Post by Silvanon on Nov 8, 2005 11:46:23 GMT -5
RULES (things you will be penalized for):
* No profanity in posts. No linking to sites with excessive profanity without giving warning in the post.
* No excessive violence in posts (graphic gore, etc). No linking to sites with excessive violence without warning in the post.
* No adult content in posts. No linking to sites with adult content without a warning in the post. No linking at all to sites with pornographic content.
* No flaming, bashing, or otherwise disrupting the peace and community harmony. Criticism is allowed, but not to the point of flaming or pure/unprovoked personal attack. Violators will be warned, and if the behavior continues, may have their posts deleted. As an ultimate result, violators will be banned.
* Disputes between individuals should be limited as much as possible to PM's/IM's/email, and should be kept as much as possible between the principle parties only. Disputing parties who feel they need a third party moderator may present their grievances to the board moderator, Silvanon, in private format (PM/IM/email).
* No image theft. If you didn’t make the image, then you must have permission to use it in the way you are using it. Permission to post the image does not include permission to modify the image or redistribute the image. These permissions must be granted separately. Furthermore, images clearly based on another artist’s work may only be used after obtaining permission from that artist. This is not just board rules, but is also according to US Copyright Laws, and applies to all types of images, not just cyberpets. Violators will be given one warning, and then will be banned. Violators who are banned for this offense will also be reported to their web host as being in violation of copyright laws, and will likely have their website accounts banned as well.
* When you use someone’s image, always give credit to the artist, and provide a link back to the artist’s site. Linking to an artist’s email is acceptable if no site URL can be found.
* No bandwidth theft or hot-linking (pulling an image off someone else’s server). Upload all images you use to your own server. The only exception is when the artist specifically gives you permission to link to the image on their server. (Silvanon’s Nixphe are an example where express permission is given to hot-link. These types of agencies are extremely rare.)
ETTIQUETTE (things you should do to get along with people):
* Be understanding of people. They have Real Lives which will often take priority over their cyber lives.
* Ask once, and then remember the answer you got.
* Don't whine excessively. The community is neither your babysitter nor your nursemaid.
* Try not to hijack threads and take them off topic.
* Cyberpet agency owners:
- Do your best to fulfill on promises critters.
- State the rules for your adoptions up front. Also, state the rules for draws and contests up front.
- Don't change the rules on cyberpet adopters mid-adoption. If you must change the rules, do your best to let your adopters know about the change well in advance.
- Don’t declare abandoned/take back/etc. cyberpets you’ve adopted out without good cause. Good cause is generally considered to be acts that violate your posted rules of adoption.
- Don't take commission money and then not fulfill. If you are unable to complete the original commission, either work out something different with the commissioner, or else return the commission money.
* Cyberpet adopters:
- Read the rules of adoption and make sure you understand them before you adopt.
- Before adopting, take time to get to know the adoption. Learn how the adoption procedure works for that agency. Learn how much time you can expect it to take for you to get your critter. Learn what's expected for posting the critter/roleplaying the critter/etc.
- Do your best to fulfill on posting the critters you have received, and otherwise complying with the rules as they were posted and understood at the time of your adopting. If you have something come up that prevents you from complying with the rules, let the agency owner know right away.
- Don't expect to be an exception to the rules.
- Don't expect to be an exception to the norms (i.e. how one gets a critter, how long it takes to receive a promised critter, etc.). Don't pester cyberpet agency owners about adopting their critters/when they're going to get you the critter you won/etc. unless circumstances are clearly beyond the norms.
- Understand that agency owners are in no way required to give you anything with free adoptions. They have the right to deny adoption to any person for any reason they see fit and to request certain protocol for adopting (A page/text/RPing/link back/etc). They only time you are owed anything is if they have accepted payment from you in form of actual money or trade. Agency owners have the right to reject any commission or trade, up until they accept payment. (Please note that forcing a payment on them is not the same as them accepting a payment.)
- Understand that agency owners retain full copyrights to their work. You cannot use or modify their critters in any way not authorized by the artist. The artist has the right to declare abandoned and take back any critter at any time, unless the critter is commissioned and as part of the commission contract the critter is decided to be not abandon-able.
- Do not comment on other people's forms and or ideas during draws. If someone has made a mistake that you want to help correct send a PM to that person (remember some agency owners require that forms not be edited after being posted, especially if it had to do with the rules).
* Roleplay:
- Proper spelling and grammar are greatly appreciated and preferred in all posts. Exceptions would be if the character you are RPing is uneducated, has an accent, or both.
- Do not double post, there is a preview option to check for spelling errors before posting and a modify button for anything you see afterwards.
- Do not powerplay. This means do not take over the actions of other people's characters without permission. Some RPs where the RPers are comfortable and trust each other do allow for some powerplaying, however for the most part keep to your own characters.
- Don't make your characters invincible or give them above-natural powers. For example, if your character is in a fight it cannot avoid blows and injuries from the opponent outside of it's natural abilities. It cannot always win, or suddenly develop super-powers, or knowledge of how to beat the other.
- Do not jump into every roleplay thread you can find. Keep it down to two or three, and remember some people have plans for their roleplays that probably doesn't include you and yours, so make sure it is an Open RP before trying to join in.
- Do not get upset, whine, or have a hissy fit if no one joins your RP. People are not obligated to join if they don't wish to. Just be patient, someone might in a day or so. After that you can try again by starting another one with something different.
* New Board Members: ask for a mentor. We'll be happy to hook you up with someone who will answer your questions and teach you the ropes.
** If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!
Legal note: Rules and ettiquette are subject to change at any time, with or without warning. It is the responsibility of the individual user to make sure he or she is up to date on the current rules and ettiquette.
