1. No spamming. Spamming is defined as making posts in a topic that are mostly or completely irrelevant to the topic itself, making really short and pointless posts (possibly to increase one's post count, or just to say something for the sake of saying something), and repeating something that's already been said many times before without adding anything new (usually applies to short posts).

1. Spamming is not a serious offense, and new members who accidentally spam are usually just told to check the rules (since they usually haven't read them). The Halls of Chatter forum tolerates spam-like posts, so you can go there and let loose if you need to, although the forum has plenty of other uses as well.
2. WRITING TOPIC TITLES OR SENTENCES USING CAPSLOCK, using multiple exclamation points and other symbols!!!!???$@%!?!, az wel as typng leik ths usually go hand-in-hand with spam, so you probably won't have any problems with the spam rule if you aren't a frequent offender of the above.
3. Greatly overusing emoticons (especially stacking or repeating them one after another) can also considered a form of spam, especially if the emoticons ( D.gif laughing.gif mellow.gif ) outnumber the words in a post. rolleyes.gif
4. Sometimes, topics tend to go off on a tangent. You can add off-topic comments as long as most of your post is still related to the actual topic. Avoid making posts directed at a single person if they don't contribute to a topic (use the Private Messaging system instead). Things such as debating a point in the Podium or disagreeing on a certain character build still contributes to the topic even if you're talking to one person, but posts that contain only messages that are targeted at a single person and would have no meaning or use to anyone else should be sent via pm's. It's OK to include such messages if you feel the need, as long as that's not the main focus of your reply.
5. Don't double post (make two posts in a row). You can always edit your own replies (unless the topic is closed, in which case you wouldn't have to worry about double-posting in the first place), so if you've thought of something else to say in a post, edit it in instead of adding another reply.
6. Backseat moderation is also not allowed. Basically, backseat moderation is defined as replying for the sole purpose of telling others that they've broken some rule, are off-topic, or have posted a topic in the wrong forum. It's much better to simply PM the alleged offender and tell them what they did wrong and what they can do to fix it while making sure that the message is friendly and that any criticism contained therein is constructive and not destructive, or report the post/thread to an appropriate moderator or staff member by using the PM system (for example, closing outdated topics and reporting intentional forum rule violators)
7. If you have any questions about what is and isn't spam, you can contact (PM or otherwise) any staff member, or for that matter any member that's been around for a few weeks, and they'll probably have an answer for you.

2. No flaming or trolling. Flaming can be defined as getting into a childish arguments and verbally attacking other members. Trolling can be defined as being unnecessarily cynical, unfriendly (bordering hostile), hypercritical, or simply difficult to get along with. In a big enough group of people there may well be some people with opinions or beliefs different from your own, and it's your responsibility as a member of BBF to treat everyone with respect.

1. There are no word filters because sometimes it's helpful to use more 'colorful' language (especially if quoting something off-site) and because this site is intended for people who are mature enough to not really mind seeing such words from time to time. However, you should probably avoid using such words in most cases, especially when expressing your opinion against a person or group of people.
2. Hate posts or posts specifically designed to provoke a negative response from someone (baiting) is also not allowed, and will be considered a violation of rule #2.

3. Please do your best to use correct spelling and grammar in the majority of your posts. Since you're reading this (meaning you're a part of BBF), chances are this isn't an issue since most of the applications I accept are pretty well-typed. The reason this rule exists is because it's much easier to read posts if we're all speaking the same language and spelling words the same way. althow typng liek ths u can stil reed it and it mite b faster, it's still harder to read and gives a bad impression.

1. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, and some people (like me) misspell the same words all the time without even noticing. Nobody here expects perfection, just do what you can.
2. For some members, English is a second language. As long as you're making an effort to improve and your posts aren't unreadable, it's not a big deal. MS Word can really help as well.

4. Don't bring topics/threads up from the dead. A topic or thread is usually considered dead if the last reply in it was over 30 days ago, and you should not bring them back up (by replying to them) because they're often at least somewhat date-oriented ("What are you going for Spring Break?", etc.) and any replies to such an old topic would be irrelevant. On some forums ('General Chat', 'The Locker Room', etc.), only topics that have had replies within the past 30 days appear in the topic list. However, this is not necessarily the case for every forum (especially forums that don't get too much 'action', so to speak), and so you should check the date of the last reply before posting.

1. Pinned topics can be posted in (if they're open) regardless of the last post date because they would have been unpinned if they were no longer relevant.
2. Some topics ("What kind of car do you drive", etc.) can be considered timeless because a response to them would not have less value as time went on, so if you happen to find one of those and want to reply to it even though it's old, go ahead and so so. If you're unsure about a topic's timelessness, feel free to contact someone and ask.
3. Although the rule is '30 days and it's dead', some topics or comments might be considered dead before then, so if you're new to the forums or don't visit very often, pay particular attention to the post dates and use your best judgment when deciding whether or not your reply will have less value because of the length of time between your response and whatever you were responding to.

5. Make sure to read and follow individual forum rules (where applicable). Some forums are more strict about spam or staying on-topic than others, have specific rules or guidelines for certain issues, or have other specifications that are unique to that forum. If a forum has any specific rules, you'll find them in a pinned topic on the main forum list.

1. Unless otherwise stated, all of the main rules (this stuff you've been reading) apply in forums with their own specific rules.
2. Breaking forum-specific rules is no different from breaking these rules, and resulting actions may range from nothing at all to action against your membership. Keep in mind that we're all fair people here, and nobody's going to accidentally get themselves into any real trouble, especially if they've read this.
3. As with every rule, and I'm going to stop mentioning it from now on because I sound like a broken record, you can ask a staff member or someone who's opinion you would trust if you're unsure about any general rules or forum-specific ones.

6. No posting, PMing, or otherwise distributing offensive content. No pornography, disturbing (for various reasons) images, racism, anti-[group of people] posts or links, etc. Really, this is common-sense stuff, but the fact is these things need to be put into words so that I don't ever have to type out "you can't because I said so and that's the way it is" a second time. tongue.gif

7. No discussing or linking to warez or anything else illegal... in the public forums (anything visible to guests)! Although we don't encourage the use of cracked software in most cases and won't ever host anything cracked on our servers, some people may helpfully provide others with rapidshare(etc.) links of software that most people would not be willing to actually purchase (things like Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc.).

8. No advertising, unless it is approved by an administrator. This pretty much means no advertising at all, but you're welcome to try to work something out with me if you'd like.

1. No "referral links", no "hey, come check out my website"'s (unless there's a specific reason you're posting it), no "hey, come check out my friend's websites"'s, etc. Posting links to your Myspace/facebook/whatever blogs you may have is fine, even in your signature, as long as you don't overstress it.
2. PM advertising is still advertising, and is not allowed either. Make sure to report any advertising to a staff member.

Well, that's it for the rules. If you have any questions, comments, or anything of the sort, feel free to contact me.