- Joined
- Jul 1, 2003
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:: Forum Rules
The Halflife2.net forums are a public discussion place and, while we encourage a free flow of information and ideas on the boards, we also ask that you follow a few basic rules. By using or participating on the Halflife2.net forums, you agree to the guidelines as stated below.
Back to basics
Before you post
Before posting on the HalfLife2.net forums there are a few checks you should make that are essential to ensure you don’t look rather foolish. Firstly, you need to make sure you’re in the correct forum. Secondly it’s always a great idea to read the first two pages of the thread index to ensure that your topic isn’t already being discussed. Then, just to ensure for one last time that it hasn’t already been discussed, please use the search function to see if it has been discussed or if you can find the answer to your question.
When you post
Try to make the post as coherent as possible including as much information and depth as possible. This will ensure that you get a good response to the discussion and get some worthwhile discussion from it. When posting always be polite, courteous and helpful. I’m sure this is how you all want to be treated so make sure you treat other people with the same regards. Keep swearing to an absolute minimum as it rarely adds any depth or quality to your post. When posting please also ensure that the post relates to the discussion and doesn’t divert on to the fact that you quite like pie.
After you post
This is an internet discussion forum. You must be aware that any responses following up from your original query or discussion may not necessarily agree with your own point of view. We all have our own opinions and a lot of us like to think ours is the only one that matters but everyone’s opinion is valid and therefore particular offence or argument should never really come as a result of expressing ones opinion.
Forum Etiquette
Racism
Racism is gladly not something we often have to deal with here, however there has been times where people have registered with racist names, or resorted to racial slurs on the forum. No matter what the context of the post is, racism is not something that will be tolerated and will acquire you an instant ban, without warning and with no exceptions to this rule. Your post will also be deleted.
Abusive and offensive language, flaming, bashing
There has been a recent trend in the amount of offensive and abusive posts on the forum. We’ve never had this happen much in the past and we don’t intend to let it carry on much further. There will also be a zero tolerance policy on anybody using offensive language or abuse directed at another forum member or moderator. Zero tolerance means you will be banned without warning and the ban penalty will be a set, unchangeable temporary ban of 10 days and there will be no exceptions to this rule. Your post/s will also be deleted.
Off topic posts and threads
Off topic posts in a thread will be deleted without warning. Additionally, any threads posted that have no relevance in a particular forum will be moved to the correct one, with a re-direct link to its new home. However, anybody found to be deliberately posting in the wrong forum because the correct forum isn’t as busy or similar reasons will have their thread simply closed or deleted and you will then have to re-post the thread yourself in the correct forum. You will also get a warning for deliberately doing this.
Spam
As it is with every forum there is always bound to be a certain level of spam that plagues the boards. However, it is still frowned upon quite a lot and any spam posts that are generally of no importance, single word posts, or completely off topic from the thread will be deleted. If it becomes a common occurrence you will be warned and then repeat offenders will be banned.
Advertising
Advertising on the HalfLife2.net forums is very much something we will always be willing to at least consider. If you have something to advertise on the forum then please just ask us first. It’s common courtesy, and no matter what it is you’re advertising, if you haven’t asked permission, we will remove your post and issue you with a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Copyrighted Material
Halflife2.net users agree not to post any material that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner(s) of said copyright, trademark or other proprietary right. This includes but is not limited to magazine, book scans, videos and copyrighted photos and pictures.
Piracy, ROMs, and Warez
We have a very strict policy against piracy, ROMs, warez, and the illegal use of copyrighted material. Linking or giving information about any site that distributes illegal software, ROMs, media, or emulators, seeking help to circumvent any copyright laws, admitting to possessing and/or distributing illegal copyrighted material, or encouraging software or media piracy is grounds for an immediate ban. It is also unacceptable to post first-hand impressions, reviews or screenshots of known pirated material.
Pornography
The forum is a place for people of all ages, and this includes a large proportion of people under the age of 18. Due to this fact, any type of pornography is not permitted on the forums as it is actually illegal for us to have links to pornography on our forums; likewise it is illegal for minors to view such material. Anybody seen to be posting pornography will at first be given a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Signature
Each forum member is entitled to a text signature of up to four lines only. If we find any signatures to be over this limit then we will ask the member to shorten it. If the signature is then still over the allotted limit, we reserve the right to edit the signature for you.
Disregarding a staff member’s request or warning
If a staff member of HalfLife2.net requests you to do something, such as resize your signature, and you are found to be deliberately ignoring that staff member then we will issue you with a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Circumventing Bans
If you log onto the Halflife2.net forums and receive a message that you have been banned, please email an admin to get in touch with you. You may NOT re register under a new name if the software lets you. But, if you try to sign up again and we catch you, then it will become a permanent IP Ban.
