The Rules and FAQs Here at Charlie Bone

[nevermore]

please note, if you are having problems (whether account-related, forum related, if someone is frightening you and I need to know about it, etc) please do not hesitate to contact me at

nevermore@charlie-bone.com





Rules



The following are against the rules:

* Sharing personal details such as last names, addresses, phone numbers, IM information, and email addresses.
* Offensive language.
* Obscene avatars, signature images, or signature content (this includes swear words, sexual content, or anything that refers to drug use, suicide, self harm, etc)
* Persistently antagonizing/threatening other members.
* Discussions of a sexual nature or of illegal activities.

Because there seems to be some confusion, I just want to make very clear that breaking the above rules can, and very likely WILL, result in either a strike, or an instant, permanent ban from the forum.


Quick Links
Moderation (http://www.charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15414&postcount=2)
Posting (http://www.charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15415&postcount=3)
Personalizing My Account (http://www.charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15416&postcount=4)
Other Stuff (http://www.charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15417&postcount=5)
Online Gaming with CB members (http://charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15419&postcount=6)
Roleplaying on the Forum (http://charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=110513&postcount=7)
Keeping Safe on the Net (http://charlie-bone.com/forum/showpost.php?p=145430&postcount=8)

[nevermore]

Moderation

What is a moderator?
Moderators oversee specific forums. They generally have the ability to edit and delete posts, move threads, and perform other manipulations. Becoming a moderator for a specific forum is usually rewarded to users who are particularly helpful and knowledgeable in the subject of the forum they are moderating, and have shown outstanding behavior, knowledge of, and compliance with forum rules.

How do I become a moderator?
Moderator positions are given out to those who have proven throughout their time on the board that they can handle the responsibility, as well as proven that they want the job. Seniority (the amount of time that you have been a member of the forum) is often taken into account as well. When a new moderator position is made available, we generally look for:

* good behavior
* knowledge of forum rules
* knowledge of the specific subject for which they are moderating
* length of time that candidates have been a member of the forum

When can I apply?
When a position becomes available, I open up a thread in The Website that is called "The Moderation Application." When that happens, there are a series of questions that you need to answer and email to me, and at that time, all applicants will be considered for the job. Please note, however, that applying for a mod job does not guarantee that you will get the job.

What is the difference between a moderator and a super-moderator?
A Moderator has limited powers, and is confined only to the boards he or she moderates. They can edit/delete your posts, create polls, open/close threads, move/copy threads, stick threads, split threads and merge two threads together. A Super Moderator posses the ability to do the same things, but are not confined to a single subforum. Instead, they can do all that anywhere on the forum. Think of it this way: Administrators are assisted by supermoderators. Supermoderators are assisted by moderators. Moderators are assisted by regular members of the forum. This teamwork helps keep the forum community running smoothly and gives everyone a chance to lend a hand, if they so desire.

[nevermore]

Posting

How can I tell in advance if something I'm about to say is probably a bad idea?
A good rule of thumb is not to say anything you wouldn't normally say in front of your grandma. That includes swearing, or talking about subjects that would be really awkward to discuss with someone like your grandma. If you have a really laid back grandma, then use someone else's grandma as your guideline. If you offend the administrator, you'll have to suffer the consequences, so if you have to ask yourself whether or not something should be said, you probably shouldn't say it.

What should I do if I am upset by someone else's post?
You can do a few different things, and we encourage you to do whatever you are most comfortable with.

* You can begin by informing the member who has upset you that their actions are bothering you. Even the best of us can accidentally say or do something that upsets someone else, and sometimes we aren't aware that we've done it. Sometimes informing someone that they have bothered you is all it takes to make someone stop.
* You can also report a post by clicking the link that looks like a little red and white triangle with a ! in the middle. It's at the top of every post, located in the top-right corner. Make sure you click the report button that corresponds with the post you are reporting. This will send out an alert to the moderator and administrator that a post has offended someone.
* If you want a member's post to gain our immediate attention, you can also email me at nevermore@charlie-bone.com , and I will be happy to give the issue my undivided attention as soon as I receive the message.


