Please don't start a new thread in the wrong forum Double Posting
Threads in a forum are analogous to conversations where people take turns speaking. Please do not take two turns in a row. There are occasional situational exceptions. You can double-post when updating something after a week or longer.
Topic Drift
Another one of the fundamental premises of forums is that there is conversation on one topic per thread. That way, when you want to discuss something, your conversation isn't interrupted by another one. Please don't discuss multiple topics in one thread.
Resuscitation
If a thread has been locked, please don't continue the conversation that was in it. Quite simply, stopping a thread should stop the conversation that was in it. The only exception I can think of right now is that if a thread was locked because of topic drift, then you may continue those conversations in new threads, unless they were specified as no-no's too.
Repeating
We saw what you said the first time.
Spamming
Please don't post messages that don't really say anything (1), and please don't repeat characters where it doesn't really add much more if any meaning (2).
Examples
(1) “So liek gvb4ukg5t3n6t83qdt638 your face.”
(2) “Omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's totally l33t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Caps
Please don't use capitalisation to make text stand out except for one-worded in-text titles as in example 1. Note that it is not acceptable to attach a lower-case message at the end to “legalize” a statement, as in example 2. In my Human-Computer Interaction lecture today we were taught that it's harder to read all caps text than lower case text.
Trolling
Please don't carry out any action or pattern of actions intended to provoke another user.
Advertising
Actually, let's try not having this rule and see what happens.
Language
English is an international language and will be the only language tolerated.
Cursing
You're allowed to curse occasionally for expressing feeling and/or magnitude. This does not exempt what you said from other rules. Cursing for the sake of it is not allowed.
Inappropriate Discussions
Kids visit this site, so please don't discuss age-restricted topics on the forums. Also, please do not discuss how to do illegal stuff.
Rule Misinformation
Please do not misinform others about the Terms of Service, everyone has a right to know what they really are.
Threatening
A serious statement or implication that you might or will do something seriously bad to another user. This includes but is not limited to threatening to physically hurt someone or steal/damage their possessions. This does not include stating that you will ban and/or kick someone. We want people to feel safe on our forum.
Impersonation
Pretending to be someone else or something you are not. It is much better having some idea of who you are talking to. We do not want people taking orders and/or instructions from people who are not entitled to give them.
Includes, but is not limited to:
* Saying that you are owner which you aren't an owner of.
* Saying that you are an CL when you're not.
I can't think of a name for this one
Banned people are not allowed to post on the forums, obviously. You're not allowed to post for them