Members Rules & Guidelines
Introduction
Because we are at heart a creative community, we try to keep things free and simple at Writing Forums. However, our community falls apart without the right rules and guidelines to protect our hard work and reputation. We know this from first hand experience.
We aren’t going to throw you out on your ear if you inadvertently mess up. Everyone makes mistakes and, in most instances, deserves a second chance. Except for the most severe infractions (detailed in the Rules below), we will give a warning notice that you have broken a rule and either correct it for you or give you the chance to correct it yourself, depending on the type of violation.
Like all sites of this type, we suffer attacks from spammers. Therefore, it is necessary to become active on the site before some features are available. New non-subscribing members will find that there are some restrictions relating to user profiles, signatures and avatars, messaging and posting new topics; these restrictions are temporary and are lifted once ten (10) valid posts have been made.
New non-subscribing members with a post count of less than ten (10) cannot post new topics on the creative forums. Fluff (superfluous single word, or non-contributing) posts made just to build up post count may be deleted. Please be aware that posts on the Word Games forum are not added to post counts.
Be advised that some posts may be delayed from displaying until approved by a moderator - this may mean a few minutes or a couple of days, depending upon how busy the moderating team happen to be, and what issues may arise from the post (included links, off-site promotions, problematic statements which breach the rules or common laws, etc).
New members who have also paid the subscriber's fee to become a Friend of WF are not subject to the above restrictions.
The Rules are strict and we enforce them without fear or favour. Guidelines give you a basic idea of how you should conduct yourself. Continued abuse of the Rules or Guidelines carries the same penalties.
These Rules and Guidelines are here to help ensure that everyone has a safe, enjoyable place to meet and share ideas and are subject to change as needed.
Rules
Multiple Accounts: Multiple accounts (sock puppets) are not permitted. Only sign up for one account. If you share a computer or internet connection with a room mate or partner, please inform us or we may suspect you of having duplicate accounts and all but one will be deleted.
Forum Handles, avatars & Signatures: Forum handles (user names), avatars and signatures must be G rated, meaning they may not contain any language, images or links to anything that breaches this rating. Handles which use web site or e-mail addresses will be regarded as spam and the account deleted. Signatures must be limited to six (6) lines. Users need to make at least ten posts before they can use the signature feature. Only subscribing members may post images (up to 60x400 pixels) as or with their signatures.
Defamation: Do not post or transmit any message which may be considered slanderous, libelous, or in any other way defamatory, or which discloses private or personal matters concerning any person other than yourself. Understand that, in law, truth is no defense in matters involving defamation. Any such posts found will be edited or deleted without prior notice.
Personal Information: Do not post personal real life information such as names, phone numbers, or home addresses of any other member.
Plagiarism: All work posted in the creative forums (Poetry, Prose, Workshops, Visual Arts, Music) must be your own. Specific threads and boards exist for the posting of other people's works with due citations or references to source, and these are the only places where such works may be placed. Anyone found to have deliberately plagiarised the work of another person will be instantly and permanently banned and blacklisted.
Post Titles: Post titles must be PG rated, which means strong language or descriptions of violence or sexual activities are not permitted.
Obscene Material and Gratuitous Violence: Such material is not allowed. What is considered overtly pornographic or otherwise obscene is decided by the staff and is not open to debate. It will be removed immediately.
Strong or explicit language, Mature themes Disclaimers: Within the creative (eg, Poetry or Prose) areas, infrequent and context-appropriate strong language and mature themes are allowed where a proper disclaimer for language or theme is included in the post title. The creative boards retain the PG-13 rating. In all other posts around the forum, the censorship rating is G. Understand that this is a family friendly site and strong or sexually explicit language is not permitted at all outside of the creative boards. NB. Using symbols or blank spaces to replace letters or words is not sufficient to avoid a violation of this rule. Euphemisms will be discouraged. You will be notified if the staff are required to remove one of your posts in line with this Rule. Repeat offenses can result in banning.
Content Which Encourages Illegal Activity: Except within the creative boards up to PG-13 rating, and with the proper disclaimer, posts which encourage illegal activity will be edited or removed. Again this is at staff discretion and is not open to debate.
Fan-Creations: Fan-fiction and Fan-art are treated equally under the law as fan-creations; they are potential breaches of copyright and/or trademark provisions, therefore not allowed to be posted on this forum, and will be removed immediately upon discovery.
Flaming: Flaming will not be tolerated. When critiquing, keep observations about the work, do not make personal judgements of or attacks on the writer. In any discussion, keep it about the topic and not the poster. Violations will be deleted. Repeated offences or ignoring staff warnings will result in an infraction.
Trolling or Baiting: Unnecessarily contentious posts, or posts intended to incite flaming, will not be tolerated. Offending posts will be removed, and the poster warned in the first instance. Repeated offenses will result in the poster being temporarily or permanently banned. Posts which attack, demean, or breach the international standards against unfair discrimination of any person or group of people will be treated as baits.
Advertising: Advertising of any kind is prohibited on the main boards. You are allowed to link to your site in your signature once you have made the required amount of posts. Paying subscribers may post threads which promote their work in the Literary Emporium. Those with books for sale on Amazon may also request that they be added to the bookshop. Paying subscribers who are professional publishers, writers, artists or illustrators, proofreaders or editors, may offer or discuss their services only within the Motley Tavern or other Admin-designated area. Anything else will be considered spam and deleted. Spammers may be banned from the site without notice.
