No
Abusive Behavior It's okay to give constructive criticism but please try to do so without resorting to name-calling or personal insults. Harassing other forum members is not acceptable. Not even if "they have it coming".
No
Discriminatory RemarksDiscrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, or similar will not be permitted.
No
AdvertisingIt's okay to invite people to come and see your new website but don't advertise for commercial products.
No
SpammingDo not post multiple copies of the same message. That includes posting the same message in different areas.
SpoilersSpoilerish topics with no spoiler warning will be edited (more about spoilers here).
No
Illegal Activity Do not use this forum to perform or arrange to perform illegal activities of any kind. That includes giving out passwords for password-protected sites and software, swapping pirate "warez", sharing illegal software cracks, and other illegal activities. In most states and countries, telling people to or how to commit a crime is also illegal so please do not do so here.
Sex and
FlirtingSexual flirting is not appropriate in these forums. We can permit some small amount of general flirting as a part of natural conversation but this isn't a singles' bar. If you want to flirt, it's more appropriate to do so privately or to take it some place else. If you do flirt with someone here and they tell you to stop, you must stop immediately. This applies whether you are an adult or a youth. It's fine to compliment someone but there's a big difference between saying "You look cute" and "I want you. Let's have a threesome."
No Adult
MaterialDo not post links or images containing adult material.
No
Disruptive BehaviorThis one's a little vague but it has to be because it's not possible to foresee everything that could happen, especially when some disruptive behavior can be completely unintentional.
As a general rule, assume that if a large number of people complain about something you're doing, it's disruptive. We will try to be flexible with this rule but please do try to be considerate to other forum users.
Enforcement: Warnings, Suspension, and Banning
Breaking any of the rules will result in a warning from one of the moderators. You may receive up to 3 warnings although severe offenses may reduce the maximum number of warnings you will receive.
Arguing with the moderator about your warning will result in another warning.
If you run out of warnings, you may be temporarily suspended. If you circumvent your suspension by creating a new forum account, changing your IP number, or otherwise sneaking past the suspension, the suspension will become a permanent ban.
We reserve the right to delete, edit, or lock any message if we see it necessary.
If you have any questions or comments please contact one of the moderators privately. Technical board questions are okay to post on the forum but anything else should be in private. (please note that the rules above apply when you contact one of the moderators.)
Etiquette Guidelines
Please read and bear in mind these Etiquette Guidelines. These aren't strict rules but please do try to keep them in mind:
Control
Your SigSignatures should not be big enough to be disruptive.
If you use an image in your sig, do not make it more than 470 pixels wide. Try to keep it to around 20k or less and never more than 50k.
If your sig is bigger than most messages, it is too big.
If your sig is too big, we will ask you to reduce it. If it is crazy big, we may edit it and leave you a private message to tell you why we have done so.
Be
Patient with NewbiesWe've all been newbies ourselves and it's not reasonable to expect a newbie to know everything right away. Sure, it's possible for someone to lurk for a while so that they can get a clear feeling for the forum before posting but it's not reasonable to expect everyone to do that.
If a newbie misbehaves, try to inform them of the problem without humiliating them. It's good to be helpful but try to do so in a way that is informative instead of righteous.
Don't
Form Lynch MobsWhen someone misbehaves, it's good for someone else to say something about it in a tactful manner. If they were way out of line, I could understand an angry retort. But if several other people have already reprimanded them, you don't need to jump on the "me too" bandwagon just to give them the same reprimand again and again. While doing so might feel satisfying at the time, it can appear childish and merciless to others, even to those whom you were trying to protect from the offender.
Don't
Let Things EscalateWhen an argument devolves into name-calling, any response is childish. You don't have to get the last word to win an argument.
Guard
Your PrivacyThere are occasions when you may want to give your mailing address or other personal information to someone on the forums. Think very, very carefully before you do this as this is normally something you don't need to do. Ask yourself these questions: do you know the person you are sending the information to? Why does the person want your address?
No Foul
LanguageThis shouldn't need any more clarification than don't swear, don't be insulting, and don't behave rudely on the Jean Grey Message Board.
Remember
That Children Visit The Forums Too!The Jean Grey Message Board is open to everyone and that means people under the age of 18 can visit too. Please keep this in mind.