Version User Scope of changes
Nov 2 2009, 11:59 AM EST edwardandbellafan
Nov 2 2009, 11:58 AM EST edwardandbellafan 8 words added, 7 words deleted

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Rules for using Wetpaint Central.

These rules are presented by the Moderators of Wetpaint Central.
Please read them carefully.
If any of these rules are violated, the consequences range from a warning to a banishment.
If you do not understand English, you can translate using this link: http://translate.google.com/#

First, an important definition:
Irrelevant: Does not relate in any way, shape or form to the topics, material, functions or features of Wetpaint Central.

Note: All rules extend to the News Feeds.

As Wetpaint updates or adds features, more rules may be added and existing ones may be revised.

1. Absolutely no advertising.
This includes:
  1. Advertising another wiki.*
  2. Advertising a product.
  3. Advertising a service.
  4. Creating a page or thread to do any of the above.
  5. Uploading photos advertising your product/service.
  6. Sending a PM to do any of the above.
  7. Joining with your sales pitch, company name or product name as your username and doing any of the above.
  8. Posting a link to the product or services web page.
If you post any of the above, your content will be deleted and depending on the severity, you may be banned.
There is zero-tolerance for advertising a product or service. If you do, you will be banned with no warning. This rule is retroactive.

*: Advertising of another wiki is permitted on Wetpaint Classified Ads. (This is the only Ad permitted on Wetpaint Central.)
  • It is also permitted on one's own profile, but not in the discussion forum.
  • It is also permitted in valid Q&A threads.
1a.Advertising on one's profile
You are permitted to advertise your other Wetpaint wikis on your profile, but you are not allowed to advertise a product or service. Wetpaint Central is for Q&A regarding Wetpaint services, functions, materials and features, not for advertising. This includes:
  • Listing the product or service.
  • Posting contact information for the provider of the product and/or service. (See rule #8)
  • Posting pictures and/or brochures. (See rule #5)
  • Posting the logo of the company advertising the product or service as your profile icon.*
  • Posting any of the above in a thread on one's own profile.
*You may use a company logo as your profile image as long as you are not advertising.
2. No Spamming.
This includes:
  • Anything pertaining to the first rule of the Wetpaint Central Rules.
  • Sending messages to other members advertising a site, product or service.
Consequences:
  • One PM warning. If the warning is ignored or disregarded, then you will be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
3. No flaming.
This includes:
  1. Starting a thread to spark a war.
  2. Joining a thread and harassing other members by using:
    1. Profanity (This also includes posting profanity in another language)
    2. Racial slurs
    3. Insults
    4. Mocking
    5. Disrespectful comments
    6. Boasting about your wiki in an obnoxious manner
    7. Pro or Anti-religious comments.
Any thread that hosts a flame war will be locked by one of the Moderators.
Consequences:
  • Locking of threads.
  • PM Warning.
  • Three Strikes...you're out. On the third warning, you will be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
3a. Flaming in the form of harassment.
 		The Consequences may be the involvement of law enforcement.
3b. Do not feed the trolls.
For more information, see Dealing with Flame Wars and Internet Trolls.
If you feed the trolls, you will only prolong the flame war and might potentially make it worse.
4. No irrelevant posts and/or pages.
This includes:
  1. Posting a thread with
    1. Gibberish
    2. Small Talk
    3. Randomness
    4. Profanity
    5. Ads (See rules 1 and 2)
    6. Anything irrelevant to the functions, features or materials of Wetpaint Central and/or the page they were posted on.
  2. Creating a page and:
    1. Leaving it blank
    2. Posting irrelevant and/or personal material such as family photos, homework...etc
    3. Posting explicit photos and/or language. (See rule #5)
    4. Posting Spam or Advertisements (See rules 1 and 2)
  3. Irrelevant to-do's
    1. Posting a to-do with any of the criteria for threads.
  4. Creating a page from a thread.
  5. Replying to a thread and forcing it to go off topic by posting anything irrelevant to the original topic of the post and/or to anything relating to Wetpaint Central, it's material, features or functions.
You are free to post off topic threads on a fellow members profile as long as it doesn't contain Ads, profanity, disrespect or sexual propositions. (See Sweetheart Scam)

