THE FORUM RULES

The Main Forum Rules

• The Troping Code applies here as it does anywhere else on the Wiki. The particular part that is most relevant to the forums is "Nastiness and dickery will not be tolerated". In other words, don't be a dick.
• We wish to maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect. We request that you behave civilly. Failure to do so may result in a ban.
• No bigotry, pedophilia, rape-o-philia, or gay bashing. We're not interested in those opinions. Go away.
• No promotion of or recruitment into conspiracy theories, junk science, hate groups, anti-vaccination, alternative medicine, or other disinformation/propaganda. See this post for additional details.
• Complaints or concerns about specific moderation decisions are to be reported directly to the admins via the contact form. "The Staff" sends your contact to the admins only.
• English posting only, please. We can't effectively moderate in other languages. See below for details.
• All other rules are subordinate to these.

• Personal attacks are prohibited.
  • If you're debating with somebody, attack their arguments, not the person.
  • Don't create crowners or threads complaining about your fellow tropers. Banning comes pretty quickly for that one. ^note  And by "pretty quickly" we mean "as soon as it's seen by a moderator". Got it? It's safe to assume that once is enough for a ban.
  • If it's patently obvious who you're talking about, the fact that you didn't mention their name doesn't make it "not a personal attack". You may safely assume that the moderators are at least as capable of figuring out who you're talking about as the rest of the posters are. Most of the time.
• There is a holler option in the ellipsis (three dots) at the top right of every post, which can be used to report that post to the moderators. We encourage you to use it whenever you see a disruptive or rule-breaking post.
• Please do not attempt to engage a troll in an insult-slinging match, or make posts about how so-and-so is a troll, idiot, etc. These are still personal attacks, still off-topic and still disruptive. Instead, simply holler and report the post in question.
• "Just kidding"-type disclaimers and smileys are not a get-out-of-jail free card. Tacking one on the end of a rude post doesn't make the rudeness go away.

• Threads that are just complaining will be locked or deleted. The purpose of the forum is to provide a place to converse. There are lots of other places where you can go if all you want to do is bitch. For the same reason, "Unpopular Opinions" threads are not allowed. They overwhelmingly turn into complaining. You can certainly talk about why you like or don't like something, but please use an already established topic for that thing.

• Contentless snowclone threads are prohibited and will be deleted. A content-less snowclone is a thread which serves no purpose other than to make a pun based on the name of an existing thread. In the past they have been known to spread rapidly, but the current policy is to lock or zap any pointless snowclone thread immediately. Contrary to past statements, this is treated as a serious rule violation, and may well result in a warning or ban.

• If you don't like a thread, don't post in it. Posting in a thread simply to say you don't like it, or that it's stupid, or to point out that you 'knew who made it before you even clicked on it', or to predict that it will end badly will get you warned. Doing so repeatedly may result in a ban.

• Don't make "link-discuss" threads. Use the Article Dump if all you want to do is call attention to an article you read. Or, if it's something about writing, or would be of special interest to writers and aspiring writers, you can put it in the Writer's Block Article Dump.

• Referencing external content: When referencing external content (a news article, a social media post, a YouTube video, etc.), you are required to put in the effort to generate engagement, while also complying with copyright rules. Do not drop links and expect people to talk about them (we refer to these as "link, discuss" posts), but also do not dump the entire contents of an article into a post, and especially do not post links intended to shock/prank people.
  • Link to the source. If the source is a document format like Word or PDF, state that so people can be informed of what they're clicking on.
  • Identify the source. This can include the title of the publication (Reuters, Washington Post), the name of the social media site (Twitter, Facebook), and/or the identity of the person being cited (Bill Nye, Markiplier).
  • Summarize the content. Write, in your own words, a description of what you are linking to so that someone doesn't have to watch or read it to understand the context. Include your rationale for posting it.
  • Minimize excerpts. Where appropriate, you may include an excerpt of the content, clearly embedded in [quoteblock] or [folder] markup. However, you may not copy the entirety of the content (save for short-form posts like tweets). Copy only the amount necessary to emphasize the points you are making.
  • Clean it up. Remove image captions and interstitial text. Place [=escape markup=] around any text that creates unwanted Wiki Words. If the article text contains links, embed those same links.
  • Exception: If the forum thread is about a specific content creator or work, the link is to an expected, periodic installment, and everyone in the topic understands the context already, this rule may not apply. That said, it is still courteous to add at least a comment or brief note of explanation.

