What exactly are the rules for posting etiquette

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

I am curious to know having some posts deleted for no reason known why.

[Tyriks]

The rules are here.

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

The rules are here.

That’s only skin deep.

[Grotsmasha]

This is a general comment, and not directed to anyone in particular.

 

It may not have been you're specific post, quite often when a topic strays too far from it's intent (based on the OP typically), the entire train of side-tracked conversation goes, and most people notice THEIR post is gone, without realising maybe 5 or 10 other posts are gone too.

 

The best way to avoid losing posts is to recognize when the conversation has traveled too far from the OP, and decide if it warrants it's own thread for further discussion.

 

Now, to be more specific;

 

 

RESTRICTIONS

Since our intent is for constructive discussion among fellow hobbyists from around the world and across all age groups, there are some restrictions in place to keep the forum a fun and safe place to discuss the hobby.

No swearing/profanity

• Anything that can be said via swearing/profanity can be expressed in other terms, often far more articulately. Many words/terms are automatically filtered by the board software, replacing them with acceptable substitutes. Note that the "no swearing/profanity" rule includes all forms and mediums - written, oral (i.e., videos with audible profanity), visual (e.g., graphics with legible profanity) - and similarly includes abbreviations and substitutions (i.e., using alternate characters) as well as obscene gestures.
• If you feel that swearing/profanity is the only way to accurately express yourself, a number of emoticons are available, especially "censored" emoticon .

No obscenity/pornography

• Sexually graphic content, whether written, audible, or visual, has no place here. Similarly, links to sexually graphic content are forbidden here. Posting obscenity/pornography or links to such content will subject you to summary banning from the site.
• Note that there is room for some material that might be considered suggestive, generally where the followers of Slaanesh are concerned. Examples include some models and artwork (e.g., portrayals of daemonettes). The lines here are highly subjective, however, and discretion is advised. When in doubt, either don't post such material or contact an administrator/moderator first.

No disrespectful behavior (trolling, flaming, derogatory terms)

• Trolling is being a jerk on the internet simply because you can. This is typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on someone else, because it's the internet and, hey, you can (because they can't punch you in the face through the computer, even if you deserve it). Another form of trolling is posting material simply to provoke a negative response from others.
• Flaming is engaging in or deliberately provoking heated argument online, usually involving personal attacks.
• Derogatory terms are generally terms used to insult someone else, often on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, spiritual/religious beliefs, etc.

None of these types of behaviors are conducive to constructive discussion. There are going to be times when you disagree with someone and/or when you dislike someone or something, but you either need to express yourself constructively or you need to ignore/stay out of the discussion.

You don't have to actually respect everyone and everything, but you must treat them with respect here at the Bolter & Chainsword.

Just remember Wheaton's Law and live by it. 

No foreign languages or chat/"leet" speak

Our members come from around the world and all age groups. The intent of discussion here is for everyone to be able to participate. This site is an English language site (we don't all talk good English, mind you  ). Using foreign languages or things like chat/"leet" speak prevent many of our members from understanding, so they are not allowed. We don't expect perfect English, however, so please be understanding. Conversely, be tolerant of different styles of communication. Some of us are simply more blunt than others, and this is sometimes due to cultural norms (especially those of us from low context societies) and not necessarily because we're jerks.

No spamming

Spam isn't simply multiple identical posts across the forums, it also includes pointless, off-topic or smart-alec posts anywhere on the board. Remember, the B&C is here to promote constructive discussion of the 40K hobby and anything not contributing to this may be considered spam and deleted. Repeat offenders may also be subject to corrective action for such behaviour.

No trading or selling posts

Trading and selling aren't bad in and of themselves, but we don't want the drama that comes when trades or sales go bad.

No intellectual property (IP) violations

We enforce whatever Games Workshop allows with regard to usage of their IP. This applies to all Games Workshop products and subsidiaries. Refer to Games Workshop's website for their IP guidance.
Where third parties are concerned, we will similarly enforce whatever they provide with regard to using their IP. Again, refer to their sites.
When in doubt, less is better.

No software cracks

Whether requested or offered, software cracks are expressly forbidden here. This applies to any form of Warez or illegal downloading of any software, but particularly that related to GW Games will result in an immediate ban on your account.

No excessive points values in army lists or discussions

This means that you may not post Army Builder print outs (or those from similar products) or fully detailed points/stats for your army lists. Keep it simple, such as "Chapter Master; Terminator armour, storm bolter, thunder hammer; 285 pts" or similar.

No off topic discussions

We're here to discuss the hobby, not politics, nationalism, religion, sexuality or moral/ethical debates (or cars, or sports, or the latest movie, etc.).

