MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > UPDATE: Rules - Open Discussion and Feed...

UPDATE: Rules - Open Discussion and Feedback

posted 8 years ago by jim (137)
98 replies | jump to latest

Hey everyone - we just finished drafting the following set of community rules. We'd like to take this time to have an open discussion and solicit feedback from the community. Let us know any comments or suggestions. The rules have also been posted at https://moviechat.org/rules.

Community Rules[/b]

MovieChat was born out of a desire to encourage free speech and open discussion amongst all media and entertainment fans. That being said, MovieChat is a large and growing online community with new members every day. To protect our users and ensure the community is a safe and welcoming place for all – both today and in the future – we ask users to abide by the following set of simple and straightforward rules. By using MovieChat, you agree to the rules listed on this page in addition to our Terms and Conditions.

[b]Rules[/b]
1. Do not post or link to Prohibited Content as defined below
2. No trolling, flaming, spamming or unsolicited advertising
3. Do not impersonate other users, including Moderators, in a misleading or deceptive manner
4. Do not attempt to hack or crack MovieChat, including attempting to manipulate post count, attempting to bypass posting quotas, attempting to inject malicious code, attempting to manipulate the Trending section, or any other attempts to break, manipulate, or use the service in a way that was not intended by MovieChat
5. Do not attempt to evade these rules or the enforcement thereof by creating multiple accounts, using different IP addresses or proxies, or any other means of evasion

Prohibited Content
1. Pornography, adult or mature content
2. Content that threatens or advocates for harm on oneself or others, or otherwise violent content
3. Content that harasses, intimidates or bullies an individual or group of individuals
4. Content that incites hatred against, promotes discrimination of, or disparages an individual or group on the basis of their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization
5. Excessive profanity
6. Hacking/cracking content
7. Malware, adware, or other malicious software or content
8. Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content
9. Content protected by copyright law unless you have the necessary legal rights to display that content. This includes pirated content, such as illegal torrents and streaming websites
10. Personal and confidential information, such as another user's name or contact information, unless you have express consent to post that information
11. Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others

[b]Enforcement
MovieChat's rules are actively enforced by our team of dedicated moderators. If you suspect a violation of these rules, please use the report post button in the bottom right of a post to notify our moderators. Our moderators may also be contacted at [email protected]. Additionally, you may ignore a user by clicking the ignore button in the bottom right of a post, thereby hiding all posts from that user.

Our team of moderators have several tools at their disposal to enforce the rules, including:
1. Warning you over private message or in reply to your post that you have violated the rules
2. Removing or deleting your post that violated the rules
3. Temporarily or permanently suspending your ability to post

What happens if you break a rule? In most circumstances, you will receive a warning from one of our moderators citing which rule you have broken. Depending on the severity of the violation, the offending post may also be removed, or you may be asked to edit it. If you continue to break the rules and repeatedly ignore warnings, you risk having your ability to post temporarily or permanently suspended. However, you will always be able to view and read MovieChat. To appeal a suspension, please email [email protected].

[–] db20db (17235) 8 years ago

If discipline isn't exercised from within, it will be imposed from without .

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

[yes]

[–] croft_alice (12180) 8 years ago

I agree and support this rules,good work.

[–] MissMargoChanning (6630) 8 years ago

Thank you! Works for me.
All I would suggest is that these rules be posted for all to see other than in General Discussion. A place where we and new comers will be able to see when they register.
Make a spot where you can click and see the rules.
Once again, great job.

[–] clockwork0range (133) 8 years ago

Are Trolls the only ones upset about the new rules and regulations?

[–] MissMargoChanning (6630) 8 years ago

"Are Trolls the only ones upset about the new rules and regulations? "

i would assume so.
Perhaps they will stop trolling and actually grow up and enjoy this site!
Something good has been created here. Many of us felt extremely sad over the loss of the IMDb boards just a few short months ago.
MC has been such a great alternative. It's actually so much better. I no longer feel the need to be bitchy or argue with people who put everything and everyone down.
Almost everyone I have encountered here has been interested in talking without attitude. I have had an encounter or two with people who misunderstood what I was saying but we worked it out.
I'd like to think that people here are able to do that without racing to the REPORT button.
I'd also like to think that the MODs here aren't so quick to delete people's posts without explaining why. I had no idea that was happening here. I realize that is true.
I will abide by the rules. I only hope that I am not deleted simply because of a bit of a disagreement or a difference of opinion.
I am assuming that these MODs understand that sort of thing and the nonesense that a troll puts out...... If not, they shouldn't be MODs.

[–] earl237 (1106) 8 years ago

I agree with the rules and they appear to be mostly common sense but the one about excessive profanity seems a bit subjective, how is it determined if swearing is excessive or not? There are many different opinions about what is considered profanity and some people are more sensitive about it than others.

[–] jim (137) 8 years ago

Our current stance on excessive profanity (and mind you, this may change as the site further evolves) is to just make sure there's more substance to your post than pure profanity. That is, we wanted to ensure that people aren't creating posts with "f_ck" repeated 100 times and nothing else (coincidentally, this would likely overlap with the rule on spam). Like all things in life, of course, there are exceptions where excessive profanity may be warranted, such as if you're quoting someone (like a character from a movie).

[–] movieLoader (115) 8 years ago

we wanted to ensure that people aren't creating posts with "f_ck" repeated 100 times and nothing else

The sensitivity around profanity is fascinating. Even when talking objectively about specific words, we feel compelled to mask the letters that make up the word.

