Forum Guides 101

[Chavah]

Hi there! Welcome to our home. Sword of Embera is a trope of writers that wish to show case their works. That means, we love telling stories and stepping in to the lives of our characters by using the written word. Everything on SOE is dedicated to help inspire and entertain your creative muse. Getting involved on SOE is really easy! To help you out, here are of few areas of the site you should check out first.

THE BASIC RULES OF SOE
We like to have a relaxed atmosphere and not bog you down with too many restrictions. However, to make sure we can keep things fun for ALL of our members, we've provided a really quick list of Iwaku policies that every member should know. We feel these things are common sense, but let this be a refresher!

WE FROWN UPON...

• SPAMMING: Repeat posting of the same or similar content. This gets annoying.
  
  
• TOPIC HIJACKING: Hijacking is the art of changing the topic in a thread or stealing the conversation away from the original purpose of the thread.
  
  
• FLAMERS & TROLLS: Insulting, hating, bashing and harassment of members.
  
  
• IMPERSONATING/IMPOSTERING: Pretending to be another member of the site, past or present OR pretending to be a fake member using multiple accounts.
  
  
• WHINING/EMOING: Doing nothing but complaining about your life and bringing down everyone's mood.

HELPFUL THINGS TO KNOW!

• THE THICK SKIN: Many members play, joke, use sarcasm and kid around. Do not take everything people say as a personal attack or too seriously. Most of the time it's not.
  
  
• RESPECTING OTHERS: We are a community, so remember that not all members share the same personalities and opinions as you! Use your manners and have respect for other people's thoughts and feelings.
  
  
• REPORTING ISSUES: When you DO have an issue with another member of the site, all you need to do is Contact the Staff by Private Message or through the Contact Forms. Let them know what happened, and they will clear things up for you as soon as possible.

[Chavah]

THE RESPECT EFFECT
The Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. Respect your fellow members and they will respect you in return! We wish for all members to be content in their stay here, and that requires every individual to use good manners when they participate in forums or cbox.

1. You must be 13 years old or older to be a member of this website.
   SOE is aimed at teens and young adults. By joining this site, you consent that you are at least 13 years of age.
   
   
2. We follow Flexibility of Speech not Freedom of Speech.
   The U.S. laws for Freedom of Speech do not apply here. You have the freedom to voice your opinions, HOWEVER; you do not have the freedom to force your opinions on others, say malicious comments, or attack another member and their opinions. Just as you wish to be respected, others must be respected.
   
3. What is Harassment?
   Harassment is the badgering of a person for ANY reason, even after they tell you to leave them alone. If you continue to bother a person after someone asks you to stop, that is considered harassment. Harassment includes things such as pestering a person in Private Messages, Visitor Messages, constantly being rude in cbox or forum, sexual harassment, and deliberately causing fights. If we receive complaints by more than one citizen of your behavior towards them, you will be warned and possibly even suspended for an undetermined period of time. Different types of harassment will receive different time frames of punishments. Extreme harassment can result in banning from the board altogether.
   
4. The Naughty and the Scandalous!
   Iwaku is aimed towards teenagers and young adults. Know that the content and feel is at a general PG-13 rating. (That means content is only viewable for those 13 and older. NOT FOR KIDS!) Cursing is allowed. Not all members are comfortable with this sort of conduct, so respect the wishes of others if they ask for you to tone it down. Note that we are not a dating service. If you're looking for a "good time", a significant other, etc.; this is not the place.
   
5. Helping Newbies and Inexperienced.
   Newbies and Inexperienced users are members of this community just like you are. Remember, you too were once brand new to any forums you join, and not everyone can pick up things at the same pace. Instead of picking on these people, please be a good citizen and help these people get acquainted with the rules and ways of SOE. They won't learn unless you teach them! Becoming a mentor is an excellent way to help them along. Remember, if you claim someone you are their mentor! Don't abandon them!
   
6. Respect of Authority.
   The Administration & Staff are here to help SOE Iwaku running smooth and happy. They are volunteering their time to aid members when they have problems, providing fun, amusing content as well as forum maintenance. Harassing a member of the staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If you feel a staff member has crossed the line with their behavior or disagree with a mod action they have taken, contact a member of the Administration via Private Messages. Never insult or call out staff in public as this causes unneeded drama on the forums. The Staff cannot do their jobs properly if they constantly have to worry about an individual attacking them.
   
   
7. The Spoiler Effect.
   A "spoiler" is a piece of important plot or information given out accidentally or deliberately about any movie, book, anime, ETC that someone else has not seen. Many people can not afford to see or read something as it comes out, or prefer to wait until they have time to sit down and enjoy it... giving them a spoiler can ruin their experience as is a very rude thing to do. On the forums we have a special BBCode that can hide spoiler content so only people that want to know can choose to read.
   
   
8. Consequences of Impostering.
   Impersonating or "Impostering" other members of SOE, be they past, present or a "fake" member using multiple accounts will not be tolerated. This is an act that can ruin reputations, break friendships and hurt a lot of people.
   
9. Icons/Avatars & Signatures
   Icons should be no more than 150x150 or less in width and height.. Only .jpg, .gif, and .png formats are allowed. Signatures are the text or graphics under a users post. Please keep signatures SMALL. Incredibly large images, or lots of text in a signature causes the messages to load extremely slow. We recommend five lines to a signature as a guideline, and images should be no wider than 600px and no higher than 200px.
   
   
10. Writing your personality.
    Our community has a very big focus on writing. Online, the only way you can show your personality is the way you type. With your typing in the forums or chat, members will form opinions whether you are immature, smart, silly, or "beyond help". Think of your typing as the way you dress. Do you look like a homeless slob, the gamer geek, or the Shakespearean poet? Please do not use 1337, chat speak, or excessive slang as your regular form of typing. Keep in mind that we have members from all over the world and they may not know or understand your chat speak! You are not expected to have perfect spelling/grammar/ETC, but we expect your posts to be readable English!
    
    
11. Spamming is a pain.
    "Spamming" is the posting of anything of a senseless nature, inappropriate content, or misplaced content in a place it does not belong. (Examples: Posting fifty time in on day just to boost your post count OR repeat posting of a message to try and get attention.) This can also be called "Flooding", or filling the room/board with the same content over and over again. Spam is only allowed in the General Forum!
    
    
12. Advertising
    Advertising is not allowed, at this time.
    

MEMBER RIGHTS
As a Member of SOE you have the right to:

- Roleplay!
- Chat!
- Share ideas and opinions!
- Enjoy yourself and the company of others!

These rights are given as long as you follow the Guide and Policies of SOE! All private content and conversations remain so [font color=gold]unless[/font] bad behavior has been reported. If you harass members on SOE or continuously break policies, your conduct will be brought to the attention of the Staff. All members are able to report posts and private messages when they feel like someone is harassing them or breaking rules.

Staff Members discuss the situation and decide what to do about any bad behaviors. If your behavior is deemed a threat to the peace of Iwaku, you might receive a small warning or have your account suspended or banned. Issues are always taken on a case-by-case basis.

So please remember: Treat others as you wish to be treated! And your stay at SOE will be a happy one!