Author Topic: Furtopia forums rules & guidelines, version 4  (Read 14200 times)

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Offline Storm Fox

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Furtopia forums rules & guidelines, version 4
« on: March 11, 2015, 03:50:04 am »
FURTOPIA.ORG RULES & GUIDELINES.

Version 4 (Revised and rewritten in 2015)

Introduction.

Furtopia is a forum that was built with the aim of bringing the furry community closer together in a safe and friendly environment. The following consists of a few things that we would like the members here to keep in mind as they post in these forums.

Not having read the rules is not an acceptable excuse to break them.
Amendments and other changes to the rules are listed [here].
Feel free to PM a staff member if you have any questions about our rules. :)


1. Respect.
Please be respectful of both the staff and your fellow members at all times. Insulting, attacking, slandering, or harassing anyone will not be tolerated.

2. This is a PG rated Family Friendly forum.
And as such, the following is not allowed.
  • Sexual content or interactions.
  • Excessive gore or violence.
  • Encouraging/advocating illegal activities or Drug/alcohol use.
  • Promoting, describing, or instructing anything that may cause harm.
  • Swearing any harsher than “damn” and “hell”.
  • Use of implied swearing (fsck, WTF, ****).
Note: Some exceptions to this can be found within the adult forums as described in the "Adult forum section" further below.

3. Posting content and conduct.
3.a) Spam, rants, angry shouts, tirades, or anything similar that does not invite intelligent discussion may be removed at the Staff's discretion.
Note: Using such methods to claim or threaten your intention to permanently leave will result in closure of your account.
3.b) The discussion of trolls or troll/hate websites is not allowed, as discussing trolls only invites them.
3.c) Text that is difficult or impossible to read due to its color and/or size is not allowed.
3.d) Foreign languages, codes, scripts, etc. without an English translation is not allowed.
3.e) Minor Role-playing in discussion threads is permitted provided it does not disrupt or distract from the original topic. Large or involved RP's outside of the Role-playing Games Forum may be removed.
3.f) Grave-digging threads is not allowed. Topics are considered dead after 6 months of inactivity from the last post written in that thread. If you wish to discuss a dead topic, please start a new thread.
Grave-digging exceptions:
  • Pinned important and administrative topics.
  • Word games in the gaming forums.
  • On-going personal topics in the Life Problems & Help forum.
  • Fursuit building projects in the fursuiting forum.
  • Personal artwork, literature, and poetry threads.
As a part of forum maintenance, old personal threads may still be locked (especially if the OP is no longer around). If your personal thread has been locked, you can contact a staff member to request that it be reopened.

4. Images.
The following are limitations for the various kinds of images displayable on Furtopia.
  • For avatars, 100 by 100 in pixels and no more than 50 KB in file size. A guide to using avatars can be found [here].
  • For signatures, 450 pixels wide by 150 pixels high and no more than 100 KB in file size for ALL images, combined.
  • For images embedded in posts 700 by 700 in pixels. (Larger images will be automatically scaled down).
Note: When posting more than 8 images per post, or posting large high resolution images, we ask that you please post them as links instead. If more images per post are needed for a specific thread (Artwork, Conventions, Tutorials, Vacations, etc.), you can PM staff to request an exception.
A guide to posting images can be found [here].

5. User accounts.
The rule is one account per person, and one person per account. Any secondary accounts will be closed, and sharing accounts and/or password/access between multiple users is strictly prohibited and can result in account closure.
Notes: For further information about accounts, Please read this thread [here].

6. Copyrighted materials and property.
6.a) Using art, stories, etc. made by someone else without their permission and/or giving credit to the owner is discouraged. Intentionally "stealing" someone else’s work (whether in whole or in part), and claiming it as your own will result in removal of the item.
If you see any of your own copyrighted works that have been used without your permission or credit, you can request removal by contacting staff [here].
6.b) Use of the Furtopia.org name or any related property (whether in whole or in part) for any purpose requires permission from the Staff.

7. Advertising.
Advertising or recruiting on Furtopia forums or Furtopia IRC for other forums, communities, projects or viral marketing, is not allowed.
Exceptions:
  • Links to FurAffinity, DeviantArt, Livejournal, blogs, and other personal furry websites are allowed in signatures and profiles.
  • Members who have a minimum of 25 posts and an introduction thread in the Greetings Forum are allowed to make threads for their own furry businesses which offer furry arts and crafts for sale or commission.
  • Members can seek Staff permission to post advertising not otherwise exempted from this rule, such as but is not limited to: surveys, sociological projects, or Interviews relating to furry fandom, etc.
Note: When advertising anything (within what our exceptions allow), please post as much information as to Who, What, Where, When, Why, and/or How something is being advertised. The more information you provide, the less your post or thread will look "questionable, unknown, or suspicious".

Staff notes.

Adult forums section.
While the majority of the Furtopia forums are rated “PG/Family Friendly”, Furtopia does allow adult discussion topics and artwork in our adult forums.
By default, access to the adult forums is blocked to all users. If you are of at least 18 years of age, you may request access to be added to (or removed from) these additional adult forums as described [here].

In the case of abuse.
If a user has any complaints regarding another user's or a staff member’s behavior on the forum, Furtopia IRC, or the PM (Private Messaging) system, they should contact a staff member about the problem immediately so the staff can look into the issue. Please keep a copy of related PMs and chat logs, as the staff may ask for them.
In the event of malicious posting by trolls, spammers, or members who may not be following the Furtopia rules, there is a "Report to Moderator" button found in the lower right corner of a person's post. (See the "Staff notes" above.)
Members can click on this button to describe what was found and submit it to the staff who will then review and resolve the situation as soon as possible. Never retaliate or take matters into your own hands.
As a safeguard against any prejudices, at least three staff members must agree to take action against a user's membership status in any case where such action would be deemed appropriate. The exception to this rule comes in cases where the abuse may harm or otherwise impede the services offered by the furtopia.org forums.

Member rights.
When not stated clearly in the rules, sometimes the staff must make judgment calls on what is in the best interest of the forum and it’s membership. If an action is taken against a member, that member has the right as a sole remedy to request an appeal. The staff will then review and vote on the issue, and provide an explanation if the appeal is declined.
Any public displays, parades, complaints, or rants on the forums are NOT permitted for or during staff action disputes.
ALL instructions and warnings from Moderators and/or Administrators are to be obeyed, and all decisions are final unless under review of appeal as stated above.
Never argue the rules or technicalities with the staff in any public form here or elsewhere. Being technically within the letter of the law doesn't protect you if your attitude is rude, insulting, abusive, and/or disruptive, and ignoring warnings will result in other disciplinary measures regardless of whether it's a violation of a written rule or not.
All messages sent by the staff during a dispute with or as a reprimand to members are logged by the staff for record keeping purposes, and are considered private communication between the staff and the receiving member.
Posting or discussing the contents of said message from a staff member in public may result in a warning and/or other disciplinary measure.
If you have an issue with a message you've received from a staff member, you may bring it up with a different staff member for review. Messages may be sent out via email, Furtopia private message (PM) or instant messenger (YIM,AIM,ICQ,MSN)

Staff roster.
[Staff Contact Page]
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