• Contentless meta-posts like "First!" or "Whoo, 500th post!" are off topic in forums that ask threads to remain on-topic (anything in Realish or Pinned), and are strongly discouraged elsewhere.

• Broad, unfocused topics are discouraged in the Media forums. We would prefer that conversations there be about specific works, franchises, or creators. If you want to talk about "everybody's favorite X" or whatever, Yack Fest is probably a better place.

• Never import drama here from another site. It is easy: No threads about events on another forum. Any user who does so will face an immediate ban. This means don't use our forums for a battleground, don't encourage or instigate others to use our forums as a battleground, don't use our forums as a launching pad for a fight, and don't drag us into a fight somewhere else. Please see this post for a more detailed look at what we consider Importing or Exporting Drama.

• Do not post illegal material or links to illegal material.
  • This includes pirate sites, warez, manga scanlations and illegal torrents.
  • This includes asking for links to such material.
  • This includes discussions of how to obtain or consume controlled substances, including prescription drugs, without a doctor's prescription.
  • This includes hate speech and threats of harm, whether directed to a person on-site or off.
  • Where questions of "what is illegal" arise, general U.S. law shall prevail, as the site is located in the United States.
  • Where there is a conflict between site policies, applicable laws, and/or Google AdSense policies, the strictest shall apply.

• No sex threads.
• Do we really have to say it? Do not post porn or explicit sexual content. Not even if you tag it NSFW. Don't post it. Don't link to explicit porn images either.
• Links to sites with NSFW ads are not allowed either. Please find sites without NSFW ads to host an image.
• No posting any paedophilia/loli/shota links, text or images. Just no.
• Links to other more mild NSFW content that does not violate the above rules (girls in bikinis, violence, things that are just gross) should be tagged.
• The use of private messages for sexual role-playing ("cybering" or "cybersex") is something we heavily discourage. While we don't police PMs directly, we will investigate reports and may suspend or ban users if circumstances merit. Please do it somewhere else.
• If we find that any cybering anywhere on this site involves a minor and an adult, we'll toss you out so hard that you'll bounce off the Moon and back again.

• Hate speech will not be tolerated. Read the linked page if you don't know what Hate Speech is.

• No advertising.
  • Do not post for the sole or primary purpose of advertising your own or any third-party site or product.
  • New accounts are restricted from posting external links for a short period of time to prevent spamming. Attempting to circumvent this by putting links in your signature may be grounds for a ban.
  • All external links should be relevant to the conversation in which they are occurring.
  • You can promote a petition for something, unless it promotes hateful activity. A petition to "Save the Whales" would be okay. A petition to "Nuke the Gay Whales for Jesus" would not. We reserve the right to be as arbitrary as Hell about what petitions will be permitted. Keep it on topic and pleasant. Do not start a topic just to announce a petition.

• Thumps
  • As you're browsing the forums, you may come across a post that's written in orange text and pertains to some kind of conduct. This means that the person's original post was overwritten by a mod, or "thumped", for violating a conduct guideline for the forums. Most of the thumps are self-explanatory; if you need clarification on something, ask a mod. Thumps are are directed at the person whose post was thumped and are accompanied by a PM to that person. Thumps are not the same thing as a forum suspension/ban, but accumulating a lot of them can lead to one.
  • Attempting to "unthump" a post by any means, including re-posting the text of the thumped post, is grounds for a forum posting ban. One would imagine that this is so obvious that it goes without saying: a thump is not an invitation to re-post the text of the thumped post. That the post was thumped means that it was against the rules. If you post it again it'll still be against the rules. Doing this is grounds for a forum ban.
  • If you feel that only part of your post violated the rules and want to re-post the parts that weren't against the rules, PM the Mod who thumped the post and discuss it with them.

• Ban evasion is not allowed.
  • If you ragequit, we'll lock the door behind you (i.e., we'll block that account completely.)
  • If we discover that someone who has been banned from doing something (like posting in the fora or in a particular subforum, using YKTTW, sending PMs, editing the Wiki, etc) has used another handle to do those things while the ban was still active on the main handle (or any other handle of that person) we'll impose a full range of bans on all of the handles used by that person.

  • We may also remove all posts made by a ban evading handle. If you're banned it means you're not allowed to do what you were banned from doing. If you're banned from the Fora you don't get to participate in Forum discussions. It's that simple.

