Key Forum Rules

Or "how to get along with people on the forums, including the moderators”. ;)

Be nice!

• Don’t insult others ("others" covers people, classes, groups, guilds, companies, etc)
  
• Don’t be provocative through e.g. mockery or ridicule
  
• Don’t call for nerfs – it’s very provoking for those you want to nerf
  
• Respect the turf - whether it's Raid & Dungeons, Role-Playing (realm) forum, or a class forum, keep in mind where you are and be respectful
  
• Argue the topic, not the person – discrediting others is very bad form (and provoking - see above)

Don’t spam. Spam is not only repeated posting, but also posting nonsense or annoying posts/threads. Examples of spam are

• “Bump”, “IBTL”, “first”
  
• ASCII art
  
• Posting the same thread in multiple forums, including posting a thread to link to another thread
  
• Links disguised as something else (Rickrolling, link-clicking games, etc.)

Don’t post in CAPS or use excessive punctuation, e.g. “!!!”, “…….” and “>>>look<<<”.

Be constructive, even when disagreeing and giving criticism. If you claim something is a fact, not just your opinion or impression, prove it.

Use a descriptive subject and refrain from using “Blizzard”, “blue”, a CM name or similar to get attention.

Mind your language - the word filter is a hint, not an excuse.

Post in English, and English only - it's the only language all moderators understand, and if a moderator can't verify that your post is not breaking the rules, it will get deleted.

Also, please note that moderators can identify all your characters. Switching character to post with suggests you’re very aware of the post being less than appreciated, and any warranted sanctions will take that into account.

Extended reading
Extended guidelines: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=10701098&postId=107101103&sid=1#2
Forums Code of Conduct: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=10701098&sid=1
Forum feedback and ban appeals: https://www.wow-europe.com/community/webform/index.html

Q u o t e:
You know it's been a bad day on General when a Blue has to post a "Forum Rules for Dummies".

Oh, nothing specific about today. Just a general reminder that we've unfortunately seen necessary a bit too often lately. If people can think twice before the post instead of when they see the "You have been suspended" message, that'd be cool. ;)

Q u o t e:
Oh, the irony. :P

Hehe, good catch. Edited. ;)

Q u o t e:
You do this in a hope of getting less work to do? O_o

Not less to do in general, but less moderation and thus a chance to focus more on other tasks than pure moderation, like discussions, topic research and feedback (both ways). :)

Q u o t e:
I dont see anything about rickrolling! YaY!

It falls under the "spam" rule. It's also getting a bit old by now. ;)

Q u o t e:
So, this means forums going to get bit more strict, or is this just recap of something that's supposed to be here, but rarely is?

Just a recap of the guidelines. Unfortunately we can't spot everything ourselves, so if you feel we need to look at a post please click the BioHazard symbol next to it.



And concerning...

Q u o t e:
Nope there was not a single mention of new servers.

The guy simple came on the forum and asked if anyone was wanting to re-roll on a different realm, he then went on to say that because no new servers were being planned it may be a good idea if all the people that wanted a new realm re-rolled all on the same existing realm as that would make for some great PvP as there would be hundreds of new re-rollers.

He was basically asking Blizzard that as no new realms were planned it may be a good idea to sticky his topic so people could easy find out which realm everyone was going to roll and when they would do it.

Allow me to quote the post:

Q u o t e:
New PVP server?
When will a new pvpserver pop up?
I think we're a few waiting. hoping to reroll

And the link, so you can check it yourself:
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=31483557&sid=1

(Search --> General forum + "bunny".)

Updated the description of spam posts, and included one more example: "Links disguised as something else (Rickrolling, link-clicking games, etc.)"

Q u o t e:
I do have a question though, if for instance a thread would come in any of the forums about the lousy work you CM's have done up until this point would it be oke to comment in that thread? Or is that a no-no from now on?

Aka, can we still discuss real issues with the game, and the world around it or only puppy threads from now on?

There are few restrictions on what you can discuss. It's more a matter of how. Concerns about moderation or other forum matters should be taken to the community webform (https://www.wow-europe.com/community/webform/index.html).

Added one more point under the "Be nice!" headline:

Q u o t e:
Respect the turf - whether it's Raid & Dungeons, Role-Playing (realm) forum, or a class forum, keep in mind where you are and be respectful

I.e. expect us to view posts targeting a class, raiders, role-players, etc, in a negative way on their respective forums much harsher.

