Housepets!

Dissension wrote:The following rule was updated; additions are indicated with bold, italicized text.

I wrote:

• Please post intelligently and coherently; we communicate entirely via text, so it is important to minimize ambiguity. If you feel the need to post in a language other than English, please provide an English translation of your comments; others should not need to visit an external Web site to understand what you're saying. Please do not submit one-word or single-image posts that are off-topic or do not contribute to the conversation. We also ask you do not use "chat speak," double post, or submit images or unbroken lines of text that "stretch" the page.

C'est la vie
"That's life" - This totally kills the fun of it

Foreign phrases common in English speech can be excused from that rule. When in doubt, though, provide translation.

Sleet wrote:Foreign phrases common in English speech can be excused from that rule. When in doubt, though, provide translation.

Although Google translate isn't the best, use it if you haven't got a better translator.

The point though is that this is an English forum. We shouldn't *need* to translate anything.

JeffCvt wrote:The point though is that this is an English forum. We shouldn't *need* to translate anything.

I'm sure aBritishFox could type in England English, an we would have a very hard time understanding it.
What with the lorries (trucks), Yows (sheep), Fish and Crisps,

Most American and British English are mutually intelligible, so that's not really an issue. Also, this is an English forum but we do not take an official stance on what dialect, so there'd be no way to force that anyway.

Sleet wrote:Our job is to make sure the forum is as unfun as possible, you see.

Hmmmm... Let me go and put a new line of text on my signature... I love you mods!

Keeshah wrote:

JeffCvt wrote:The point though is that this is an English forum. We shouldn't *need* to translate anything.

I'm sure aBritishFox could type in England English, an we would have a very hard time understanding it.
What with the lorries (trucks), Yows (sheep), Fish and Crisps,

If I would talk in pure English English I'd have to translate it, here goes.

Thou shalt talk to thee as thy shalt talk back.


Translation: You shall talk to me as I shall talk back.

Early Modern English is generally understandable by most native English speakers, and likely would not need a direct translation.
Please refrain from posting Shakespearean era quotes to test this theory

However, if you're going to use Early Modern English, it would help if you didn't use 'you' when you mean to say 'I'.

Obbl wrote:Early Modern English is generally understandable by most native English speakers, and likely would not need a direct translation.
Please refrain from posting Shakespearean era quotes to test this theory

However, if you're going to use Early Modern English, it would help if you didn't use 'you' when you mean to say 'I'.

Then we shall talk in cavemen!

Ugg...Grunt make fiah....Fiah make Ugg warm.

Or perhaps smoke signals? *lights her computer on fire*

Sleet wrote:Or perhaps smoke signals? *lights her computer on fire*

I think you need something bigger...Hmm... *Set's fire station on fire, then get's arrested for Arson*

Back on topic folks. Also *tosses a snowball at Sleet* Bad modfox, you started this!

Foxstar wrote:Back on topic folks. Also *tosses a snowball at Sleet* Bad modfox, you started this!

Aye, but I'm the one who set the town on fire...the firefigthers can't do anything, they've been burnt.

Dissension wrote:...Your posts may be edited or deleted...
(arranging DDoS, troll baiting)

Could someone please define DDoS? I'm not familiar with that acronym. (Please send via PM as well as posting here for other users' benefit.)

Dissension wrote:[ DDoS ]

Sweet, just need one to hook me up to wikifur easily.

Rules... good to know

muppetgeek wrote:Rules... good to know

Yes they are. Guys you can within reason ask us anything. We don't bite.

Why was this a banner at the top? Does that mean we did something wrong?

So how did you guys end up mods?

You'll find this person's question in the Ask A Mod thread useful

Basically I think they because they showed there were able to enforce rules and had great people skills is why Rick chose them.

Not quite, Amazee. We were all chosen because we were the right person for the job and in the right place at the right time. I think most of the staff we have today were chosen by Diss rather than Rick too, although Rick may well have given the final go-ahead.
The main role of the staff is not rule enforcement either. Our main job is to keep the users happy, keep the peace and keep the forums friendly and in that role we sometimes have to enforce rules.

Every staff member has their own story as to how and why they were chosen so if there's anyone in particular you're interested in getting to know then they'll be more than happy to discuss their story with you via PM. For any questions about forum stuff in general, the Ask A Mod thread is the best place to go, as Obbl subtly pointed out. If you've questions specific to the rules though then we're more than happy to discuss them here.

Ah OK. Now I understand it better. Thanks for clearing it up.

The forum rules were updated. Additions appear in bold text; removals are struck through.

