Welcome to Shining Nova!
Here at Shining Nova, we value those who bring creative thought to our boards. We also value those who obey the rules. The rules are generally not very strict except for a few but we still expect a certain level of common sense to be used by our members so don't give us any reason to have to crack down. (You know what I'm talking about)
We're trying our best with this so we'd appreciate the same in return (meaning don't be moronic outside of the specified forum and at least ATTEMPT to follow the rules as best you can. If you have a problem with any of this, feel free to PM an administrator or post a new topic in the "Information, Suggestions and Support Center" forum).
These rules apply to all of the boards on Shining Nova, but some of the forums also have their own set of rules. If a board has its own rules, you'll generally find them in a pinned topic in the forum itself. (All of the following rules apply everywhere unless a specific-board's pinned rules say otherwise.)
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Posting / Sending Messages
When posting messages (replies, new topics, personal messages), please:
Keep swearing to a minimum. Words such as "ass"; "hell"; and "damn" are fine, while the heavier ones are not. If you're not sure if a word is allowed, use it anyway, the word-filter on Shining Nova will take out anything that isn't. There ARE ways to get around the filter and use disallowed words anyway, and this act (called Censor Bypassing) is very obviously not allowed. If you're bypassing the filter and using illegal words, you'll be given a warning right there on the spot. (More about warnings later.)
Keep your replies relevant to the topic you're posting in. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many people out in the world can't manage this. If you're posting in a topic that asks "what's your favorite game system?", please do not respond to someone's post in a way that changes the subject of the topic or make disruptive posts. (This includes but is not limited to flooding, posting the same message over and over and over without any relevance, trolling, flaming, etc.)
Be somewhat courteous to fellow members, flaming people will earn you a warning (Flaming can be defined as making pointless or hurtful messages, such as being a jerk and calling people names; telling them they're stupid [even if they are]; insulting people; and so on. This is what trolls do when they warm up for their barrage of pointless comments.) There will always be people you dislike / people who annoy you / people who probably DESERVE to be flamed, but while on Shining Nova you need to hold it back.
Please obey your administrator or moderators. They usually only want what's best for the site, so if the mods or admin ask you to do something such as stop posting a certain type of content then please do so. Do not disrespect the moderators or administrators publically. If you have a problem with the staff, please PM that person. If you disrespect or insult a moderator or admin, you may or may not be given a warning depending on how nice or strict that mod or admin is. If you have a history of getting on a mod or admin's nerves but they have been nice enough to let it slide, they have the right to multi-warn or even ban you if you cause more problems for them.
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Things to Avoid:
DO NOT: Advertise websites / forums; To be clear here, advertising is different from linking. We consider advertising to be posting links to other websites / forums simply to get more people to visit it, join it, or contribute to it in some way other than viewing it. If you're discussing something in a topic or a PM and you have relevant information to add that's on another website or forum, you're allowed to post it because that is called "linking". The distinction between linking and advertising is one that a third grader could make, and as such if a moderator feels that your "relevant information" is nothing but an attempt at advertisement, expect to get a warning and possibly your ability to post taken away.
DO NOT: Bring old topics back from the grave unless your post has relevant information about the topic and are confident that the topic is still worth discussing. Randomly bumping old topics for no good reason is frowned upon and can result in a warning if the community around you has a problem with you doing so.
DO NOT: Allow your post or sig to stretch the screen. If the site's banner does not reach from 1 side of the page to the other, then you're stretching the screen. This is a problem that annoys other members alot. If your post or sig stretches the screen, then shrink it. If it's a post, then please use the HIDE tags to compress your screen stretching content into a small tab. To learn how to use the HIDE tags, please view our FAQ. Failure to follow this rule will not result in a warning unless it keeps up for too long or you refuse to edit your content. If it's a post, the admin or mods will sometimes fix it for you, but if it's your sig, you must obey the mods/admin and fix the problem yourself.
DO NOT: Post illegal material. Legality may vary from country to country, but as Shining Nova is based in the United States (technically as I do believe IF is based in the US) all content falls under United States laws. The following is a list of specific things that aren't allowed, but it certainly isn't entirely complete. If you're unsure of something, PM an administrator or post in the Feedback forum:
1) Pornographic / sexual imagery. There's a fine line between what we consider appropriate. (If you're unsure of an image, don't post it. PM an administrator for advice.)
If any pornographic images of any kind (nipples, genitals, and buttholes) are found posted by you, expect to have your account immediately terminated. There is no excuse that can save you from this.
2) Anything regarding illegal downloading / cracking (this includes ROMs.). To post a link to an IPS patch for a ROM is okay but do not post any ROMS or links to them anywhere on the site! This includes web-search links and directions on how to reach a downloading location for a Rom or Emulator. ROM and emulator discussion however is permitted.
DO NOT: Include any of the following in any of your messages:
Racial / hate images, slurs, derogatory words or phrases, and so on. This includes swastikas, burning crosses, references to the KKK, words such as "*igger", "cracker" or any other derogatory word or term meant to target a specific group of people.
Heavy drug / alcohol discussions. Lighter stuff is fine, but talking about buying / selling / encouraging people to do it, stuff like that, isn't. As far as the racial/ religious stuff goes, you may talk about it as long as you don't go far enough as to cause a conflict among members. If a moderator or admin sees your post as inappropriate, it will be moderated and possibly result in a warning based on the particular situation.
Extreme violence and gore. This is more of an image thing than anything else, but being extremely graphic about stuff like this isn't allowed. This rule is a bit vague, so as always, if you have a question, send a PM to an administrator.
Religious based discussions. The occasional religious comment is acceptable but please do not start a discussion about religion because it usually ends up with flaming, banning, members leaving, etc. You can get warned for starting a religious discussion on these boards.
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Avatars / Signatures/ Profile Content
All of the content in your profile (this includes avatars and signatures) follows all of the same rules as those listed under the "Posting/Sending Messages" and "Things to Avoid" sections of this page. However, Signatures in particular have a few extra guidelines.
1) Since sigs only show up once per page, your sig may be long enough to stretch from the top of the screen to the bottom but NO BIGGER THAN THAT. Any sigs taller than this will require you to edit it or be modded. We understand that some computer screens show different amounts of content, but if it's too big, we'll let you know.
2) You may not have more than 2 animated images in your sig unless they're small emoticons, pips, or tiny gifs, but even then, there's a limit. You may be asked to change your sig at any time if the moderators decide that you have too many animated images.
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About Warnings
When Breaking site rules, you can be warned. Different actions are taken against you depending on how many warnings you have. Here is the Warning Chart:
Warning Chart:
1 Warning = We may or may not tell you what you did wrong. If we do, we'll ask you not to do it again.
2 Warnings = You receive PM Notification and Moderators keep an eye on you
3 Warnings = 24 hour suspension without notification
4 Warnings = 1 week suspension and PM restriction until warning is removed
5 Warnings = Banned! (or if you demand, we can put you on trial in which the site members judge if you stay or go)
Once warned, your number of warnings stay with you. You can lower your number of warnings you have by going 1 month without getting any warnings added to your record. Each 1 month period that you are behaved will lower your warning count by 1, however the moderators and admin do not keep an eye out for your warn levels. If your 1 month period is complete, you may request to have your warning removed so that it's sure to happen.
Thanks for reading. We hope that you enjoy your stay here at Shining Nova!
