**PLEASE READ:** pbplays Rules of Conduct

[pbplays]

pbplays Rules of Conduct

pbplays.com was established by a small group of dedicated volunteers who share a common interest in American Idol, and who wish to preserve the creative work and humor being published (under threat of deletion) in the Play-By-Play Players' threads on Your Recaps, and elsewhere on the American Idol forums.

pbplays offers a welcoming, safe online sanctuary to all who wish to frolic where freedom of expression is honored, and camaraderie is nurtured, among those who value kindness, warmth, generosity and lots of good, silly, sometimes twisted, fun.

To maintain our online community with that spirit in mind, we do have some rules. We ask that you respect them, respect each other, and respect our site admins and "Mod Squad."

First things first: if you are new here, please drop a post on the Step Right Up and Say "Hi" Sticky in The Clubhouse so that we can warmly welcome you to our community! Also, we ask that you use your AI ID as your user name here so that we recognize you from here to there and back again (those registering with multiple user IDs will be asked to select and stick with just one).

Rules of Conduct: Summary

Do not engage in personal attacks, racial/ethnic slurs, harassment, defamation, hostility or troublemaking of any sort. Do not post p-o-r-nographic or sexually explicit images or content of any kind. Posts that violate these content rules will be removed, and the poster will be warned, suspended, their user ID deactivated and/or their IP banned depending on the severity of the infraction.

We expect all members of the pbplays community to treat each other with mutual respect.

Do not feed the trolls. Troll posts, including flames or flamebaiting, will be deleted.

Do not make off-topic, pointless or disruptive posts.

Use good judgement when posting smilies, animated .gifs, pics or other images.

Do not spam in posts, PMs or avatars/signatures.

Obey signature and avatar rules, with respect to size and content.

Do not use chat/netspeak, profanity, ALL CAPS, excessively large or small, very bright or otherwise illegible or difficult to read font colours/styles.

Give credit where credit is due: provide complete citations when citing secondary sources.

Games posted in The Sandbox must be pre-approved by sysops (The Mod Squad) or site administrators before being posted.

Sysops and site administrators will investigate all rules violations and posters may be subject to warnings, suspension or banning. Posts found to be in violation of the rules may be deleted or, for minor infractions, the poster may be asked to edit the post to bring it into compliance with the rules.

For Rules of Conduct In Detail, click HERE.

[pbplays]

Rules Update: Mar 3/07

Please note the new, fourth paragraph added to pbplays Rules of Conduct (first post on this thread), beginning "First things first ...".

The requirement to sign in on the "Say Hi" sticky upon registering has been an informal rule since the inception of this site, and is a best practice that supports community building. Also, the single User ID requirement has been added to be consistent with AI's current rule and practice and is also a tenet that ensures honest representation within the pbplays community. Since we don't ban/gag or delete randomly and arbitrarily without thorough investigation and review here (unlike there), there should be no need for multiple user IDs.

Thanks! (psssstttt ... this is a good opportunity to re-read the rules in their entirety! Once a quarter! Whether you need it or not!)

[CrazyCanuck]

Another three months has passed, and it's time for your regular pbplays Rules Review!!

Rules Update: May 27, 2007

As we welcome new members to our community here, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about some basic privacy guidelines practiced and encouraged here that protect all members from any unwanted invasion of privacy or misuse of personal information.

Online friendships can develop quickly, and can sometimes lead to a premature sense of intimacy. Although we are a small and close community here at pbplays, there is absolutely no requirement to disclose your "offline" identity, nor any of your personal information to any member.

Per our rules above:

Privacy
pbplays.com's Privacy Policy ensures your privacy on this site. You are not obliged to give any personal information for registration purposes, and any information that you choose to disclose (e.g., in your profile, posts or via PMs) is entirely at your own discretion.

Neither site admins nor sysops participating in these forums are responsible for the privacy practices of any user. Remember that all information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to share any of your personal information.

We take your privacy as seriously as you do: please exercise caution when revealing any personal information online, including at pbplays in PMs, posts and your profile. If you have any concerns or questions with respect to requests for, or the disclosure of, personal information here on pbplays, please contact a site manager or sysop.

Thank you!

[CrazyCanuck]

Hello, Players! It's time for another installment in one of your favourite series, I know: THE PBP RULES REVIEW! Whoo-hoooo!!!

Today, I'd like to draw your attention to the pic size rule:

Graphics, Pics, Images & Smilies
Please use common sense with graphics, pics, images and smilies, animated or otherwise. A tasteful, fun or funky smilie or animated .gif is welcome, but really large pics or images, or smilies that flash at a high frequency can stop conversation in its tracks in most threads (unless the thread happens to be entirely dedicated to pics--use good judgement, please.) Any graphic that is so large as to slow down the load of a page substantially may be deleted, or the user notified and asked to reduce the graphic to a more manageable size.

