Creation of Forum Rules

[valderra99]

I think it depends on the type of forum you have.

I used to have a help forum for admins, and had a long list of rules (even I got bored when I read through them). But this long list has not been there from the beginning, but I added to it as members came and did (often unspeakable) things. LOL So the rule list got longer and longer.

However, I prefer something short and to the point. I myself am not really interested in having to read a long list of rules before I can start posting. And frankly, by the time you get to the end, you have already forgotten the beginning of the rules.

[Nick (Goodbye!)]

On my forum, I have 6 sections. (I actually have a few more, but those are on site help.)

1. Posting and Poll Rules
2. CopyRights
3. Behavior
4. Ranks
5. Ads and Signatures
6. Membership

Under each section I have a few rules. Those are just rules, but if you are making a handbook, add FAQ and Useful Links to the Sections.

[MARS P.D. Dispatch]

K.I.S.S.

It seems to me that the problem of some rules is redundancy. It seems rather pointless to specifically forbid things that are already forbidden by the ProBoards TOS, for example, members being under 13.

Utility
Rules should only exist in so much as they help the flow of the board and help foster cooperation. Requiring a post length seems reasonable. It establishes a floor for acceptability and from this floor, the player may chose to go further. While rarely used, it does not seem unreasonable to have a post maximum to avoid having to read novellas each post and to force players to eliminate purple prose. What does seem unreasonable would be rules that do not help with flow, such as requiring all speech be shaded red, or some such thing. Rules that appear to exist as a control mechanism will probably be loathed.

Enforcement
For rules that are more social than cosmetic, a clear list of punishment is a good thing. Say, 149 instead of 150 words versus flaming. For those sorts of things, laying out, first offense is this, second offense is that, leaves a clear indication of not only what is acceptable but what will happen for violation.

Caveat
Incidentally, when I edit my rules, I log what has been changed say, 1/2/2011 "added X", so that it is very clear what was and was not there at any given time so that 1) nobody will be punished after the fact and 2) the players know what's being moved around.

[trophyhunter]

Hmm ... can i copy and change the rules from someone on this board? I would credit that person and give a link to his site in my Rules, if i like his rules ;-).

Or i will sit down and think some rules for myself. But i think rules should not be to rigid. If users give good reason why i should change/add a rule i would do it ;-).

You can pm me if you like .

[cutthroatjack]

Is it relevant?

[Artemis]

Feb 22, 2010 19:08:16 GMT -8 @cutthroatjack said:

Is it relevant?

Please check out the rules of this board in regards to posting on topic and length.

[NOSTALGIA]

I'll have to agree with what a lot of the others in this thread have been saying. However, personally, I think that while rules are often best when short, often times one should elaborate on the more confusing ones (perhaps in a paragraph or so) so that members understand exactly what is meant. Someone else in the thread mentioned having the main point in bold, and then including a sentence or a paragraph after it to enforce the implications. I definitely agree with that idea. Usually, that drills home the point the staff is trying to make and tells members exactly what they need to know.

I find that wording rules nicely also helps, at times. If the wording of your rules is harsh, it's usually a huge turn-off -- but if the rules come off as being written in a friendly way, even if said rules are long, members won't mind reading through all of them. This normally applies to me; so long as the admin doesn't sound too harsh in the rules, I won't feel too intimidated. Sometimes, including some playful wording (eg., "don't ignore newcomers when roleplaying! Everyone always likes being included, yeah? ;D") shows personality and tends to make the atmosphere of the overall forum more welcoming. If the admin(s) and staff show that they have personality and are definitely approachable, members will feel less iffy about pulling through pages' worth of rules, so long as they like the atmosphere. Sometimes, I think it may actually be better to have more rules, so long as they're enforced (this would be a biggie), easy to understand, and not too strict. General, broad rules work nicely, as well as the usual ones -- like "keep content appropriate" and whatnot. I think that if you're too specific with all of your rules, newcomers will feel overwhelmed by them and stress out over trying not to accidentally break one.