* No profanity in posts. No linking to sites with excessive profanity without giving warning in the post.
* No excessive violence in posts (graphic gore, etc). No linking to sites with excessive violence without warning in the post.
* No adult content in posts. No linking to sites with adult content without a warning in the post. No linking at all to sites with pornographic content.
* No flaming, bashing, or otherwise disrupting the peace and community harmony. Criticism is allowed, but not to the point of flaming or pure/unprovoked personal attack. Violators will be warned, and if the behavior continues, may have their posts deleted. As an ultimate result, violators will be banned.
* Disputes between individuals should be limited as much as possible to PM's/IM's/email, and should be kept as much as possible between the principle parties only. Disputing parties who feel they need a third party moderator may present their grievances to the board moderator, Silvanon, in private format (PM/IM/email).
* No image theft. If you didn’t make the image, then you must have permission to use it in the way you are using it. Permission to post the image does not include permission to modify the image or redistribute the image. These permissions must be granted separately. Furthermore, images clearly based on another artist’s work may only be used after obtaining permission from that artist. This is not just board rules, but is also according to US Copyright Laws, and applies to all types of images, not just cyberpets. Violators will be given one warning, and then will be banned. Violators who are banned for this offense will also be reported to their web host as being in violation of copyright laws, and will likely have their website accounts banned as well.
* When you use someone’s image, always give credit to the artist, and provide a link back to the artist’s site. Linking to an artist’s email is acceptable if no site URL can be found.
* No bandwidth theft or hot-linking (pulling an image off someone else’s server). Upload all images you use to your own server. The only exception is when the artist specifically gives you permission to link to the image on their server. (Silvanon’s Nixphe are an example where express permission is given to hot-link. These types of agencies are extremely rare.)
ETTIQUETTE (things you should do to get along with people):
* Be understanding of people. They have Real Lives which will often take priority over their cyber lives.
* Ask once, and then remember the answer you got.
* Don't whine excessively. The community is neither your babysitter nor your nursemaid.
* Try not to hijack threads and take them off topic.
* Cyberpet agency owners:
- Do your best to fulfill on promises critters.
- State the rules for your adoptions up front. Also, state the rules for draws and contests up front.
- Don't change the rules on cyberpet adopters mid-adoption. If you must change the rules, do your best to let your adopters know about the change well in advance.
- Don’t declare abandoned/take back/etc. cyberpets you’ve adopted out without good cause. Good cause is generally considered to be acts that violate your posted rules of adoption.
- Don't take commission money and then not fulfill. If you are unable to complete the original commission, either work out something different with the commissioner, or else return the commission money.
* Cyberpet adopters:
- Read the rules of adoption and make sure you understand them before you adopt.
- Before adopting, take time to get to know the adoption. Learn how the adoption procedure works for that agency. Learn how much time you can expect it to take for you to get your critter. Learn what's expected for posting the critter/roleplaying the critter/etc.
- Do your best to fulfill on posting the critters you have received, and otherwise complying with the rules as they were posted and understood at the time of your adopting. If you have something come up that prevents you from complying with the rules, let the agency owner know right away.
- Don't expect to be an exception to the rules.
- Don't expect to be an exception to the norms (i.e. how one gets a critter, how long it takes to receive a promised critter, etc.). Don't pester cyberpet agency owners about adopting their critters/when they're going to get you the critter you won/etc. unless circumstances are clearly beyond the norms.
- Understand that agency owners are in no way required to give you anything with free adoptions. They have the right to deny adoption to any person for any reason they see fit and to request certain protocol for adopting (A page/text/RPing/link back/etc). They only time you are owed anything is if they have accepted payment from you in form of actual money or trade. Agency owners have the right to reject any commission or trade, up until they accept payment. (Please note that forcing a payment on them is not the same as them accepting a payment.)
- Understand that agency owners retain full copyrights to their work. You cannot use or modify their critters in any way not authorized by the artist. The artist has the right to declare abandoned and take back any critter at any time, unless the critter is commissioned and as part of the commission contract the critter is decided to be not abandon-able.
- Do not comment on other people's forms and or ideas during draws. If someone has made a mistake that you want to help correct send a PM to that person (remember some agency owners require that forms not be edited after being posted, especially if it had to do with the rules).
* Roleplay:
- Proper spelling and grammar are greatly appreciated and preferred in all posts. Exceptions would be if the character you are RPing is uneducated, has an accent, or both.
- Do not double post, there is a preview option to check for spelling errors before posting and a modify button for anything you see afterwards.
- Do not powerplay. This means do not take over the actions of other people's characters without permission. Some RPs where the RPers are comfortable and trust each other do allow for some powerplaying, however for the most part keep to your own characters.
- Don't make your characters invincible or give them above-natural powers. For example, if your character is in a fight it cannot avoid blows and injuries from the opponent outside of it's natural abilities. It cannot always win, or suddenly develop super-powers, or knowledge of how to beat the other.
- Do not jump into every roleplay thread you can find. Keep it down to two or three, and remember some people have plans for their roleplays that probably doesn't include you and yours, so make sure it is an Open RP before trying to join in.
- Do not get upset, whine, or have a hissy fit if no one joins your RP. People are not obligated to join if they don't wish to. Just be patient, someone might in a day or so. After that you can try again by starting another one with something different.
* New Board Members: ask for a mentor. We'll be happy to hook you up with someone who will answer your questions and teach you the ropes.
** If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!
Legal note: Rules and ettiquette are subject to change at any time, with or without warning. It is the responsibility of the individual user to make sure he or she is up to date on the current rules and ettiquette.
