It seems that many of the broken rules occur because, quite frankly, there are no rules. There are understood rules that most people seem to follow, but an official rules page is not available. To temporarily remedy this, I've decided to post this temporary rules page for the benefit of the users here at MK5.org.
Note: The following rules are an updated version of pre-version 6 rules that was the brainchild of Mobster4Christ. I'd like to thank Mob for giving this updated version a skeletal structure. It really helped. Now, here are the rules of MK5.org Forums:
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The Rules & Guidelines
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1.
Post in the APPROPRIATE FORUM. One of the many features that makes MK5.org so great is one's ability to select one of many topics to discuss. To better facilitate this, the forum has been split into several unique chapters, each one filled with rich content from the Mortal Kombat Kommunity. To keep this system working well, users are required to keep their posts in the chapter they best fit. For example, MK:DA Topics go in the MK:DA Discussion forum, General Topics go in the General Discussion forum, etc. When creating a name for a topic, please give some indication of what the topic is going to be about in the title of the thread. Also, keep the discussion in a given thread in line with the topic of the thread.
2.
NO flaming. Harassing and degrading other members of the MK Kommunity is a sure way to ruin MK5.orgs unique atmosphere. As such, there will be very little tolerance for "flaming". Any comments you have about another user must be taken to the private message system, or via other means (email, instant messenger, etc). Any flaming posts will be deleted, and their source will be warned. Excessive abuse will result in being permanently banned from the MK5.org Forums. General guidelines to follow:
- Refrain from excessive profanity.
- Do not insult or propagate dislike for other websites in the MK Kommunity.
- NO sexual, racist, or discriminatory remarks of ANY kind. There will be ZERO tolerance for users abusing this policy.
- Remember, Mortal Kombat is a game. Games are fun. Do not ruin this simple truth by flaming other users.
3.
NO spamming or flooding. Spam is difficult to define. Any message that's purpose is offensive, has no substantial content, or is generally unwelcomed where it is, is spam. This includes, but is not limited to, movie/game/book spoilers, one-liner threads/repsonses, and inappropriate responses (for example, if someone asks a question and an individual responds "I don't know."). Flooding is simpler to define: It's merely repeated instances of spam over a relatively short period of time. Netiher are tolerated here and, additionally, users found to be intentionally spamming and/or flooding MK5.org will be immediately banned.
4.
NO advertising. As much as everyone appreciates new information about Mortal Kombat or otherwise, users are not permitted to advertise their own personal websites. The exception to this rule would be links placed in your signature.
5.
No illegal activity. MK5.org does not support software and/or hardware piracy (including MAME and console emulators) or pornography of any kind. No links to copyrighted material or watermarked images as well. Any user found to be violating this rule will be banned without warning.
6.
KEEP THE CAPS-LOCK KEY OFF. No one reading the forum is blind. Please do not type in all capital letters. Any posts as indicated will result in a warning. There shouldn't be repeated abuses of this simple, basic rule.
7.
NO Religious Topics. MK5.org has disallowed theological discussions as they have frequently resulted in users breaking one or more of the basic rules of the forum. The staff of MK5.org understand that there are some users that can maturely discuss religion, however the majority cannot. The job of the staff is to consider, not only a particular minority audience, but the entire forum and its users as a whole. Religious topics will be deleted upon sight and repeated offenses will result in a ban.
8.
NO threads directed at individual users. This is categorized as spam, but it occurs frequently enough to be singled out. The private message system is in place so that you're able to target an individual user without involving the rest of the forum. If you have any issue to discuss with a particular regular user or a moderator/adminstrator use the private message system.
9.
NO "bumping" topics. Bumping is taking a topic that has been "buried" by topics that have been more recently and/or more frequently responded to and replying to it in order to put the thread ahead of the other threads. It is a form of spamming, for the record. Each bumping case will be handled individually (since some topics may be still be relevant to discuss) however, as a general rule of thumb, do not respond to topics that are past the first (or if absolutely necessary, the second) page.
10. Understand that the Forum Moderators and Administrators exist to make the MK5.org Forums a better place. They are the individuals who seek to make MK5.org a place where Mortal Kombat fans from around the world are able to voice their thoughts without problem. In case of any issues you may have, private message or e-mail any moderator/administrator. Here's a full list of those that can assist you (click on a name to PM that mod/admin):
Portal Guards (Moderators):
Baraka_MK -
Potent_Seed -
kryptondog -
_JRF_ Nosaj-Samoht -
Mobster4Christ -
Chair_Shot|MyU -
Sub-Cero Gods (Administrators):
Acjbizar -
DArqueBishop -
Jonin01 -
DigitalNinja - K0MBAT (sorry, you've got to PM him manually.)
Elder Gods (Site Founders):
Scott-Howell -
CCShadow Understand that these rules are a work in progress. These rules can (and probably should) be altered at any point in time by mods/admins other than myself.
Updates:
May 17, 2003 - Explicitly disallowed "bumping". It's not really a new rule, just something overlooked in first draft of the rules.
