Here be dragons. Scroll down to find the thread index at the bottom.

1. SPOILERS

I know how excited we all get when a new release comes out like Harry Potter, and all you want to do is jump on the forum and tell all your buddies what happens. While it is fine and dandy that you know something before everyone else, I will NOT have you blurting out spoilers without a proper warning first.

Any time you find the necessity to talk about revealing aspects of ANY book or series, you MUST append this tag to the TOP of your post:

*Spoilers*

I want it in RED text so everyone can see it and skip over your post if necessary. If you are replying to a post that includes the same (and talking about that spoiler), you must append the same tag to the top of your post.

Occasionally on books that have yet to be released, some of you may find unverified spoiler information on the upcoming book. If necessary, I may append a NO SPOILERS tag to the thread. If this happens, you are not permitted to post ANY spoilers, tag or no. This will be a VERY seldom occurence, but keep an eye out. Failing to abide by this rule will get you a quick ban as well, likely without warning.

If you happen to read a post with spoilers, just report it and remove it from view (with out making any comments), and I will get to it in time.

2. CREATING THREADS

I have spent a lot of time compiling the thread index below, so anytime you want to start a discussion, read it first. Every topic, every author, every book discussed in this forum has been added to this list, so USE IT.

• Thread Titles
  
  To make things clearer and easier to understand, when creating a thread on a book/book series, please include the author's last name after the title inside parenthesis, so there will be no mistaken posts about another book by the same name.

• "FANS ONLY"
  
  This won't happen anymore. Any threads designated "for fans only" will be changed immediately, no questions asked. I cannot see any benefit from preventing members from asking about a book or joining in a discussion just because they have either never read the books or didn't like them.

• PERIODICALS
  
  For now, no threads are to be started regarding periodicals (magazines, newspapers, etc.). These have never gone anywhere or led to any discussions other than, "I like this magazine. It's funny." Besides, I would hardly refer to GamePro as "literature."
  
  

3. REPLYING TO THREADS

I know it sucks to get behind in a discussion and not know what has been said. But I don't care if there are 27 pages in the thread or not. If you haven't read them yet, do so before replying. There are few things as annoying as someone making an ignorant comment because they were unaware of what happened the page before. Past posts are considered FORUM HISTORY, and you cannot offer a good contribution to the conversation if walk in on it in the last minute.

4. SPAM

Put it on a sandwich, stick it on a burger, but keep it the hell out of my forum. We here at Books & Literature pride ourselves on intelligent, helpful, and thorough discussions, and anyone posting meaningless rants will get nowhere here.

• ONE-LINERS
  
  While there are exceptions to the rule (which are up to me to decide), posts such as these:
  
  "Yeah I like that book."
  "Harry Potter sucks Lord of the Rings rocks."
  "I disagree/agree."
  
  Which tell us NOTHING worth reading will be deleted. Sometimes a question or comment may warrant a short reply, but if you can't explain yourself with a little backup for your opinion, don't post at all. Think about your post before you submit it: Does it add to the discussion in any way? If it doesn't, don't post it.
  
  
• SMILIES
  
  Don't abuse this privelege. Smilies were put in place to help convey emotion, intonation, and facial expressions that are absent in online conversations. If you want someone to know you're happy/sad/confused/embarassed/nauseous, a smilie or two is fine. Filling up the window with smilies is considered spam in my book any day, and such posts will be deleted as well.
  
  
• DOUBLE-POSTING
  
  The ONLY circumstances under which this is permitted is in which you are *bumping* a thread that is buried at least to page 3. And this is only permitted ONCE per thread. The index is below, so anyone wanting to find a certain topic has every resource they need. Otherwise, if you have something else to add and are the last poster in a thread, EDIT YOUR LAST POST.
  

5. QUOTING

Quoting is intended to clarify who and what you are replying to. Don't abuse it. Only quote someone when your reply is not directly after theirs, or when you are replying to a small part of a very long post. NEVER quote pictures, should they arise, and don't quote huge passages just for the hell of it. Doing these things wreaks havoc on the 56k users.

