Petitions Forum Rules & Guidelines - Updated 12/17/09

[The Admin]

Petitions Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the Petitions forum! Petitions is the place for Gaians to gather signatures to show how popular a suggested enhancement, feature, or idea relating to improving Gaia is. Keep in mind that Petitions is an extension of Site Feedback, by posting here you are attempting to get people to support your idea by "signing" the petition. If the purpose of your thread is to give or collect feedback on your ideas then you should create it in Site Feedback.

Please note that there is no set amount of signatures required to get a petition passed. Gaia takes member feedback very seriously, and has acted upon a number of member petitions. However, there is a wide range of factors that Gaia needs to consider for every site change, so we can’t promise to act on any particular idea, regardless of how popular it is.

Petitions relating to Gaia are welcome here, with a few exceptions:

• Bug Reports & Technical Support Forum: All bugs and glitches on non-game related things go in the main forum. (Games Bugs has its own subforum.) Just double check the front page to see if there's another user with the same problem - if not, feel free to make your own thread.
  
• Questions & Assistance: A forum brimming full of super helpful Gaians to get you on your way.
  
• Report Advertisements: Adult oriented and other inappropriate ads sometimes slip through the filters. If you got one, please report it here.
  
• Site Feedback: If you have a suggestion but aren't collecting signatures then create a feedback thread instead.
  

Navigation:

• Introduction
  
• Petition Guidelines
  
• Posting Guidelines
  
• How to Report

[The Admin]

Petition Guidelines

• Threads created here must be in the form of petitions.
  A petition is made up of two sections, description and signature list.
  
  • The description is usually the first post and it is a description of the idea that you want people to support. This should include reasoning that supports the petition.
    
    
  • The signature list is a list of names of everyone who have decided to support the petition. This should be numbered and the easiest way to manage the signature list is as demonstrated:
    
    1. User 1
       
    2. User 2
       
    3. etc...
    [list=1][*] User 1
    [*] User 2
    [*] etc...[/list]
  
  
  There are also two optional components, banners linking to the petition (make sure all banners meet Gaia's signature standards) and quotes from users throughout the thread. These are not required, but can add extra depth and support to your petition. It may be useful to reserve several extra posts when setting up a petition.
  
  
• Check the Frequently Mentioned Issues sticky before posting.
  Frequently Mentioned Issues (FMI) cover issues that have been mentioned many times in the past and so we ask that you do not petition for anything already covered by this sticky.
  
  
• All petitions must relate to Gaia Online.
  Ideally petitions should be targeted towards features and items on Gaia. Please do not make petitions for things that are not related to Gaia.
  
  
• Please do not create user-centered petitions.
  Petitions should be targeted towards features and items. Please do not create petitions about a specific individual or group.
  
  This involves, but is not limited to:
  
  • Petitions to elect yourself or other members of Gaia for positions on the moderation or administration teams.
    There is a moderator application system which can be used to apply for moderating positions.
    
    
  • Petitions for the removal of a staff member.
    Please don't petition for the removal of any member of Gaia's staff (artists/admin/developers/staff/moderators/forum assistants etc...).
    
    If you have a question about a moderator action against your account, please send a PM to that moderator instead of making a thread in Site Feedback. They should be able to address your concern and offer you a more detailed explanation. If you feel that a specific moderator is targeting you unfairly for abuse or taking advantage of their powers, please send an email to [e-mail]. Keep in mind that this is for serious, legitimate complaints after you have already PMed the moderator in question asking for a clearer explanation regarding an action.
    
    
  • Petitions for the banning or unbanning of any users on Gaia.
    If a user is violating the Terms of Service, please use the report system to bring them to the attention of the moderators.
    
    If you aren't sure why you were banned, please send a private message to any Site Moderator to inquire about the ban reason. If feel you have been banned unfairly, please submit a General Inquiry ticket through Gaia's help system.
    
    
  • Petitions to have a particular user made into an item.
    There are thousands of members on Gaia and so if every individual created a petition to be made into an item we'd have nothing else. Please don't create petitions revolving around yourself or another person.
  
  
  
• Do not artificially inflate signatures in your petition.
  Artificially inflating can range from falsifying the signature list (where you record signatures of people who didn't sign or ones you've made up) to using mule accounts to sign or encouraging users to sign by offering rewards.
  
  If the petition creator is caught artificially inflating their petition (through faking the signature list or using mule accounts to sign their petition) or encourages users to artificially inflate petitions then the petition will be removed.
  
  
• To count a post as a signature the user must explicitly say they are signing.
  We allow discussion about petitions in this forum so to count a post as a signature the user must say they're signing. You cannot forbid users from giving reasonable negative feedback on your petition, and statements such as "If you post, you sign!" will result in your thread being removed.
  
  
• Signatures must be posted in your petition, not PMed.
  To count a user as signing they must post in your petition saying they want to sign. You cannot collect signatures from PMs or unrelated threads. If you have a previous petition and are recreating the thread for formatting reasons, you may include all the previous signatures as long as you can still link to the thread and mention they come from the old thread. However if the petition's focus changes you must start fresh with no signatures.
  
  
• Advertising your petition through PMs is prohibited.
  These are considered chain letters and/or advertising. If anyone sends one to you, you should report it using the button labeled "Report This PM".
  
  
• Multiple petitions are allowed on the same subject.
  However it gives us a much better idea of how many people want something if everyone signs the same petition or petitions are centralized to a single thread.
  
