Forum Rules

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SeeAMoose
Admin Moose on the Loose
Admin Moose on the Loose
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Forum Rules

Post by SeeAMoose » Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:08 am

If you are new to our community, please introduce yourself in the Newcomers thread. In an effort to combat spammers, we have disabled certain features for brand new members (such as the ability to start new topics), there is a very easy way to get around these restrictions... make two posts. Seriously, that's all you have to do, and because you should be introducing yourself in that thread linked above it's really only one extra post.
In General:
  1. Please respect the other posters. Bashing, name calling, and other forms of insinuating horrible things about another person's intellect or mother is just plain rude and uncalled for.
  2. No threatening other posters.
  3. Pay attention to moderators, if they tell you to stop doing something, stop. If you decide to keep doing something after a warning don't expect any sympathy if you are punished for your behavior.
  4. NO TROLLING! Posting something that you know will result in a three page flame war is frowned upon. Also, No beating a dead horse: if the subject has been argued and argued and argued with no real changes in content, then stop posting about it.
  5. No spamming or spam posting. This includes:
    1. Posting spam links (if you are an established member and an uncharacteristic post appears from your account that contains spam, we will assume that your account has been hacked and change your password the first time. For anyone new posting spam, expect to be banned1
    2. Spamming a thread by making multiple consecutive posts in short succession, the occasional double post is alright, but you are better served by editing your original post.
    3. Double, Triple or Multiple posting is allowed if there are extended gaps between the posts. However, posting repeatedly just to increase your post count can result in your post count being reset.
  6. If you have a serious issue with another forum member, please contact one of the moderators in charge of the forum in question or a global moderator/admin if the issue isnÔÇÖt specific to one forum. If you have a problem with a particular moderator or admin you can reach out to another moderator (we have a lot of them) without fear of reprisal.
  7. If you have a problem with a particular post and believe moderator action might be needed, please use the report button Image.
    1. This is the quickest way to ensure that a moderator sees the problem. Try to use your common sense when determining if a post should be reported. In general, if a post contains spam, outside links that look like spam, appears to be trolling, or contains offensive content you should report it.
  8. No commenting publicly on moderator warnings or actions, if you have a problem with how something was handled or about how moderation is handled in general on this forum send a private message to Moose or Wolfie. Bear in mind that the moderators on this forum are all volunteers and have taken on this workload because they love this community and this comic. Abuse or insult them at your peril.
  9. No nudity, and please be careful when linking to material that is potentially NSFW.3
  10. Provide clear warnings for any link that is potentially not safe for work. Put NSFW both before and after your link.
  11. Please limit profanity. While there is no explicit prohibition against profanity, we ask you to remember that there are other people in this forum. Please be courteous to other forumites by limiting the amount of profanities you use. We reserve the right to take action if we feel that your swearing has become excessive.
  12. Please refrain from posting in all caps - This is seen as rude/yelling. Please don't do it. Posting a word, or two, in call caps can be used for emphasis, but the entire sentence cannot.
    Example : Good: The comic where MinMax changed his sword into an oblivion sword was AWESOME!
    Bad: THAT POSTER WAS RUDE AND UNCOUTH AND I HATED HIM!
  13. No advertising without prior authorization from Ellipsis. Exceptions below:
    • Your own webcomic.
    • Asking for commissions for your own artwork. (All commissions should go in the Artist's Alley subforum.
  14. No impersonation of other users or making secondary accounts as a way to troll or argue with other forum members
  15. Instead of posting multiple times in a row, use the edit button to change your original post if no one has replied to it.
On Starting New Threads
  1. No duplicate threads: if there is already a thread discussing what you want to say, don't make a new one about the subject.
    1. Exception: No thread necroing: if the last post in a thread was many months ago, don't go pulling it back from the grave
  2. With the exception of update threads, be specific with thread titles. Try not to use thread titles like "Idea" or "Theory". Instead have the title reflect the contents of your thread. Ex. "Kore speculation"
  3. Forum games belong in the Games section.
  4. Controversial topics not related to the comic or the community belong in Controversy!2
  5. The only place where it is acceptable to discuss bans is the "Forum Stuff" subforum. If you have been banned from a subforum and wish to complain, either contact myself or Wolfie, or post in Forum Stuff. Passive-aggressive attempts to shift the blame for a ban to others are not acceptable.
On new updates:
  1. Check before creating a new topic / thread to ensure there isn't already one there
  2. Do NOT create threads purporting to be about an update that has not taken place yet.
  3. Make sure to place the update date in the title, the month should be spelled out or abbreviated and the date should be numeric. (7 Feb 2012 or Feb. 7, 2012 are acceptable whereas 2/7/2012, 7/2/2013, or 2013/2/7 would not be. Dates in the format described above donÔÇÖt leave room for confusion). Please make sure those dates correspond to the Tuesday or Friday in which the comic is updated, or is supposed to update on. This is to eliminate confusion over which update is which.
  4. Please keep to the topic as much as possible.
  5. Please don't put spoilers in the title. The mods will change the title if they feel it is too spoilery, which is why most of threads have a vague title for the updates.
  6. Make sure to include a permanent link to the comic in the first line of your post.
Anti-Harrassment Policy
As a group, the Goblins Forum is a wonderful place for those of like minds to gather and share their ideas and love for the comic, the author, and all things in the Goblinsverse. However, there is bound to be some conflict between specific forum goers. If you find yourself in a dispute with someone else here and you feel that it isn't something that can be resolved through the Moderators and/or Admins, then you can place the other person on your Foe list and/or ask them to not contact you. (The Foe list hides/blocks posts from those you've placed on the list.)