Impersonating Other Users
You may not impersonate another board member or create an account specifically for the purpose of provoking other users. Also, accessing or using someone else's account or attempting to access another poster's account is strictly prohibited.
Spoilers
Just because you know something about a game or movie it doesn't mean that everybody does. Be considerate of the other users who may not have seen what you're talking about. If you must say something then use a spoiler tag to cover up the information.
“In before close/ban/delete”
This constitutes as spam and will no longer be tolerated. Please refer to the rules on spam for this.
Questionable Content
These are public forums, so act like you would if you were in a public place. These issues are left to the discretion of the individual moderators, but may include any material that is knowingly false and or defamatory, misleading, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, that otherwise violates any law, or that encourages conduct constituting a criminal offence.
There are a lot of posts each day on the Halflife2.net forums, so we can't always promise you'll receive a warning every time action has to be taken. By registering at the Halflife2.net forums, users agree that any post deemed inappropriate may be removed at the sole discretion of Halflife2.net. Halflife2.net also has the right, at its sole discretion, to revoke forum privileges at any time without notice or reason. Think of these rules as a forewarning and, if you break them, you're taking your account status into your own hands.
Halflife2.net is not responsible for messages posted on the Halflife2.net forums or the content therein. Halflife2.net reserves the right to reveal the identity of or whatever information we know about any user in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by said user.
Reported Posts
With such a large community it is impossible for us to monitor every single post made on the forum. This would be the same if we had double the amount of staff we do now. Therefore it is plausible that moderators will overlook problematic posts. It is always a good idea, no matter what our point of view might be on the problem post, to report it to us. You can do this by clicking on the little (!) icon in the top right hand corner of each post. You will then need to write a brief but descriptive sentence/paragraph on what you think is wrong with the post. What happens next?
When a reported post form is filled out both an e-mail and a forum thread is generated. The e-mails get sent to all moderators e-mail inboxes and the thread is generated in a hidden forum we have that databases all of the reports. The procedure we take from here is as follows:
User Warnings
All warnings issued to forum members are logged in another hidden forum. When we give you a warning it is logged here. We also log if you’ve been banned before and obviously all of the circumstances that have lead to a certain action including evidence.
If you think there is something we have missed out here, or wish to clarify any of the rules, please contact any of the staff members for clarification
The Halflife2.net forums are a public discussion place and, while we encourage a free flow of information and ideas on the boards, we also ask that you follow a few basic rules. By using or participating on the Halflife2.net forums, you agree to the guidelines as stated below.
Back to basics
Before you post
Before posting on the HalfLife2.net forums there are a few checks you should make that are essential to ensure you don’t look rather foolish. Firstly, you need to make sure you’re in the correct forum. Secondly it’s always a great idea to read the first two pages of the thread index to ensure that your topic isn’t already being discussed. Then, just to ensure for one last time that it hasn’t already been discussed, please use the search function to see if it has been discussed or if you can find the answer to your question.
When you post
Try to make the post as coherent as possible including as much information and depth as possible. This will ensure that you get a good response to the discussion and get some worthwhile discussion from it. When posting always be polite, courteous and helpful. I’m sure this is how you all want to be treated so make sure you treat other people with the same regards. Keep swearing to an absolute minimum as it rarely adds any depth or quality to your post. When posting please also ensure that the post relates to the discussion and doesn’t divert on to the fact that you quite like pie.
After you post
This is an internet discussion forum. You must be aware that any responses following up from your original query or discussion may not necessarily agree with your own point of view. We all have our own opinions and a lot of us like to think ours is the only one that matters but everyone’s opinion is valid and therefore particular offence or argument should never really come as a result of expressing ones opinion.
Forum Etiquette
Racism
Racism is gladly not something we often have to deal with here, however there has been times where people have registered with racist names, or resorted to racial slurs on the forum. No matter what the context of the post is, racism is not something that will be tolerated and will acquire you an instant ban, without warning and with no exceptions to this rule. Your post will also be deleted.
Abusive and offensive language, flaming, bashing
There has been a recent trend in the amount of offensive and abusive posts on the forum. We’ve never had this happen much in the past and we don’t intend to let it carry on much further. There will also be a zero tolerance policy on anybody using offensive language or abuse directed at another forum member or moderator. Zero tolerance means you will be banned without warning and the ban penalty will be a set, unchangeable temporary ban of 10 days and there will be no exceptions to this rule. Your post/s will also be deleted.
Off topic posts and threads
Off topic posts in a thread will be deleted without warning. Additionally, any threads posted that have no relevance in a particular forum will be moved to the correct one, with a re-direct link to its new home. However, anybody found to be deliberately posting in the wrong forum because the correct forum isn’t as busy or similar reasons will have their thread simply closed or deleted and you will then have to re-post the thread yourself in the correct forum. You will also get a warning for deliberately doing this.