• Housepets! is a family-friendly comic. Please do not post material that would be inappropriate for children. As an example, pregnancy is fine, but pornography is not. Likewise, graphic violence, politics, religion, drug use, illegal activity, profanity, and other potentially controversial topics are not allowed. This guideline includes a prohibition on linking to or otherwise referencing disallowed material, even with a content warning.
• Treat one another with respect and civility. You should not abuse, belittle, or otherwise demean another member.
• Please post intelligently and coherently; we communicate entirely via text, so it is important to minimize ambiguity. If you feel the need to post in a language other than English, please provide an English translation of your comments; others should not need to visit an external Web site to understand what you're saying. Please do not submit one-word or single-image posts that are off-topic or do not contribute to the conversation. We also ask you do not use "chat speak," double post, or submit images or unbroken lines of text that "stretch" the page.
• Respect staff members' decisions. If you have questions about why an action was taken, you may ask a moderator privately. It is inappropriate to make a public fuss, thus derailing conversation.
• If you encounter a post you feel violates these guidelines, please report it. If you have questions about whether something is acceptable for the forums, you may ask a moderator.
• You may not use the private message system to evade the forum rules.
• Your posts may be edited or deleted if they do not comply with these discussion guidelines. Your account may be warned or banned for serious or habitual offenses. Being here is a privilege, not a right. Your account may be suspended over matters of instigation (arranging DDoS, troll baiting) against this site and any attempt to use the board as recruitment for any illegal or other activity against the rules of this forum, including creating and advertising for boards, chat rooms, and Web sites solely for the purpose of defaming or subverting the rules of this forum, even if the activity was private or did not occur on the forum itself.

The forum rules were updated. Additions appear in bold text; removals are struck through.

• Housepets! is a family-friendly comic. Please do not post material that would be inappropriate for children. As an example, pregnancy is fine, but pornography is not. Likewise, graphic violence, politics, religion, drug use, illegal activity, profanity, and other potentially controversial topics are not allowed. This guideline includes a prohibition on linking to or otherwise referencing disallowed material, even with a content warning.
• Treat one another with respect and civility. You should not abuse, belittle, or otherwise demean another member.
• Please post legibly, intelligently, and coherently; we communicate entirely via text, so it is important to minimize ambiguity. If you feel the need to post in a language other than English, please provide an English translation of your comments; others should not need to visit an external Web site to understand what you're saying. Please do not submit one-word or single-image posts that are off-topic or do not contribute to the conversation. We also ask you do not use "chat speak," double post, or submit images or unbroken lines of text that "stretch" the page. Please do not submit one-word or single-image posts that are off-topic or do not contribute to the conversation; use "chat speak;" double post; submit images or unbroken lines of text that "stretch" the page; or post in a font size or color that impairs the ability of other users to read your post (Do not post in small sizes or colors which contrast poorly with our background).
• Respect staff members' decisions. If you have questions about why an action was taken, you may ask a moderator privately. It is inappropriate to make a public fuss, thus derailing conversation.
• If you encounter a post you feel violates these guidelines, please report it. If you have questions about whether something is acceptable for the forums, you may ask a moderator.
• You may not use the private message system to evade the forum rules.
• Your posts may be edited or deleted if they do not comply with these discussion guidelines. Your account may be warned or banned for serious or habitual offenses. Being here is a privilege, not a right. Your account may be suspended over matters of instigation (arranging DDoS, troll baiting) against this site and any attempt to use the board as recruitment for any illegal or other activity against the rules of this forum, including creating and advertising for boards, chat rooms, and Web sites solely for the purpose of defaming or subverting the rules of this forum, even if the activity was private or did not occur on the forum itself.

Can we still use tiny text for effect after the main body (kind of like alt text)?
Example: Hlaoroo is the best mod except for supreme leaders Diss and Sleet.
^ In this case, the smaller text emphasizes absolute terror and humility.

Douglas Collier wrote:Can we still use tiny text for effect after the main body (kind of like alt text)?
Example: Hlaoroo is the best mod except for supreme leaders Diss and Sleet.
^ In this case, the smaller text emphasizes absolute terror and humility.

That's permitted.
"or post in a font size or color that impairs the ability of other users to read your post (Do not post in small sizes or colors which contrast poorly with our background)."

Emmm...

UNP says that "damned" is not a PG word, I thought that was one

Is that true?

Questions like this are better asked in the Ask a Moderator thread but UNP is right. "damned" and "damn" are not allowed on these forums.

Hlaoroo wrote:Questions like this are better asked in the Ask a Moderator thread but UNP is right. "damned" and "damn" are not allowed on these forums.

Which can be a rp problem. "Darn Barbarox," really doesn't sound right for Corp...

