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Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:16 pm
by Dissension
Everyone has questions, eventually. Whether you have an intricate hypothetical question about the rules or need help with basic forum operations, something will come up. In this thread, you may submit any questions you have and a global moderator will reply. This will allow you to get an answer and hopefully help anyone else having similar issues, saving everyone time in the long run.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:12 pm
by 44R0NM10
Can Max still not snort catnip off Grapes chest? :(

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:14 pm
by Dissension
He cannot.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:19 pm
by 44R0NM10
Awwwwww...

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:33 pm
by copper
I have had this question asked of me many times, and when I started, it was a bit of trouble for me as well, so could you possibly post up how to add images into a post, and maybe how to put up a link? I know it is basic for some, but I have personally answered this question 5 times.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 11:15 am
by Sleet
[img]Put your image URL here![/img]

[img]http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/ ... 54xxbu.png[/img]

...becomes...

Image

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:50 pm
by Red Ryu
How is Rick doing right now?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:32 pm
by MapleRatty
what's DDoSing?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:56 pm
by Sleet
I don't know what the first D stands for but I think it's another term for a denial of service attack. I'm not sure the details and even if I did it'd probably be bad to share them here, but basically it's a way to attack a website so it goes down.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:57 pm
by RandomGeekNamedBrent
DDoS is Distributed Denial of Service

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:43 pm
by JohnWillow
What is the fine line between Not The Comic and Media Median.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 5:51 pm
by Dissension
Media Median is intended for posting pictures, links to videos, non-Housepets stories you've written, or anything else along those lines. It's been suggested we should place all media-related discussion threads there, but (obviously) that has never been implemented.

Not the Comic is for discussing anything not related to the comic.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:05 am
by GameCobra
History repeats itself =P

I have two questions ~ First, If you happen to see a reference to the comic in a movie or media, would that be posted in the Comic or Not the Comic section?

Second, How do the Mods plan on celebrating the 5th anniversary of Rick's comic?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:22 am
by Foxstar
To be safe, I'd say Not the Comic. You can make a thread about it that points it out.

No real plans are in place for the anniversary

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:41 pm
by musclecar326
I have a question, is a story about a pet trying to attempt suicide ok? He doesn't succeed but he does hurt himself.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:10 am
by Kyderra
Otaku-Boy wrote:what's DDoSing?
It's like one person acting like he's 10.000 guys coming to the library and asking for a book but not even waiting for a response.
This means you will never get your turn to ask for your book.

only the book == a website page.
musclecar326 wrote:I have a question, is a story about a pet trying to attempt suicide ok? He doesn't succeed but he does hurt himself.
Obviously I rather you not,

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:49 pm
by Foxstar
musclecar326 wrote:I have a question, is a story about a pet trying to attempt suicide ok? He doesn't succeed but he does hurt himself.
Ask yourself a few questions first.

Is such angst in a lighthearted world needed?

Does it add anything to the story?

Do you have a good reason for doing it or just for shock value?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:54 pm
by musclecar326
I do have a good reason, i think. I was going to write a story about a pet that has some very deep mental scars that traumatized him and so he tried to kill himself so he wouldn't have to remember those things that happened. He doesn't succeed but he does hurt himself. Then the clinic he's in nurses him and his mind back to health. I think that would be a very emotional story, and a darn good one.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:46 pm
by TheOne
I looked at the old comic thread labels for discussion on the Calvin & Hobbes debate that went on, but I didn't find anything. Is it buried somewhere, or can I start a new thread? (I know a lot of forums don't like it when someone creates a duplicate thread.)

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:59 pm
by RandomGeekNamedBrent
the first 29 arcs were actually discussed in one giant thread.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:59 pm
by TheOne
Looked at that thread...


Page 1 of 118
[ 4684 posts ]

This is gonna take awhile...

