Update the Rules?

[Kyng]

It is quite simple, really. To my knowledge, all legal systems have some manner which they use to update their laws. Why do they update their laws? So that they stay relevant with the times, are up to date and improved, and to make whatever they govern run better.

YCM's Rules haven't been touched in 4 years. That is a year more than since the original rules had been changed. That is 4 years' worth of change, improvement we've missed out on. You could argue that we haven't needed it, but with the recent episodes that have occurred here and potentially what has happened before is what I'll use to dispute this.

While some rules indeed do not need to be altered, any ambiguity that may or may not be prevelent should by now be abolished (such as, for example, "No Trolling" which, though a rule of the forum, seems not to be put into practise whatsoever as it is violated by members and staff alike (myself included, of course).)

In addition, since there has been threads surrounding specific terminology, perhaps a definitive list of defined terms (such as flaming, necro-bumping, etc) should be added, specifically to inform people of what thy are and how it is regarded on the forum.

Furthermore, another suggestion I've got on the top of my head would be an explanation on the Warning System used in YCM, how it works, what warning points mean, etc.

Realistic Card's member-created guides (http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/304045-guide-to-the-realistic-cards-section/ and http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/304872-a-guide-to-making-cards-card-art-sources/ respectively) should be what standard our Forum's Rules are at, or higher.

Is there any reason not to? I wouldn't think so.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

I agree with this.

Frunk wrote the current ones back in 2010, and seeing that he's no longer a mod and this isn't old YCM, we need new ones to reflect them (or revise some of the existing stuff for clarity)

 

As for terms members should know: Flaming/trolling, (necro)bumping, multiple posting, some GFX terms (ripping, render, LP, etc) and so forth would be helpful to know. It would be nice to put a note about attachments, since new members have a tendency to use them to post their cards, and why we don't like them. Of course, the section-specific terms can be covered by that section's particular rules (which may/may not differ from the global rules). A note about spambots should be added as well; though Yin's announcement covers that. 

[Cin]

Another look at the rules would be a good idea.

[Kyng]

Well, with 90+ views, the support of 6 members and a moderator, and literally no devil's advocate present, can this be put into motion?

[Aix]

I intend to put this as an announcement so that it can be accessed from anywhere in the forum.
[spoiler="Tell me if I missed anything"]So voilà an updated and revised version of the rules that also links to the rules of each individual section. Some of it is copy and pasted and modified from Frunk's version.
 
First of all, staff have final say.
 
Moderators of YCM have been appointed to their positions because they have the confidence of the administration. This means, essentially, whatever they say goes, whether it be locking a thread or banning a member. If you are not a moderator yourself, you do not have a say on what the site moderation does, nor should you be telling members what they can or cannot do unless you are simply advising them of the rules - this is all called "backseat moderation" or "mini-modding" and may warrant a warn. If you want to help the moderation team, the best thing you can do is use the Report system, which is done by clicking the "Report" button that appears beneath every post.
 
You must follow moderators' instructions at all times. It's their job to keep the forum running smoothly and if they ask you to do something it is indeed for the good of the forum.
 
Moderators do, however, have to abide by these rules, so if you feel a moderator has made an incorrect or unfair decision, bring it up with them in a calm manner with a Private Message (PM). Do not complain about it in public (e.g. in the status bar or in a thread). Attacking a moderator will also likely get you into even more trouble. If PMing them does not work, feel free to contact a Super Moderator.
 
Most infringements of the rules will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and the punishments will vary. If you are ever unsure of anything, please PM a moderator for confirmation beforehand.
 
[spoiler=Main Site Rules]The following rules apply to the entire site. Please read through them thoroughly.
 
No inappropriate content.
 