Disruptive behavior

Disruptive behavior, even when it does not break forum rules, is grounds for warnings and further corrective action. While we welcome constructive criticism and certainly do not expect everyone to love GW, if all you ever post is negativity, off topic posts or anything else that consistently disrupts discussions, then your posts and privileges will be dealt with accordingly. Such action includes the full range of official corrective action, including banning.

No threadomancy/necro-posting

If a thread has not had a post in over 90 days please DO NOT post to bump that thread back up unless you are the OP and are adding to your original thread. Asking when the next update from the OP is or saying "cool" (or something similar) does nothing for the thread. In all likelihood the OP hasn't been on in all that time and won't see it anyway. If you want to tell them "cool" or ask a question about their post then please PM them and wait for a reply. If they then go and "reactivate" their thread then you are free to start posting again. Otherwise we consider this the foul black heresy of Threadomancy (also known as "necro-posting"), and such posts will be deleted in order to let the dead stay where they belong.

Posts, signatures, private messages (PM), e-mails, and status updates that break these restrictions may be edited or deleted without notice.If you feel a post is violating the forum rules, please don't put on a tin-moderator-badge from that new box of Cocoa Puffs you just got at the store. Simply use the REPORT button. This will notify all the mods of that particular forum of the issue.

Note that trading/selling is the only restricted practice that is allowed via members' signatures, allowing follow-on contact via PM or e-mail.

 

 

EVERY Rule here MUST be followed EVERY post, if you can do that, you're Golden :tu:

Edited May 8, 2020 by Grotsmasha

[Scribe]

And yet they lock my thread here

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/363741-what-is-the-most-horrific-factionrange-in-the-game/

 

Supposedly its a recreation of another thread that was closed, but I dont see it.

 

I see now, some posts were also deleted out of 

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/363570-what-exactly-is-the-emperor-spoilers/page-5

 

And of course this was locked.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/363632-who-do-you-think-best-represents-the-good-in-universe/page-6

 

Maybe, folks just need to understand better what the setting is about. There was literally nothing wrong with my thread, yet it was locked. Why? The post which caused me to create the thread was actually.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/360129-what-is-your-least-favorite-hh-novel/?p=5518185

 

I feel its just more of the same behavior that leads to long breaks from this board. It is both over and under moderated.

 

You all with regularity silence people, and terminate discussion, yet you allow people who blatantly, openly, flout their ignorance of the setting to just keep spreading misinformation based on infantile understanding of the themes and tropes which are the foundation of the whole lore.

 

And whenever this is pointed out, or even has a light drawn to it, its 'both sides' that get moderated.

 

My thread was not inappropriate, broke no rules and its unacceptable.

[battle captain corpus]

Anything that falls into any category not supported by our rules is removed or hidden. But that's nothing new to folks who've read the rules. As is anything that is posted that could be misconstrued as inflammatory and trying to get a rise out of people. Baiting etc. 

 

The interweb is a wonderful place, with lots of volunteers who police such forums as our lovely B&C. We try to keep it friendly and on topic as without rules we are at best just beasts.

Sure we Moderate in different ways and approaches but we all believe and keep to the creed that the B&C is the best 40K forum around. I myself am quite a direct person and as such will Moderate accordingly. We all have our own styles that we volunteer our free time to use to keep the wheels turning.

 

Everyone's interpretation of their own threads and posts is obviously different as it is subject to everyone's own personal viewpoint and lens of the subject.

 

And as my good colleague Grotsmasha said: stick to the rules every time we post and we're all golden!

 

BCC

Edited May 8, 2020 by battle captain corpus

[Scribe]

What rule did my thread break.

[Bryan Blaire]

The suggestion box is a place for a suggestions, guys, not for discussion of moderating techniques and reasons. Now, if what you are suggesting is new rules for moderation - I guess post them and the staff would review them, but remember that the board isn't a democracy - the staff doesn't have to listen to any of us.

 

Scribe, since it was an Admin that locked that thread, you should probably take the discussion directly to PM with him - he's probably the only person that can fully explain why a thread was locked.

[Scribe]

I dont feel that is fair at all. If there is fault in the thread, state it plainly.

 

Furthermore, if my thread can be locked down publicly, then I do not see why I cannot voice my concern about that publicly as well.

 

There was no discussion leading up to it being locked, no outreach regarding 'intent'.

 

I broke no rule.

 

EDIT x 2: Frankly I want to know under what logic my thread was reported, because if you actually read it, it bears resemblance to nothing that was previously locked.

 

I find it difficult to accept this is not targeted.