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:05 am
by RockstarRaccoon
musclecar326 wrote:I have a question, is a story about a pet trying to attempt suicide ok? He doesn't succeed but he does hurt himself.
This is from a semi-private conversation, but I do not believe Rick will mind:
rickgriffin wrote:most things can be done in a PG setting, but it often has to be context-appropriate. PG is not 4Kids. 4Kids does not understand the importance of context and sometimes (or often) in the act of censorship make the resultant message poorer. Really the things that's avoided most is inappropriateness of image and harshness of image.
Harshness of image is easier to regulate. It's usually the stuff that actually rouses emotions that some people cannot control.
Similarly, graphic violence is not allowed in PG, but that doesn't mean no violence whatsoever.
It doesn't mean that it's bad, just harsh, and so to be moved around carefully.
In shorthand of what he was getting at here: the forums are supposed to be a happy place where you can read things without being immediately repulsed by what's going on. You can imply things which are unpleasant to think about and discuss, but you should never outright portray them. Creative writing (Fanfics and Roleplay) gets a bit of leeway so that we can explore things like "what if this happened to a character?", but the rule stands that we shouldn't be shocked by sudden onsets of sex, violence, "politics", or illicit activities. (whatever you want that to mean) In Fanfiction, you have things happening to our favorite characters: some of us don't want to see Peanut's suicide attempt. In Roleplaying, you have characters from our favorite cartoon's setting: some of us don't want to see a pet attempting suicide. (I once considered throwing this in with Sid, but decided that he'd be TOO dark to take lightly if I did that)

Suicide is a real thing which happens in real life, and plenty of people have had to deal with it. It's never a nice thing to talk about whenever someone dies of anything but prolonged illness, and I STILL can't talk about things which happened YEARS ago. (not without retreating inward and becoming profane about it, at least) When writing about it, you have to remember that your audience might take it very seriously and become upset, and the more detail you go into the more likely it's going to hit too close to home.

I'm not saying "don't go there", but I am saying that, if you do, you need to tread lightly, because some people really don't want to see that sort of thing. When I do stuff on here, I don't really worry about the rules as much as the question "if I do this, will it upset someone?" If you stick to that sort of rule-of-thumb, then you shouldn't do too poorly.

That being said, you can always run any questionable material by a mod via PM or IM before publicly posting it, and I recommend you do so, should you choose to write on such topics. If you get mod-approval before posting something, you'll never get in trouble for it. Whenever I'm in doubt about a particular line, such as the violent and profane behavior my characters seem to be prone to, I ALWAYS send it to one of the other mods (usually Brent or House) for a second look.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:20 pm
by TarkaTarquol
Wasn't 100% sure on this, but is there some dedicated thread to asking questions about Housepets!, or is it alright to just make a new thread on the matter.

I ask because I've seen a thread that seems to be the go-to place for stuff about HP a bit dead (and yes, I've checked there first for my question. Wasn't there), yet I've also seen another person create a new thread with questions in it? So should I just hijack that thread, post in the (seemingly to me) dead thread, or just create a new thread with my question?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:15 pm
by Sleet
If it's just a simple question, there's no reason it's not okay to make a new thread. There are only so many topics that can be discussed about Housepets! so there's much less need to lump topics together than in Not The Comic.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:16 pm
by Foxstar
TarkaTarquol wrote:Wasn't 100% sure on this, but is there some dedicated thread to asking questions about Housepets!, or is it alright to just make a new thread on the matter.

I ask because I've seen a thread that seems to be the go-to place for stuff about HP a bit dead (and yes, I've checked there first for my question. Wasn't there), yet I've also seen another person create a new thread with questions in it? So should I just hijack that thread, post in the (seemingly to me) dead thread, or just create a new thread with my question?
Just bump the old thread.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:46 pm
by RockstarRaccoon
Common form etiquette is to only bump old threads if you have something new and interesting to add. Mainly, you shouldn't post something on an old thread unless you have something to say which is worthy of reopening the discussion.

In the case of asking a new question in a thread meant for it, you have that, so you should bump the old thread to prevent duplication...

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:46 pm
by Cerberusx
Is there a sub forum dedicated the picture signatures everyone makes? Because I want to add a few, but I want to see all that are made. Can you help me?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 8:54 pm
by musclecar326
yeah there should be a topic in the fanfiction section that is titled "Userbars" that is where they all are.

http://www.housepetscomic.com/forums/vi ... &start=680

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2012 1:49 pm
by Cerberusx
Thank Ye Kindly.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 4:41 am
by Jibbs
I kind of feel embarrassed to ask but I've looked high and low for the answer so here I go:
HOW do I add an Avatar to my profile!?!