Q u o t e:
Really ticks me off. Correct me if i am wrong, but as a CM you are paid to do a job. All i ask is YOU as a CM be professional. Save your sarcastic comments and vent your frustration somewhere else, no matter how stupid, annoying or irritatating the posts are. I am sure you have guidelines on how to reply to a post, please use them and do not add your personal touch of comic remarks. These kind of replies gives a very bad view on Blizzard on the whole and starts flame wars on specific CMs.

I think you might be looking a bit too negatively on our posts in the first place, and make an effort out of looking for something to pick at. Of course we should be professional, but we should also have flavour and a varied tone in our posts - "varied" allows for some "attitude" when dealing with trolling, flaming and rants, and not "be nice with sugar on top at all times".

A gentle and limited use of sarcasm and satire (a blue posting "first") is in my opinion ok. I made it fairly obvious in the first post you quote (not the moderation rules) that it was a joke, and it was addressing a thread that was anything but constructive.

The first post you quote from Vaneras is just flavour text, just like I write "nerf threads make baby pandas cry" at times. If you take offense at such I think you're already clicking on the thread with intent to find something wrong with the blue post. His second post is not-so-gentle, but then he's also addressing someone who is trolling against a class with a nerf thread.

I honestly don't see any of the posts you quote as venting of frustration, despite us not adding smileys at the end of each line.

Feedback is always appreciated, and while I don't think these were horrible displays of misconduct from any of us, we'll take it to heart. Please try to keep it to the web form though: https://www.wow-europe.com/community/webform/index.html

Thank you.

Q u o t e:
You forgot to add don't mention a certain podcast or you get a permaban.

I don't think we've suspended anybody for linking to any podcast. I don't know which one you're talking about though, so I can't say for sure. One with Harry Potter spoilers or exploit sharing naturally may lead to a perma-ban.

Q u o t e:
Does that mean my sig is in violation? :(

We normally only moderate ASCII signatures if they violate some other rule, like being vulgar or trollish. Argorash' one hurts the eyes though.

Argorash, any chance you can change that one? :p

Q u o t e:
This... isnt true at all...

Try getting support in English on a GERMAN realm...
Or try getting support in English on the GERMAN WoW forums^^

I've filled in a Petition in Game written in English, and got a mail back on the next day, basicly telling me "Sorry, we cant help you, since we dont support the English language" lool^^

-Xeno

Now now. English on the English forums. German on the German ones. Of course. ;) (Edit: and that goes for support on the different language realms too.)

Q u o t e:
Dont remember banning all the wowradio people then???

I know some people were suspended due to refusing to respect the moderators' wish to not have links posted during and right after a specific WoW Radio broadcast quite some time ago, i.e. for spamming, trolling and even verbally harassing moderators. Nobody were suspended for being WoW Radio staff or supporters (supporting WoW Radio, and spamming the forums with links or harassing moderators for removing a link are different things), and we've had no problems with people linking to WoW Radio before that fuss or after it calmed down again. (Examples: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=299083351&sid=1, http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=296450422&sid=1, http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=286630330&sid=1.)

Btw, just to be picky, I believe WoW Radio is a live internet radio, not a podcast. ;)

Being reminded of that, and it being some time ago, if anybody got a still active (i.e. "permanent") ban for that back then we're happy to have another look at it. Just contact us through the web form: https://www.wow-europe.com/community/webform/index.html

Q u o t e:
Hmm strange that, I feel no pain when I look at my sig.
Perhaps the brightness on your monitor is too high?

Not really actual pain, just the presence of a big white field drawing attention from the text I'm reading. ;)

Q u o t e:
BLASPHEMY

You can't just remove peoples ban's

*whistles quite innocently*

*makes a mental note of checking Fiskerdin's record when at the office tomorrow*

Q u o t e:
Funny that, could have sworn I listen to the archives on itunes.

