This is not an exhaustive set of rules, merely a starting point. Ultimately, the golden rule here is to use common sense. If you've got any question about the rules, look further down in the thread for a more detailed explanation.

Keep in mind that some of these are more guidelines than rules (Paragraphs Are Your Friends). We're not going to bust you like a felon for slipping up from time to time.

The Rules

* Respect other members.
* Respect new members.
* Bootlegging will not be tolerated.
* Discussion of illegal activites will not be tolerated
* Racism and hate-language will not be tolerated.
* Search for previous threads.
* Do not yell.
* Keep "leetspeak" to a minimum.
* Paragraphs are your friend.
* One new thread per forum per day.
* No pornography.
* No Spam or Advertising
* Do not create sham accounts.
* Do not use "gay" or "retarded" in a demeaning fashion.
* Respect the forum leaders



Detailed Explanations

* 1. Respect other members.
Debate is good. It's even encouraged. However, it is expected that those who participate in debate and discussion will respect other members of the forum. Flaming will not be tolerated, nor will blatant trolling.

* 2. Respect new members.
Just because someone is new to a forum doesn't give others the right to have a go at them. If you find something about a new member to be out of order, PM a moderator. Don't take it upon yourself to inform the new blood of the rules/regulations of the forum.

* 3a. Bootlegging will not be tolerated.
If you've got the most recent must-have bootleg, please keep it to yourself. The forum is not designed for the purposes of passing copyrighted material back and forth. Likewise, please do not post detailed instructions on how to obtain a bootleg.

(You'll notice that we don't come down too hard on material posted on YouTube, which is to do with the fact that we view YouTube as more of a resource for fan-driven promotion rather than blatant bootlegging. There are exceptions, of course: if you post a link to an entire movie or a full episode of a television show, expect to see the post killed.)

* 3b. Discussion of illegal activities will not be tolerated.
This goes along with the discussion of bootlegging. Discussing illegal activities on this forum will not be tolerated. Whether it being circumventing software, stealing copyrighted software, stealing someone personal information, or discussion of doing someone harm will not be tolerated. This rule will be a legal catchall, so we are not liable for someone's crazy rant. Violating this rule could result in a warning, and if absolutely necessary, the alerting of local authorities. If you have a question on whether something you will post will violate this rule, we urge you to PM a moderator.

* 4. Racism and hate-language will not be tolerated.
Racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. are big no-nos. If you've got something cute to say about the color of another person's skin, or their sexuality, religion, etc., expect to find your remarks vanished and to find yourself warned. There's a fine line between playing around and being hateful; take care not to go too far.

* 5. Search for previous threads.
There are certain topics that pop up over and over, so before posting a new thread, use the search function to see if there is already a thread that contains the information you seek or wish to post. Do not start a new thread if another exists for the same purpose.

* 6. Do not yell.
Typing in all caps is considered "yelling" on the internet, and is looked upon poorly. The forum software has the capability to automatically change all caps to lower case, but the post still looks odd, as the software doesn't know specifically what initial letters it needs to capitalize.

* 7a. Keep "leetspeak" to a minimum.
We're not going to kill you over one or two "l337" or "pwnt" words in a post, but please, do not constantly refer to people as n00bs and/or make whole posts look this way. Likewise, please keep in mind that the second person pronoun is "you" and not "u", etc. We're not the grammar police, but using standard English makes for an easier read.

* 7b. Paragraphs are your friend.
Please try to refrain from posting huge blocks of text without breaking it into paragraphs. As said above, we're not the grammar police, but the less we have to step in and break up other people's text blocks in order to make them more easily readable, the better.

* 8. One new thread per forum per day.
The rule speaks for itself. One new thread per forum (and one new thread per sub-forum) a day. We will merge and kill threads with extreme prejudice, and if you become a repeat offender you will be warned.

* 9. No pornography.
While we have nothing against pornography (nothing at all, trust me) we do not want graphic nudity or depictions of sexual acts. Mild nudity (ie roughly the type you'd see in a Friday the 13th movie) is allowed, but use discretion. Also, there is a 2-click rule in effect for links - it must take 2 or more mouse clicks to reach pornography or other graphic content. If you are posting something that might not be safe for people at work, please include NSFW in the title.

* 10. No Spam or Advertising.
Everyone hates spam and so do we. So please do not spam or post spam on this site. If you want to advertise your site or someone else's site that you like, we ask that you keep it in your sig or post it here in the First Aid forum. Otherwise, it will be deleted and you will be warned.

* 11. Do not create sham accounts.
Users are expected to have one account. Once you have created a screen name, it is permanent. Only in isolated circumstances will we respond to requests to change your screen name. If you want to change your name, first PM either Blake, Jeans, or Sickboy - we will determine whether or not a change is warranted. If the answer is no, and you still want a different name, you will have to create a new account and start from scratch. However, you are expected to re-introduce yourself and let everyone know your former name. IF WE DISCOVER THAT A MEMBER HAS CREATED MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS IN ORDER TO DECEIVE FELLOW POSTERS, BOTH ACCOUNTS WILL BE DELETED AND THE USER WILL BE BANNED.

* 12. Do not use "gay" or "retarded" in a demeaning fashion.
This goes back to rule number 1 about respecting others. Do not use the words "gay" or "retarded" to describe something or someone in a negative light. Saying that you were "just joking" is unacceptable and you will be warned.

* 13. Keep Active and Respect me and the others