TFL RULES! Read or I'll turn you into a Powerdasher!

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Time Traveller
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TFL RULES! Read or I'll turn you into a Powerdasher!

Post by Time Traveller »

The Commandments of the TFL Forums

These community guidelines are set forth from us, the admins, to promote the core values of TFL, as well as ensuring respect for all members and non-members of TFL, so that you have a fair, friendly place to hang out. No one LIKES rules, but every society needs some. We only have a few compared to other communities, so stick with us. If you show RESPECT, you won't even have to think about most of these.
I have highlighted a "reminder" of each rule. Please read the "rest of the story" for each rule. You may learn something you didn't know.

1. No "flaming." This is the most important rule of the forum.

The rest of the story:
This includes harassing members of this forum, guests, and people not affiliated with us. Slandering (making lies about someone/something) is flaming. It's okay to complain, but not okay to lie to make someone or something look bad. Further, do not wish harm upon any person or organization on this forum. Remember, it doesn't matter if the person will SEE what you write or not. SHOW RESPECT and this will be easy to follow.

Example: "That product SUX, and you are stoopid for liking it. I think every product by that company sux, and they will never stop screwing up everything forever!"


2. This is a forum for ALL AGES. Please keep it PG-13. This means language AND content.

The rest of the story:
We all are here because we collect, trade, or play with toys. Who else plays with toys? Anybody. One of the things that makes TFL great is that we can welcome anybody to our hallowed halls, to talk about these cool toys. We pride ourselves on not offending the sensibilities of members. This means we have our fun while keeping foul language and sexual discussion to a minimum. There is a word censor on this forum designed to protect against the most offensive curses and derogatory terms, but it is not perfect. Further, it is up to us to make sure our discussions are about things that are acceptable in public, and keep discussions of private activities private. Direct sexual references are a violation, and keep innuendos sparse and minimal if possible. Too often a snicker can turn into an offensive flame-fest.

Example:"------ ----! ------- ---- ---!!!!!" (That's what it'll look like after the word censor catches it!)



3. Keep posts on-topic.


The rest of the story:
If you've got a thought, look for a related thread to put it in. If your idea is diverging from the thread's original purpose, start a new thread or leave the unrelated discussion out of the forum entirely. There's a place for everything here, excepting the topics discussed in Rule 2.

Example: [This is a thread about the movie Fargo] "I've heard you can get an industrial grade trailer woodchipper real cheap from niftychippers.com!" OR "Hah! Right now, the snow outside MY house is over 9000 feet deep!!!"


4. Use each Section as it is meant to be used, make sure you're posting your topic in the right place.

The rest of the story:
The Billboard
General Discussions
Non-Transformers Toy Talk
TFL Feedback

Toy Talk
Teletraan-2
Contributions

Non-Toy Talk
Iacon Database
Products of the Fandom
Kolkular Energon Bar



5. No spamming. Spamming includes some things you might not expect.


The rest of the story:
Sometimes one post is too much. Spamming does not only include repeatedly posting the same thing, but posting unrelated garbage to intentionally derail a legitimate discussion. TFL is not a sitcom, and inserting your funny catchphrase into every discussion could turn from a chuckle into an annoying competition spanning the whole forum. Spamming can also be posting fluff, that does not actually CONTRIBUTE anything to the discussion. Saying you like or don't like something is often pointless, unless you explain why.

This ALSO includes creating more accounts than you need. How many do you need? One. There is no reason to create more accounts than one, not at all. If you have an issue with posting under your normal account, please contact an admin or moderator, and we will do all we can to help you resolve the problem.

Example: [This is a thread about anything that is not Angelina Jolie.] "I LIKE ANGELINA JOLIE! DOES ANYONE ELSE LIKE ANGELINA JOLIE? SHE'S GOT ENORMOUS LIPS!"
OR
[This is a thread about the culinary arts] "Hot dogs are a delicious delicacy!"



6. No lurking.


The rest of the story:
TFL forums allow anyone on the whole wide internet to read what's posted here. You'll need an account to contribute to our discussions, but if you don't intend to contribute, you don't need to bother creating an account- simple as that. There are plenty of "Hey everyone!" threads in the Billboard, or feel free to start your own and introduce yourself. Keeping Lurker accounts out of our memberlist helps us twofold- "Spambots" become easier to weed out, as they generally create numerous accounts and never post (we wouldn't want them to anyway!), and secondly, having less accounts frees up more usernames for people who want to post, and makes other members in the list easier to contact. Don't you wish the phone book only had the numbers you were looking for? Accounts with zero posts will be deleted after two weeks of inactivity. It only takes a few seconds to make your first post.