I've picked an image, shrunk it to the proper size in width and length as well as the actual file size. I've tried uploading it directly to my profile, then uploaded it on the web so I can use the URL to add it. I am able to upload several different images but they do not show up when I comment on the comic. I've not posted on a forum yet (until now) so I am unsure if it will show up on here either (if it does I will mostly likely feel like a moron :c). When ever I go to comment on the pages next to the NAME bar it says "Get an Avatar" which relocates me to Gravitar. I've made a Gravitar account and uploaded my picture there. Do I have to link my Gravitar to a Wordpress account?? There's gotta be an easier way to do this. This isn't brain surgery.

Again, I feel really incompetent having to ask this question but if some one could explain to me what I need to do, or link me to another thread that might help me out with this all would be MUCH appreciated.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:05 am
by Dissension
You have to use the e-mail address you registered at Gravatar in the e-mail field for your avatar to show up on comments. The avatar also has to conform to the ratings allowed by the individual Web sites to appear - ours is PG, just like the comic itself. You may want to clear your cache if the avatar doesn't show up for you immediately. (Sometimes, it just takes time...)

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 am
by Jibbs
Oh I see... I haven't entered my e-mail... derp..

And look my image shows up when I post on the forum. Moron Status Achieved.

Thank you very much for your help.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 9:39 pm
by caelei
Dear Mods,
So, has there ever been a link (or thread or description or anything) of a complete description of PG ratings? As you all know, PG is the rating level roleplayers are supposed to adhere to (at least that's what I've come to know...), and I've wondered what that level rating might entail. Like, in particulars. So far I've only come up with a very fuzzy idea, and to use a very poor analogy, I don't like tight-rope walking without a net. It's not that I want to walk the limits of the PG system, I just wish to know what the heck the limits are. Have I simply missed a link somewhere?

As a side note, what's the deal with gay/bi relationship couples within an RP? Yea or nay? I have heard tell that gay/bi relationships between pets are frowned upon/are more harshly modded (I don't know if harshly is the word I want) than straight relationships. Is this true? If so, is this a simple modding preference? From what I've seen on the forums (and I must conclude that I must be looking in all the wrong places), all I've ever seen regarding sexuality in RP's is a very general 'avoid sexual content' or some such vague warning that does not explicitly define sexual orientation, just sexual 'actions' themselves. Mainly I'm just curious about this one, considering that I don't have nor have ever planned a gay/bi character.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:04 pm
by Dissension
We've moved away from the concept of an actual (movie-style) rating. The forum rules lay out what is kosher and you're welcome to ask any clarifying questions you may need.

As far as homosexuality and depictions of homosexual characters, that could easily fall under the purview of the prohibition of potentially controversial topics. Regardless of one's opinion on the subject, it is difficult at best to argue that homosexuality is not controversial. To minimize risk of issues, there are a couple of basic guidelines:
  • Any character depicted as such must be an original character.
  • As with heterosexual characters, keep physical depictions of romance to a minimum - hand holding, snuggling, and a quick kiss are OK. Anything further is inadvisable. No double-entendre.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:03 pm
by caelei
Aha. Currently I have no specific questions, but if I ever come across something I'll be sure to ask here. ^^

And thanks a lot for your answer! I was really curious about that last, and your response was both succinct and clear. Thanks again!

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:37 pm
by Cerberusx
Just wondering, do we have a "Random Thoughts" thread? Where we talk about random things that pertain to nothing.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:51 pm
by Dissension
There is a chat thread in the "Not the Comic" forum. It has no given topic and can be used to discuss anything within the boundaries of the forum rules.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:22 am
by Marius Pontmercy
Is it possible to report a comment made under one of the strips?

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 1:59 am
by Dissension
Per the discussion guidelines, which appear over the comment submission text box, yes.
We wrote:If you have questions or concerns, wish to to report a comment or appeal a ban, please [e-mail the moderation team.]
That e-mail address is monitored by various staff members.

Re: Ask A Moderator

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:31 pm
by Cerberusx
So 1 human year = 3.5 pets years. But how old do pets end up living in human and pets years exactly? I imagine somewhere between 30 and 40 in human years?