Rules and Protocols of your forum

[gothic]

Interesting topic!

I must say that I try to keep rules simple and yet at the same time explain their purpose. For instance, why can't a person have more than one character on the one account? If you explain things to people, they usually understand and are more willing to obey the rules.

While I absolutely loathe reading a heap of rules when I first join. I think some game owners put them up as insurance against someone doing something wrong then go "But it wasn't in the rules!". The rules are unfortunately an important part of owning a forum. But I find rude messages from admins in rules to be such an incredible turn off. For instance, you are speaking to me as if I have done something wrong when I have not.

I think they should be kept minimal but relevant. Its pointless having massive amounts of documentation to explain the simplest things. I also really do think that a sites rules can make or break the game.

[I GOTTA FEELING!]

Hmm, rules rules rules.

First off, mostly mine are simple but straight to the point. For example "You must have a first and last name for your character. [Good: Lily Evans][Bad: lilyevans] You can change your name by modifying your profile. If you do not follow this rule, you will not be sorted, transferred from another website, or accepted for a job. If you have a name you can not change it without my permission. You may not have symbols [!@#$%^&*] in your name because it distracts from the site. You may not have a movie/celebrity name BUT you can claim a cannon character." I think that about explains everything possible about changing your character name.

Usually the process of picking out rules for my site are based on experiences I have had with other websites. For example, on one I saw a lot of Spam, so I made a rule against it. "NO SPAM! Spam is frowned upon in most societys. It will be deleted immediatly upon notice. This includes websites except if placed in the Affiliate Boards."

So... Yeah. That is all I have to say about the subject.

[`maizie*]

Nov 24, 2006 12:24:19 GMT -8 Ímþ®óvîšâ†ó® said:

Overall, if an admin of a forum, makes ANY rules at all, then first and foremost:

• They must be clear and easier to read (even the most obvious of the rules could have the slightest grammer error which could lead members to believe that they could do the opposite of what that particular rule is asking)
  
• They must be enforceable (not every rule can be enforced like the bumping rule, however a forum should be able to responsibly enforce their rules if they appear to be out-of-date, so-to-speak).
  
• Must cover ALL important aspects of the ToS (i.e. speaking 100% english and no excessive profanity)
  
• Their meanings MUST be covered in some sort of FAQ section (The FAQ doesn't necessarily have to be in question then answer format, but that's been proven to be the most clarified version on the majority of most sucessful forums).
  

Without these above points (and maybe more which I haven't mentioned yet), a forum could risk quite a bad reputation.

...and that's my 0.02 cents as they say

~*£†. Ímþ®óvîšâ†ó®*~

I agree whole-heartedly with what you wrote. I tend not to join a forum if their rules are so cluttered that they're impossible to read. And if I am a member to a forum where the rules are broken several times because there are ridiculously unenforceable rules then I sometimes delete my account or bring up the matter.

I also think that if an admin is writing the rules, they have to remember that people aren't going to read about 1000 rules and so to have them neat. When an admin of a forum writes the rules, they should be easy to follow and to enforce and things that the admin will follow to.

XxxMaizie

[Princess-Star-Angel]

My stratagy for rules is to try to keep the rules themselves fairly short and not give examples unless there is a gray area (What counts as chatspeak, do he H word and A words count). I do think sites need to be strict about their rules. Sites that let anything go, though they are often more popular, usually attract people who are going to cause trouble. Sites with strict rules keep those kinds of people away most of the time. I also add in jokes so people don't get bored. (OMG! Lyk dnt tlk lyk ths b/c itz rl hrd 2 rd!)

[Goldenheart]

I pretty much do the same thing as Princess-Star-Angel... mostly because we co-run one another's sites, and so I came up with parts of that strategy... but I do have a thing that I love putting in the rules: "Bake for two hours at 350 degrees. Hang on- what's a shred of my favorite brownie recipe doing in the middle of the rules? Put things where they belong!"

[Yuki]

I uh...dont really have many rules.I only have a couple depending on what proboard it is and thats like no really bad swearing,be nice to other members...things like that >.<

[sorceresss]

I've got rules but not so many that it would turn people off to joining (so I hope anyways). My rules pretty much just explain about stuff like avatar sizes, sigs, spamming, no porn and basic things that I think every member should know anyways. I've joined boards that had so many rules it simply took the fun away from being a member there, you were always afraid to say or do something in fear that the almighty ban or warning would take place, which in many cases it did.

I think potential members want to feel like they have the freedom to to do and say what they want without someone coming down on them every time they log in and post. I've always thought that the "no spamming" rule was pretty dumb anyways. Why more boards don't create a specific forum where people can spam there sites is beyond me, maybe spammers would be less likely to use inproper forums to spam if they had a garbage can of their own. I will also mention that I have seen numerous boards get overly paranoid so much about spam that they dont allow PM's, emails or they make it so every post from a new member has to be "approved" by the mod before it gets posted. When admins start getting to the point where paranoia causes them to do these kinds of strict actions is when I think it turns potential members off. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad, people will always break a rule now and then, but you can't let it turn your board into a dictatorship.

[childrenofmagic]

This is definitely a helpful thread! On my board I have my rules set up in two different thread so its not as monotonous to read. One thread is for general behavior rules (there's only about 4 of those, because the rest in common sense), and the other is for post content (more around 7). So far it works pretty well. But to make certain nothing's overlooked, I've also put up a thread where members can ask questions about the rules so they know exactly what they entail. Members have made use of it, too, so I find that helpful.

