MediaWiki:Forum-policies-and-faq

Forum policies
Before contributing to the Forums, please keep in mind a few best practices for conduct:

Be nice and treat people with respect.
 * People from all around the world read and edit this wiki and its forums. Like any other collaborative project, not everyone will agree all the time. Keep discussions civil and be open minded about differing opinions. We're all here because we love the same topic.

Try to find existing discussions first, but don't be afraid to start a new thread.
 * Please take a moment to sift through the Forum boards to see if a discussion already exists about something you want to talk about. If you can't find what you're looking for, jump right in and start a new discussion!

Ask for help.
 * Notice something that doesn't seem right? Or do you have a question? Ask for help here on the forums! If you need help from Wikia staff, please reach out on Community Central or via Special:Contact.

Have fun!
 * The community is happy to have you here. We look forward to seeing you around as we discuss this topic we all love.

Forum FAQ
How do I stay on top of discussions I'm interested in?
 * With a Wikia user account, you can follow specific conversations and then receive notification messages (either on-site or via email) when a discussion has more activity. Be sure to sign up for a Wikia account if you don't already have one.

How do I remove vandalism?
 * If you notice some spam or vandalism on a thread, hover your mouse over the offending text. You'll see a "More" button appear. Inside the "More" menu, you'll find "Remove". This will allow you to remove the vandalism and optionally inform an admin.

What are Kudos?
 * If you find a particular discussion or reply interesting, well thought out, or amusing you can show direct appreciation by giving it Kudos. They can be helpful in voting situations, too.

What are Topics?
 * Topics allow you to link a forum discussion with a wiki article. It's another way to keep Forums organized and to help people find interesting discussions. For example, a Forum thread tagged with "Lord Voldemort" will appear at the bottom of the "Lord Voldemort" article.

Forum Rules

 * Never post:

** Hacks, third party clients, or a way to pirate any game. ** Ban Lists, including forum names or IP addresses. This can lead to innocent bans. ** Pornography, offensive images. ** Hate speech: Including slurs, derogatory statements, hate support, posting to offend ANY social group; including age, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality or sexuality.


 * Do not use slurs in public threads.If you do, you risk offending others - even those you weren't directly addressing. The public use of slurs on this forum is not acceptable in any circumstances.

** The purpose of this rule/policy change is to raise the level of mature, mutually respectful conversation on TO by strongly discouraging the use of well-known racial/sexual slurs. This is not intended to remove all occurrences of anyone taking offense to anything nor to affect the long-standing policy of allowing cursing in any way. ** If a slur is reported, it will be reviewed by the staff for context and impact using a "reasonable person" standard (would a reasonable person react or be expected to react to the statement in this way?) ** If a post is deemed in violation, it will receive a "Racism/Homophobia" infraction (5 points) on top of any other necessary actions (Personal Attack, trolling, etc). Staff are, as always, allowed the discretion to warn on less serious offenses. ** Edits of offending posts will either be requested or done by staff. Reverting those edits will draw further penalties.


 * Post respectfully.Keep in mind that there are people on the other side. Just because they may disagree with you does not mean they should be condescended to, insulted or otherwise. Discussion should stay as civil as possible, and your opinions stated in an intelligent manner.

** Don't flame, bait, or troll. Attacking someone is unacceptable. ** Any problems you have can be solved with calm and polite conversation. The staff (and most of the users!) aren't out to get you, or insult you at every opportunity. Just talk to us like we're people! ** While we do not have a rule against swearing (just do not swear excessively), do not launch these insults at other members in this form. Swearing in light conversation, and swearing AT someone are two very different things. In general, a well-spoken person has no need of such words.