  
• Your petition should use an informative title.
  An informative title not only gives your thread a focus, but it also attracts more attention from Users, Moderators, Developers and Admins alike. This is just a helpful hint, petitions will not be removed based on the quality of their title alone.
  Good examples: "My Gaia Upgrade Petition" "Please bring back the "no mouth" option petition".
  Bad examples: "The state of Gaia" "Something that annoys me" "I'm angry!"
  
  
• Visual presentation matters:
  11% of the male population is colorblind. 5% of young people are ADHD. Many people need corrective lenses for reading. Please make it easier for everyone by using a "clean" normal-sized format for your text. This is just a suggestion to make it easier on everyone to view your petition.
  
  
• Space matters:
  Your petition needs to fit the required standard that is outlined above. Make sure to reserve enough posts on the front page of your thread to work with in the future as your petition may grow. You don't want your petition to end up cramped as the thread grows in the future.
  
  You should create your petition in Gaia's Test Forum and when it is ready report it or contact a moderator of the forum to move it for you.
  
  
• Being polite gets you heard.
  This is just a suggestion but it's important to note. Not every petition is going to be positive and that's fine, but if your topic is written in an extremely aggressive manner it's harder to get your point across and is likely to provoke negative reactions from other users.
  
  
• We will not sticky any petition.
  Please don't ask smile

[The Admin]

Posting Guidelines

When you post in a petition we ask that you follow these guidelines.

• Please stay on topic.
  Discussion in this forum should relate to the petition you are posting in. "Hang-out" threads are not allowed here.
  
  
• Criticism of the subject of the petition is allowed, but must remain civil.
  Repeating your objections ad nauseam may be considered harassment. Never resort to flaming or other abuse in order to express your point of view.
  
  
• You may sign petitions with images, but please remember that images should be reasonably sized. Images which are excessively large and break the page format (forcing users to scroll horizontally or a great deal vertically to continue reading the thread) should be reported as spam.
  
  
• Do not quote any sections containing a signature list/set up post or a large number of images which stretch the page.
  This is considered disruptive spamming. Any posts that break this rule will be removed, and the person that posted them will be officially warned. This will lead to a ban if it those warned continue to break this rule.
  
  
• Please do not advertise in other users' petition threads.
  Doing so will be considered advertising and dealt with accordingly.

[The Admin]

Misplaced Threads

• Gaia related questions: Off to the Questions & Assistance forum you go!
  
  
• Gaia related discussion (not feedback): Take a look at the Main Forum index for all the main forums that Gaia has. As there are lots of sub forums, try clicking on the left hand icons (the wing above "Gaia Online" for example) to show all the sub forums in that category.
  
  
• Bugs, glitches & other technical stuff: Take a look at the Bug Reports & Technical Support Forum to see if there's another Gaian with your issue and post in their thread. If not, please feel free to create your own thread with all the information required by the forum guidelines.
  
  
• Spam: Spam her up, chat or bump to your hearts content in the Chatterbox - where anything goes as long as it's okay by the Terms of Service (TOS).
  
  
• Feedback: If you want to offer feedback/make a suggestion but you don't want to create a petition, then check out Site Feedback.
  
  
• Protesting a specific moderator action: If you have a question about a moderator action against your account, please send a PM to that moderator instead of making a thread in Site Feedback. They should be able to address your concern and offer you a more detailed explanation. If you feel that a specific moderator is targeting you unfairly for abuse or taking advantage of their powers, please send an email to [e-mail]. Keep in mind that this is for serious, legitimate complaints after you have already PMed the moderator in question asking for a clearer explanation regarding an action.
  
  
• Protesting a ban: If you feel that a ban has been unjustly put, the Gaian who was banned must fill out a General Inquiry form found under the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page. Simply select "General Inquiry" from the drop down, and click the "here" to show the form.

[The Admin]

How to Report

Abuse of the report system will result in a warning or ban of your account.

Report a Post

Use the button when an individual post in a topic contains inappropriate content.

Reasons to Report a Post:


• The content of the post violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The content of the post is off-topic.
  
  
• The member who made the post has a signature which violates the rules.

Report a Topic

Use the Report this Topic button at the bottom of the page when a topic is not appropriate for the forum.

Reasons to Report a Topic:


• The topic violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The topic is in the wrong forum and should be moved to a more appropriate forum.

If you need to contact a moderator via Private Message, please use the "View Forum Moderator" link at the top of this forum to find a moderator.



Report Hacking, Scamming or Abuse & Harassment?

The Hacking, Scamming and Abuse or Harassment report forms can be found at the bottom of the forum index. When submitting a report, ensure that you fill out all fields and include as much relevant information as possible.

Report A Hacking
Use this form to report a Hacking. Hacking, on Gaia Online, refers to the unauthorized access of an account by someone other than the account owner. In most typical hacking cases, an unauthorized person enters an account which does not belong to him or her and takes items or gold from the account, often changing the account information so that the original owner can no longer access his or her account.

Report A Scamming
Use this form to report a Scamming. Scamming is when another member of Gaia takes your gold or items, or tries to take your gold or items, by making false promises of giving you rare items, get-rich-quick schemes, or by any other deceptive means. Scamming generally involves a situation in which two members of Gaia make an arrangement to trade gold, items, or a Gaia approved service (e.g. avatar art commission) with each other and then one of the parties involved in the arrangement fails to live up to his or her promise of an exchange.

Report Abuse or Harassment
Use this form to report ongoing Abuse or Harassment. If you are reporting harassment or abuse that is occurring directly in a thread, please use the "Report This Post" button instead.