How we use and direct profanity, the tone, context and meaning is everything. There's a scale, starting with the least acceptable use: in anger and insult; followed by trouble-makers and trolls with deliberate use; then the poor speakers, the lazy and uneducated; then accidental slip-ups and careless jokes; then comes reasonable emphasis and color for effect; and finally... the most acceptable way to write the F-word is when talking about the F-word, objectively and scientifically. Only then may it be written in full without guilt or cause to offend. With extra insulation from double quotes, the word of the moment, "fuck" is finally set free.

[–] [deleted] 8 years ago

Those seem like fair and reasonable rules. I'm in agreement with them.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Jim has only 134 posts which is pathetic.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I don't post that often.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Thanks. I'll try to post more often.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77378) 6 years ago

Please do...you watch a ton of movies every week
Always nice to bump into you!

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

Thanks, Jim.

I'm shocked (not) by some of the comments on this thread, as every single thread about either rules or moderation has had the same types of comments, which inevitably have turned the discussion pear-shaped.

I agree with those who've suggested the rules be posted somewhere obvious so any new user will see them when they register, and understand they need to abide by them. It'd also be a good idea to email users with the rules, as they may not see this in General Discussions and be aware there are now more concrete rules in place. As I understand it, early on you didn't require an email to register, so obviously it wouldn't be possible to contact those users with this info.

[–] jim (137) 8 years ago

Thanks Catbookss. The rules will be posted at https://moviechat.org/rules once finalized and new users will be required to accept the rules before creating a new account.

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

Thanks, Jim. Sounds good to me! I really don't have any suggestions or improvements to make on the rules, so will leave that to those who do.

I appreciate your posting them here so we can discuss them before finalizing :)

[–] wheelin176 (2050) 8 years ago

Thank you Jim All we need now is an icon or something on the top of pages to state the rules.

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

Right now this place is a ghost town. It will never "take off" if it becomes like every other fascist run message board. This is my opinion based on experience, offended snowflakes need not reply.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

So why are you here? There must be something about it you enjoy?

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

I post on movie message boards to talk about why I liked a movie and why I didn't like a movie. I'm hoping this place will eventually get more posters and more activity and thrive like IMDb used to.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

I think a problem, tho, was that IMDB "thrived" in unejoyable ways, too. When there's just an open field for anarchy in posting, there's a disturbed (and/or immature) element that will befoul threads. Kind of like crapping in a pool.

You might like a cesspool like that, but most mature-minded people don't.

How old are you?

.

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

You're clearly not mature minded and you insulted me so this conversation is over. Fuck off.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

I think they have pretty much unsupervised posting at 4chan (?) Maybe you would like it over there?

Best wishes, lil' chickun : )
.

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

I'm going to stay here and continue to verbally kick the asses of crybullies like you. You can go to Facebook with all the other snowflakes.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

Well, whatever makes you happy, babe.

I hope you finally find what you're looking for.
.

[–] [deleted] 8 years ago

I would be disappointed if Moviechat degenerated into some heavily moderated forum with routine censoring and promiscuous banning as it has been making nascent steps in that direction. I had such high expectations for it back in February. I honestly think this paranoia over trolling is ludicrous and makes those who believe it look a little simple-minded. Some of us never believed Col Needham's officially stated reason that IMDb's message boards were undone by trolls who have existed since the dawn of the Internet. That is like an alternate reality of IMDb that is completely belied by my own experience and that of many others. I never had any problems there. If I came across a pest, my ignore button worked perfectly well. My posts were never deleted there in the way we are beginning to see here (and readers are free to peruse my old IMDb posts if they suspect my motives aren't pure). I can see the necessity of having some amount of moderation from particularly noxious individuals but resorting to banning should be sincerely frowned upon and avoided if at all possible. I was banned for satirical posts that were taken as spamming by moderators and perhaps other users who didn't understand the humor. Satirists shouldn't be punished by the unruly mob simply because not everyone in the audience gets the joke. Some of these people posting in bootlicking awe of heavy moderation have ideas which are quite frightening to me. The drive toward censoring posts which could even remotely be construed as offensive has already begun. I fear Jim's admirable project would simply crumble under the weight of heavy moderation.

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

I've seen it over and over. The intolerant crybullies invade a board, start sucking up to moderators, call everyone that has different likes and opinions trolls and abuse the report function.

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

The irony is you're doing exactly the same thing you're accusing others of doing: being a "crybully," intolerant of those who have different likes and opinions than you have, but instead of calling them trolls, you're calling them crybullies.

Instead of being able to tolerate a differing opinion than your own, you tell that person to p!ss off or fvck off. You want them to put you on ignore, when you could take your own advice and do the same.

[–] Cookie.L.A. (2117) 8 years ago

<< I've seen it over and over. The intolerant crybullies invade a board, start sucking up to moderators, call everyone that has different likes and opinions trolls and abuse the report function. >>

"The swearing, Paul....it has no nobility."

http://youtu.be/SyQSH3XmQCE
.

[–] kspkap (13555) 8 years ago

Zing! Just too, too funny! Thanks for the chuckle!

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

Please. You may wish it's a ghost town, and want others to think so, because you're not getting your way and are throwing a tantrum over it, but it's far from the truth.

Easily disproven by looking at all the growing activity on the film and show boards, via the Trending section on the home page.

It's already taken off, and I don't think you have a clue what the word fascist actually means or you wouldn't throw it around so carelessly … unless of course your purpose is just to be incendiary. Nah, that can't be it ;)

[–] Guitar King (4890) 8 years ago

You weren't around when IMDb had message boards were you?

[–] Catbookss (13664) 8 years ago

I was. For years.