In light of the recent growing clashing of members and degeneration of threads, a general reminder of proper rants board usage and what is disallowed will be posted here for all to keep in mind before deciding whether to take part in a discussion or not. Put simply, if these negative mannerisms cannot be suppressed or curbed, either refrain from posting at all, or accept the consequences. Shifting the blame for your own actions will not be acceptable.
Rant Validity
From an etiquette standpoint, nothing good ever comes from attempting to denounce the validity of a rant (that is, to say rant in question is not worth a rant thread, or is a matter not worth ranting about), especially publically or within the thread itself. Keep it to yourself, and pass the thread by. Or, report the thread using the Mod Report function or PM a moderator of the board as listed in its index. You may disagree with the thread and post as such in a civil manner, but attempting to denounce the validity of a rant is considered trolling, no matter how elaborate.
Flamebaiting/Flaming
Name calling and personal attacks are what first come to mind when one thinks of flaming. The noose had been loosening as of late in this field, however real warnings will begin to become more prominent a punishment for these actions. Hidden flames, or dumbing down the flames (ie 'only an idiot would think X', calling other users morons, fools, etc. will also be noted). There will be no excuses or justifications for flaming, even if you were flamed or flamebaited. Yes, that means you can be warned or banned for defending yourself. Be the better person and again, use the Mod Report function or PM a moderator of the board as listed in its index.
Threads About Members
Rant threads about members, specific or otherwise, are against forum rules. This extends to threads about other forums/sites and/or their members, as well as members of the online Phantasy Star communities (that is, players of PSO and PSU, whether or not they are a member of the PSOW boards or other forums). Such threads will result in a lock and potential warnings with repeated offenses.
Playing Vigilante
If the PSOW staff and administration wanted you to be a moderator, you'd be one. Entering a discussion to publically reprimand another member for malicious actions is just as disruptive as the action you're reprimanding, and may even be considered trolling from a neutral standpoint. Report abuse of the forum and boards to a moderator through the Mod Report function or a specific mod of the board.
Crossthreading
The act of using a thread to make a point in another thread, or attempting to revive a previous thread, open or closed, elsewhere is against proper usage of the board. Such posts and threads will suffer from relocks, deletions, and under repeat offenses, warnings or more. If the relevant topic is still open, keep it there. If it's closed or locked, it was closed or locked for a reason, not to continue the discussion elsewhere. If two legitimate threads under the same topic are posted, notify a moderator to merge the threads. Otherwise, if you wish to continue a legitimate thread that had turned bad and been locked, ask a moderator of your intentions before taking action.
Rants is not a board made for users to argue or to give grounds and justification to argue or attack each other. Nor is it a board where everyone has to agree and comfort the original poster. While this seeming contradictory notion may confuse some, the intention of rants is for those with issues on their life, happenings and observations to air their laundry and get it off their mind, or to seek discussion with those sharing similar experiences. The rise in tangents and flood of degeneration that users become swept up in have lowered the quality of the board.
The Rants board offers no more immunity to moderator action and punishment than any other part of the site. There is no justification for rule breaking. As such there may seem like times unfair action is taken. Under such a situation, PM a moderator if you have questions or concerns. Other than that, bite the bullet and adjust accordingly, rather than defensively, if you do recieve such a warning.
This is a discussion board, not an argument board. Post as such.