6. FLAMING

We are all friends here, and I want us to have enlightened discussions and share ideas. In the course of doing so, we are all bound (and proven) to have contrasting opinions, which is actually a good thing. Debating these opinions is encouraged. Trying to belittle or make fun of someone because of their opinion, however, is NOT. No matter how stupid you think someone is, respect their feelings and tell them why they are "wrong," supporting your opinions along the way.

7. LANGUAGE

We all get a little frustrated from time to time, and if doing so causes you to blurt out a little foul word or two, I don't mind. But do so sparingly and only when necessary; if you abuse the privelege, I will take it away altogether.

8. GRAMMAR

Try to make your posts coherent and easy to read. It make you look unintelligent, and it gives the rest of us a headache.

9. INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

Haven't done so yet? Introduce yourself [ HERE ]. We all want to know who is visiting our forum, and we are always happy to have new visitors. If you see some new people have come to our little hobbit-hole, stop by the thread and welcome them. It may just make them come back.

10. PROBLEMS/QUESTIONS

As unnecessary threads arise, you may see this:

.:Thread Closed:.

If you create a duplicate thread, if a thread gets out of hand, of if I just feel that a thread needs to be closed for some reason, this little menace will pop up and you won't be allowed to reply anymore. I will always add an explanation when I do so.

If you EVER feel that I have mistreated you or made a bad decision, [ PM me ] immediately. I'm actually one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and I'm always open for questions/comments/criticism, so do me a favor and talk to ME first. You'll get much more accomplished that way.

I want B & L to have a relaxed atmosphere with a lot of activity and great discussions. I'm a pretty lenient guy, but I want to keep things organized here, and when people abuse their rights, I swell up like the Hulk and get trigger happy. These rules may sound harsh, but they're basically the same as anywhere else. As long as you act mature, you'll be fine.

If you have any other questions, comments, problems, or just need someone to cry to about your sad little life, feel free to [ PM me ] any time. I'm here to help.







[color=#666666]This message was edited by Whitecloak on Jul 24 2003.

[size=1][color=#666666]This message was edited by Light Druid(moderator) on Jul 24 2006.

Welcome to The Hole. It isn't a pretty place, nor is it as menacing as the horror stories you have all inevitably heard from your buddies in the corner during recess. This is nothing to be afraid of, but without order we cannot achieve progress.

If you haven't read my rules by now, you should, and they are at the top of the page. If you do not abide by those rules, you will either achieve a warning or a ban. If you receive a warning, doing whatever you did before again will net you a ban. If you receive a ban, doing the same will result in a longer ban, or worse depending on the severity of the case.

Relax, though, as bans don't happen often here. Just abide by the rules, and if you make a mistake, clean up your act and it's "all good."

Also...
"Do not create additional accounts to bypass an issued ban. Circumventing of a ban using secondary/additional member accounts will result in a permanent banishment of all binding accounts from which the user has created. Further abuse will lead to your ISP being informed for site abuse." - Forum Rules




Username: Stans New Slave
Date of Warning: 08/16/03
Reason for Warning: SPAM
Other information: 1st Warning; I know you know better...






Username: Star Fox 64
Date of ban: 4/11/04
Length: 5 days
Reason: Offensive post, in spite of warning
Other information: Evidence

Username: Maijin Vegita1990
Date of ban: 1/13/04
Length: 5 days
Reason: "Blunt Statement" is an understatement
Other information: Evidence

Username: nomega
Date of ban: 10/23/03
Length: 2 days
Reason: Flaming
Other information: Evidence

Username: Wadever
Date of ban: 8/15/03
Length: 5 days
Reason: Spam
Other information: Some people just never learn.

Username: Wadever
Date of ban: 8/11/03
Length: 3 days
Reason: Spam
Other information: Watch out, cuz Big Brother is wathing you.



[color=#666666]This message was edited by Whitecloak on Jan 13 2004.

This message was edited by Whitecloak on Apr 11 2004.