If you have been placed on someone's Foe list, and you know about it, then:
  1. You shall not ask others to quote your posts. If other members find your posts interesting or wish to respond to you they will quote it on their own. Asking for others to quote your posts can only serve to annoy others and get around being blocked by another user.
    • In the event that this behavior is tied to harassment of a particular member it will be dealt with very seriously and may result in loss of access to specific forums or even the entire board.
  2. You shall not send private messages to members who have asked you not to contact them or who have blocked you. Breaking this rule will result in loss of Private Message privileges, first temporarily and then permanently.
    • It should be noted that losing PM privileges may have the potential to empty message boxes permanently.
    • If you didn't know you were placed on a Foe list, then you will get an unofficial warning to not contact the other person again.

If you have placed on someone on your Foe list:
  • If you so choose, you can send the "Foe" a PM, copying either Moose or Wolfie, letting them know your course of action and asking them politely to not contact you and your reasons for your decision.
  • If you are contacted by someone you have blocked, and they were previously unaware of this, please send them a reply politely asking them to not contact you again and BCC one of the Admins.
Inclusivity Statement
Goblins Forum is an open and inclusive community. Any and all harassment, criticism, or negative commentary based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religious creed (or lack thereof) is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with severely. Please make a concerted effort to treat other members with respect even if you do not agree with them. Examples of behaviors that would be prohibited under this policy include but are not limited to:
  • Asserting that a particular racial group are less intelligent.
  • Describing individuals with a different sexual orientation or who are transitioning as gross.
  • Deadnaming a transgender member of this community. (For those who are unaware, deadnaming means using a person's name from before they transitioned).
  • Saying that you identify as an "attack helicopter" (or other such nonsense) as a way to mock those who are transgender.
  • This list in by necessity non-inclusive of all offenses that might be a problematic so please try to use your best judgement.
On the fan forum as a whole
These are the official fan forums, owned and operated by the owners of Goblins Comic. We want to create a positive community where all fans can share their enjoyment and have fun together.

We encourage open discussion of the comic. This includes criticism, noting inconsistencies, spotting flaws, and noting things that are confusing. However, we ask that you keep the overall tone positive. While all of us will occasionally post our displeasure about something in the comic, posts disparaging the comic and/or its creator should not represent the majority of your contributions to the forum.

Likewise, you must respect your fellow community members (including moderators and the artist herself). Text is a difficult medium for determining tone, and occasionally a post will come off a snippy or mean-spirited when you did not intend for it to. That is fine; it happens. However, a pattern of behavior which includes such things as passive-aggressive remarks, put-downs, and/or negative comments about the forum or its members is unacceptable.

