Be Civil (Don't be a dick)
The internet is full of anonymous keyboard warriors being rude to each other. We don’t want that here. We're not saying you have to be super-nice to everyone and sign each post with a little heart, but we DO require that you are at least CIVIL to the humans on the other end of this intertube. Everyone is tired of the muppets online and if you feel you must be a dick to others, you aren’t welcome here.
Don't post porn
While this site doesn’t claim to be "kid friendly" we DO want to create an atmosphere which is welcoming to all. If you are unsure if the images will be considered porn, message the moderator of the forum first as they will all have differing views on what the forum will find acceptable. Err on the side of caution.
Don't spam your message
YOU may want lots of people to see your message but they may not want to see it. Pick a forum that is MOST suitable for your message and post it there. Once. If you want it to be seen further afield on the site then consider putting a link in your signature, but leave it as a simple link, don’t make it conspicuous. If it’s truly straddles two forums' remits then ask the moderators of the forums what they recommend.
Don't advertise your company
We strongly protect the conversational feel of this site. Interjecting your commercial message into that conversation is not only rude, counterproductive, against the rules but also a poor way to win customers, build goodwill and will ultimately get you banned.
Promotion is NOT our focus here, discussion is.
Don't abuse people personally
It’s not big and it’s not clever. If you can’t convey your point without abusing someone personally then you don’t have a point to make and perhaps you should close your browser and come back when you are calmer. Not only will you have had the benefit of cooling off if something’s caused your blood to boil, you’re a lot more likely to make a far more incisive, killer point. The great joy of this platform is that you don’t have to answer something immediately; you have time to construct your point and de-construct any arguments against your point.
You either are an adult or you are aspiring to become one. This isn’t a crèche and if we have had to invoke this rule to stop you from abusing someone, and you feel like we are treating you like a child, you might want to consider why that is.
This site is for a wide variety of civil, adult discussion. Personally abusing someone is immature. Grow up.
Don't backseat moderate
Imagine a game of soccer where one player kept running up to the ref and saying "you should have warned that guy" "that was offside" "time is up on this game". Annoying, yes? Sitting back as a user and consistently directing the moderator like a minion is going to get you kicked off the pitch. The correct way to bring something to our attention is to report the post.
But do not abuse this feature. Report posts which clearly break the rules not just posts you don’t agree with or from people you don’t like. That’s just being a dick.
Don't give / request medical or professional advice
If you want to tell someone about the amazing results YOU have had with a certain medical treatment, then go ahead. What you can’t do is tell them that THEY should have that treatment. You aren’t a doctor. Even if you were, you haven’t examined that person physically, nor do you have a full medical history. This applies to Alternative/Complimentary medicine too. Suggesting to someone that has a serious problem that <insert alternative therapy here> might cure it is very irresponsible.
Don't diagnose anyone on the site either. You simply can’t and we don’t want you doing it. Don't do it.
Don’t request medical advice or diagnosis. If you have a rash somewhere naughty, your head is hanging off or there is green goo oozing from somewhere GO TO A DOCTOR.
Randomly asking people online what’s wrong with you and what you should do about it is about the DUMBEST THING EVER. You deserve your place in The Darwin Awards if you follow any advice you get. We disclaim ALL liability if you are stupid enough to listen and act on anything you are told here. GO TO A DOCTOR. A *REAL* ONE.
As with medical advice, requesting and acting upon Professional Advice bases on something someone's said here without having the specifics of your case in front of them is a really bad idea. An accountant cannot do your books over the internet, nor can a solicitor represent you in court, so for your own sake, if you find yourself in a position where you might need professional advice, please seek it from the right places. Again, as with medical advice, we disclaim ALL liability. We're happy for people to ask general questions about the best way to respond to a letter you may have gotten, be it from the Revenue Commissioners or from an Architect in relation to hte extension you're planning on adding to your house, but you will need to get proper advice on these matters.
Not reading the rules is against the rules
Claiming that you didn’t read the rules and therefore they don’t apply to you isn't going to work here. Funnily enough, it doesn’t work in a real court of law either. Saying “I didn’t see the 1 Hour Parking sign” won’t stop you getting clamped.
Discretion of the Moderator
If you think these rules bind the moderators hands, think again. The moderators have discretion to react and moderate as they see fit, in the best interests of the forum they take care of. You can challenge a decision using Helpdesk, but don’t think for a moment you can use the guidelines above to find some semantic loophole to excuse your behaviour (people who do this are known as “rules lawyers” and are seen as a small step above trolls). It’s not going to work. The spirit of the law is more important than the wording of the law on boards.ie and our guidelines can and will change if and when there’s need.
Don't post stuff that is not safe for work [NSFW]
Most people here read Boards in work. Naughty, but we all do it. Please bear that in mind when you are posting images and videos etc. If you aren't sure then put [NSFW] in the title of the thread to make sure people understand that it might not be safe for work place viewing.
Forbidden topics of discussion
We unfortunately do sometimes find ourselves with a problem regarding some issues and no amount of warnings or requests to keep things civil in relation to certain issues have worked, so we simply don’t allow discussion or posting pictures of these things. The list below is by no means set in stone, we can add things to this as time goes by, so it may be no harm to check up on it every few months to see if it’s changed.
* Pictures or links to pictures of Porn
* Pictures or links to pictures showing nipples and/or genitalia
* Child abuse/under age/jailbait/Lolita stuff
* How to do illegal things (this ranges from software piracy, to swindling the Revenue Commissioners)
* Pictures or links to pictures of self harming
* Pro anorexia pictures and websites
* Trepanning websites
* Bestiality
* Ordering medications online.
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