Sticky The Rules • v2.2

Here are the rules you need to stick to when on the 3DS Buzz Forums. Read them, follow them and enjoy being part of the community!


Rules

This is it - these are the rules you need to follow while using 3DS Buzz. The number of warning points received for a breakage is written by each rule, but these are only a guide, and mods will obviously be using discretion while giving out infractions.

1. No Swearing or Inappropriate Material (3 warning points) - 3DS Buzz is a family-friendly forum, which means that any form of swearing, or posting inappropriate material (you know what I mean...) is forbidden. Any swear words should be fully censored to the point that they cannot be recognised. Whilst we have a swear filter in place, the aim of this is to make the censoring job easier for staff - it DOES NOT give you the right to swear in the knowledge it will be censored - warning points will still be given out for swearing censored by the automatic filter. On a related point, phrases that could be taken as offensive by religion (such as "oh my God") are not explicitly forbidden, but please keep in mind that these may be offensive to fellow members, and may in extreme cases be dealt with under the "Respect Fellow Forum Members" rule. It's also worth keeping in mind that incorrect use of words such as "retard" and "gay" will not be tolerated. The number of infraction points given under this rule may vary depending on the severity of the material posted.
2. Piracy is Wrong (Variable) - Piracy (being in possession of media without having either paid for it or having sought the copyright owner's permission) is not only illegal in most parts of the world, but also shows a selfish disrespect for the people that have worked hard to produce that media content. Acknowledging its existence is acceptable, but any talk of it in a positive light (ranging from encouraging other people to partake in it to spreading the content itself) will not be tolerated. Infraction levels will vary - a simple post encouraging a user to get a game without paying for it may result in a 2-3 point infraction, whereas advertising a website selling pirated media will earn you 30 points, or potentially a permanent ban. Any use of 3DS Buzz to spread pirated media yourself will result in a permanent ban, and we will co-operate fully with any relevant authorities in order to put a stop to piracy.
3. Respect Fellow Forum Members (5 warning points) - 3DS Buzz does not tolerate bullying (doing something intending to cause another person pain - mental or physical) or thoughtlessness of ANY kind and prides itself on the family atmosphere of the site. I believe this atmosphere is unparalleled anywhere else on the gaming internet, and we will fight to keep it. If you make a jokey post that could otherwise be taken as offensive, remember to put the letters "jk" (=just kidding) afterwards. More serious personal attacks may be dealt with by larger numbers of infraction points. This rule also covers the need for members to be unprejudiced, i.e. not being offensive to certain groups of people on the basis of religion, sexuality, gender, disability. Such attacks may result in automatic bans.
4. Stay on Topic (1 warning point) - There's little more annoying than clicking on an interesting topic to find out that the discussion taking place is on a completely different subject. For this reason, a series of posts not relating in some way to the original post or other comments in the thread are not allowed - but feel free to start a new thread. Such posts will be deleted. For similar reasons, please post your threads in the correct sections. There are descriptions next to all the individual sections on the forum home page.
5. No Spam/Trolling (2 warning points) - Everyone (although some particular members more than others) hates spam and trolling. Spam is defined on 3DS Buzz as any material that has no purpose or is, and never could be, of no interest to other members. The difference between this and going off topic is that off-topic posts could have a purpose, but are just in the wrong thread. For example, posting "I like toilets" would be classed as spam. The exception comes in the off-topic area, where limited amounts of spam are permitted. Please note that this does not, however, give you a free licence to be as ridiculous as you wish, as the off-topic area is still moderated. NOTE: Spamming ChiWolf is acceptable.
6. No Like for Like (1 warning point) - The like system is there for you to show appreciation for a post. Whilst we don't want you to hold back on 'liking' posts, it should be done because you actually like the post (the clue is in the name) rather than because you want to boost like numbers.