We have been having some trouble with very large pics posted on threads. What happens in these cases is that the pic will stretch out the thread beyond many readers' screen resolution settings so that the thread becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to read. Users have reported that they will simply LEAVE a thread, and not read it, if this happens.

We are hereby setting and will be enforcing a maximum pic size of 600 x 800 pixels
for all pics, graphics, and smilies throughout the forum.

If we find a pic that violates this rule, a sysop will PM the member to request that it be resized and re-uploaded. If you do not know how to resize a photo/graphic, please refer to the FAQ for Resizing Your Avatar Using Paint, post a question in the Tool Shed and/or PM a sysop.

If a large-sized pic is NOT reduced by the original poster, it will be reduced or removed by a sysop. Repeat offenders will be dealt with appropriately

Please note, when uploading pix side-by-side (or one under the other), the maximum width/height of all pix combined must not exceed 600 x 800 in one post.

Thanks for your attention to this -- and we hope this will make the threads more readable and more enjoyable for everyone!

Thus ends the quarterly Rules Review. Now, back to your original programming.........

[CrazyCanuck]

Golly gee willikers, it's been some time since a PBP Rules Review!!

Today, I'd like to draw your attention to a new rule regarding signature graphics.

We encourage all of you to have fun with graphics in your avatar and signatures. Customize your "look" and create your own PBP Player 'personal brand' by installing avatars and signature graphics, and changing them up as frequently as you like. There is no waiting period or approval required here for content (obviously, no p o r n, etc.!)

We only ask that you help us keep the forum looking uncluttered by keeping your signature graphics within the following size guidelines: 320 pixels (w) x 115 pixels (h).

Thanks -- and enjoy!

[CrazyCanuck]

In the recent forum upgrade, the second part of the Rules of Conduct (the elaborated version) was corrupted. Here it is back again (thanks, Deb!)

pbplays Forum Rules of Conduct: In Detail

Personal Attacks, Harassment & Defamation
Do not engage in any form of personal attack, racial/ethnic slurs, harassment, defamation, hostility, troublemaking, p-o-r-nography, spamming, flaming/flamebaiting or otherwise reprehensible online behavior or poor "netiquette."

In short, be respectful and behave like adults, and keep in line with the fun, funny, warm and kind-hearted pbplays community spirit. We have a Zero Tolerance Policy on "Harassment/Defamation/Personal Attacks" and on "P-o-r-nography and Sexually Explicit Content."

If you experience harassment, unwanted or inappropriate conduct, spamming, flaming or other unwelcome behavior in a public thread or in a PM (private message), please let a sysop (member of the Mod Squad) or site admin know and we will investigate with all parties involved.

P-o-r-nography and Sexually Explicit Content
We have a zero tolerance policy for all forms of p-o-r-n and sexually explicit content. At the sole discretion of our site administrators and/or sysops, all posts that violate this rule will be immediately deleted. Posters of p-o-r-nographic or sexually explicit images or content will be subject to the full extent of enforcement including warning, suspension, user ID deactivation, and IP banning.

Mutual Respect
If you have a difference of opinion or disagreement with another member, we ask that you address it respectfully with that member in PMs rather than "fighting it out" on the thread. Please see our Statement on "Mutual Respect" and our Zero Tolerance Policy on "Harassment/Defamation/Personal Attacks."

Trolls, Flames & Flamebaiting
Do not feed the trolls by responding to them in any way. Starve trolls by ignoring them. Sysops (members of The Mod Squad) will delete all troll posts, including flaming and flamebaiting posts.

Off-Topic or Disruptive Posting
Do not make pointless, disruptive or off-topic posts. Posts should contribute to the flow of conversation or add something meaningful or humorous (preferably both!) to the topic under discussion. Off-topic or disruptive posts bring conversation on the thread to a halt, and are confusing to readers. A post that contains one word, like "yeah" or one smilie is likely pointless.

Graphics, Pics, Images & Smilies
Please use common sense with graphics, pics, images and smilies, animated or otherwise. A tasteful, fun or funky smilie or animated .gif is welcome, but really large pics or images, or smilies that flash at a high frequency can stop conversation in its tracks in most threads (unless the thread happens to be entirely dedicated to pics--use good judgement, please.) Any graphic that is so large as to slow down the load of a page substantially may be deleted, or the user notified and asked to reduce the graphic to a more manageable size.