Duplicate Posts: Duplicate posts are not allowed. Pick the most appropriate forum and post your item there. No cross posting, spamming or any kind of multiple posts will be allowed. We will delete all but one of any duplicate posts. As is true with plagiarism, paraphrasing is not a valid loophole; paraphrased posts are still copies and will be treated as such. The only exception to this rule is in the case of challenge entries which may be pre-posted or re-posted in an appropriate creative forum for individual critique and comment.
Posting of PM’s: Posting of PM’s received from another member is a breach of privacy laws and therefore not allowed. They will be removed immediately.
Guidelines
Inappropriate Behavior: Excessive flirting and personal threats will not be tolerated. Posts containing either of these will be removed. Members making personal threats may face permanent banning.
Discrimination: Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, age, gender, race, color, or sexual orientation. Decisions about what is considered discriminatory is up to staff and is not open for debate.
Personal Responsibility: You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, including any contained quotes, no matter what someone else may have done. Keep this in mind when posting, since it is you and no one else that will suffer the punishment for anything that breaks the rules or guidelines.
Disclaimers and Warnings: We've created a special bb code for you to use so your disclaimer is easily noticed: [disc ]Put your disclaimer here[/disc] which will make your disclaimer stand out. Moderators who find a work potentially offensive may add a disclaimer if you have not done so. Repeated failure to comply will result in threads being removed. Threads with facetious warnings or disclaimers will be removed.
Forum Flooding: Don't flood the forums with new submissions. We realize you are eager to share your writing, but please add your work at a reasonable pace. Any posts over two on any particular board in one day may be deleted. Repeat offenses will result in an infraction.
Derailing Threads: Threads are posted for certain topics to be discussed. Unless otherwise stipulated by the OP (Opening Post/er), derailing threads is rude and not allowed. Posts doing this will be removed and action will be taken against members who consistently do it.
Review or Comment Requests in Post Titles: Don't make them; they are superfluous and annoying to many members. You are already asking for both simply by posting your original material in a creative forum.
Thread bumping: It is our policy to discourage members from posting just to bring their thread back to the top of the front page. If a thread is bumped without a valid reason then it, or the offending post, may be deleted.
Quoting: Quoting is encouraged, but please don't quote 5 paragraphs and reply with one line. Quote enough material to show what you are replying to.
Post Length: Excessively short posts and one-liners are discouraged. We realize at times these are appropriate, but please use good judgement. Excessive use of any of these will result in posts being removed.
Chat and Leet Speak: We realize this is commonplace on the internet today, but this is, after-all, a writing site and proper language should be used. Use any chat or leet speak sparingly. Excessive use will result in posts being removed.
Forum Handles (User Names) will not be changed unless there is a legitimate reason for them to be (simply not liking it any longer doesn't qualify), so choose them carefully.
Signatures should not include excessive font or colour use (like a dozen colors or 4 and 20 point fonts etc).
Infractions
Rules and guidelines are enforced by staff and their decision of what constitutes a breach of either is final and not open to debate. An infraction system composed of warnings, points and penalties is used by staff to enforce these rules and guidelines.
We use a One Warning System, meaning a member receives one warning and a PM the first time they break a rule or guideline. Afterwards, each time they do so, they will receive an appropriate infraction that carries with it points and a temporary ban. Points accumulate with each new infraction and there are four levels of bans based on point levels. The number of points (and length of ban) assigned may depend upon the number and severity of infractions under consideration.
3 points = 24 hour ban (points remain but become inactive 3 months after the ban is lifted)
6 points = 3 day ban (points remain but 3 points become inactive 3 months after the ban is lifted)
9 points = 1 week ban (points remain but 3 points become inactive 3 months after the ban is lifted)
12 points = 1 month ban (points remain but 3 points become inactive 3 months after the ban is lifted)
Anything above 12 points will result in a permanent ban.
If you get a 24 hour ban (3 points), when the ban is lifted the points remain. That means if you get another infraction within three months, your point total will be 6 points, resulting in a 3 day ban (6 points). It then progresses through the scale with each new infraction. Each set of 3 points will expire (become inactive) 3 months from the date the infraction and points were given. Senior management may opt to expunge part or all of a member's infraction record in recognition of that member's ongoing improved behaviour.
Privacy and Personal Security
We strongly advise you to protect yourself and avoid inappropriate situations. If you feel you have been contacted inappropriately please report it to a staff member immediately. We are a site catering to all ages and we ask that everyone behave accordingly. All complaints will be taken seriously and will be investigated with appropriate action taken. We will not tolerate false claims anymore than we will tolerate inappropriate behavior.
To handle these issues, please keep copies of any alleged complaints and forward them to a moderator or administrator. Do not post about this publicly as these are private issues. All public posts regarding these issues will be deleted.
We reserve the right to delete comments which are deemed inappropriate. Be aware that exchanging banter/repartee laced with sexual innuendo will compromise your ability to lodge a complaint. In other words, if you and another party have engaged in suggestive flirting, a no fault rule will apply. It's recommended that you refrain from such practices.
We also always strongly advise you to keep your private information private. Do not share your email address, phone number or other private information with anyone you don't know or trust. Once you do you can't "take it back" so be careful who you share your information with. Our advice is: Do not share your private information!
Last, private messages are the responsibility of each member. Private messages are the sole responsibility of each member and in most instances we will not get involved with moderating them. If someone is bothering you, block them so you do not receive PM’s from them or simply delete the PM unread. If the PM is offensive or deliberately hurtful, please report it to a moderator or administrator and we'll investigate and take appropriate action.