7. DON'T Respond to Spam (2 warning points) - Spam becomes even worse when people respond to it by posting - the correct response is actually to report it (see section on reporting below). However, VERY occasional use of the pigeons picture may be permitted, simply because I find it amusing.
8. Write in Understandable English (1 warning point) - We don't expect you to have achieved a first-class degree in English Language from Cambridge to be on the 3DS Forums, but please try and write in an understandable way. This includes using capital letters (but not all the time!), spaces and full-stops/periods. The reasoning behind this is that it can be quite difficult for people to read posts if they are not written in a reasonable way. Commonly used text language is allowed in infrequent use though.
9. Don't Create Duplicate Threads (2 warning points) - When making a new thread, ensure that there is no thread already in existence that has the exact same purpose as your potential new thread. You may "bump" an old thread according to the rule below.
10. Be Wary When Bumping Threads (2 warning points) - Bumping threads (posting in a thread that isn't on the first page of the list of threads in a section) should only ever happen if a) You were about to create a thread on exactly the same topic, or b) You have something meaningful to add to the topic (not just something like "uhuh, I agree with Vader"). Otherwise, let dead threads lie.
11. Always give Credit to a Source (1 warning point) - This rule simply forbids both copy+pasting and paraphrasing material from another source without proving a link, or stating clearly where it has come from. Not only is it a legal requirement in most territories, but giving credit to sources from which you have retrieved information is simply good online practice. As a writer, I have a duty to give credit to where I get my information for articles from, as do you when writing on the forums.
12. Look After Your Account (2 warning points) - You are responsible for any activity that happens on your 3DS Buzz account. This means that if a younger sister gets on your account and posts spam on someone else's profile, you can be held responsible for that spam, and may receive an infraction. Having said that though, we will be more lenient if we have reason to believe that rule-breaking activity was not personally down to you, and in such cases an infraction will be limited to 1 point. This rule includes the restriction of one account per person - you are only permitted to have one 3DS Buzz account.
13. No Advertising (2 warning points) - To link to another site (except when giving a source), you need prior permission from a 3DS Buzz Admin or Community Manager. This rule covers your status and all forums except the off topic section, where you are free to publicise any non-profit site that will not be destructive to the 3DS Buzz community (i.e. no sites that will take away from out membership... like chatboxes!). Similarly, non-profit advertising is permitted in your sig, within reason. Advertising a site promoting media piracy is strongly forbidden, and will often result in a permanent ban.
14. No Friend Code Threads (1 warning point) - Posting threads that contain no purpose other than to share your friend code clutters up the forum, so any such threads will be deleted on sight. Alternatives are to post in the Friend Code Directory or send a PM asking if a member wants to exchange friend codes.
15. No Moderator Discussion (1 warning point) - Due to the tension, arrogance and upset it can create, discussion of who could become a mod, who you'd like to see as a mod or whether current mods should be demoted is unacceptable. There is no line of tolerance, any comments that could be interpreted as discussing the positions of moderators will be deleted and infracted.
16. Free Speech (1 warning point) - Whilst you are totally free to discuss, debate and talk about religion and other 'deep' issues, it's important to remember that looking down on others who hold different beliefs to you, or attempting to force someone else to hold the same beliefs as you, will not be permitted. The line here is that a Christian saying "I believe you need to accept Jesus into your life to get into heaven, I'd love it if you'd investigate the facts and/or chat about it with me" is acceptable since it isn't aggressive/disrespectful to the person they're talking to. However, language used should be moderate, and not recognisable as an attack on those with different beliefs (Atheists, Christians and all other beliefs). This rule is drawn up in accordance with UK law. [1]

