Universal Rules [PLEASE READ]

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Joined: 12/23/2010

These rules count for all areas of the forums and all threads. Reading these are important if you do not want to be banned, looked down upon, or generally disliked.
Moderators can edit this thread at any time to remove, add, or change rules as they see fit.

1. Be nice.

Don't insult people, or intentionally annoy them. Keep in mind that we're always trying to be nice and help, and you should do the same. Being mean or annoying will get you nowhere.
If you're being mean in a friendly way (i.e. jokingly), make sure that people understand that it's a joke. For example, you could add a light-hearted smiley such as Tongue or Wink after.

2. No swearing.

This means no cursing, cussing, or generally saying "bad" words. Even if it isn't intended offensively, such as for exaggeration, swearing is not acceptable. Although using asterisks (*) instead isn't as bad, you shouldn't do that either.

3. Do not post inappropriate material.

Do not post links to or videos of nudity, gore, or other non-G-rated material. People of all ages play World of Goo, and as such they have as much right to use these forums as anybody. Whatever you post should be appropriate for 12 year olds at the oldest.

4. Don't make stupid posts.

Post something for people to read. Short, senseless posts like "yup" or "hi Laughing out loud " are annoying, and not helpful to anybody. In rare cases in certain threads this might be tolerated, but it's recommended not to do it at all. It's a waste of everybody's time and forum space.

5. Post in the correct sections.

When making a thread, think about where it should go. The forum is split into sections so that threads are organised. If you post a thread in an irrelevant section that ruins the organisation and just doesn't fit. It's like putting a sandwich in your wardrobe: it's not supposed to be there. When you open your wardrobe you want clothes, not a sandwich. And when you go to the kitchen your sandwich won't be there, it'll be among your clothes.
The same counts for forum topics. You shouldn't make a thread about your new addin in the Support section, it's not supposed to be there. People expect to see questions and answers there, not addin discussions. Also, people who want to read about addins won't find your thread, since it's not in the Mods and Hacks section.
By the way, if you're not sure where to post your thread, we can move it, but try to find the best spot. If the thread isn't related to World of Goo, post it in Pictures of your Cat. A lot of people just post in the World Of Goo General Discussion, while their thread clearly shouldn't be there, and it's really annoying to always have to move it to an obviously more appropriate section.

6. Read other peoples' posts.

If you don't read posts then you won't know what you're talking about, and you'll disrupt the conversation. Even if it looks like a bit much, at least skim over the text and try to understand what the person before you said, so that you can reply properly. Asking "so what's this about?" is pointless and annoying, and people will probably ask you to read previous posts anyway.
If you've missed lots of posts, try to read or skim over those too. And if you don't even know what the thread's about, at least read the first few and last few posts.

7. No backseat modding.

Backseat modding is like trying to be a moderator while you're actually not. Do not threaten users with bans, say posts will be deleted, or generally say stuff only mods should say. Unfortunately isn't really a specific rule since there aren't defined things that are only sayable by mods. You can help keep the forum clean or friendly, you can help people out, give them tips on how the forum works, and direct them to the rules.
Just don't act like a mod when you're not one. The moderators are here, and they know how to their job, so just let them do it.

8. Respect mods.

Now, this doesn't mean moderators are kings or anything. We are normal people, we have normal lives, and we really aren't any more special than you.
However we are here to manage the website, and so we do deserve a certain amount of respect. This doesn't mean you can't contradict or mod or say he's wrong: we certainly don't know everything. You can talk with us like anybody else. Just don't go ordering us around or saying that we aren't doing our job right. Telling us to ban someone or delete their posts just because you don't like them is not allowed and will get you a bad reputation. Getting angry because we edited your post or deleted your thread is also not allowed. We're just doing what we're supposed to do, we're not trying to annoy you.
If you have a reasonable and justifiable reason to criticize the way we moderate you can say so, but just be civilised about it and don't go crazy with caps lock.

Joined: 12/23/2010

Updated rules 10/8/2012: Put in the rule about posting in correct sections.