This is a more personal preference, but I find that having pretty, formatted rules with colors is attractive. I realize someone else in this thread said that they don't like it, but I find that it makes it easier to pull through reading a long series of rules if they're pretty. xD Also, formatting the rules (especially if you made the format yourself and it looks aesthetically pleasing) often shows members that you care about your forum and will go to lengths to make it look nice. For roleplaying forums, from personal experience, I've noticed that it often draws more literate writers because many of them are attracted by pretty layouts and organized rules. The rules are usually the first things people check when they go to a new forum (other than, perhaps, plotlines and whatnot), so it's usually important to make the rules look nice because they constitute a large part of a newcomer's first impression.

Of course, if anyone disagrees, feel free to do so. xD

[Descent Into Darkness]

I have my rules spilt up into three sections. The main rules of the forum in one, then the in-character rules, then rules for Canon requesting. Of course there's the signature and avatar sizes, but those really aren't rules, just information on what sizes are allowed. The same with another section that just gives the player a definition of what power-playing and god-moding are since some people really don't know what they are, nor do they know the difference between the two. But it's a separate section so a member who does know such core rules can skip reading it completely, but it's still there for the RP n00b.

I try not to make my rules too over-bearing, but at the same time, not too lapsed either and like to think that I have a healthy balance between the two spectrums, and will enforce them if need be. Mainly the ones that deal with cursing and the harassment of other members.

[Zesha]

I split my rules up into categories, which depend on what people need to know. (Like for a role playing board, general rules, ooc, ic, fighting, etc.) I try to keep them short and simple, but if one needs more explaining, I'll let it be long. Certain sections (like fighting) are more than for when it is needed. (And a lot of people skip over the rules these days, anyway.) So it really depends on the kind of board and what it's being used for.

[Nick (Goodbye!)]

I find having a summary of rules giving the outlines of the behavior expected of the members of your forum, but have a complete list of rules and disciplinary actions in fine print so when a situation comes along, members can't think a ruling is unfair if they agree to those rules upon registering.

[Ara (Crow)]

My most popular site has about 30 rules.

1. In Character
2. Out of Character
3. Chat
4. Character Creation

I find having I only need to say the rules that they may not know. All the normal common courdesy stuff is never included, I feel that goes without saying.

[Frosty225]

I usually follow the KISS(Keep it simple stupid) method when it comes to my rules. I have four sets of rules;

Global; anything dealing with OOC or the site in general.
Role-play; Anything dealing with IC content.
C-box; anything dealing with the chat box.

In my rules I also say you may not advertise but you can affiliate and I give a link to the rules for affiliating. I also state in the rules that if you need any questions answered or you're curious about something just send me a PM or ask it in the FAQ board.

But my point is, I agree with the statement of rules should be short and brief guidelines, as such I keep it to the point, even explanations(if need be any) are sweet and to the point. I mean in my past experience... any site with mile long rules is run by an admin that want things exactly their way and don't want to compromise with their members.

[Danie]

What I do Is I have one post in my information category and in the first post of the rules thread I tell them about the rules then post content of the rules and link to each thread. On each reply I have each topic covered. Confusing how I say It but it's way neater than when I just started out.

[sirolk]

Over the last 2 years of running my site with situations popping up here and there I now have 17 rules with a quick explanation for them. It's not huge but it's not a short page list either.

[ily 'TIL THE end]

It took me some time to develop rules for my forum. I had to make sure I covered everything I could think of that I wouldn't want to happen on my forum. I also left it open for any member who wanted to object to the rules by contacting staff. If they wanted to add or subtract some rules. I felt that my forum wasn't complete without some rules because soon, when more people joined, things could become chaos and it would be harder to say "Hey, don't do that" but we don't have rules to back it up.

I think that any forum that has rules is good because it shows they are serious about what they're trying to do. It's not like they are trying to suffocate their members. They just don't want the type of people who do make things harder for others, to come by and create drama and no one to stop them.

Long or short rules, I suppose it depends on what you believe is wrong or right. I mean, it's common sense what is wrong or right, so it really shouldn't be something of a big deal if they have a long list of rules. If people are not willing to follow the simple rules then they don't have to join. I mean, there are people who don't really break rules and have fun.