But the shows are originally broadcasted live. :)

Anyway, let's take this in a topic on the News & Events forum sometime, and stick to the forum guidelines here. :p

Q u o t e:
I guess you might want to tell the BBC that they don't podcast then Thundy ;)

I have no idea what BBC does, but I thought it was defined as a live radio when you have live shows, and a podcast when it was a recording. Of course, you can take the live show and make it available as a podcast too, but that (as far as I know/knew) doesn't make it a podcast to begin with. Anyway, technicalities, and I'm no expert. :)

Soooo... let's just use the names of the radios and podcasts from now on, shall we? Good. :p

Hm, not good. Thanks for reporting it. I'll report the form error, and contact TotalBiscuit directly through the e-mail address on the account. :)

Q u o t e:
Well, while I guess this rule was brought up to avoid lvl 1 trolling, I hardly can see how generally switching characters is an offense. From my experience (playing from open beta so it has been a while) often it is better to use something else than main character to post on public forums, since guilds often are more than unhappy to see their members posting on public forums, regardless if the opinion is harsh or it is merely a feedback and both being rude as overly enthusiastic is equally bad.

I guess a lot of people just do not want to be harassed by random people over their opinion in game, that's why they switch characters, instead of sinister intentions.

As Argorash said, posting with an alt in itself is not a problem. We fully understand that one sometimes wishes to post without showing one's main, be it to avoid prejudice due to one's class when posting on another class forum, or discussing guild politics without wanting to show the guild that one question their organisation.

However, if trolling (e.g. nerf-calling), spamming, naming and shaming, flaming, etc., and switching to an alt to do so, expect the moderators to be extra generous with the suspension days. ;)

Q u o t e:
few questions:

1. Are doubleposts allowed? I can't really see any rule forbidding this, unless it goes under spam. What about tripleposts etc? ( No I will not moan about vaneras tripleposts back some time, I honestly dont care, was just a little teasing him, question is for normal users)

2. Since posting about a locked / deleted thread is forbidden, is it also forbidden to make a new post about a thread that has been autolocked and where the post limit was not made bigger?

3. Is posting about a ban forbidden?

4. Is posting links with Adult only / over 12 years only context forbidden, if you give a warning before that? for example a youtube link wich requires age 18+ ?

5. When is a post considered to be "necroed"? What is the time after the last post when you can still anwser to it?

6. Is bumping really forbidden? Or more like, do you take any action against bumpers?

7. Do you read only the reported post, or is it like a link to the thread and you read everything there?

8. How much do you read on your own? Like do you read a lot of posts without them being reported, or is it basically nescessary to report every single thing so that you remark it?

9. From point 7, if a person violates the rules often in one thread, is it nescessary to report him every time ?

10. Do you CM's know who sent the petition?

11. Is there a way to know if you are reported? (exapt asking someone to chek)

12. Is there a way to know who reported you?

13. Is there a way to see all ones previous bans?

14. How far is talking about sex allowed?

15. how much weight do you put on the "reason" when reporting a post? Should you always try to explain well why the post is violating the rules, or is it enough to just put a "." there and you figure it out yourselves?

16. When an account is banned, is it allowed to log on another account and post with it?

1. There's no rule against posting twice in a row, as long as each post is abiding by the guidelines. Unless the first post is very long or the posts address specific other posts or points it's preferable that people keep it to one post though, maybe by editing it.

2. A topic that run to the post limit may be continued in a new thread. However, it's a good tip to check whether the subject is still valid and whether the thread can benefit from starting off with a summary of the old thread. Just a link with "read this other 25 page thread to know what my thread is about" isn't a very good way to start a thread. ;)

3. Not really, but it's not going to help in any way to post about it here, and we prefer to consistently lock such and point people to the web form as the presentation of the issue is often rather biased. (E.g. "I was only offering criticism" when the actual post used quite insulting terms.)

4. The game is rated 12+ and we ask that everybody keep that in mind when posting on the forums. Posting or linking to sexually explicit content will most likely lead to a ban (yes, a ban, not a suspension).

5. There's no hard line. Necro-posting is generally the act of reviving an old thread when the topic can be considered dead or would benefit more from simply having a new thread created about it. If nobody has replied in the last month, there's probably a new thread for it, or a good reason people left it to die.

6. Yes, and yes.

7. We don't read everything in every thread where a post is reported, but we do check the threads.

8. If you feel several posts warrant a reaction, please report them all. We're naturally more likely to check through a thread that looks like a flame-war than one which seems calm but with a single post stepping over the line.

9. Not necessary, but helpful.

10. Yes.

11. No.

12. No.

13. No. (Well, a moderator can, but not a player.)

14. See #4. In general, if you wish to discuss sex, maybe you should find a sex discussion board.

15. Usually we spot the problem as soon as we see the post text. If we're in doubt why someone felt offended or otherwise reported the post we will check the report reason(s).

