Hello there!
If you're reading this, most likely you've just recently joined our little site, and are beginning to get used to the area. So let's start by saying... WELCOME TO THE BBA! 8D
Now, another reason why you're probably here is... you're confused and don't know what the rules around here are. Lucky for you, we've got the rules all right here! So grab a drink kids, and listen to Ole' Uncle Music as he lets you in on the rules around these parts...
- First Things First
One of our mods, Fable, has set up a topic to talk about some questions we get asked pretty often. You can find it in this link. HOWEVER, IT IS VERY VERY LONG. If you don't want to be bored to death, I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of the things there get talked about here anyway.
- Moderators, Administrators, and YOU
If you look around the BBA, you might see some people who have different colored names. Some of them are colored orange, blue, red, purple... it can be confusing sometimes. The only colors that are important to you though, are red, blue, and purple. These colors show who is a moderator or administrator. These are just really long, fancy words for "the bosses." Administrators, or Admins, are the ones who run the forum. They have red colored names. The Moderators, or Mods, are like mini-Admins. They have blue and purple colored names.
- Who Are The Mods and Admins, and What Do They Do?
Good question! Mods and Admins are here to make life on the BBA clean and fun for everyone. If any of them ask you to do something, don't question it, just do it. They know what they are doing, and aren't trying to be mean to you. They just want to keep the forum running correctly. If you want to learn more about the mods and admins, click on this link.
- Things Not Allowed
This is very easy ... if you aren't allowed to do something off the internet, don't do it on here.
- Art Theft and Writing Theft
Please don't steal anything. It is very easy to steal art online, even accidentally. For example... if I download a picture and claim it as my own, that is stealing. Also, if I download a picture and don't give credit to the person who drew the picture, that is stealing. There are a lot of different ways to steal art. If you want to be safe, check with the artist before using any pictures that aren't drawn by you. Also, copy and pasting something that you haven't written and claiming it as your own is also stealing.
- Spam, spam, spam, spam...
Have you ever seen someone make a post that is completely random? Like, if you have a topic, and someone posts something like, "bfruabweghkrbesk." Or when someone posts the exact same thing over and over again? This is called spam, and it is very annoying. Many people won't respond to posts like that. Try to avoid spamming. 
- FLAME
Sometimes, people get angry. Everyone does it, and that's okay. But that doesn't mean you should post it on the forum. Whenever someone posts something that is angry (name calling, teasing, bullying), it is called flaming. No one is allowed to flame on the BBA. You are free to feel angry if you want... just don't post it. 8B
- i can talk gud
Sometimes, we all make mistakes when typing. However, we do like it when people spell correctly and use correct grammar. When you post, there is a spell-check device you can use to check your typing. There are many people who can also help you develop your writing skills as well - just ask!
- Signatures
You might have noticed that there is an area underneath every post that has things like pictures, links, quotes... things like that. These are called signatures. There is only one rule about signatures: keep them small. If a moderator finds that your signature is too big, they will let you know and ask you to make it smaller.
- Create original characters!
A lot of you have probably found our forum through Kay Fedewa's comic, The Blackblood Alliance. Before you go off and create a Swiftkill or a Bloodspill... we already have those characters. They are being role-played by members of the forum. If you would like to roleplay with any of them, just ask! They are all very friendly. If you still want to roleplay a character from the comic, there's only one thing you can do... wait. Sometimes, a character will become inactive on the forum. When this happens, tryouts are posted for the character. You can tryout at that point, and if you win, you will be the new player of the character. Otherwise though, you can't make comic characters.
- Begging For Art
There are a lot of very, very good artists on our forum. We are very lucky to have so many good artists on the BBA... they are very generous, and often will draw artwork for other members of the forum. However, that does not mean you can go and ask them for art. Unless the artist says that they will be taking requests, don't bug them for art. Remember to be courteous!
- Bumping
The way the BBA is organized, the most recent posts are put at the top of the list, and the oldest posts are at the bottom. Now, there is a way to move a topic to the top of the list... and that is called bumping. Whenever someone posts in a topic that has received no replies for a very long time, it is called bumping. It's very annoying, and most people don't like it when someone bumps an old topic.
- Sending Personal Messages
For some of you, this might be review, but for those of you who have no idea, we have a message system on the BBA called Personal Messages, or PMs. Personal messages are completely private; no one, not even a moderator, can see what is written in them. They are very useful for communication between members. There are several different ways to send a member a PM, but the easiest way goes like this. Underneath every member's profile, there is a small envelope. If you click on this, it will take you to a new screen. At this screen, you can type up a personal message, and send it to that member. When they reply, the top of your screen will change. The part that says "My Messages" will have a number after it. If you click on it, you can read any new PMs and reply.
- Personal Message Behavior
PMs are very easy to use, and very helpful for getting ahold of members or moderators. However, the rules of the forum still apply in them. Please do not spam PM someone, by sending them a PM every few minutes. One personal message will be fine. The person you PM will respond to you as soon as possible. Also, flaming is not allowed in PMs.
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Topic: Following the rules - a how-to guide! (Read 195 times)