Spam
Advertisements or promoting a user's personal web site or product/service are not allowed in forum posts, signatures or avatars, or in PMs. That said, spammers and spambots have occasionally dropped in, and we sometimes welcome them by playing mercilessly with their ridiculous offers. This in no way suggests that we condone spamming. Spam posts will be moved to "Spambot Life", any URLs will be removed, and they will be deleted if there is no Player activity on the thread.

Signature & Avatar Rules
The phpBB software used in our forum sets limits on size of avatars (80 x 80 pixels and 20 kb) and signatures (255 characters). Signatures and avatars must also obey content rules with respect to the prohibition of spam, pornography, profanity, obscenity or other objectionable content. Please refer to FAQ "How to Resize Your Avatar."

Graphics used in signatures should be no larger than 320 w x 115 h pixels.

Language & Style Guidelines

Netspeak/Chatspeak: While the occasional lapse into "netspeak" or "chatspeak" is acceptable, please do not use it excessively. A post that says: "LOL gud1 ur rite", while possibly understandable to an English-speaking (?) 12-year-old, doesn't exactly provoke a thoughtful response.

Play-by-Play Players are an articulate and intelligent bunch who seek to attract similarly-minded friends and an international audience. As a result, excessive use of chatspeak or netspeak in forum posts is discouraged.

Players whose posts are difficult to understand because of frequent use of chatspeak or netspeak shortforms, abbreviations, or acronyms may be requested to rewrite their posts.

Profanity: Please minimize cursing. It's tacky. We have a word filter for the really bad words--don't test it; we know it works. If you are found to be in repeated violation of this rule, a sysop will wash your mouth out with virtual soap and you'll be sent to sit on the naughty step. (PS - CC has frequently washed her own mouth out with soap. It's not pretty.)

Font Size & Style: Please refrain from using VERY LARGE or very small text sizes. Fonts must be legible to the naked eye and meet the Goldilocks seal of approval: not too small, not too large, but just right.

Please also refrain from using very bright or difficult to read font colors or styles. Generally speaking, we don't want to cause any of our readers to have a heart attack or seizure when they come upon your post.

All Caps: Please don't use ALL CAPS in your posts. It's considered yelling and besides that, difficult to read. One or two words, for EMPHASIS, is fine.

Citing Sources & Copyright
Anywhere other than AI News & Gossip, please do not post long, quoted text from secondary sources within your posts. Post excerpts, or use a descriptive hyperlink to the original source instead. This also helps you stay on the safe side in terms of copyright law, in most cases. With respect to the hyperlinks, please test them to make sure they work after you post. This saves our sysops time and aggravation. See FAQ "How-To Insert Descriptive Hyperlinks and Pix in Forum Posts."

All excerpts and/or quoted text from secondary sources must include the proper and full citation to the original source. Please see FAQ "Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Citing Secondary Sources."

Games, Quizzes, Polls
You are welcome to create new games in The Sandbox, but please work with the Games Project Manager, or a sysop/site admin before posting. We want your game to get maximum exposure and uptake, and any prizes / points or titles awarded must be pre-approved by pbplays management.

Similarly, we encourage you to create quizzes or polls--Players love to play! Quizzes and polls might be found in any forum, depending on the topic. We only ask that your quiz or poll be posted in the right place, and be interesting to a broad segment of the Player population. If you are unsure, check with a site admin or sysop.

Rules Violations
Members who violate these rules will be asked to edit their posts; may have their posts or threads moved, split or deleted; and/or may receive warnings, suspensions and or account deactivation/banishment depending on the nature and frequency of the rules violation.

Privacy
pbplays.com's Privacy Policy ensures your privacy on this site. You are not obliged to give any personal information for registration purposes, and any information that you choose to disclose (e.g., in your profile, posts or via PMs) is entirely at your own discretion.

Neither site admins nor sysops participating in these forums are responsible for the privacy practices of any user. Remember that all information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to share any of your personal information.

Age Restrictions
Use of these forums is restricted to those 13 years of age or older. Those circumventing the age screen contained in the phpBB software who are found to be underage will have their account de-activated. Yes, sometimes life is no fair. Yes, this is for your own good. Yes, you will thank me for it someday.

A note about posts that are moved or requests for editing/moving:
All content posted in our forum becomes the property of pbplays.com. Pbplays management, including site administrators and sysops, reserve the right to edit, move, adjust, delete or otherwise manipulate content to make it more readable and/or to ensure posts are in compliance with content guidelines, both explicit and implicit.