YCM is a family-friendly forum home to users of all ages. Members may not post, or link to, anything that a reasonable person would consider far beyond the bounds of PG-13, including, but not limited to, coarse language, any form of pornography, and derogatory or discriminatory material or content, except in the Roleplay and the Creative Writing sections where you may post or link to PG-16 content in any threads labelled with PG-16 in the title. What is inappropriate will be determined by moderators on a case-by-case basis. If you are unsure, feel free to PM a member of staff and ask for clarification before you make your post.
 
No illegal content.
 
Simply, it is prohibited for users to post any content that breaks any laws or infringes copyright. This includes, but is not limited to, information and resources relating to hacking, promotion of terrorism (including cyber-terrorism), and so on. If you are unsure, feel free to PM a member of staff and ask for clarification before you make your post.
 
Also, it is strictly prohibited to breach privacy of anyone, whether they be a member of YCM or not. You may not post any real-world information, like full names, addresses, etc., and, notably including, logs of IM conversations, private messages (if a PM breaks a rule, PM a moderator directly - do not quote it on the forum), emails or other such information without express permission of all parties involved.
 
No plagiarism.
 
"Plagiarism", as defined in the 1995 Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, is the "use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." On YCM, it is strictly prohibited to post anything that is not your own, original work, and claim it as your own.
 
No spamming.
 
Spamming on YCM means posting something that does not contribute to, and may even detract from, the topic of the thread. Short, meaningless posts (e.g. posting "lol" or random images), intentionally going off-topic in a thread, posting twice in a row in a topic within a 24 hour period, flooding any part of the board with threads and/or replies, making threads and/or replies identical or almost identical in nature to ones that already exist, and etc. all count as spam.
 
Spamming has a default punishment of 3 warning points.
 
No flaming or malicious behaviour.
 
Do not purposefully provoke and/or attack another member. If someone has provoked you, settle it in a mature manner or bring it up with the mods. YCM is a place where nobody should feel harassed. Harrassing another member of YCM in any way, on or off the forum, will never be tolerated, no matter what you think that person did to "deserve" such treatment.
 
No account or feature abuse.
 
Membership to YCM is a privledge, not a right. It is obviously prohibited for any member to abuse any part of their account or other feature of the site, namely profile information fields, avatars, signatures, the calendar, the Private Message system, the Report system, the Reputation system, the Points system, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Maker, and/or of course access to the board itself, and/or utilise these privledges in order to break any rules or mess around and cause trouble.
 
Members of YCM are not allowed more than one account. There is no reason for you to have more, and any "double accounts", and potentially your "main account", will be banned.
 
No necrobumping.
 
Necrobumping refers to posting a thread which no one has posted in for a certain amount of time. This time period varies from section to section, but anything off the first page of a section is most likely too old.
[/spoiler][spoiler=How Warnings and Punishments Work]Warns are a moderator's way of telling you that you have broken the rules. When you are warned, you must acknowledge the warn by clicking on the button that tells you to acknowledge a warn when you go to make a post. Until you do so, you will be prevented from posting. In addition to a verbal warning, a warn may also give you warning points, the number of warning points given by a warn varies. You can see how many warning points you have by looking beneath your avatar on any of your posts or going onto your profile. Warning points usually wear off after 7 days (some after 14 days), if they do not, please contact a moderator.
 
When you accumulate warning points, you will be automatically given punishments depending on how many warning points you have.
 
7 warning points - You will be put on mod queue and a mod must approve of your posts and content before it is displayed on the forum.
10 warning points - You will be prevented from creating content, including posting replies and threads as well as statuses and comments, for two days.
20 warning points - You will be banned for a week.
 
