Creation of Forum Rules

[Fexcellent452]

My biggest concerns with rules are not including enough of them. Oft times I forget to write down a very important piece of the rules and people don't know they can't write like that, i.e., chat speak. Sometimes I forget to write down that you can't use chat speak in roleplay posts bcuz no 1 lyks reeding <-- n thr posts. That's why I favor longer rules to shorter rules. And, honestly, if a guest leaves because the rules are too long they obviously didn't feel dedicated enough to joining to actually read them. I know I'd rather have a ton of rules to read so I know I won't screw up than have three rules--plus it makes me feel like the admin doesn't care all that much about what happens on their forum.

The way I reel people in to reading the rules is adding a password in one of the last few rules in the list, that way they have to read them - or at least skim them - to finish their application.

[Streamstrider]

Personally, I've found that I really seem to scan through rules that appear very long, usually only reading the first sentence. My opinion is that you should only need one sentence, unless there are specifics that MUST be pointed out. Be straightforward. Don't want them godmoding? Tell them "No godmoding." No need to go on a rant about how it's happened before. At the end of the rules, let people know that if they have questions or need something explained (such as the concept of godmoding), they can PM a staffer or the admin. It also helps because they don't really get the chance to say "I was confused because there was so much information," if you catch my drift. There are just some rules that are common sense on forums (for those familiar with forums), so being direct will do.

The rules, of course, really depend on the type of forum you have. If you have a general chat forum, you probably won't have RPing rules up there. You want to minimize and exclude unnecessary information such as this. Say "respect everyone." Quite simple. If they break the rules, they break the rules, and they get the consequences. Most of the time, when some extends on the "respect" rule, they're not really explaining very well, you know, an actual definition of it, so why have it?

Want to be fancy? Go ahead. Add graphics or fancy lettering to title sections of rules, but I think I'm not the only one who skips over seemingly superfluous information.