NZBoards Regulations and Warnings Scheme
Welcome to the NZBoards rule book. Read through these rules and you will not have to face getting a warning or being banned.
Note that everyone is capable of getting a warning, including admin.
Each section has a “Summary” area at the end of it. So if you do not wish to
read everything, then just read the Summaries of each section to get an idea
of what to do and not to do.
Warning Consequences
10 warning points are all you need to get banned. We will only give out 10 warnings
and they will stay on your record in a Warning Log. If you need to know how
many warnings you have, notify a staff member.
Cautions are not needed to necessarily warn someone. If the staff believes they
have the right to warn, they will without prior notification. You may or may
not be told via PM about your warning; however, you will always be notified
in the thread.
Warnings are kept on record for six months. After this they are deleted, but
your reputation will be affected, so choose your path wisely! Being voted onto
the staff requires a good personality and a clean slate.
The following information is kept for a warning: Staff Member Who Warned, Warned
Member, Date of Warning, Offense, and any relevant links.
Summary:
- 5 Warnings = ban.
- 10 Warning Point = ban
- Warnings stay on record for 6 months.
- Ask staff member for Warning information.
- Cautions not kept on record, but are also not necessary.
- Bans last 1 week/2 week/4 week/Permanent (3 strikes, next time you are out)
Breaking the following rules will get you warned:
1. SPAM –
This is a major issue that is being dealt with. SPAM is noted as anything not dealing with the topic at hand. If it’s irrelevant, don’t post it! Another form of SPAM is the revival of dead topics; don’t post in a topic that’s on the second or third page (on the thread listing)!
The only way a warning can be revoked is if an admin sees it as inappropriate.
Double and triple posting is also considered SPAM. In any forum except The Testing Zone you should not double or triple post. If it is a mistake, fine. But multiple occasions of this will lead to a warning. If you ever need to edit a post, do just that, push the edit button. If twenty-four hours have passed since the previous post you made you may post again. Note that we do not heavily enforce double/triple posting unless it is done to a great extent.
Summary:
- If it’s irrelevant, don’t post it.
- Do not revive dead topics.
- Only admin can revoke warnings.
- Double/triple posting is SPAM, but is not heavily enforced.
2. Flaming –
If you “flame”, or call someone an offensive“name”, then you are violating NZB rules. (This does not apply in Nihs Nasty Board or any of its sub-forums).
It is at the forum’s moderator’s discretion if you will be warned or not for a hostile post. If the mod sees it as play or not that bad, you may not be warned. Posting sexual, racial, or ethnic slurs is not allowed anywhere. Note that flaming a non-member is allowed anywhere on the forums.
Flaming the site as a whole is not allowed and will result in a warning or ban. Nihs Nasty Board is created to keep flames out of the forums, but it does not mean you can flame this site, or any site, as a whole. While criticism is appreciated, calling the site (or any part of it) names is not allowed.
Summary:
- Flaming is insulting another member w/out being provoked and/or calling someone any kind of name.
- Racial, sexual, or ethnic slurs are not allowed outside of Nihs Nasty Board or any of its sub-forums.
- Nihs Nasty Board or any of its sub-forums are for flaming members and members only.
- Do not flame NZBoards or any of its affiliates in the Nihs Nasty Board or any of its sub-forums.
3. Trolling –
Trolling is basically creating a post or thread that is made to purposely hurt someone or to make them mad. This is considered a bad offense, and will get you warned.
Summary:
- Trolling is creating posts/threads to purposely hurt someone or make them mad.
- Trolling is not allowed anywhere on the forums.
4. Usernames –
Don’t use profanity, staff names (Admin, Supermod, ect) or NZB, nzboards etc. Don’t use ethnic/racial/or sexual slurs either. Don’t pretend to be someone else by making your username just like theirs.
If you break any of these rules, you will be sent a PM to change your name. If you do not, you will be banned. Note that we do not give warnings if you do not change your name, and we do not change your name for you.
To change your name, simply go to the Store and click on Change Username. It is free and you can change it to anything you want (following the above rules of course).
Summary:
- Don’t use profanity, staff names, site names, or ethnic/sexual/racial slurs.
- Identity Theft of any kind is not permitted.
- You will be sent a PM to change your name, if you don’t, you will be banned.
- You can change your name by going to the Store and clicking on Change Username.
5. Custom Titles –
All of the Username rules apply to Custom Titles. Custom titles can be any length but use common sense… If you are asked to shorten it, do so.
Summary:
- All Username rules apply to Custom Titles
- Use common sense for CT length.
6. MODS; Rules and Regulations –
Moderators must follow all of the mentioned rules. If they break them, harsher punishments may occur. Mods are not allowed to abuse their power either. If you think a mod has abused his power, contact an administrator immediately.
Summary:
- Mods follow all the rules you do.
- If a mod abuses their power, report it to an admin.
7. Avatar/Signatures –
Pictures are permitted within your Avatar and Sig. The following images/text are not allowed: racial/religious images or offensive text, porn, anything related to an anti-racial group, and any other imagery the staff deems as inappropriate. If we ask you to remove something and you do not, you risk being warned or banned.