A mod may also manually give you any punishments or a permanent ban.[/spoiler][spoiler=Specific Section Rules and the Advanced Clause]Each section has its own rules pertaining specifically to its content and many sections have what is called the Advanced Clause, a rule for maintaining quality of posts. For example, in the Custom Cards section, the advance clause dictates that the word count of any card review must at least equal the word count of the reviewed card’s text.
Link to Custom Cards Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-9/announcement-53-new-custom-cards-section-rules/
Link to TCG Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-8/announcement-47-rules-for-singles-and-combos-last-updated-july-17th-2013/
Link to Creative Writing Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/255950-ycm-creative-writing-forum-rules/
Link to Roleplay Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/196225-roleplay-forum-rules-both-ic-and-ooc/
Link to Anime/Manga Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-28/announcement-10-anime-rules/
Link to Movies/TV Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/139248-some-simple-rules-new-rule-added/
Link to Video Games Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/99196-video-game-rules-new-rule-on-review-threads/
Link to Music Section Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/287214-notice-must-read/
Link to Clubs & Organizations Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/288837-rules-and-guidelines-for-clubs-organizations-rewritten-version/
Link to Status Bar Rules: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-28/announcement-35-status-feed-rules/
[/spoiler]
 
Current YCM Staff: http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/forum-3/announcement-55-staff-changes/[/spoiler]

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

From what I see, everything looks fine, Aix, and covers pretty much everything that needs to be said.

 

Also nice that you put the punishments for certain warn levels; prior to now, there haven't been any (unless there was something about them during 2012 and a good chunk of last year, while I was out)

[Catterjune]

Two things...

1: Why doesn't the Your Deck section have rules? I rather liked the Jack Witt Clause to be quite honest, but whatever.

2: TCG section rules are pretty outdated. They still mention me as mod of the TCG section. Someone should probably update that.

[Kyng]

Two things...

1: Why doesn't the Your Deck section have rules? I rather liked the Jack Witt Clause to be quite honest, but whatever.

2: TCG section rules are pretty outdated. They still mention me as mod of the TCG section. Someone should probably update that.

I don't see why 1 couldn't happen, or 2 couldn't happen, though the respective moderators should be contacted in regards to this.

Also, Aix, bloody good job with it so far.

[Nathanael D. Striker]

Aix, I'm going to be picky with a part of your post here for a moment. It should say Custom Cards Rules not Realistic Cards Rules. That announcement clearly gives specific rules for each of the forums even though it is mostly applicable to Realistic Cards. Also while we are on the topic of updating rules, I feel we should start updating section rules too. Pika already brought this up with TCG and Your Deck, but Custom Cards needs a bit of updating too since some of the new rules that Black and Koko made after the announcement was made have not been added to it. Also, the purpose of Any Other Cards has changed since the creation of the current rules so that should be reflected as well.

 

That's just a few of the things that needs updating in that announcement, though a lot more stuff needs to be updated too like getting rid of the mention of a bi-monthly test in RC and giving separate rules for the 1v1 subforum. I say this since the Leaderboard rules only have jurisdiction on Leaderboard 1v1s, not regular 1v1s. The announcement for the Custom Cards rules barely mentions the 1v1 subforum, and the only detailed rules for that subforum are from 2010; therefore, the rules for the 1v1 subforum should be updated for the betterment of the subforum. I'm willing to help draft new rules for all of this. In fact, I actually did months ago though Zextra never got to it after saying he would. Better late than never to have the rules be updated so they are clear to all.

 

tl;dr: Section rules should be updated too.

[Aix]

Unpinned Frunk's thing and posted the Rules in the Announcements.

[Slinky]

Um, I'd like to point out an error. in the "Warning point" thing, it states that they wear off in 7-14 days. yet I've been warned like 5 times so far, and each time, they lasted for exactly 1 month. (all of them were by Yin, so that might explain why, or is that just the norm instead of 7-14?)

[Cin]

There is an option to extend or reduce the amount of time a warning lasts for.

[Tourmaline]

There is an option to extend or reduce the amount of time a warning lasts for.

Then change what the rules say.

[Kyng]

There is an option to extend or reduce the amount of time a warning lasts for.

Change the rule regarding this stating the time is subject to the moderator's discretion.

[Aix]

Change the rule regarding this stating the time is subject to the moderator's discretion.

Changed it so you guys know they can last longer. Most of us just keep it at the default 1-2 weeks for most offences though.