Example:






7. No Ebay links, Hotlinking, and post with due credit! (see details)

The rest of the story:
To break this up: no Ebay links are allowed. This rule prevents hard feelings in several ways. First, if you post an auction you're bidding on, it might alert someone ELSE who wants it. No sense publicizing the deal you found.

Second, we have member for-sale lists (here and here) and want lists (here and here) in the Billboard section. This makes an even playing field for other members interested in your stuff.

TFL is NOT free advertising for your Ebay listings! If you want other members to analyze whether an item you're thinking of bidding on is real or KO, or curious whether it's complete, or what it's worth, we have an alternative.
Download the images from the auction, and put them on your filehost. Simply link to the images in your account, and ask your questions!
If there is a ridiculous, rare, or expensive auction you want to show us, hit "print screen' on your keyboard, paste the picture into a jpeg file. BLOT OUT identities of buyers/sellers, and auction numbers. Then host the image, and show us the G1 Bumblebee someone paid $4 million for!

Hotlinking is a practice of including a picture you don't own, from a site you don't run, in your post. When that picture is viewed on the board, it takes that other site's bandwidth. Not to mention, the owner of that site could CHANGE the picture your link leads to, and get you in hot water for the new content of your post!

Lastly, due credit. This is a simple issue of respect to the originators of news, artwork, or pictures. When you quote or post someone else's work, just mention whose work it is in your post.

Example: "Hey! Check out my ebay auctions at [link]! Bid on my stuff! Also, I'll be getting in these new figs just reported: [hotlinked pictures from another site of news items, no credit given to the news originators]"



8. Report all problems immediately.


The rest of the story:
If someone keeps PMing you garbage, has made a comment that seriously offends you, or makes derogatory remarks about your ancestry, (or if you happen to catch one of those FILTHY STINKY SPAMMERS before another admin or I has eagerly shot it, ran it over, and cooked it up,) TELL AN ADMIN IMMEDIATELY. The staff and I are here to help you. Don't take crap from people, the longer something goes unresolved, the more likely it will get way out of hand. Like I said, SHOW RESPECT.

TFL has a staff large enough that if you don't feel comfortable reporting an issue with a certain admin or mod, there is likely another mod who you will be OK talking to. It doesn't matter which thread that staffer is active in, we are all here to help you, the members.

Example: "Mr./ Ms. Admin/Mod: Someone with the username 'Unicron' just PMed me and said my mother was the size of a planet, and threatened to eat her! Help!"

The current Staff of TFL is:

Time Traveller (admin)
Trance (admin, owner)
Minerva (admin)
Ultra Magnus (admin)
Jose (moderator)
Blackjack (moderator)
Kup (moderator)



What to Expect from Mods and Admins:

We will work as a team, or individually with you to work out any differences or issues on the board. We try to solve problems, not ban over them.

The rest of the story:
Everyone makes mistakes, and we as a staff recognize this. This is why we have always, and will always make an effort to work out differences with members, and correct bad habits if necessary, before we resort to taking any sort of action against a member. Generally, if you've made a mistake such as mis-posting something, you might receive a friendly PM from a mod or admin who has moved your thread, or is asking you to edit the content of your post. If you realize you've made a mistake, and can no longer edit your post or move a misposted thread, you can always ask for help from a mod: we won't be mad over something like that!
In more serious cases involving flaming, or intentional harm to the board or members, we will still attempt to address your problem before resorting to any punishing action. We will ask you to desist the offending behavior, and inquire as to why you're behaving in that way. Normally, discussing issues, concerns, or 'beefs' a member has can stop the behavior, and we can all move on to more constructive times.
Our staff will treat you calmly and with respect, and if you feel you cannot discuss the issue with the staff person who contacted you first, you are always welcome to contact a different staffer who you are more comfortable with.
There are occasions in which our staff may have to disable an account or delete posts without previous discussion, in extreme cases, or severe violations. After the event, the situation will be reviewed by board administration and experienced staff to determine whether the account needs to remain disabled. The user may, or may not, be contacted regarding the staff's discussion of the incident.
Occasionally brushing up on the rules above will help make sure the community functions smoothly, but most importantly, RESPECT will make our forum strong!

-The TFL board administration

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