You can disagree with someone's opinions, but calling that person an idiot or a profane name is a violation of Guild forum etiquette. Keeping it civil is never the wrong thing to do.

Posting the same thing over and over again (scrolling) is annoying in the extreme, is entirely unnecessary and makes the poster look immature and childish.

Trolls are always in flagrant violation of forum etiquette and enjoy disturbing the peace at any forum where they post. Trolls tend to scroll, call names, gossip about other posters, or other forums, post things that are deliberately provocative and usually that violate the forum's rules about posting. Trolling will result in banning - temporarily or permanently - so think before you begin trolling on the Guild forums.

Another violation of forum etiquette is posting in ALL CAPS. This is considered shouting and is very rude in addition to being hard on the eyes. Something may be in caps for emphasis (e.g. I did NOT want to go!), but no post should be entirely in all caps. If you are having trouble using your computer, take a class. The caps lock key is easy to find and easy to turn off...

Flaming, or deliberate insults or personal rants, is also against Guild forum etiquette. Flaming is often employed by people who are losing arguments. Their response is to personally insult the poster disagreeing with them, usually in a long, nasty post. These posts will be deleted. The poster may or may not be warned before temporary or permanent banning.

Flaming through innuendo is also a no-no. Subtlety does not come across well for most people on a forum, and your attempt to insult someone with a back-handed compliment will be read as an insult and you will be dealt with as if you had come right out and used more colorful language in the first place.

Don't swear in your posts to make a point, and don't use Forum Filter Avoidance Swearing by blocking out one letter with punctuation. All of us know what you mean when you spell F%CK and you risk losing your posting privileges with that expletive as well.

If you have become frustrated in a discussion and feel you are not making your point, move on. You will not make others agree with you by shouting or using profanities - however you will risk losing forum access.

This kind of behavior is why so many forums have a list of posting rules and consequences for breaking them. Some may say this behavior is more prominent among immature teens, but as we have seen already at the Guild, that is in no way the case. Many of the worst offenders are adults who should know better. The veil of anonymity seems to bring out the worst in these people, and any bullying tendencies they have tend to become magnified in the semi-protection of an anonymous forum.

If you would not say it to someone's face, don't post it on the forum. If you THINK you would actually say it to someone's face and it's not a nice thing to say, think twice before posting. The Internet Committee may be forced to become your Mother for the day and send you to time-out. We don't want to play that role in your life so don't force us into doing so.

Most of what is Guild forum etiquette involves simply using the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. Behaving as a reasonable adult, even in the face of being flamed, is always the best course of action. If a poster becomes harassing, obscene or personal, do not retaliate. Instead simply use the Report Post link (it looks like a yield sign in the top right of every post) and report it to the moderators. If you don't get satisfaction with the moderators, please feel free to contact the Board of Directors and make your case directly.

If you chose to violate the etiquette of the Guild forum, you may or may not be warned before your posts are edited or deleted, and your posting privileges either temporarily or permanently removed.

If you have made a post in the middle of a flame-war, or your post happened to incite an attack, it may be removed along with other posts in order to change the tone of the thread. DO NOT post it again in the same way as intentionally inciting others to anger will not be tolerated.

Here's a simple list that might help you understand what's not OK

• No foul language or profanity
• No nude pictures or links to nude pictures
• No personal attacks - direct or implied
• No potential libelous third party discussions
• Signatures must be brief and not contain advertising
• Do NOT post in ALL CAPS
• Do NOT post the same thing over and over to make a point
• Limit the size of the files you attach by shrinking images to manageable sizes
• Do NOT post if you know you will draw someone else into a fight (no baiting)

If you have an issue with the way any post has been moderated, or any action taken by the form moderators, please appeal this directly to the Guild Board of Directors. Don't simply post about it in the forums, this will only get your further posts moderated and result in more issues for you. Address your problem to the Board via the email contacts lists on the website.

Please think before you post so you make all of our lives easier.

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