16. No. The suspension is intended to remove the person (temporarily or permanently) from the forums. The person using another account defies the entire point of the suspension, and we normally react harshly on such.

Edit: form, not forum

Q u o t e:
so in total u mean be fan boys or dont post, i like.............. honest

Depends on your definition of "fan boys". If you define a fan boy as someone who makes only supportive posts, not at all. If you think a fan boy is someone who can converse, discuss and give criticism in a constructive manner without name calling, swearing, accusing and posting unsuitable images, then yes. We greatly appreciate constructive criticism and arguments from both (/all) sides of a topic, but it should be kept civil and respectful of the other users of the forums.

Q u o t e:
To Thundgot, if you want more mature and professional behavior I suggest Blizzard revise the age limit and make it 16+ - 18+ You can't really prevent 12 year olds from being immature or unprofessional at times because of their age. This is not at all a flame or an insult towards you, I always try to respect others and use a professional tone when trying to post, but some may find it harder than others.

From forum posts and e-mails from those receiving a suspensions I can't say I've seen much indication that younger players are over-represented. It's hard to judge without getting everybody's birth date and running a statistics query though.

In general I wouldn't expect the younger members of the community to act as mature as the older ones, but the rules are still the same for everyone.

Q u o t e:
So about forum rules - I see this all over the place - what's with the CAPS ??? All forums ban CAPS, and I for one can not understand why. Remember: CAPITAL LETTERS came first. Some people like CAPS!!! -oh and triple exclamation marks as well !!!
Please explain?

Posting in all capital letters is considered a way of saying "hey, look here at my thread/post because it's much more important than all those other ones", which is simply considered rude. The same goes for using multiple exclamation marks or otherwise exaggerating the use of punctuation or special signs. :)

Q u o t e:
A question, what you see more and more is quote spamming, is that against the rules ?

Only quoting a previous post, not contributing with anything else, is normally the equivalent of a "/signed" reply and is handled as all other spam. However, unless it (and other similar types of spam) completely derails a thread or is otherwise becoming too much of a trend, we wouldn't hand out long suspensions for it.

Q u o t e:
Does this include deleted threads aswell?

Yes. I'll try have the point changed to encompass other moderator actions. Any feedback on forum moderation should be taken to the web form, not to the forums.
https://www.wow-europe.com/community/webform/index.html

Q u o t e:
The thread was deleted and not locked, where did I go wrong?

This thread isn't here to discuss specific moderator actions. If you will submit the text of the post (if you have it stored) to us through the web form, we'll have a look at it and see what might have been the issue.

Q u o t e:
tbh "QFT" quotes in a non-"/signed" thread can't do much evul.

If it's once or twice, that's one thing. A whole thread full of little else is another matter. Where to draw the line in each case is a judgement call. :-)

Q u o t e:
And is advertising gold selling sites spamming?

That's advertising for something which is a violation of the Terms of Use, and will result in a permanent ban.

Q u o t e:
Do you get any kind of reward for helping Blizz?

A nice and helpful forum where you can seek and share hints and tips and discuss aspects of the game without spamming, trolling and flaming. ;)

Q u o t e:
Is quoting the GM rules topic a form of spam?

Just quoting text and providing nothing else in the post is normally see as an "I agree", though it borders on spam too. The problem with it is that it very easily becomes a trend, and quickly a thread contains nothing else, rendering it useless for discussion. Due to that we usually don't like it too much.

In this particular case, I have no clue what the purpose of quoting the first post and not adding anything else was, so I just deleted the post. ;)

Q u o t e:
What is the policy on 'necroing' threads - posting in a topic that fell silent over a year ago?

Very much frowned upon, and very likely to lead to a suspension. Exceptions are when the thread (both the original post and the reviving reply) is actually highly relevant today.

Q u o t e:
But why? imagine this, An addon maker created an addon, let's call it "NerfStick", in the 20th of June, 2007. Happily, he posted a thread on the forums saying that NerfStick rocks, and why people should use it and for what.
The addon maker, let's call him Joe, went on to play his WoW carreer, but then stopped playing for some time. Joe also stopped updating his addon while he was gone.
1 year later, Joe comes back to WoW, and restarts bugfixing/updating his addon again, and posts on his thread (last post was when he left). BANG, Joe gets banned.

I don't mean to say the rules are wrong, just wanna know why they work like this =)

I'd say your example falls under the exception in my previous post, and thus would be ok with us and not lead to a suspension.