Spam
As it is with every forum there is always bound to be a certain level of spam that plagues the boards. However, it is still frowned upon quite a lot and any spam posts that are generally of no importance, single word posts, or completely off topic from the thread will be deleted. If it becomes a common occurrence you will be warned and then repeat offenders will be banned.
Advertising
Advertising on the HalfLife2.net forums is very much something we will always be willing to at least consider. If you have something to advertise on the forum then please just ask us first. It’s common courtesy, and no matter what it is you’re advertising, if you haven’t asked permission, we will remove your post and issue you with a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Copyrighted Material
Halflife2.net users agree not to post any material that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner(s) of said copyright, trademark or other proprietary right. This includes but is not limited to magazine, book scans, videos and copyrighted photos and pictures.
Piracy, ROMs, and Warez
We have a very strict policy against piracy, ROMs, warez, and the illegal use of copyrighted material. Linking or giving information about any site that distributes illegal software, ROMs, media, or emulators, seeking help to circumvent any copyright laws, admitting to possessing and/or distributing illegal copyrighted material, or encouraging software or media piracy is grounds for an immediate ban. It is also unacceptable to post first-hand impressions, reviews or screenshots of known pirated material.
Pornography
The forum is a place for people of all ages, and this includes a large proportion of people under the age of 18. Due to this fact, any type of pornography is not permitted on the forums as it is actually illegal for us to have links to pornography on our forums; likewise it is illegal for minors to view such material. Anybody seen to be posting pornography will at first be given a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Signature
Each forum member is entitled to a text signature of up to four lines only. If we find any signatures to be over this limit then we will ask the member to shorten it. If the signature is then still over the allotted limit, we reserve the right to edit the signature for you.
Disregarding a staff member’s request or warning
If a staff member of HalfLife2.net requests you to do something, such as resize your signature, and you are found to be deliberately ignoring that staff member then we will issue you with a warning. Repeat offenders will be banned.
Circumventing Bans
If you log onto the Halflife2.net forums and receive a message that you have been banned, please email an admin to get in touch with you. You may NOT re register under a new name if the software lets you. But, if you try to sign up again and we catch you, then it will become a permanent IP Ban.
Impersonating Other Users
You may not impersonate another board member or create an account specifically for the purpose of provoking other users. Also, accessing or using someone else's account or attempting to access another poster's account is strictly prohibited.
Spoilers
Just because you know something about a game or movie it doesn't mean that everybody does. Be considerate of the other users who may not have seen what you're talking about. If you must say something then use a spoiler tag to cover up the information.
“In before close/ban/delete”
This constitutes as spam and will no longer be tolerated. Please refer to the rules on spam for this.
Questionable Content
These are public forums, so act like you would if you were in a public place. These issues are left to the discretion of the individual moderators, but may include any material that is knowingly false and or defamatory, misleading, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, that otherwise violates any law, or that encourages conduct constituting a criminal offence.
There are a lot of posts each day on the Halflife2.net forums, so we can't always promise you'll receive a warning every time action has to be taken. By registering at the Halflife2.net forums, users agree that any post deemed inappropriate may be removed at the sole discretion of Halflife2.net. Halflife2.net also has the right, at its sole discretion, to revoke forum privileges at any time without notice or reason. Think of these rules as a forewarning and, if you break them, you're taking your account status into your own hands.
Halflife2.net is not responsible for messages posted on the Halflife2.net forums or the content therein. Halflife2.net reserves the right to reveal the identity of or whatever information we know about any user in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by said user.
Reported Posts
With such a large community it is impossible for us to monitor every single post made on the forum. This would be the same if we had double the amount of staff we do now. Therefore it is plausible that moderators will overlook problematic posts. It is always a good idea, no matter what our point of view might be on the problem post, to report it to us. You can do this by clicking on the little (!) icon in the top right hand corner of each post. You will then need to write a brief but descriptive sentence/paragraph on what you think is wrong with the post. What happens next?
When a reported post form is filled out both an e-mail and a forum thread is generated. The e-mails get sent to all moderators e-mail inboxes and the thread is generated in a hidden forum we have that databases all of the reports. The procedure we take from here is as follows:
- The reported post is seen in the reported post forum, or the reported post is sent to our e-mail accounts.
- We open the reported post and see what the issue is.
- Action is taken.
User Warnings
All warnings issued to forum members are logged in another hidden forum. When we give you a warning it is logged here. We also log if you’ve been banned before and obviously all of the circumstances that have lead to a certain action including evidence.
If you think there is something we have missed out here, or wish to clarify any of the rules, please contact any of the staff members for clarification