If you have an idea for a new page and are not sure if it is relevant, please send your idea to jeremy_wetpaint.		Consequences:
  • Deletion of threads and/or pages.
  • PM warning to offender. If the warning is ignored or disregarded, then you will be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
5. No posting irrelevant photos and/or videos to the Photo gallery and/or Video gallery.
This includes:
  • Posting personal pictures such as:
    • Family photos.
    • Self-Portraits
    • Personal photos of a fellow member without their permission. (Possible banishment)
    • Any photos not relevant to any Wetpaint Central materials, features or functions.
  • Posting personal videos such as:
    • Funny videos.
    • Porn. (See below)
    • Profanity.
    • Home videos.
    • Any videos posted in an attempt to flame another member.
    • Any videos not relevant to Wetpaint Central material, features or functions.
  • Posting Pornographic material.
    • Note: If you post any pornographic material, you will be instantly banned with no PM warning.
  • Creating an album and/or collection to do any of the above.
Note: You can still post them on your profile, just not in the photo gallery and/or video gallery.
There is an option on the add photo/add video window to add to gallery. It takes milliseconds to uncheck that and then your personal pictures that you may be posting to your profile won't also end up in the gallery.
Consequences:
  • Deletion of photos and/or videos.
  • PM warning.
  • Repeat offenders may be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
6. No scamming.
This includes:
  1. Sweetheart scams.
  2. Money hoaxes
  3. Posts saying that the reader will die after reading it.
If you receive a sweetheart scam or money hoax, immediately notify a moderator and we will take care of it. 		Consequence: Because of how despicable these scams are, if you send and/or post a sweetheart scam or money hoax, you will be immediately banned from Wetpaint Central.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
7. No vandalism.
Although most pages on Wetpaint Central have been locked, some have not so this includes:
  • Deleting information from an unlocked page and/or replacing it with irrelevant or inappropriate material.
  • Adding irrelevant or inappropriate material to an unlocked page.
We understand that sometimes a browser glitch can result in the accidental removal of certain elements of a page. If that happens, PM a moderator and we will fix it with no harm done.

For more information, see Site Ruiners.		Consequences:
  • Reversion of any damages.
  • PM warning. If the warning is ignored or disregarded, then you will be banned.
8. No posting personal information.
This includes:
  • Personal information of someone other than you.
  • Credit Card numbers from you or anyone else.
  • Phone numbers
  • Web addresses other than Wetpaint wikis. (Note: This falls under Rule #1: No advertising)
  • Home address and/or mailing address. This includes those of yourself and of other members.
  • Passwords belonging to you or anyone else.
  • Another member's age, date of birth unless that member has either given permission or posted it on their own profile.
Consequences:
  • Immediate removal of information.
  • PM warning.
  • Depending on the severity, you may be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
9. No begging.
This includes:
  • Posting multiple threads and/or pages requesting to be promoted on Wetpaint Central.
  • Sending multiple PMs to the Moderators requesting to be promoted on Wetpaint Central. This is considered harassment and will not be tolerated.
  • Please don't ask to be made a Moderator, unless you match the criteria set out by jeremy_Wetpaint on his profile page.
Consequences:
  • Locking of threads, possibly deletion.
  • PM warning.
  • If PMs and/or threads persist, then you will be banned.
  • If you continue with anonymous posts, then you may be IP Banned.
10. Wetpaint Central Rules - Wetpaint CentralYou must be 13 years of age to create a Wetpaint Account.
The basic details are thus:

