General Discussion Rules and Guidelines - UPDATED NOV 1

[The Admin]

General Discussion Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the General Discussion [GD] forum! GD is intended for general discussion on a variety of topics which might be too low-content for more dedicated forums.

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. Rules & Guidelines for Posting in the GD
   
3. General Posting Guidelines
   
4. How to Report
   

[The Admin]

Rules & Guidelines for Posting in GD

Threads that are Appropriate for GD - Threads that are open for other users to comment, and discuss

• Discussion topics that fit into other relevant discussion forums but have low content (ex: Lifestyle Discussion, Entertainment Discussion, Music, Computers & Technology etc.):
  

  I have a date, GD!

  What would you guys do for a first date? I'm stuck with no ideas, and my date is tomorrow!

  
  
• Topics suited for Journals but have discussion:
  

  After school for 3 hours?!

  Yeah, I failed algebra because my teacher TOTALLY hates me. Now I'm stuck in an after school class for 3 hours! I don't know how to fix my grade! GEEDEE what am I going to do!? crying

  
  
• Polls and single question threads that encourage discussion:
  

  Ketchup on Mac & Cheese?

  I love mac & cheese but need ideas to spice it up. What can I put on it?

  
  
  
• Picdrop threads in which you post an image and ask other users to discuss the image ARE allowed in The GD as long as they meet the following standards:
  - The image is of yourself or one which you have the rights to use
  - The image is not being posted to abuse, harass, torment, or in any way mock, belittle, or harm yourself or anyone else. No "Uggodrops"
  - The image is posted with no intent to solicit negative responses, but rather to share a positive message.
  
  
  Threads NOT Appropriate for GD - Threads that are not open for other users to comment, and discuss
  
  
  • Threads that have some content to them, but do not have discussion:
    

    DONUTS

    I LIKE DONUTS

    
    
  • Gibberish threads with no content are considered spam, and will be moved to the Recycle Bin. Spamming will result in a warning:
    

    ffffffffffffffff

    question xd blaugh heart lol evil twisted ninja blahblahsldkfs

    
    
  • Threads with no purpose outside of listing names are considered spam. Spamming will result in a warning. If the intent behind the thread is to insult another user, a warning for abuse will also be issued:
    
    

    OMG I HATE YOU JILL

    Jill is the most annoying GDer ever! I hate you!

    
    
    

    JILL IS PRETTY (PIX INSIDE)

    Jill is soooo pretty!!!
    -image of Jill here-
    Discuss: Jill

    
    
    
  • HoTs (Hang out Threads) are NOT allowed in the GD forum. We have a specific forum for this, called Friends Chat, located under the Welcome to Gaia forum.
    
    
  • Threads complaining about your recent warning or ban. GD is not a place to rant about either of these. If you wish to contest a ban, please use the Feedback Form.
    
    
  • "Uggodrop" threads in which you post an image and/or make a comment about "how ugly" someone is are not allowed. These are forms of abuse, and will be dealt with as abuse.
    
  
  
  FAQ
  
  • What are some topics I can post about? I can't think of any ideas!
    
    
    Potential Topics to Discuss:
    
    • Pets
      
    • Current News/Trends
      
    • Relationships/Friendships
      
    • General discussion of a music, television, or book related topic that would not be more appropriate for another forum
      
    • Light debates on any controversial issue
      
    • History
      
    • General school related topics
      
    
    
    
    
    
    
    My topic got sent to the Chatterbox, but there was discussion. What happened?
    The topic you created didn't have enough discussable content. Threads that gather many posts and pages in a short amount of time does not mean there's enough content to warrant staying in the General Discussion forum. Moderators look at the first post and take the content posted into consideration when moving a thread - not how many pages it has.
    
    Why did you warn me instead of [insert username]? Why are you bothering with me when there are REAL violations?
    Moderators do not have psychic abilities yet, and unfortunately can't be everywhere at once. If you have questions concerning your warning, please reply to the moderator with respectful questions to why the warning was given. If you are unable to contact that moderator, please contact another moderator to assist you. If you feel that someone is violating the Terms of Service, Rules & Guidelines or the General Discussion Forum Rules, please use the appropriate "Report" button and a moderator will look at it.

[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:

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.

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.

Sexually explicit content: Posting, requesting, distributing, or offering sexually explicit material is not permitted anywhere on Gaia. Sexually explicit content includes explicit photographs, text, artwork, video, or cybersex conversations.

• Only extremely limited artistic nudity is acceptable on Gaia. If you are unsure whether a particular image follows this guideline, ask a mod. You are responsible for what you post..
  
• Cleavage shown in images are not considered to be in violation of any explicit content rules. However this only applies as long as they do not show any n****e.
  • Images of cleavage/breasts or private areas not covered with any clothing even if blocked by limbs, a sign, other objects, etc. is considered overly revealing and thus not allowed.
    
  • Having only see-through clothing including but not limited to transparent bras, panties, etc. covering private areas are not sufficient to prevent an image from being overly revealing and thus a violation.
    
  • Posting images of yourself wearing only your underwear (the Gaia definition of underwear includes bras) or images in which you are deliberately exposing your underwear, are not allowed on Gaia.

Graphic Content: Overly graphic material is not allowed anywhere on Gaia, so please do not post excessively violent, gory, or otherwise disturbing images. If you are unsure on a particular image then you can ask a moderator to make sure it is acceptable BEFORE posting it on the forum.

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]

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.