The New General or How to Not Get Banned for Spamming in an Area Where Spamming is OK
TL;DR, being silly and slapstick is OK. Being a jerk is not OK. Being a jerk about being silly and slapstick is also not OK. Just have fun and be polite and you won't have to worry about getting banned.
IF YOU POST SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR MOM DO THIS
THEN DON'T POST IT
Also, be careful about triggers. Most people with violence triggers won't be browsing a website like Onrpg dedicated to largely violent games. However, things that could be rape triggers, hate crime triggers, etc, are not allowed, ever. So don't use offensive language like the N-word, or the F-word (no, not the word that starts with F and ends with UCK, but the one that means bundle of sticks) ever.
Here's why:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_trigger
LONGER WRITE-UP FOR COOL PEOPLE
The spam rule only sort of applies in General now.
Spamming, as defined as posting innocuous, non-sensical posts (like discussing how wombats are the best cheesemakers in a thread about cheese) is OK. Spamming wherein a bunch of bots are spamming links to get a free iPad (the only free thing you get is a VIRUS!) is still not considered OK, so please continue to report report that.
HOWEVER when people are trying to have a SERIOUS discussion, like about racist culture, the decaying moral influence that religion has upon the military-industrial complex, or why the PS3 has no games, you CAN and WILL get warned/infracted for disrupting that conversation, whether it's through SPAMMING or flaming.
How can you tell when people are having a serious discussion? Because you should be a mature person capable of making that distinction without me telling you. If you're unsure, then just don't post, or make a new thread dedicated to your wombat misadventures.
And yes! The flaming rule still applies!
Telling people to "**** off," "you're an idiot for thinking this," using racial slurs, making sexist remarks, etc, etc, constitute flaming. "It was just a joke," does not constitute a valid defense. No one cares if you were just joking when you're pissing other people off and disrupting conversations.
Flamebaiting, as in posting little snidy/snarky remarks for the purpose of inciting an angry response from someone, is still not allowed. And this is still not allowed if it's in the form of annoying little "spam" comments meant to get under a user's skin. If we suspect you're just trying to upset someone, we can and will warn or infract you.
The Mod team has noted that 90% of the time we warn/infract someone for making a flamebaiting comment they go, "Well why didn't you warn the other person?" or "I didn't know s/he would react like that!" Those are not valid excuses. 1. you can't see other warnings/infractions people have received, and 2. ignorance is not an excuse.
FAQS:
Q. So I can post whatever I want in General now?
A.
Q. Hey, I got an infraction or warning for just making a joke! What gives?
A. "It's just a joke" is NEVER a valid excuse for breaking the rules. Usage of racial slurs, even if it's "just a joke" and/or are a member of the race that the slur would normally be derogatory toward, is still not allowed. This extends to all things that could be triggering. E.g. rape jokes, pedo jokes, abuse jokes, and so forth.
Q. But why isn't it a valid excuse?
A. Because of science.
Q. But don't I have free speech?
A.
Q. Are wombats cute?
A. Yes!
Q. If I get banned, what's to prevent me from just changing my IP and making a new account and no one will know the difference?
A. Because we will hunt you down and throw sand into your face.
Q. What happens to those spam posts that I see for a few seconds and then disappear?
A. We assassinate them.
Q. Waaah I got an infraction!
A. If you think it was unjust or a mistake, please contact one of our site's admins. Infractions have been revoked in the past when we found out it was a mistake or a Moderator abusing their power. If it turns out it's not the case, then:
Deal with it