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") specifically protects the privacy of children under the age of 13 by requesting parental consent for the collection or use of any personal information of the users. The Act took effect in April 2000. The Act was passed in response to a growing awareness of Internet marketing techniques that targeted children and collected their personal information from websites without any parental notification. The Act applies to commercial websites and online services that are directed at children. The main requirements of the Act that a website operator must comply with include:
  • Incorporation of a detailed privacy policy that describes the information collected from its users.
  • Acquisition of a verifiable parental consent prior to collection of personal information from a child under the age of 13.
  • Disclosure to parents of any information collected on their children by the website.
  • A Right to revoke consent and have information deleted.
  • Limited collection of personal information when a child participates in online games and contests.
  • A general requirement to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of any personal information that is collected online from children.
Congress' intent in passing the Act was to increase parental involvement in children's online activities, ensure children's safety during their participation in online activities, and most importantly, protect children's personal information. 		This information has been taken from epic.org/privacy/kids/ and more information may also be found there.
More information may also be found at http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/coppafaqs.shtm
We are really serious about this issue, so if you are under the age of 13 you will need to wait until you turn 13.

Consequences:
If it is discovered that you are under the age of 13, you will be banned because of the COPPA Act of 1997...no exceptions.
11. No Forum Necromancy.
The definition of this term is: Posting a reply on a long-dead (at least 2 weeks old) thread when your reply adds no value to the conversation. More information may be found on this useful page: Forum Necromancy. This can be distracting to older members and serves no purpose. If the thread is a featured thread, then this rule doesn't apply.

*Bumping a thread if you haven't had your question answered is fine.		Consequences:
  • PM warning, and possibly a warning in the resurrected thread.
  • If the warning is ignored or disregarded, then you will be banned.
  • If you continue as an anonymous user, then you may be IP Banned.
12.
 No posting inappropriate content anywhere on the site, including your own profile.
This includes any and all pornography, racist or supremacist propaganda, virus websites, and/or miscellaneous adult language.
Other offenses can also include:
  • Inappropriate profile icons
  • Linking to inappropriate content
  • Posting any of the above in the form of a keyword tag. (Yes, I have seen this done before)
Please note that anything posted on your profile can be removed by an Administrator if necessary. 		Consequences:
Any instance of this will result in immediate removal of material and/or appropriate administrative action.
13.
 Just because you are anonymous doesn't mean you are safe.
Moderators and up can see the IP Address of an anonymous user instead of the word anonymous. As such, if you break any of the above rules we can click on your IP Address and IP Ban you.
If 5+ of your threads are irrelevant and have to be deleted, you may be ip banned.
14. No means no!
This includes:
  • Continuing to post irrelevant comments on another's profile after they ask you to stop.
  • Coming back under a new and/or different username and persisting in any rule breaking.
  • Asking Moderators to unban you by posting multiple threads. (Note: If you are banned, it was most likely for a good reason. To see those good reasons, see rules 1-13)
Consequences:
  • PM warning.
  • Deletion of offending threads on profiles and locking of threads in forum.
  • Possible banishment or IP Ban.
15. Don't be afraid of the Moderators.
Just because we are moderators doesn't mean we don't have to follow these rules too. If a moderator is breaking any of the above rules, particularly rules 2, 3, 6, 8, 10 and 12, please feel free to notify another moderator and/or the Administrator, jeremy_wetpaint.
Remember: We are here to help, not to intimidate.
If you feel that a Moderator responded to a flame war or banned another user unfairly, please notify jeremy_wetpaint in a private message.
16. No pretenders.
This includes:
  • People creating an account with a name similar to a Moderator or Administrator, and then pretending to be one. Also, do not pretend you work for Wetpaint or add the _wetpaint extension to your user name if you are not a Wetpaint staff member.
  • Putting the Moderator badge in your profile icon.
This will result in an instant banishment.
17. Profiles
Please note that Administrators have the ability to use EasyEdit on another person's profile, so anything inappropriate can be removed.
What you can do:
  • Post appropriate pictures of yourself
  • Post fun facts about yourself
  • Post links to your other wikis
  • Display trophies and/or achievements
 What you can't do:
  • Post pictures of another member without their permission.
  • Post profanity, nudity, sexual innuendos, propositions...etc
  • Post any advertisements for a product or service.
18.Please be patient.
Sometimes it can take one of us a while to respond to your post. Be patient and don't start constantly posting to make your voice heard.* It is borderline flaming. Furthermore, when you post a thread asking for help on an issue, don't post in an angry way or use INTERNET SHOUTING.