Is txt talk acceptable?
Members here at Charlie Bone are a literate bunch. We like to read, and as a result, we like to read things that have been well-written. Txt talk can be bothersome to many members, because (while it may be faster for you to type) it can be difficult for many of us to read. This is especially true with moderators and administrators, since we have to do a lot of reading every day, and txt talk tends to give us headaches.

Why shouldn't I post twice in a row?
This is generally considered spamming in an attempt to raise your post count. If you have information to add to your last post, and no one has replied, you can use the 'Edit' button to add more to your last post. If you simply want to know why no one else has replied, be patient. Maybe members haven't had a chance to read what you posted, or are busy typing a really, really long response. Wouldn't you feel silly if you told members to hurry up and post, only to find out that they were in the middle of doing so?

So how do I edit my post?
Simply click the "edit" button at the bottom of your post.

How do I make polls?
This is a Moderator privilege - regular members cannot create polls. If you would like a poll created for you, simply go to the "Ask a Mod" thread in the Website Subforum, and the first mod that comes along should be glad to help you.

Why have some letters in my post been blanked out?
Certain words may have been censored by the administrator. If your posts contain any censored words, they will be blanked-out like this: _____
The same words are censored for all users, and censoring is done by a computer simply searching and replacing words. It is in no way 'intelligent' and sometimes it makes mistakes. Let us know if you find a mistake so we can attempt to correct the error.

[nevermore]

Personalizing My Account

How do I get one of those little pictures by my name?
The little pictures are called avatars, or AVs for short. Avatars can be uploaded from your computer by first clicking on the "User CP" option near the top left side of any page. After you click, there will be a column of options on the left. Click "edit avatar" for the option of selecting a picture.
Avatar sizes cannot exceed 100 x 100 pixels, or 50 KB.
A google search of "avatars" will usually bring up all sorts of interesting selections to choose from.
If you need help making an avatar of your own, many members here are really good at making custom AVs. Just ask them over in the "advanced technology" subforum, and I'm sure someone will be happy to help you.
Just remember that avatar pictures have to be appropriate for a children's forum. Please, no swear words, nudity, or mature subject matter (drugs, alcohol, suicide/self harm, etc etc). We like to keep things positive, here. :)

What are the guidelines for my signature?
First, to create a signature:
click "User CP". On the left hand menu, go to "edit signature." You can put text into your signature the same way you would post a message. As always, watch what you say. Swear words or mature subject matter will get you into trouble.
If you want to put a picture or banner in your signature, just scroll down a little bit until you see "signature picture." From there you can upload a picture. This picture cannot exceed 500 x 100 pixels or 19.5 KB. Same rules for avatar images apply for signature images.

You can use any combination of text, text size, text color, font, and pictures that you like. Please note, however, that in order to keep the forum looking pretty, the TOTAL signature size should be:

|no
|
|higher
|
|than
|
|this

All the images are taking too long for my computer to load. Can I turn them off?
You sure can! In the "User CP" click on "edit options." There will be all sorts of things that you can turn on and off. Scroll down to "thread display options" and you can then turn off avatars, signatures, and images.

[nevermore]

Other Stuff

What is the Ignore List?
Ignore lists are used for those people who's messages you wish not to read. By adding someone to your ignore list, messages posted by these individuals will be hidden when you read a thread. This is yet another way that you can avoid a member whose actions are offending you.

Why can't I send a PM?
Because Charlie Bone is a children's forum, Private Messaging has been disabled. We have chosen to disable the private messaging because it cannot be supervised by the administration, and thus we have no ways of judging if a member feels that they are being harassed. We do not allow private messaging for your own protection, and this rule will not be changed. Sorry.

What is the Buddy List?
The buddy list helps you keep track of your friends. However, as it is primarily a tool to aid Private Messaging, which is disabled on here, it really serves little purpose.

How do I change my username?
First, members who wish to change their name must have at least 500 posts. Each member of the forum is allowed three name changes. Once a member has changed their name thee times, they are not allowed to change it again unless they have a very special circumstance and can convince me otherwise. Members who have at least 500 posts can request a name change during the first week of each month. They can politely request a name change in the Name Change thread (located in The Website subforum) during this period of time, and I will be happy to assist you with as soon as I can. After your first name change, you must have at least 500 more posts before you can request a second or third name change. If you attempt to increase your post count by spamming, you will not be eligible for a name change.

