Forum rules

[The Raven]

Forum rules are alpha and omega in handling users because they know what is allowed and what is not. However, I've seen many forum don't even have rules written down or they are very loose. And then, when the problem occurs, they find it reasonable to "punish" the member even tough there are no forum rules to back up the punishment. It is like getting the sentence for a crime there is no law for.

Do you have forum rules or not? Do you copy/paste forum rules from more successful forums?

 

[Al]

I prefer a community which polices itself. I don't like loads of rules. It should be common sense:

Don't do anything illegal.
Don't be a dickhead.

 

[The Raven]

I prefer a community which polices itself. I don't like loads of rules. It should be common sense:

Don't do anything illegal.
Don't be a dickhead.

You know how they say "What is normal for a spider is nightmare for a fly". Common sense is not same for everybody. I've been on a forum where a person is hardcore racist and administrator is chilling about it.

 

[Aaron]

I don't have any rules set up but I'm hoping that the people who access my forum have common sense too.

 

[Arantor]

I used to basically have three rules.

1. Admin is god, in charge of all things.
2. Don’t be a jerk. Your god will judge you.
3. In case of questions see 1 and 2.

I may have phrased them differently over the years but this was the general attitude. In any case, leading by example works generally pretty well.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I have a good set of rules on my forums, treat everyone with respect regardless of their views on politics, religion, etc. Don't share illegal material like download links to cracked software or pirated shows, and don't backseat moderate. I never have a community without rules, I would imagine it would be a chaotic community without rules.

 

[Jane]

Yes I have ‘guidelines’. Stick to them..no problems.

 

[Empire]

Basic, rules are meant to follow and people do no always follow them, Basic and common sense

 

[Jane]

People obey my rules or…

 

[Bluezone777]

I prefer a community which polices itself. I don't like loads of rules. It should be common sense:

Don't do anything illegal.
Don't be a dickhead.

I agree which is pretty much how I ran my communities when I had them and in spite of what some might think, they were for the most part peaceful with hardly a problem of any kind to be had anywhere. If you position yourself as a person worthy of respect then you won't need endless rules and lots of people to run around looking for violations of those rules.

 

[Al]

Exactly, @Bluezone777 - the more rules you have the more infringements you'll inevitably get. Keep things simple, be fluid to situations and rely on people understanding the ethos of your forum. THIS IS THE WAY.

 

[Cory]

The primary rule I like to highlight is the first rule listed in my forum rules, and that's to follow the TOS of the forum software. Most rules you could have for a forum can be found in the TOS. Other than that, it's pretty basic rules like no post/PM advertising, no bypassing the word filter, only one account allowed per user, etc.

 

[Reverie]

Some rules are common sense you would think. Having these more written out though does help when anything may arise. It can become frustrating if people argue about the rules. In the end if they don't like the rules - they will either stay and deal with it or they will leave. You are the owner of your community, you can always take feedback for rules at the beginning if that helps build your community as well.

 

[Shortie]

I am a firm believer that you need forum rules to ensure that there are boundaries on your forum and that your members know how to behave within the forum.

I never copy and paste rules from other forums but I do tend to have the basic rules in place that many forums will have as well as having my own rules that I feel are needed on my forum.