Forum Guidelines

Below are just a few suggestions we moderators feel need to be said to keep the sanity of people posting on this forum

1 - English! Do you know it?
Despite being a website dedicated to Japanese culture in Hampshire, the website is written in English with fairly correct language and grammar. Writing:

"OMG HA R0X0RS THE BIG ONE!!!1one"

is something that would likely get you killed by an English teacher, so try to type like you'd normally speak, and avoid using Cruise Control® (all caps).

2 - Flames only suit Hino Rei and Sephiroth
If you're going to pull apart somoene's carefully-constructed argument, make sure you also carefully construct your comeback else it's all going to fall apart. For example saying that you didn't like the Serial Experiments Lain because it screwed with your head and you didn't understand what the hell was going on would be ok. Just saying that you don't like Lain without giving any reasons is not.

3 - Nobody likes stretch marks
No-one here is guilty of this, but this is just as a reminder. Please make sure that your avatar is not insanely huge. I'm not setting a specific limit, but if you cause the username column to stretch then you may receive a polite notice from the moderation team to change your avatar.

4 - If it doesn't contribute to the topic, dont say it
This one's pretty self-explanitory. If your post isn't going to contribute anything new to the topic, then don't post. For example, posting:

"Lol I agree."

Doesn't add much to a topic. Try to fill out your post a little more with reasons. Likewise, avoid posting just a link on its own, try and pad it out with an explanation of what the link leads to and how it contributes to the topic.

5 - No Porn
Again, this should be a no-brainer as many of our members view this site from a public place or workplace. There's a bit of a blurry line as to what we call worksafe, but as long as there's no nudity (no nipples or over-exposure, no underwear) it should be fine. Also, no links or advertisements for porn or hentai.

6 - Keep it readable
Just a general etiquette thing. While there may be a vast array of colours on the pallet to the right of the posting box, please try not to post all of your posts in weird and wonderful colours. Try posting in white where possible to make things easier for everyone to read. You're free to use colours for headings, highlighting, and mentioning Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

7 - Leave the zombies to Jill Valentine
This has become a bit of a biggie recently. ALWAYS look at the date of the most recent post before you reply to a topic. It's all fine and dandy if it's still an active topic, but if you reply to a dead topic without a good reason, not only does it annoy people but it also bumps up a topic that is most likely no longer relevant.

8 - Ragequits
If you're going to leave the forums in a huff and leave a trail of drama in your wake, just kindly inform us in your final post and we'll gladly deactivate/ban your account. Well, you're not going to need it anymore are you?

---

In short, be nice, and think before you hit that reply button. However, these guidelines are just that, they're not set in stone. So I guess we could be persuaded to screw the rules if need be

Thanks for reading, and keep up the QUALITY on these fine forums!