The Star Control Discussion Board rules
The SCDB has a few rules that are set in stone. Breaking any of these rules will get your account suspended for 7 days. You will be notified by email. During this time the moderators will evaluate the situation and decide the appropriate course of action. This may wary from no further actions taken to a permaban and will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
The rules are:
I. No posting other users "real world" information without their permission. This includes registered as well as unregistered users. It doesn't matter if they've made this information public on the internet; it is still up to them to link such things if they wish to.
II. Discussion about how to pirate games or participation in software piracy is NOT permitted. This includes abandonware and all forms of software with dubious legal origins.
III. You may not post libellous or defamatory messages or materials, or links to such materials. You may not post messages or materials that are obscene, violent, abusive, threatening, or designed to harass or intimidate another person.
IV. You may not create gimmick accounts. In special circumstances, you can contact a moderator and ask permission to create a secondary account for a gimmick or *Heavy Space* thread.
If you manage to come up with a creative way of breaking these rules, and have a long explanation thought up as to why this isn't expressively forbidden, keep in mind that the moderators’ word is final and that no explanations in the world can change our decision. Violating the spirit of the law will have the same effect as violating the letter of the law.
Beyond these rules, we also have a set of posting guidelines. As these are not as absolute as the rules, the consequences of violating them are not as dire. If you are found to have violated a posting guideline, you will be warned. This will occur in both the topic where the violation took place, in your PM and as an email. If you manage to get three warnings, you will get a 7 day suspension. If you repeat the offense that you were warned for you will immediately be put on suspension. During that time the moderators will determine the appropriate course of action, ranging from no further consequences to a permaban. For each time you manage to rack up three warnings, the consequences will become more severe. Eventually, this will lead to a permaban. If you are unsure as to whether one of your posts violates a guideline, contact a moderator before posting.
The guidelines are:
1. Posts should be made on the appropriate boards, which have been provided for that purpose.
2. No SPAM. Commercial messages are prohibited without specific permission of the Administrator.
3. No post pumping. Don't make posts purely for the sake of posting. Consider what you have to say and how relevant it is.
4. Speak to each other in a mature, civil and respectful manner.
5. Avoid topic drift. If the original topic question has been answered or if the topic creator does not mind, it is fine for Off Topic threads to drift. On the other boards please keep to the thread subject, or use the Random Megathread on the Off Topic board.
6. Keep interjections, humorous or otherwise, to a minimum. Yes, we all do it, but it should not become the new topic of conversation. If it warrants it, start a new thread.
7. Do not back seat moderate. If you have a problem with someone's posting style or actions, report their posts and/or contact the mods directly. We will decide what is acceptable and what isn't.
8. Foul language isn't forbidden, but neither is it encouraged. It is fine to use a few stronger words here and there, but don't go overboard.
9. Flaming is not encouraged. During heated discussions everyone slips up every now and then, but overly aggressive messages and personal attacks won’t be accepted.
10. If you post materials from other web sites and/or newsgroups, credit should be given whenever possible. If you re-post material from The Pages of Now & Forever site, you are also asked to give credit when appropriate.
11. Signature and avatar pictures are size restricted. The normal size is 100*100. Contact the moderators if you have questions about this.
12. Opinions, advice and all other information expressed by participants in discussions are those of the author(s). You rely on such information at your own risk. The Admin/Moderation Team will NOT be held responsible for the content of any message posted in the Star Control Discussion Board.
13. By registering and logging, you agree to and have accepted the above. Please remember, it is a privilege granted to you to post on this board; do not abuse it.
If you manage to come up with a creative way of violating the guidelines, and have a long explanation thought up as to why your actions aren't expressively forbidden, keep in mind that the moderators’ word is final and that no explanations in the world can change our decision. Violating the spirit of the law will have the same effect as violating the letter of the law.
Community influence.
The SCDB has traditionally been very lax with moderation. It is our profound hope that we will not need to hand out many warnings and/or bans. The guidelines above could easily be compressed into the single guideline "Be polite and think before you act". However, what is acceptable within the guidelines is also dependent on the community. Discussions between two old-timers can be very different in tone and feeling than between a newbie and old-timer. Therefore we are also asking everyone to participate. If you feel that someone is violating the guidelines without moderators intervening, contact your moderator. This is not to say that mob rule will be enacted. We will listen, and then make our own decisions. But as not even moderators are infallible, your input is always welcome.
Moderating transparency.
No one moderator will have the authority to warn and ban you at will. The moderators will discuss any infractions and decide on the appropriate course together. Any warnings and bans decided upon will be posted in the thread "Moderation Log" on the General Discussion board. In this way the community will be aware of the decision process. Still, the SCDB is not a democracy. While we appreciate your input, the moderating decision is always final. If you disagree with a decision, contact us via PM for discussions.
If you have any questions regarding these rules, contact a moderator.
