a. Do not register multiple usernames
If you want to change your existing username, please notify Irv directly via private message.
b. Do not register for the purpose of advertising
Posting with the intended purpose of promoting your blog, podcast, website, or other product in order to create revenue or traffic is prohibited.
This rule also covers registrations from spambots and human spammers who have no intention of contributing to the forums. These accounts will be deleted on sight and additional measures will be taken to prevent future registrations.
2. Posting Rules
These are the heart of the rules as they pertain to most forum members. The basic philosophy is that we strive to maintain peace in the forums. Forum members aren't expected to agree or get along in every aspect.
If you post something that draws the ire of another forum member, consider why that is happening and whether you could have constructed your message better. If so, own it. If not, then the other forum member is probably being unreasonable and should be dealt with appropriately. The takeaway is to look into whether you had control of the situation or problem first before going after others.
As much as we try to be consistent, every infraction will probably be dealt with slightly differently. As a community grows over time, certain phrases, behaviors, and memes become a fabric of the community, and we embrace that character and take it into account when evaluating a potential infraction of the rules. For instance, two long-time forum members who take jabs at each other as part of an inside joke won't get the same amount of attention as a newbie taking shots at everybody else.
With that said, here are the core rules:
a. Post in the proper forum
Put your post in the proper forum so discussions are better organized. If a post may be applicable to multiple forums (e.g. reporting on an active player who used to be a Knick), please use your best discretion. Blatant violations (e.g. non-sport topics in the New York Knicks forum) will result in warnings. Listed below are some common topics in which the proper forum may be ambiguous:
- Discussion of an active NBA player who is no longer a Knick: Belongs in NBA
- Discussion of a retired NBA player who was a Knick: Belongs in New York Knicks
- Discussion of an actual trade proposal in progress and in the news: Belongs in New York Knicks if players involved are current Knicks, NBA if players involved are not current Knicks
- Discussion of your trade proposal: Belongs in Armchair GM
Bad information hurts your integrity as well as the integrity of the forum. Do not attempt to present your opinion as a fact, or a rumor as a done deal. If you post an opinion or unsubstantiated rumor in which the comment may be misconstrued, mark it as such. Cite sources and include links when possible to validate your statements. Remember, if you make a claim, it is your responsibility to prove it, not to tell others to go do the research. The YouTube expert is not a valid substitute for the scientific method.
c. Do not troll
A trolling post or comment is one that is made in bad faith to incite individuals or even the entire forum community. While we try our best to allow open discussion, we will not tolerate people who intentionally attempt to disrupt the forums.
d. Do not derail thread topics
In line with the previous rule where trolling often occurs in the midst of a different thread topic, thread topics have a purpose. It is natural to deviate from the topic to a degree, but a thread risks losing its purpose if it gets hijacked for discussion unrelated to the topic. Deliberate attempts to deviate from the thread topic in order to continue a tangential argument or agenda will not be tolerated. If the deviation is genuinely worthy of its own discussion, create a new thread.
e. Do not post indiscriminately
Forum members are welcome to participate in the forum discussion. However, posting for the sake of posting is not acceptable. Meaningless replies to numerous different threads over a short period of time do not constructively contribute to those threads.
f. Do not disrespect other forum members
Do not disrespect or attack other forum members, publicly or privately, because you share different views on a subject. Doing so will result in a warning and repeated violations will result in a ban. An immediate permanent ban may be issued for the most severe violations.
g. Do not post comments or other content degrading race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, politics, or religion
Uncivilized sociopolitical commentary will not be tolerated here. Such comments will result in a warning. Theoretical and historical discussion of these topics are permitted in the Off-Topic forum for educational purposes, but willfully ignorant comments or comments that may be considered hate speech will not be tolerated.
h. Do not post comments that threaten the welfare of others
Threatening to injure, kill, or reveal other people's personal information (i.e. doxxing), whether they are forum members or not, will not be tolerated. Violations of this rule may result in your IP address and contact information being forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
i. Do not post inappropriate images or links
No visually objectionable matter such as nudity, pornography, or depictions of illegal activity will be permitted. If some material may not be appropriate to view under all circumstances, please link the images or videos and title the thread with "NSFW" (not safe for work). Images or videos of a repulsive (i.e. NSFL or not safe for life) or pornographic nature are not permitted, even as external links.
j. Do not use excessive profanity
Objectionable and profane words are not censored in the forums. However, excessive use of such language is not acceptable and will result in a warning. In the heat of a moment such as in a game thread, it's inevitable and understandable. However, a thoughtful discussion isn't going to happen if all you do is swear because you're so angry about a player, coach, action, event, etc. to the point where you aren't even coherent.
k. Do not post incoherently or illegibly
This rule covers typing in ALL CAPS, using excessively repeating characters or punctuation, or writing in a way that is extremely difficult to understand. If there's any comedic value in what you typed, you have a chance at becoming the next forum meme at your own expense, but also keep in mind that nobody likes a forced meme.
l. Do not publicly complain about warnings or temporary bans
Nobody sees your warnings except you and the moderating team. Bans may be announced to the forum if the action that led to the ban was deemed disruptive enough to normal discussion. Please direct all issues about warnings and temporary bans (upon lifting of the ban) to the moderator who issued the warning or ban via private message only. You may also ask another moderator in private for another opinion on the disciplinary action. Do not complain about these actions publicly or further action may be taken on your user account.
m. Do not disrespect or flame a moderator
If you have an issue with a moderator or a moderator's actions, do not escalate the matter by textually abusing or mocking the moderator, even in private message correspondence. Doing so may result in a warning or a ban.
3. User Profile
a. Avatar Image
Your avatar size is limited to 160x160 pixels. Avatars must be linked from a remote URL, as we do not currently allow local hosting of avatar images. If you need assistance with this, contact Irv via private message. Avatars that do not comply with Rules 2g, 2h, and 2i will be removed and the user will be notified of the removal. Repeated abuse will result in avatar posting privileges being suspended.
b. Signature
The maximum signature length is 512 characters, including BBCode markup. The font size is limited to 100% of the normal font size to disallow font size abuse. Please refrain from signatures that are longer than five lines long, including whitespace lines, to prevent excess screen height from being added to your post. Signatures that do not comply with Rules 2g, 2h, and 2i will be removed and the user will be notified of the removal. Repeated abuse will result in signature posting privileges being suspended.
4. Response to Infractions
The following actions may be taken for breaking forum rules:
- Logged warnings (viewable only to moderators and warning point totals are persistent for six months)
- Temporary bans of the following durations: 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month
- Permanent ban
A warning is a logged instance where you have broken a forum rule, but truthfully, this doesn't mean anything by itself. It takes a pretty reckless action to get a warning in the first place, but nobody really cares if you've derailed a thread topic once in 10 years. However, if you have a lengthy history of warnings, then that's indicative of not even attempting to be a positive asset to the forum community. If that's the case, I guarantee that other non-moderating forum members have already noticed your behavior and you have a reputation. It would be advisable for you to correct that behavior on your own before a moderator has to do it for you.
5. Conclusion (i.e. Tl;dr)
Don't be an ass, Francis.