Forum Etiquette~ How To Survive In An Online Community
The EAUK Community is a fairly big one. There are people here from all over the world and have been brought here by their enjoyment of many different types of games.
With this in mind, please be considerate of others and remember that we have members here as young as 13. Therefore it is important to adhere to the
Forum Guidelines regarding what is and what is not acceptable to post.
While healthy discussion is part and parcel of the forum experience, being tolerant of the views of others is equally important. It is better to walk away from a thread with your head held high than to be drawn in to an argument that will take the thread 'Off Topic' and most likely land you with an experience with the
Infraction System.
So here a few pointers that expand on some areas of the Forum Guildelines and should help you get the most out of you time with us here at EAUK:
- Reporting Inappropriate Content
From time to time you are likely to see comments, images, information or links that are not suitable or acceptable to be seen on the forum. When you see this type of content, do not post in reaction to it or ignore it. Please report it so that a member of the Moderation or Admin Team can deal with the post if required.
The way to report a post is to click on the image that looks like a road sign that is shown to the left of the post below the members profile details and avatar if they use one. Complete the short form as clearly as you can with your reason for reporting to help the post be dealt with easily.
This way, we can work together to keep the forum a safe place to be for all.
- Tolerance Of Others
Please treat the members here as you would wish to be treated yourself.
Respect the views and opinions of others, even if you do not agree with what they say. You can voice your own opinions without slating theirs.
Also remember that, as there are people here who's first language is not English, or who struggle with grammer and spelling, it is not necessary to correct people or to pick up on their errors. Posting on the forum is not an English test.
- Spamming
Spam is posting that is not constructive and can also refer to making the same posts or threads in more than one place on the forum. Spamming is not acceptable and is more likely to be seen as an irritant than a help or a laugh to your fellow community members.
- Double/Multiple Posting
Double or multiple posting is when you make two or more posts in a thread without anyone posting between them. There is usually no need for this to be done, although it can be acceptable in your own Manager Mode threads, Fansites threads or Sims 2 Diaries.
Use the edit button to add more content to your post and everyone will be happy.
- Smiley Abuse
Smilies are also commonly used on forums and in other places on the web. They help people to see how you are feeling as it can be hard to portray the thoughts behind your comment. However, repeated posts that consist of smilies only are not constructive and are also another way to spam so be sure that you don't get carried away with the smilies and forget to make a relevant contribution to the thread.
- Regional Differences
With our members being from places far and wide, there will be times that a member uses a word or phrase that you may not understand. Go ahead and ask what they mean! That way we all get to learn new things and are more able to understand each other. Please consider other users when you post and avoid using excessive text talk, slang, L337 and colloquialisms as these will only make your posts harder to understand.
- Highjacking
Highjacking threads is very bad manners and will land you in trouble. This means posting in a thread in a way that is not relevant to the original topic with a view to changing the topic all together. If you have a totally unrelated question, then create another thread to discuss it rather than highjacking one.
- Easy Does It
Bounding in with your first post declaring that you are the best FIFA player EVER or that you have the most amazingly cool something or other and that you rule is not going to win you many friends or gain you admiration.
Take time to read the forums and see the way that people interact with each other so that you don't make a first impression that you wish you could take back.
Please remember above all that everyone here is a human being, and to treat people equally and fairly so that we can maintain a happy and healthy community