 

EDIT x 3: Another one.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/360129-what-is-your-least-favorite-hh-novel/?p=5518784

Edited May 8, 2020 by Scribe

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Anything that falls into any category not supported by our rules is removed or hidden. But that's nothing new to folks who've read the rules. As is anything that is posted that could be misconstrued as inflammatory and trying to get a rise out of people. Baiting etc. 

 

The interweb is a wonderful place, with lots of volunteers who police such forums as our lovely B&C. We try to keep it friendly and on topic as without rules we are at best just beasts.

Sure we Moderate in different ways and approaches but we all believe and keep to the creed that the B&C is the best 40K forum around. I myself am quite a direct person and as such will Moderate accordingly. We all have our own styles that we volunteer our free time to use to keep the wheels turning.

 

Everyone's interpretation of their own threads and posts is obviously different as it is subject to everyone's own personal viewpoint and lens of the subject.

 

And as my good colleague Grotsmasha said: stick to the rules every time we post and we're all golden!

 

BCC

I really appreciate your taking the time to explain and it makes good sense. Thanks.

[Bryan Blaire]

Scribe, I'm no longer an active Mod - I just know that taking it directly to the person that took the action is more likely to get you a response than here more quickly. Disagree all you want - my explanation and comment stand, I'm just offering you what I know.

[Scribe]

Appreciate that Bryan, but this appears to be more a systemic issue.

 

I mean we just had this same conversation in News/Rumor.

 

This is a DISCUSSION forum. That last link to the Black Library section, essentially saying 'dont have discussion, drop your pick and move on' is...mind boggling.

 

I still broke no rule. Enforcement is arbitrary, and its been like this for years on end.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Scribe

[Special Officer Doofy]

Since this is the suggestion section of the forum as Bryan pointed out, perhaps we should reword the concern as a "suggestion" for further explanation in the rules posting about:

 

"No disrespectful behavior (trolling, flaming, derogatory terms)"

 

And

 

"Disruptive behavior"

 

These are the two biggest reasons I've seen for threads being locked and posts deleted besides off topic. I've seen mods and admins quote we all read the rules when we made the accounts, but those two sections of the rules have alot of grey area to them and moderation on it seems to be all over the place.

 

I've only been a member for a short time compared to others but one of the first things I did was check all the locked forums for why they were locked and some seemed far less meriting then others. Sometimes threads will go on for multiple pages and posts with alot of people commenting and being constructive and then 2-3 people might get heated and in a couple posts in a short time gets the whole thread locked instead of addressing the individual(s). Alot of the same people seem to be the ones that derail threads. During the whole Primaris transition there was a mod that was very negative, argumentative and combative about it in multiple locked threads which is clearly a violation of the "Disruptive behavior" section yet they are still a mod (I was not a member then, nor am I a loyalist marine player that has an opinion on that subject, and I don't know and have not talked to that mod, this was just meant as an example).

 

Perhaps some more clarity and additional wording/examples will clear things up in the rules and make everyone happier - that's my suggestion. And maybe when a post is deleted a PM on why would be nice. I've only had a post deleted in one thread but was given no explanation why and guiltier parties had their posts untouched. It left me kind of bitter and I almost bailed on the site because of it. Not to stir the pot, but I've only found the site a few years ago and when I asked my gaming group if any of them were members, some chuckled and talked about why they quit the forum because of what they felt was over moderation.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Putrid Choir

[Kastor Krieg]

It definitely feels awful to come back to the Forum in the morning after an evening of discussion, see that you have 15-20 likes on things you've posted (so you've apparently posted something the community has found valuable and you're curious now to see what was their response to it), only to see that both your highly appreciated posts and the whole preceeding and following course of discussion has been erased.

I cannot fathom why the moderation deletes valuable off-topic discussion instead of splitting these posts into a new thread or closes a thread altogether because it started going a different direction, instead of renaming the thread to something like "Topic XYZ (was: Why faction ABC is the best?)".

The moderation here is boradly perceived as heavy handed and as people who do not appreciate the intellectual effort it takes to participate meaningfully in discussions, to know your lore and be able to discuss it on multiple levels. Valuable people are shunned from the board while people who make ignorant assumptions about settings, often clearly informed by their real life bias and even thinly veiled though never openly stated hate towards certain groups of people (racism, homophobia, etc.). When those people are called out on their ignorance and underlying bias, both sides of the discussion are getting slapped down by over moderation and threads are locked. 

This has taught those people that any discussion can be sniped down by simply being abrasive enough to provoke a strong reaction and getting a thread they do not like locked down.

[Bryan Blaire]

Well, the "thinly veiled" calling out clearly violates the rules... doesn't matter how intellectual you consider yourself or your comments, that part is pretty self explanatory - it's written out in the rules. If their post didn't state it and you say "you have real world bias X", it's your post that is the rules violation, not their's.

