Science and Technology: Rules and Guidelines

[The Admin]

Science and Technology Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the Science and Technology forum, a sub-forum of Extended Discussion! Science and Technology is intended for in-depth discussions on topics involving biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, technology, ecology, or anything else related to science. You can discuss the latest trends in robot design, theories on dinosaur extinction, or even the discuss the best ways to grow a specific plant. Keep in mind that it is a sub-forum of Extended Discussion, and as such topics should be thoughtful, multi-dimensional, and encourage discussion from other users.


As a member, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the forum's rules before posting. Posting in this forum implies that you read and understand the rules and guidelines and that you accept responsibility for the appropriateness of your thread or post.


Navigation:

1. Introduction
   
2. General Posting Guidelines
   
3. Rules & Guidelines for Posting in Science and Technology
   
4. How to Report
   

[The Admin]

General Posting Guidelines

Please be sure to follow the Terms of Service and Rules and Guidelines here, as in all forums.

Common violations to avoid:

Posting in Misplaced Threads: Anyone found spamming or flaming in response to a troll thread, spam thread, or misplaced thread will be treated just as harshly, if not more than the creator of the thread. There is a zero tolerance policy on this. The way to enforce the rules in ED is to make liberal use of the report system, not take matters into your own hands, which makes you absolutely no better than they are. This includes posting to tell a user they are in the wrong forum as this could potentially create more spam.

Spam: Posts that are gibberish, off-topic, contain advertisements or begging, or have low or no content are considered spam. Please ensure that your posts are on topic and contain an appropriate amount of discussable content. If you make threads that lack an in-depth discussion, your thread may be moved to the GD, LD, or CB, depending on content.

Flaming & trolling: Posts directed at another member which are hateful, abusive, or intentionally inflammatory are considered flaming. Making intentionally inflammatory or provocative posts to incite responses from other members is considered trolling.

Terms of Service violations may result in a warning or a ban on your account.

If you find Terms of Service violations, or threads that may need moved to a different forum, please use an appropriate report. The procedures for doing so can be found here.

You can find online moderators by following the "View Forum Moderators" link at the top of the forum.


Gaia Staff will NEVER ask for your password! If anyone asks you for your password, report it.

[The Admin]

Rules & Guidelines for Posting in Science and Technology


Threads that belong in Science and Technology:

• Threads related to biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, technology, ecology, or anything else related to science, provided they allow for EXTENDED discussion. If your thread is judged to be low content or not sufficient for the forum, it may be moved to GD or CB depending on the content
  
  
• Threads based on an article, provided the entire thread does not consist of a link or a massive quote and a sentence or two about the article. Often an article about a new scientific discovery is a good starting point for discussion; however ED requires active involvement from users. If you wish to reference an article, feel free to link or quote specific portions of it. Then write a thought-provoking post that requires responses beyond "wow that is cool" or "I think this proves x theory!" You should include your thoughts on the article (why you think it is important or worth discussing, how it fits into your debate, specific parts you agree or disagree with, whether it's a valid discovery, etc) and provide enough content for other users to make worthwhile contributions to the thread.
  
  Do not copy directly from sources and claim them as your own, or you will be warned for plagiarism. You are strongly encouraged to use sources to back up your claims, but please make sure you clearly cite them within your post.
  
  
• Repeat threads are acceptable as long as they provide a new angle to discuss, or another thread on the subject has been inactive for awhile. Keep in mind that constantly repeated topics may be recycled.
  

Threads that do not belong in Science and Technology

• Other Extended Discussion threads. If you want to have an in-depth discussion on a topic not related to science or technology, please use the Extended Discussion forum.
  
  
• General discussion threads with lower content. A short post simply asking "what do you think of robots?" does not really provoke the in-depth discussion required for this forum. Depending on the content, it would be better suited to either the General Discussion or the Chatterbox forum. Also, threads or posts consisting of one line may be considered spam unless they add something valuable to the discussion. Low content topics will be moved.
  
  
• Survey/Poll threads: This is not the appropriate forum for a quick survey, as it requires people to respond without actually creating a discussion. Please keep surveys in the Chatterbox where they belong.
  
  
• Threads with spoof titles. These usually have offensive or misleading titles to draw users in. While attention grabbing titles are fine, make sure they are directly related to the discussion and to avoid trolling, or you may be warned.
  
  
• Threads that are more appropriate for the Computers and Technology forum or the C&T Tech Talk forum. If you are having problems with your computer or need help with a technological device, please use the Computers and Technology forum. If you want to discuss anything hi-tech, but are not looking for an extensive debate or a level of content required for ED, please use the C&T Tech Talk forum.
  
  
• Threads that would be appropriate elsewhere: This forum is not the place for asking Gaia related questions, buying and selling Gaian items, music threads, sports threads, etc. Please go to the appropriate forums.
  
  
• DO NOT make threads asking other users to do your homework, or offering a homework service for users. Not only is this dishonest, but it is also considered plagiarism, and can result in a warning on your account.
  

[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.