• Do not deliver Messages or Edits from someone who is banned.
  • If you're banned from participating in something - Wiki editing, posting in the Fora, etc - it means you're not allowed to do that thing. If someone asks you to post something in a subforum in which they're not allowed to post, do not deliver their message. Same with Wiki edits from someone who is banned from editing the Wiki; that is just ban evasion by proxy.
  • Please don't engage with a Troper who you know is banned under another handle
  • Exception: If a user is suspended for poor grammar or editing style, they may post edits they wish to make in the "Get Help with English" and "Is this an example?" threads. Once those edits are corrected, other tropers may make them on the suspended troper's behalf.

• Certain subforums have their own specific rules. Please make sure you know the rules of that subforum before posting there.
  • No derails in On-Topic Conversations,
  • No exclusive clubs in Trope Covens, and
  • Try to stick to the guidelines in Forum Games and Trope Repair Shop.

• On thread necromancy versus the creation of new threads: Neither one is de facto "bad form" here. Either is acceptable, depending on the thread and why it's being brought up again.
  • If the new post is in response to something relevant in the old thread, it makes more sense to necro the old one rather than try to recap the whole previous discussion.
  • If the new post is tangential or only partially related to the old thread, making a new thread may make more sense.
  • If the old thread degenerated into a fight or shitposting, there's no point in trying to necro it — it will simply pick back up with fighting or shitposting, 95 times out of a hundred.
  • On the left-hand side of the forum, it's almost always preferable to necro an old thread in Trope Repair or Image Picking than to make a new one.
  • The only things close to rules that we have about necro'ing an old thread is "don't necro just for lulz" and "don't necro to continue a fight."

• This is an English-language site. That includes the wiki and forums. Even if you speak other languages, English is the one we all share and the one we use to conduct moderation. If you post in another language, you automatically exclude anyone who doesn't read it.
  • Do not write the body of a post in a non-English language, even if you provide a translation.
  • If you quote or link to non-English text from a news article or social media post, provide an English translation or summary. (The quote should preferably be translated to begin with.)
  • Exception: This rule does not apply to the Translations subforum.
  • Exception: We may, on occasion, allow specific On-Topic Conversations and Just For Fun threads to discuss or be conducted in other languages, if that is established as the premise to begin with and someone promises to monitor them for bad behavior.
  • Caveat: We do not require precise English grammar on the forums like we do the wiki. As long as someone can make themselves understood, it's fine.

• While we can be more relaxed about the language here than on the main wiki, please don't put the word "fuck" in your title or signature. It's tacky and it annoys some folks. There is an autosweeper that will delete it if you do; putting it back will be regarded as an act of hostility and may result in a ban.

• No more than one additional embedded or hotlinked avatar per post.
  • The avatar that is automatically attached to every post you make isn't counted.
  • You may embed one additional avvie in each post.
  • Notes and labelnotes [[note]]url[[/note]], [[labelnote:Description]]url[[/labelnote]] do the same thing to the server load as embedding, and therefore count as one per note/labelnote.
  • You can link as many as you want in each post using the [[urlhere tag here]] markup.
  • Noted or embedded doesn't matter — only one (not one of each).
  • Making runs of consecutive posts, each with one embedded or noted avvie will be treated as trying to end-run the restriction, and may result in a ban.

• A note regarding Private Messages.
  • Private messages are private. It is a bannable offense to share the contents of a PM that you receive with any third party without permission, except for reporting improper behavior to a member of the wiki staff.

• Suicide threats
  
  As a matter of wiki policy, we take threats of suicide (and other forms of self-harm) very seriously. However, unless a user voluntarily provides personal information, we have no means by which to report these incidents to the authorities.
  
  TV Tropes does not employ health professionals and the Internet is not a place to diagnose or treat any illness. It is also not fair to place the burden of a person's life and/or well-being on people not trained or equipped to handle it.
  
  A threat of suicide and/or self-harm, regardless of credibility, will be dealt with as follows:
  • The threat and any related messages will be removed from public view.
  • The user making the threat will be contacted by the staff and advised to seek help. Where possible, information on local emergency mental health services will be provided.
  • A user making repeated threats after being advised to seek help will be banned.

If you see a suicide threat on any part of the wiki, do not reply. Instead bring it immediately to the attention of the staff.

Lastly, any user found to be bullying, taunting, or in any way encouraging a person to commit or threaten to commit suicide will be permanently banned.

Edited by Fighteer on Oct 12th 2023 at 6:06:10 AM