True but if we allow profanity in the RPs then we have to allow it elsewhere too and that defeats the purpose of the rule. You can always use asterixes or things like #$%#! in place of stronger swear words if you want though.

Old Rules:

Welcome to the Housepets! forums!

• Housepets! is a family-friendly comic. Please do not post material that would be inappropriate for children. As an example, pregnancy is fine, but pornography is not. Likewise, graphic violence, politics, religion, drug use, illegal activity, profanity, and other potentially controversial topics are not allowed. This guideline includes a prohibition on linking to or otherwise referencing disallowed material, even with a content warning.
• Treat one another with respect and civility. You should not abuse, belittle, or otherwise demean another member.
• Please post legibly, intelligently, and coherently; we communicate entirely via text, so it is important to minimize ambiguity. If you feel the need to post in a language other than English, please provide an English translation of your comments; others should not need to visit an external Web site to understand what you're saying. Please do not submit one-word or single-image posts that are off-topic or do not contribute to the conversation; use "chat speak;" double post; submit images or unbroken lines of text that "stretch" the page; or post in a font size or color that impairs the ability of other users to read your post (Do not post in small sizes or colors which contrast poorly with our background).
• Respect staff members' decisions. If you have questions about why an action was taken, you may ask a moderator privately. It is inappropriate to make a public fuss, thus derailing conversation.
• If you encounter a post you feel violates these guidelines, please report it. If you have questions about whether something is acceptable for the forums, you may ask a moderator.
• You may not use the private message system to evade the forum rules.
• Your posts may be edited or deleted if they do not comply with these discussion guidelines. Your account may be warned or banned for serious or habitual offenses. Being here is a privilege, not a right. Your account may be suspended over matters of instigation (arranging DDoS, troll baiting) against this site and any attempt to use the board as recruitment for any illegal or other activity against the rules of this forum, including creating and advertising for boards, chat rooms, and Web sites solely for the purpose of defaming or subverting the rules of this forum, even if the activity was private or did not occur on the forum itself.

New Rules:

• Be kind and respectful.
• When posting, consider the family-friendly and non-controversial nature of the comic. If you're not sure something is OK to include, feel free to PM a moderator.
• Please do your best to post legibly and coherently. If you post in a language other than English, please provide a translation. Some people have trouble seeing very bright or small text, so thanks in advance for avoiding those. Also, if you'd like to post on a topic and you're the author of its most recent reply, we ask you to use the edit button on your existing post instead of double-posting.

If you see a post or private message (PM) you think is inappropriate, or which doesn't meet these guidelines, please report it.

Occasionally, your posts may be edited or removed. Don't worry; we'll always explain why via the private message (PM) system. If you need more information about our actions, please reply to the PM you receive or post in the Rules and Moderator Discussion forum.

We're glad you're here and we'll always do our best to treat you right. In return, please don't use the public forum or private message (PM) system to do anything illegal, advertise for other Web sites or chat groups that exist solely to subvert our rules, or subject us to DDoS attacks.

Based on an influx of user feedback, the discussion guidelines were updated. Additions are in bold text; deletions have been struck through.

Dissension wrote:Welcome to Housepets!

• Be kind and respectful.
• When posting, consider the family-friendly and non-controversial nature of the comic. If you're not sure something is OK to include, feel free to PM a moderator.
• Please do your best to post legibly and coherently. If you post in a language other than English, please provide a translation. Some people have trouble seeing very bright or small text, so thanks in advance for avoiding those. Also, if you'd like to post on a topic and you're the author of its most recent reply, we ask you to use the edit button on your existing post instead of double-posting.

If you see a post or private message (PM) you think is inappropriate, or which doesn't meet these guidelines, please report it.

Occasionally, your posts may be edited or removed. Don't worry; we'll always explain why via the private message (PM) system. If you need more information about our actions, please reply to the PM you receive or post in the Rules and Moderator Discussion forum.

At our discretion, we may remove posts we feel do not contribute to a positive user experience. Accounts which nitpick or post bitter rants about the comic may be suspended.

We're glad you're here and we'll always do our best to treat you right. In return, p Please don't not use the public forum or private message (PM) system to do anything illegal, advertise for other Web sites or chat groups that exist solely to subvert our rules, or subject us to DDoS or other attacks.

If you see a post or private message (PM) you think is inappropriate, or which doesn't meet these guidelines, please report it; if you have questions about the rules or moderator activity, please refer to our Rules and Moderator Discussion forum.

- Diss

We've historically not blocked even quite rude feedback, but a lot of folks are getting turned off the forum by constant negativity, so we're giving a new policy a try. Bear with us, please. If you want to talk about it, you know the place to go. (It's... it's linked above. [It's the Rules and Moderator Discussion forum, you silly dorks.])