No javascript is allowed in sigs. You can not link to individual files for download, you can however link to a website that people have to visit before downloading the file. Viruses will result in an immediate ban.
Any sig that causes any type of error in viewing the forums, changes any part of the forum itself, or blocks access to enter/leave a page in the forum is strictly prohibited and will result in a warning or ban.
Sigs may be changed by an admin without prior notice.
Summary:
- No offensive pictures or text of any kind are allowed in sigs.
- No javascript or linking to specific files for download is allowed
- Sigs that “break” NZB or cause a page to be un-viewable in any respect are not permitted.
- Admin may change your sig without prior notice.
8. Private messages -
They are not subject to the rules outside of Mass-PMing and abuse. If you’re harassed or annoyed just put them on ignore or shut down PMs. Abuse of PMing will result in a ban.
Summary:
- PMs not subject to above rules.
- Anyone who abuses PM’s may be banned.
9. Other Warnings -
Every forum that is modded may or may not have specific rules setup by the moderator in that forum. All forums follow this rule set exactly, but may add to the rules depending on the forum and moderator. Check all sticky topics and/or forum Announcements before posting to avoid breaking forum-specific rules.
If you find a thread or post that breaks a rule and a staff member has not seen it, please click on Report Post icon for that post:
Summary:
- Read specific forum rules, if any.
- Click on the Report Post icon to report a member that has broken a rule.
Admin have the right to remove any warning, extend a post reduction, or extend the period of a ban at anytime. Admin also have the right in changing the above rules at any time without consent.
The following will result in an immediate Ban:
1. Flooding –
Flooding is the massive creation of threads/posts within a short time span that is meant to infuriate. Flooders are banned with no exception. If someone floods again, they will be IP banned.
Flooding also applies to Private Messaging. Anyone accused of Mass-PMing of any kind will be researched and banned immediately.
Summary:
- Do not flood forums or threads with posts.
- Do not mass-PM members.
2. Hacking –
If one tries to hack a username, the admin cp, the forums, or the server, they will be IP banned and have charges brought upon them.
Your Host/ISP will be contacted with proof, IP addresses, and all other information found regarding the attack.
Hacking may also bring legal trouble to your doorstep courtesy of the Administration.
Summary:
- Hacking is strictly prohibited and may bring you legal trouble.
- Host/ISP will be contacted if you try to hack.
These regulations are subject to change at any time and without notice. Please
refer here regularly to keep yourself abreast of the current terms and conditions
of your membership.
While the below are not specifically rules, I will refer to them as “member
priority.” Disobeying them will not result in a warning/ban unless the staff
decides it does.
1. Please use common sense when creating your sig. Do not make it too
big, although we don’t have a rule on limits.
2. Do not argue with warnings or these rules. You can discuss them with
the staff/members if you’d like, but arguing/fighting will not get you anywhere.
3. Do not ask to be a mod. Mods are chosen by their activity, how mature
they are, and how long they have been on the forums. Perform all of them and
your chance of being mod will increase. However, doing all of them does NOT
mean you will become a mod immediately. We have many members on the forum and
many that want to be a part of the staff. We do not wish to have a huge, uncontrollable
staff, so wait your turn and you will get a mod vote (the process we use in
choosing who becomes mod).
General explanations of stuff you need to know:
1. Admin: Short for Administrator. These are the people who are in
charge of the forum. They own the site and make everything you see before you
possible. They also have the final say in forum rulings. Follow their advice
whenever given to avoid the consequences.
2. Smod: Short for Super Moderator. These people are like regular mods
except they mod every forum instead of just a few. They are second-in-charge
when it comes to forum rulings and can issue warnings at any forum. (See: Mod)
3. Mod: Short for Moderator. These are regular members appointed the
task of modding a forum. They can issue warnings only in their forum and forums
that no one mods. They also take part in forum discussions regarding the future
of the forum and mod votes.
4. Mod Votes: These are polls in which mods (See: Mod) vote for a member
to become a mod. A vote consists of a yes or a no. Members put on vote are not
to told they are being voted on. When a person gets more yes’ then no’s, they
are PMed or otherwise notified that they won and they must agree to take part
in modship to become a mod.
5. PM: Short for Private Message. PM’s are personal messages you can
send to single members (or staff members) on the forum. No one else can read
these messages, not even admin. Do note that abuse via PM is also punishable
by warnings or a ban, although it is not directly stated in the rules above.
6. Ban: A ban is when a member decides to break the rules more than
once. That member will be banned, which means access to the forums will be disabled
for a period of time or forever. The member may also be put on a BOS.
7. BOS: Short for Ban-On-Sight. When a member is put on BOS status, whenever
an admin or staff member notices a member has been banned before, he/she will
be immediately banned no questions asked.
End Note: NZBoards is privately owned, operated, and funded. We have
the right to refuse service to anyone or terminate your account at any time.