Appendix: The List of Naughty Words (beware):

Next One...The Forums don't like me

F*ck
Sh*t
C*nt
B*tch
B**tard
D*ck
F*g
N*gger
P*ss
W*nk
C*ck
Tw*t
Sl*t
D**che
D*mn (Uncensored for now)

Enforcement

With the move to XenForo comes a very slight change to the infractions system. Infractions will now be referred to as Warning Points. Other than that though, there's no difference - they still last for three months, and large numbers of infraction points at one time will result in further disciplinary action, as follows:

20 points - three day ban
40 points - week long ban
50 points - permanent ban

The above thresholds are only a guide, and we will obviously use discretion when handing out bans. We would really welcome any feedback on the system in this thread - the infractions system is there so that you are able to enjoy the forums fully, and for that reason it's ultimately up to you how it's run.


Reporting

If you see a post breaking any rules, please report it using the built in reporting function, which can be accessed at the bottom left of any post. To report that post, click on the word 'report' at the bottom of a post. The report will then pop up in our reports system.

Any member, no matter how new, is entitled to report a post, and there is no penalty for incorrect reports, so please don't be put off from using the button if you aren't sure - reporting is anonymous to members, i.e. only mods can see who reported. However, if someone is obviously abusing the system, action will be taken, as large numbers of reports take up the moderators' time.

If an issue goes deeper than one post, feel free to contact a mod/admin who will be happy to help. However, please don't contact us just to report people who have made one dodgy post - it's much more efficient for us if you just use the report button.


Staff

Administration:
Adam
0003mg
Sam

Moderation:
SuperMaddud
Kiba
MLdragomaster
Yottabyte
Klobb

Spammer Cops: (responsible solely for deleting spam)
Metroid
Triforceguy1
IceSpear (Dewott)
Aivant
Blargle

The staff exist solely to ensure that your experience on 3DS Buzz is as satisfactory as possible. This means that as well as being there to help you with any issues you may have on the forums, we may also have to be the ones to put disciplinary measures into action. We only ever do this after very careful consideration, so please respect our decisions.

If you do, however, disagree with a decision taken by a mod, the first thing to do is to contact the mod in question in a polite way (by PM), who will explain their action to you. If you still are not satisfied, please contact 0003mg or Sam who will make a final decision.

Moaning about individual moderation decisions will not be tolerated, and will result in a penalty of 5 infraction points for the moaner. This is not in order to remove your right to free speech, but to protect individual mods from personal attacks and to keep the forum clear of spam. General discussion (i.e. not referring to people in particular) about the forum and how it is run is welcome in the "Website Feedback + Community" section.

Thanks for Reading

References

[1] - http://www.cmf.org.uk/publications/content.asp?context=article&id=1304

Update Log:

17/10/11 - Clarified that mods/admins aren't immune to infractions.
18/10/11 - Clarified double account + no advertising rules.
24/10/11 - Clarified backseat modding rules.
26/10/11 - Added rule about US vs Europe.
20/11/11 - Added rules on Piracy.
04/01/12 - Added the No Friend Code Threads rule.
19/01/12 - Did some little edits and updates.
10/03/12 - Updated to take into account the migration. {V2.1}
13/04/12 - Minor Change to swearing rules.
15/04/12 - Update to advertising rules.
17/04/12 - New Rule: Likes.
04/07/12 - Added more swears.
24/07/12 - Added Rule 15.
26/08/12 - Added Free Speech Rule.
25/09/12 - After Research, Updated Free Speech Rule.
25/12/12 - Added Spammer Cops in.
28/12/12 - Revised Advertising Rule to include Status Updates.

For anyone wondering, infractions WILL NOT be given retrospectively. Only rule-breakingposts dated 18/10/11 or later will attract infractions.

I would just start it today so people arent breaking the rules today, for its still the 17th here.
Seems completely fair though, where will the numbers be posted? I mean on our profile but where exactly?

That I don't actually know! Mods will have access to the numbers, but I'll try and find a way of putting it in the little box of info that appears next to posts.

I was just curious because how would we know that we are close? We get warnings right? I mean you guys will tell us what we did wrong or would you just keep tallying them up until a ban is placed? I am not saying this so I can break the rules without getting banned but I was just wondering if they will be public.

Edit: Gamefudge2000- I was saying this so people dont break the rules as much as they can today without the effect of the new rules.

There will be a way to find out what you've got, of that I'm sure.

Gamefudge, that isn't funny. Kiba's post wasn't anywhere near getting infraction points, so please don't joke about it.

Sorry that was a dumb question.

On their 'banned' profile, it will state that this user has been banned. So if you care that much you might visit there profile and find out (s)he has been banned. It wont (I think) tell you if it is permo or not... I'll ask Sam on that one...

Yeah I had a brain fart, but thats what I meant. Will we get to know if its permanent or not.

Many 'normal' members will not get that far. But as before, I do not know if it will.

@shirnui I'd change the title and stuff to 'explicit material'. I'll just do that now.

This sounds like a nice system. I think it will work a lot better than rep did.