If the moderation team determines that your overall participation in the forum violates these guidelines, you may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including a ban.

Any commentary about rules should be reserved for the rules discussion thread (or sent by private message to SeeAMoose or Wolfie).

Any concerns regarding moderator actions or practices should be sent to SeeAMoose or Wolfie directly via private message. Arguing with or otherwise commenting on moderator actions publicly is forbidden.
Name Changes
As a general rule, we try to avoid changing usernames in order to limit confusion in the forum (your username is your Face here and changing your name is like plastic surgery) and workload for the Admins. That being said, we understand that it is possible that a user might realize down the line that they don't like the username they chose when they signed up. We are willing to work with those users to change their username, subject to certain requirements and limitations.
  1. We will only change a user's name ONCE. Be sure to consider what you want to change your username to very carefully.
  2. Barring exceptional circumstances, your old username will be published in a public thread along with whatever your new username is.
  3. Prior to changing your username, you should post in any threads you are very active in to let people know that you are changing your username (along with what your new username is).
  4. After you change your username you must add a line to the top of your signature that says what your old username was. It should remain there for at least a month. Something to the effect of "The user formerly known as MrGenericForumite" would work.
  5. To request your name change, PM Wolfie.
On Contacting Moderators and Admins
  1. If you have a problem with a particular post and believe moderator action might be needed, please use the report button. This is the quickest way to get moderator attention about a post. Image
    1. Do not use this "just to see what happens" or because you disagree with a post.
  2. If you have an issue limited to a specific forum you should contact the moderators in charge of that forum.
    • Discussion Moderators: GathersIngredients, LAYF, Nikohl
    • Games Moderators: Dusk9, m0rtimer
    • Controversy Moderators: Sleaw, Theis2
    • Translation Moderators: GathersIngredients, Sleaw
    • Community Moderators: LooksAtYouFunny
  3. If you have a problem that expands beyond one forum you should go to one of the Global Moderators or Admins.
    • The Global Mods are M0rtimer, RocketScientist, and WearsHats
    • The Admins are SeeAMoose, and Wolfie
  4. If you have a technical problem with the site you should contact the admins. You can also contact the Admins or Global Moderators if you have an issue that you would rather keep private. (You should contact at least two)
  5. Ellipsis and Duke_Igthorn (who hosts the forum) are also admins but neither is particularly active on the forums. If you have a problem come to everyone else up the chain first and then if all else fails by all means send an email to Ellipsis. The main reason we are here is to make sure problems in the forum do not eat up Ellipsis' free time.

1 All bans can be appealed by sending an email to AdminMoose@goblinsforum.com or AdminWolfie@goblinsforum.com .
2 Controversial topics are defined as those that could be expected to cause a flame war elsewhere on the internet but generally does not include topics related to the comic or gaming in general. Use your best judgement, but in general any topic about religion, politics, ideology, or other heated and emotional issues would qualify.
3 If you are uncertain of whether the material you want to post or link to is inappropriate to post, contact one of the Global Moderators or Admins.
Due to legal requirements proscribed under the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (hereafter referred to as COPPA) we are unable to be responsible for users under 13 years of age. Claiming to be older than you are in order to register for this forum is a violation of our forum rules and terms of service and we cannot be held responsible for your use of this forum under COPPA. Further, users found to be under the age of 13 will have their accounts deactivated until such time as they meet the age requirements for this forum.

The Goblins Fan Forum Team reserves the right to ban any user at any time if they feel such action is necessary. We do our best to be as fair as possible, and we have yet to have to permanently ban a user for anything other than spamming, but we will do what we have to. You should check back for updated rules periodically.

Discussion Thread Here

Current update date: 24 October 2019 - SeeAMoose
Update History
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I am one of the forum admins and chat moderators. Drop any of us a line if you ever need a hand in either the forum or the chat.
You can reach me at AdminMoose@goblinsforum.com or at BotWalter@gmail.com

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