 

How well something is liked also doesn't really seem to matter, that's happened to me as well - and if a thread has moved off-topic, but you consider it really interesting and it’s within the bounds of the rules, you could always ask for that thread to be split off by a Mod before posting - better that be done than a Mod deciding to remove it because it’s a rules violation for being off topic and you’ve continued it by adding to the discussion - that one has caught me out before as well.

[Dam13n]

It's probably worth noting then, that likes do not necessarily equate to value.

 

A post that contains a joke or meme that people find funny, for example, may generate likes, yet still be off-topic or derailing and therefore worthy of deletion.

 

Likewise a personal attack against a divisive frater could generate likes from others who also dislike the victim of that attack. The attack is still against the forum rules and should be deleted accordingly.

 

These examples are not directed at anyone in particular, but I have seen numerous posts that have fulfilled those exact criteria on the forum in the past.

 

- - - - -

 

It's also worth noting that this thread is covering much of the same ground previously covered in the thread concerning moderation in the NRBA. An issue that is still unresolved (due to ongoing discussion) at this time.

 

- - - - -

 

As far as the question posed in the original post is concerned, so long as you follow the rules of the board and keep your posts on-topic, they are unlikely to get hidden or deleted.

[Scribe]

As far as the question posed in the original post is concerned, so long as you follow the rules of the board and keep your posts on-topic, they are unlikely to get hidden or deleted.

 

Demonstrably false. I broke no rule.

 

 

 

...

 

The moderation here is broadly perceived as heavy handed and as people who do not appreciate the intellectual effort it takes to participate meaningfully in discussions, to know your lore and be able to discuss it on multiple levels. Valuable people are shunned from the board while people who make ignorant assumptions about settings, often clearly informed by their real life bias and even thinly veiled though never openly stated hate towards certain groups of people (racism, homophobia, etc.). When those people are called out on their ignorance and underlying bias, both sides of the discussion are getting slapped down by over moderation and threads are locked. 

 

This has taught those people that any discussion can be sniped down by simply being abrasive enough to provoke a strong reaction and getting a thread they do not like locked down.

 

This is it right here.

 

I will also note, my thread is STILL locked, STILL not incorrect in tone, context, or 'off topic' and insults nobody.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Scribe

[Dam13n]

 

 

As far as the question posed in the original post is concerned, so long as you follow the rules of the board and keep your posts on-topic, they are unlikely to get hidden or deleted.

Demonstrably false. I broke no rule.

I did say unlikely. Also, I was referencing post deletion, not topic closure.

 

To avoid this thread being derailed - FYI, your topic being closed is under discussion at present. The issue being discussed here is a separate one.

[Scribe]

Frankly, no discussion is needed.

 

Its not my problem people get tilted over factually correct statements on the setting. It happens all the time, because as Krieg said, there plenty who dont even know what the setting is about.

 

If one does not think Sisters and the other factions people were discussing without drama in the thread are horrific as a MODEL RANGE and from the view point of psychological and body horror tropes, they are unquestionably unfit to even have a discussion on the topic and ppppppppppprobably shouldnt even be online in the first place.

 

The thread is not wrong, no discussion is needed. How about instead, you go talk to the individual who cannot handle some of the cold hard facts of the setting as laid out over literal decades?

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Scribe

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

The irony is hilarious but sad as well.

[Scribe]

I dont believe the irony here is funny, but as mentioned above this has been an issue for years on end so its unlikely to change.

[Panzer]

Honestly, while I can understand the bad feeling to get notifications that your stuff got liked without being able to see it or your thread getting closed (we all have been in these situations before), the mod team is not wrong. Likes don't equal valuable content (reddit and facebook are great examples for that) and while the mod team isn't perfect (none is) I don't think they are particularly heavy handed. I've been in several forums over the years and this one is pretty lax actually.

[Tyriks]

A lot of the posts in question also come across as being hostile or condescending. Maybe they aren't meant to be but without the context of body language or tone of voice, there's no way of knowing that. As I am not a mod I don't know if that has played a role in any of those posts/threads being handled the way they were, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. If it's unintentional, might be worth rephrasing things at times to avoid giving that impression.

[Scribe]

Well, I'm certainly hostile now.

 

However if your looking at my thread which was locked, please point out where I'm out of line.

[Scribe]

I've been in several forums over the years and this one is pretty lax actually.

I honestly shudder at the thought of a less consistent, more lax, yet heavy handed for nothing forum.

 

Portent was nothing like this.

Warseer (before it took a massive decline) was nothing like this.

 

I've been online for over 20 years, and no forum allows moderator bias to close threads on a whim.

 

No forum, looks to limit actual discussion and topical debate.