*If your question still isn't answered after a week, send a message to the Moderators with a link to the thread so that they can help you.
19.Use the Contact Wetpaint feature.
If you are having any of these problems:
  • Copyright issues
  • Legal issues
  • Site Deletion issues
  • You want to take over an abandoned site
Then use the contact Wetpaint link at the bottom of every page, or http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/contact or info@wetpaint.com
Do NOT post any of the above in threads as they cannot be answered or resolved in threads. Also, do not send any of those issues in the form of a PM...the only way those issues can be dealt with is by contacting Wetpaint.
20.We are not Gods.
Yes, even as Moderators we do have limits. We can't help out on a site taken over by a hacker and we can't do anything different from what Mods on other wikis can. We have absolutely no authority on any non-Wetpaint Central wiki.
21.News Feeds.
A relatively new feature of Wetpaint. The rules are:
  • No posting anything irrelevant to the news feed.
  • No posting profanity or flaming.
  • No advertising, scamming or spamming.
  • No gibberish.
Consequences:
If any comments include the above, it will be deleted. Further consequences include:
  • A PM Warning. If it is disregarded or ignored, then you may be banned.
22.To-Dos
The rules are:
  • To-Dos are only to be posted by Mods and above. If you see something that needs updating on a page, either send a PM or post a thread on the page.
  • Do not post multiple To-Dos, they are a pain to remove and a waste of the Moderator's time.
  • Do not post irrelevant to-dos. If you do so, you will be breaking rule #4 as well.
Consequences:
Rule #1-4, 6, 8, 9, 12 & 18 apply to all to-dos, as do consequences.
23.Do not abuse the Report page or Report photo/video feature.
If you constantly report a page, photo or video that has no questionable content in an attempt to distract the moderators, this will be considered to be a form of harassment. 		Consequences:
  • PM Warning, or depending on the severity, an instant ban.
  • If the warning is ignored or disregarded, then you may be banned.
24. Attachments
Only Mods and above may add attachments. Any attachments added by a registered user that is not relevant to Wetpaint Central will be removed.		Consequences:
  • Removal of attachment
  • PM warning
  • If the warning is ignored or disregarded, you may be banned.
25. Answering questions on the forum
You may help the Moderators answer questions on the discussion forum, as long as your posts have value and are grammatically correct. Posts that contain informal acronyms and abbreviations (e.g. u, idk) will be deleted.

This rule does not apply to you if you are asking a question. 		Consequences:
  • Removal of post

If you break a rule, this is what the PM warning will look like:

Wetpaint Central Rules - Wetpaint Central
If this PM is replied to with understanding and/or apologies, you will be forgiven. If it is replied to with a retort, vulgar language or threats to continue violating the rule then you will bring on a potential banishment on yourself.

The people with authority to give you a warning are listed below. If a person not on the list tries to issue a warning, notify jeremy_wetpaint immediately.

alexberg
Baby_Apple
ben
budde
CaptainSpaz
DerSpanier
DigitalX
edwardandbellafan		eguy
Green-Arrow
jakefpw
jeremy_wetpaint
Kemiwiki
KimberlyB
Madusha
steve		TemlynWriting
Tony_wetpaint
walrusworldstudios
wetpaint
yy10
1#Brave
Note: These rules have been made specifically for Wetpaint Central. They do not apply to any violations on another Wetpaint Wiki, However, don't assume that you can come here with excess baggage and stay for very long.

You are free to adopt these rules for your own wiki, however you may need to reword some of the text to conform to your wiki's title and theme.

Here are some important links: