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Forums > Guidelines

First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this page. I'll try and make it quick and simple. After all, I'm sure you're anxious to post.

About These Forums...

The HonestGamers forums have existed for nearly three years now. At first, they were EZ Boards, but advertising got tiresome and the current boards you see are created using PHP and MySQL. They were initially intended for medium traffic, but were re-designed from the ground up in late February of 2005 to allow for two things as the site grew larger: the free exchange of ideas and intelligent discussion.

Ultimately, such features aren't what matter so much as the people who come here and the way in which we conduct ourselves. To that end, I've set up a simple list of guidelines. All users are encouraged to follow them as closely as possible and to refer others to them when it seems an individual hasn't bothered to read them before posting. While freedom of speech is encouraged, you also should keep the following in mind.

Some Basic Guidelines...

1. No racial assaults. There's a difference between making a joke about someone being Polish and really turning it into an offensive, racist war. The former is grudgingly tolerated; the latter is prohibited. If you take joy in making someone feel bad because he or she comes from a certain ethnicity, find different forums.

2. No posts encouraging illegal activity. There are, of course, shades of gray. However, if in doubt, don't post. Warez might be exciting, but this is not the place to advertise them. Such posts may be deleted and if you continue saturating the site with such material, your account is likely to be deleted.

3. No child pornography. No beastiality. That's just disgusting, and it's also illegal. In fact, pornography in general is not permitted. Again, you might be able to stretch things. But any rubberband breaks, and no staff member will feel sorry for you if you end up with your face stinging. You have been warned.

4. No extreme use of profanity. The boards don't censor your thoughts. They don't even censor your profanity. But that's because staff figure you're mature enough to keep yourself in line. There are younger viewers here, too. Not everyone is 16. So the next time you're tempted to fill a post with foul language, give it a second thought. I'm sure you'll agree that profanity should be used sparingly, if at all.

5. No spamming. The occasional post isn't a big deal. Constantly promoting your site without providing any other reason for a post is prohibited. I know it's tempting. You've built a site and you're trying to get others to see it. Guess what? I was there once, too. And really, spamming isn't the way to accomplish it. Likewise if you're trying to sell products online. Such posts will be deleted as staff comes across them and your account may go out with the trash, as well.

6. No threats or extreme cruelty. This includes threatening to hack someone's computer because you disagree with a post they've made, making yourself an antagonist to individuals (for any reason, whether it be sexual preference, religion, etc.), or in general being an ass. Constantly suggesting that people are a waste of oxygen, that they should kill themselves, or anything similar is likely to get your account suspended or deleted.

In Conclusion...

Everyone wants cool forums. It's a rare thing to find them, though. Let's keep this one cool. As it grows, there will be more and more reason to refer back to these guidelines. The larger the community grows, the less childish behavior will be tolerated. And in case you wonder...staff would prefer to lose ANY user if it's required to keep the forums a pleasant place where we can freely discuss our differences. Keep that and the above guidelines in mind and we'll get along well, I promise.

Jason Venter
Webmaster/Editor-in-Chief
HonestGamers

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