Bypassing the filter to post mildly offensive language.

- Bypassing the filter to post moderately strong offensive language.

- Bypassing the filter to post strong offensive langauge.

1.2 Offensive/Inappropriate Content
Posting offensive/inappropriate content is not tolerated anywhere on this site, in any format, including text patterns or links. Offensive/inappropriate content can be anything that is ethnically/racially/religiously/sexually offensive, insulting, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexual, suicidal, flaming, threatening, invasive of privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law and/or the Invisionfree Terms Of Service. Although opinions may vary of what is offensive/inappropriate, the Administrators have the final say as to what is allowed on the forum.

- Posting mildly offensive content.

- Posting moderately offensive content.

- Posting extremely offensive content.

1.3 Personal Information
Do not give out personal information to those whom you do not wish to know or see, including personal photographs. Never give out another members personal information without their explicit permission. Personal information can include anything such as email/IP addresses, instant messaging identities, and personal photographs.

- Giving out another members personal information without consent.

1.4 Attacks & Insults
Do not make insulting or attacking comments about other members. This is basically flaming and is not tolerated on this site. If you or another user are insulted, attacked, or made to feel uncomfortable, do not return insults in retaliation. Report the matter to a staff member. All those found involved in flaming, regardless of whether they started it or retaliated, can be punished.

- Attacks or insults to a user which might not have been intended as flaming.

- Attacks or insults to a user which are moderately offensive.

- Attacks or insults to a user which are strongly offensive.

1.5 Subject Flaming
No user has the right to begin flaming a subject within any topic. For example, flaming a video game in it's respective topic is not allowed.

- Flaming a subject in a mild manner.

- Flaming a subject in a major/offensive manner.

- Flaming subjects on a continuous basis even after staff intervention on multiple occassions.

1.6 Restrictive Content
Members may not restrict or complain about other members of the site talking to or about each other, unless it is due to rules being broken.

- Complaining about members saying something to each other.

- Complaining about members saying something to each other constantly and trying to use methods that cause the members to be unable to reply to each other.

- Complaining about members saying something to each other everytime you or they are online and trying to use extreme methods to cause the members to be unable to reply to each other.

1.7 Hate Mail
Do not send hate mail to a member of staff if they punish you. They are merely doing their job and it is your responsibility to abide to site rules at all times.

- Sending mild hate mail to a staff member.

- Sending moderate hate mail to a staff member.

- Sending strong hate mail to a staff member.

- Sending extreme hate mail to a staff member.

1.8 Arguments
Arguments do occur on site at times, but if they become out of control those involved are to either end it, or continue within Complaints, Problems & Arguments. However, if the argument is or becomes personal, all those involved will be told to stop immediately and punishment can be used. When a staff member states that an argument must end, all members must abide to this! All arguments must also abide to the site rules.

- Being involved in an argument and refusing to stop or going to the appropriate area.

- Being involved in an argument and refusing to stop or going to the appropriate area, or posting highly offensive personal comments.

1.9 Online Romances
No online romance! We understand that members do become friends here, however the site can not be used to play out romances in public or private, regardless of format. Romance is to be done off-site, in privacy, so other members are not subjected to it. This also applies with a member playing out romances with a fictional character. Stating you love someone is fine, but anything that details expressions of romantic content such as what you did with them at any time, or details about someone in an explicit way is not allowed. Anything else related to online romance the staff considers to be inappropriate is also not allowed.

- Mild expressions of a romantic or physical nature.

- Moderate expressions of a romantic or physical nature.

- Strong expressions of a romantic, physical or sexual nature.

- Extreme expressions of a romantic, physical or sexual nature.

2 - Post Rules

2.1 Spamming
Spamming is content which is unrelated to the topic it is posted within. Double posting and posts containing less than two words are also classified as spamming. 100 posts are removed from a users postcount upon punishment of spamming on the forums. Spamming a members PM box is also not tolerated and can result in PM privelages being taken away.

- Mild spamming.

- Moderate spamming.

- Strong spamming.

2.2 Edits & Deletion
Do not edit other members posts unless there is content within it that breaks rules. Posts should only be deleted when they are multiple posts. Deleting your own posts and reposting the same thing to increase your postcount is also not allowed. Staff are subject to question about deleted posts when it is found they are deleting vast amounts at any given time.

- Editing posts without good reason.

- Deleting posts and reposting to increase postcount.

2.3 Topic Creation
Please create topics in the correct area, and do not create duplicate topics.

- Creating topics in the wrong area or duplicates.

2.4 Bumping Topics
Posting in a topic older than three months, or without adding any useful content, is classed as spamming. Only pinned topics can be posted within at all times.

- Posting in a topic older than three months, or without adding any useful content.

2.5 Advertising
Advertising other sites may only be done within the Website Showcase section, your signature, or profile page. Advertised websites may only be shown if they do not break site policies, as stated in rule 1.2. Advertising anywhere else is against rules and can be classified as spamming.

- Advertising in the wrong area.

- Advertising a site that breaks site rules, or advertising via Personal Messages or multiple times within the wrong sections at once.

3 - User Account Rules

3.1 Signatures
User signatures do not have a size limit, but if your signature slows the site down, it shall be removed and a message sent to inform you of this.

- Replacing your signature with the same content to slow the site down after being told it was removed.

- Putting content in your signature that on purposely slow the site down.

3.2 Staff Positions
Never ask for a staff position. Members are only given one if the Administrators feel they deserve one. The only staff positions ever given out are Moderator ones. Administrator positions are never given out to anyone. Members can not state a staff member should be removed without good reason, and members taken off the staff may not complain without good reason either.

- Saying you should have a staff position.

- Constantly saying you should have a staff position in multiple topics, posts and messages.

3.3 Behavioural Actions
Acting in a suspicious or threatening way is not tolerated, and will lead us to believe you are a threat to this site.

- Acting in a way that makes us believe you are a moderate threat.

- Acting in a way that makes us believe you are an extreme threat.

3.4 Bannage & Suspension
If your account has been banned or suspended, do not create or use another account to bypass this. Wait until the suspension passes. However if you are banned this shall never be lifted.

- Bypassing an account suspension via another account.

- Bypassing an account ban via another account.

3.5 Member Trafficking
No one, on or off-site, is permitted to member trafficking our users. By this, we mean agreements of "you register to my site, I'll get people to register on your site". A member joins a site because they like it, not to do deals. Any user found to be coming on site to contact our users to go over on their site, for example "Can you come and be more active on my site please", will be given immediate punishment, unless good reason suggests otherwise.

- Attempting to member traffic.

- Attempting to member traffic on a large scale or on a constant basis.

- Attempting to member traffic by any means necessary, even after consecutive verbal warnings or punishments.

4 - Site Content & Image Rules

4.1 Requested Creations
If a member creates something for you, give credit and regards when using it. Never complain if the member puts their name on their creation. They have every right to do so and can also decide when and if you or anyone else can no longer use that creation, since that person holds the copyright to the creation at all times.

- Using a creation without crediting the creator, or complaining about the creator putting their name on the creation.

- Using a creation claiming it to be entirely yours, and distributing it without permission, for profit or not.

4.2 Site Content
Stealing or using anything from the site without permission is not tolerated, ranging from using a site button to an entire skin.

- Using small amounts of content from the site without permission or credit.

- Using medium amounts of content from the site without permission or credit.

- Using large amounts of content from the site without permission or credit and refusing to remove it.

4.3 Competitions
Competitions are designed to be fair and fun, and so therefore cheating or any other forbidden actions used within these is strictly dealt with.

- Cheating within a competition in a moderate way.

- Cheating within a competition in a major way.