What personal details can I give out?
The following are things that can be shared under special circumstances, but we ask you to please be very, very careful who you share it with, and how you share it. Please be aware that if a member begins to harass you via email or IM, there is little we can do to either enforce a punishment or make it stop. However, if you feel that you have made good friends with someone, and your parents are okay with you sharing this information, you may share your:
* Yahoo
* MSN
* AIM
* ICQ
* Trillian
IM information. You may also share your email address.
Again, please make sure your parents are okay with this.
The way you can share these is to post it at a time and place where you know your friend will read it, and then edit it out as soon as your friend has seen it. This helps make sure people you don't want contacting you can't contact you. If we see this information left posted in a thread for an extended period of time, there will be trouble in the same way there would be if you posted your full name and the city you live in.

For your own safety, we don't like members of the forum to share contact information. The following are things that are NEVER allowed to be shared:
* Full name
* Postal address
* Telephone number
* Mobile phone number
* School name
* Your city's name
* or any other information that could make it easy for someone to find you.
We don't want you to post anything that could make it possible for a stranger to come and find you.
For your own safety, sharing any of this information will result in a lengthy talk from the moderators or even the administrator, because nothing would be worse than finding out any harm has come to you because of information that was found off of our forum, which could have been prevented. We may even go so far as to issue you a strike for sharing this information, because we really are THAT concerned for your safety.

I have a forum of my own! Can I tell people about it?
While I am not queen of the internet, and cannot forbid you to make your own forums, I must ask that you please do not advertise your forum on CB. Charlie-Bone is a professionally owned forum, with trained administrators who comply with COPPA and other internet safety laws that most unofficial forums do not follow. Because the chats in unofficial forums are not monitored by a trained adult, I have to ask that you do not share the links on our forum.

[nevermore]

Can I Do Online Gaming With CB Members?

The short answer here is "yes." There are several "buts" attached to this.

The biggest concern I have is that online gaming often comes with unmonitored chats off the forum. I do not condone this. I am aware, though, that some games (like Mario Kart Wii, for instance) doesn't have a chat feature. It just allows you to race friends. So I have come up with the following rules:

ASK YOUR PARENTS' PERMISSION
before you swap your friend codes with people off the net. If they are aware that you're on this forum, and aware that you want to game with people from this forum, and are totally OK with that, you can share your friend codes. If your parents are NOT ok with this, don't go doing it behind their backs. That's not cool.

Sharing Contact Details:
Online gaming is just the same as chatting off the forum. People can add you to their friends list, come on over, and start talking. Because of this, you need to be careful who you let see that information. While the members of this forum are all generally a friendly, trustworthy bunch, people who are not registered can also view threads, which means they can also view your contact details if you post it in a thread. Just like sharing an IM or an Email address, if you're going to share contact details for an online game, do it at a time when your friend is online and you know they will see it. Delete the information as soon as your friend has written it down.

A Special Exception for Wii:
Normally, my rule is "don't leave contact info where anyone can see it." However, Wii has a very nifty feature that allows YOU to pick and choose who you game with. If someone adds your friend code, but you don't add theirs, they can never play with you. Because of this fact, you are allowed to leave a friend code posted in a thread about a certain Wii game.

And lastly...

Chat off the forum at your own risk.
If someone starts harassing you, the easiest way to make it stop is to delete them from your friend list. Friends don't bully friends, so don't let bullies be your friends.

[nevermore]

Roleplaying on the Forum

Our forum is home to quite a large subforum for roleplaying, called The Theater. Any members (new or old) are welcome to join any roleplays (new or old), however before you can begin roleplaying, you must read and sign these roleplay rules. (http://charlie-bone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2706) Failure to sign the rules prior to roleplaying will result in your posts being deleted. Failure to follow the roleplay rules can earn you a strike. I understand that this probably seems very harsh, but it's the only way we can ensure that the stories are fit for members of all ages.

[nevermore]

How can I keep safe on the net?

I really like http://kids.getnetwise.org/ because they have a lot of good tips. I encourage you to check out this site before you begin posting here on Charlie Bone.