By posting messages, uploading files, inputting data, or engaging in any other form of communication through this service, you are granting pbplays.com a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive, unrestricted, worldwide license to use, copy, sublicense, adapt, transmit, publicly perform or display any such communication, and/or sublicense to third parties the unrestricted right to exercise any of the foregoing rights granted with respect to the communication.

For all content posted, you represent that you have all rights necessary for you to make the grants in this section.

Our site admins and sysops are devoted to promoting camaraderie and good organization throughout our forums. They are trained to identify off-topic, disruptive or repetitive posting, and split or merge threads to keep conversation flowing freely. On occasion, a sysop might move a post or thread, or might contact you to adjust, move or on rare occasions even delete one of your posts. Please don't take it personally! Sometimes, with a slight tweak, a post can be brought back on topic or within content guidelines and this makes your post more readable and the forums a more enjoyable place for everyone.

Please accept their constructive suggestions in the spirit that they are intended: to foster fun, to create community and to preserve pbplays as a premier place to play!

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks for your cooperation. If you have any questions or comments, please PM a site administrator or sysop, i.e., member of The Mod Squad.

[CrazyCanuck]

Golly gee willikers, it's been some time since a PBP Rules Review!!

Today, I'd like to draw your attention to a new rule regarding signature graphics.

We encourage all of you to have fun with graphics in your avatar and signatures. Customize your "look" and create your own PBP Player 'personal brand' by installing avatars and signature graphics, and changing them up as frequently as you like. There is no waiting period or approval required here for content (obviously, no p o r n, etc.!)

We only ask that you help us keep the forum looking uncluttered by keeping your signature graphics within the following size guidelines: 320 pixels (w) x 115 pixels (h).

Thanks -- and enjoy!

We have lots of new members, so I'm bumping this post to reference the *NEW* signature graphic size limitation (320 x 115) and also to bump this thread for, yes, your QUARTERLY RULES REVIEW!!

(dang, even I couldn't find the darn thing to bump it -- can't imagine how new members will ever find it!!)

[CrazyCanuck]

*** RULES UPDATE: May 30, 2009 ***

We are having a lot of new folks join us over the past couple of weeks. Many of them are users we do not recognize from American Idol, and several have posted p*ornographic websites and/or joined with questionable user names.

We therefore will take this opportunity to remind people of a couple of rules in place, and introduce a new rule:

1. This board is PG-13. Any user, post, user ID, website link or any other content or identifier that violates that rule will be deleted, banned or de-activated as appropriate. Do not mess with us on this. The admins/moderators of this site will take action immediately and at our sole discretion if/when we come across these situations.

2. User IDs. Our rules request that new members register here using their americanidol.com user ID. Users whose IDs do not match their americanidol user ID will be asked to change their user ID here at pbplays.

A corollary: If you change your AmericanIdol.com ID, and wish to align your user ID with your new identity at ai.com, please PM debdee_MI and let her know which ID you will be actively using. We will consider and grant these requests on a case-by-case basis.

Another corollary: Multiple IDs are not allowed at pbplays.com (nor are they allowed at AI.com). If any pbplays.com member is found to be posting under two IDs here, the second and any subsequent ID will be de-activated and the member will be warned and subject to further action as required. Multiple IDs are, by definition, created to deliberately impersonate and stalk/harass people, and/or to circumvent a rule or a rules violation. Although you can get away with it over there by flying under the radar, we have a much smaller community here and are therefore better able to actively monitor for multiple ID use. Since we don't suspend or ban over here without explanation and due process (unlike over there), there is absolutely no reason for you to need multiple user IDs here.

3. Signing in on the Step Right Up and Say Hi sticky in The Clubhouse. We seek to build a community of friends here (see above), in the same spirit as our community at americanidol.com, but with greater latitude in what we post and features/functions available to us here. Thus, new members who wish to interact with us are asked to sign in so that we can welcome you and get to know you. Members who simply join us to lurk or who post very infrequently are of course welcome to do so. However, if you become a more regular poster in other sections, and if you haven't signed in on the "Say Hi" sticky, we may ask you to do so before opening up new sections of the board to you. As your post count rises here, new sections of the board will become visible and new features will be made available to you. So, sign in on Say Hi, post more and you will be able to see/do more. It's a win-win.

NEW RULE
4. No member, via their User ID, avatar, signature or posts, may impersonate an administrator or moderator. Those who violate this rule will be immediately de-activated at our sole discretion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
These rules are in place and will be enforced to ensure continuity, community building, and positive, transparent interaction among our members here. They are intended to build trust, and ensure the safety and comfort of our posters. If you have any question, comment, concern ... please PM debdee_MI or a moderator.

We thank you for your cooperation and compliance.