***

As for the questions, I think the rules depend on the board and its genre/topic. I've yet to run into a forum where I think there are too many rules. One of the rules I find irritating though is when admins put a high word minimum on all posts. It's a little too difficult to maintain. As for too little, I think when forums don't regulate behavior or post content enough is tough because you never know what the members are going to post and you may run into something "not cool" on the thread. So that's something I look for.

Awesome thread, thanks!

[Lannorui]

On my site, I have the basic set of rules (and consequences of breaking said rules) posted. No swearing, no spamming, no flaming others writings, accepted size of graphics including in siggy and avatar, no asking for staff positions, be respectful of others, as well as letting them know that everything on the site is copyrighted to the person who posted it, so stealing it will get you booted in a hurry. Then, as time has gone by, as new rules were needed or became an issue, I've added to them. The site was like 6 months old before I ever had anybody try plagerism. I never considered that somebody would attempt that, but ended up with 2 different people doing it in a matter of one week. New rule added... Plagerism will get you a quick and permanent ban. So, I just have the basics you would see on a site but add as issues arise. I think the biggest rule I've had a difficult time enforcing is the no swearing rule. Most of the time it isn't a problem, but occassionally, I'll get a new member who lives to do that one thing.

[LLlover]

I've tried having just a few rules, but for some reason I find members realize what's not on the list and decide to have a little fun or you just realize later on that one should be added and before you know it you have like five or six additional rules. I try to keep my rules to more of a common sense level. Like other people have also said, members will also call you out on it not being listed so you always have to be careful about that.

[Jack]

Onto the question..

When do you consider a forum has too many or too little rules and what do you think these rules should consist of?

I think that a forum can never, yes never make it seem like they have far too many rules.

This is because, if you use this technique people'll will only see a few sets of rules, but read them alot.

If you have a set of Global Forum rules, these will consist of the basics such as

• No Spamming (Goes into detail)
  
• No Swearing (Goes into detail)
  

About 5 of these basic rules will be required.

Next, in your seperate forums you have Specific Forum Rules. These are different from forum to forum. Such as in Sport, you may have no spamming, however in Chill Out' you may allow this as it may be an un-moderated forum.

Using a set of Global Forum Rules and then Specific Forum Rules it makes it seem like alot less rules. Which is good for your forum as it's less for people to worry about and it'll stick in your head faster!

[OneWayFilms]

Our rules are simple and posted on the front page. This seems to have worked very well for us.(We are a Christian board)

POSTING RULES OF ETIQUETTE:

* Respect All Members.
* No Doctrinal Debates.
* Stay on Topic.
* 1 Username Per Person.
* No Spam.
* Keep Posts PG Rated.
* Have FUN!

[putahelp]

Does anyone have a forum guidelines rules post they would like to post up that I can edit and use on my site.

[viruszero]

The easiest thing to do is just use common sense and decide what you don't want to see on your forum...
And typically basic rules are like this:


One (1) account per person.
All posts must be in English.
Please don't use instant message or leet speak.
Please try to use the best grammar you can.
No cursing.
No flaming (insulting others.)
No trolling (baiting others into insulting you or another person.)
No Adult material. (If you wouldn't post it at work or school for your boss/principle and everyone to read, then don't post it here.)
No spam ( don't post short, pointless or annoying messages. ) This kinds of ties into no flaming and no trolling as annoying messages can be used to start flamewars. However it's one thing to go into a topic and say:
"I don't like <something> because <reasons>"
it's quite another to go into a topic and say:
"<something> is stupid."
That comment doesn't add any real value to the discussion and others may just find that user's comment to be arrogant and annoying, thus they may consider replying rudely. (Which can lead to a flamewar.)

And then you may (or may not) want to have a rule about necroposting. Some people find necroposting annoying as if the topic is really old and the members inside it are no longer an active part of the community. (In which case it's hard to have a discussion with inactive members...)

And ofcourse it's always helpful to have a reminder about stealing...

So typically you might want to say:
No stealing other's work.
Ask permission before doing anything with another's work.
If allowed to use the work, Always give credit and it's also polite to thank the person.


Now as for enforcing the rules... I'm pretty strict on it, I'll warn you the first few times for minor stuff... (like if you necro post or swear once.) But if you create multiple topics of spam then I'm just going to ban you, no questions asked. If you caught stealing once and you own up to that you did it and promise not to do it again you can stay... but if you steal again then your banned.
And if someone creates a duplicate account to bypass previous warnings and bans... Then just for that I apply all previous warnings/bans to the new account. (Typically this results in a ban.)


As far as the others who say they put jokes and stuff in the rules... My thoughts on that would be to avoid doing that as it really seems out of place you know? Somethings should be kept serious and not make one big joke of because if you joke about the rules then will people be less likely to follow them because you joke about them? And there is a time and place for everything but joking and rules should typically be seperated for the above stated reasons.

[spookygrl]

Wow I am glad this thread is still up, I remember reading it sometime last year and loved the advice on it. It made me realize that while you do want to have rules, and rules are set in place for good reason, at the same time you don't want to drown your forum out with them and make people feel it's an oppressive place.

So what I have done is I just come up with a basic set of rules, like no obscene talk, or racial speeches, flaming, etc. and keep it as minimum as possible, with a brief description that is firm about those rules. I figure there is a lot more that could be said for rules but maybe better to cross those bridges and save them for additions only if and when necessary.

I have also come across situations where if a mod has to take action on an obvious infraction that disrupts the community and other members enjoyment, the member complaining about action being taken because it wasn't specified in the rules, even though what they did was causing community problems. I remedied that by putting a quick note in my rules describing them as tentative and that the team is not strictly bound by just them alone and can and will act within their judgement and disgression if something is going on that disrupts the board or other members enjoyment, but isn't expressed in the rule list.