Marble Blast Forums Rules and Procedures

[IsraeliRD]

This topic is here to give you an overview of the most general forum rules. This post gives you a concise view of the rules and the next one gives you all forum rules in great detail.
If you wish to discuss a possible modification to a rule or add something to it, as well as dispute a standing rule's validity, please contact IsraeliRD (me) or post in the Forum Feedback section. Thanks!


First of all, welcome to the forums! It's only fair to tell you that as a ProBoards forum, we have to uphold the ProBoards Terms of Services. Among other things, this stipulates that we cannot allow members under 13 years of age to keep their accounts. Assuming you're 13 or over, read on!


Customizing your forum experience:

We offer a variety of forum skins, which can be accessed via the “Modify Profile” link on your profile page. We recommend you try these out and use your favorite!

On this page, you will also find fields where you can personalize your profile with a custom signature and personal text. Your personal text may contain anything you like so long as it is not offensive. Signatures may not exceed 600 (width) x 250 (height) pixels.

Verbal warning for breaking above rules for the first time. Up to 20% warning for breaking above rules from the second time onwards.

You may notice that some members have custom titles. These can only be given out by staff if you have 200+ posts and we feel you have shown yourself a mature, helpful member during your time here. If you want your own, send a PM to IsraeliRD (admin). Your custom title may not contain offensive material and cannot exceed 40 characters (which includes spaces).

Some members aside from staff have colored names. To qualify, you must have 750+ posts and have shown yourself a mature, helpful member during your time here. Since your color is integrated in the forum code, it must be in Hex format, which you can work with here! After you have selected your color, send a PM to IsraeliRD (admin) or any Council Member with the Hex code pasted into your message.


Creating a thread:

We encourage you to ask any questions you might have. Before you do so, however, please search for the answer to your question in all relevant boards as well as the Rubbish Bin, which is the forum repository of historic topics and boards.

When you are ready to post, please take the time to ensure your thread is in the correct board. We understand that overlap occurs and you may be unsure in some cases, and that’s OK. If you have multiple questions, confine them to as few threads as possible (for instance, make only one levels thread in the New Levels board). Spamming boards with a huge number of threads is not encouraged.


Replying to threads:

When replying to a topic, please make sure that your post is contributive, mature, on-topic, not a repeat of something already posted, and is made in a recently-active topic. Bumping (defined as posting in an old thread) is common among new members, but is not encouraged unless the issue addressed in the thread was not properly resolved or the thread is stickied.

Double posting (defined as you posting two consecutive times) is only allowed when more than a day separates your posts.

Topics are occasionally locked by forum moderators, which disables posting. If you are the topic author, you may request a lock when your question has been answered. Staff will comply unless we feel there is a good reason to leave the topic up. Duplicate topics and old topics may also be moved to the Rubbish Bin if requested by topic authors or when forum maintenance is conducted.


Posting in the ShoutBox:

Although the ShoutBox is a place to express your thoughts and converse with other members, we do ask that you do not post excessively or uselessly (in short, no spamming the shoutbox).

20% warning for breaking above rules


Forum etiquette:

Flaming and long, heated arguments are not permitted. Topics containing racist, homophobic, religiously-intolerant, and politically-charged material will be removed at once and their authors will be warned.

20% warning for breaking above rules

Malware, adware, illegal downloads, and the like are not permitted. Additionally, we do not allow pornographic material on these forums. Posts containing the above will be edited by staff and the author will be warned.

50% warning for breaking above rules


MB copyright info:

Marble Blast Gold and mods of Marble Blast Gold are under the same copyright pact as the development systems at GarageGames inc. Therefore, any usage of their coding or modification coding with no permission is considered copyright infringement and can be taken to the court of law in the United States if we so desire.

You may also not distribute 'Core' content of Marble Blast Gold. Please check with the Forum Administration to receive a full list of files you may not distribute.


Reporting underage members:

The Proboards Terms of Service forbids anyone under the legal age of thirteen to register an account on any Proboards Forum (including marbleblast.com). Though we do not wish to compromise the privacy of your identity, we will have no choice but to ban you if we find out you are under the age of thirteen.
If you believe that a certain member is underage, please refrain from posting about it publicly. Please inform a staff member via PM, e-mail, or MSN, and the staff will investigate the validity of your claim. Make sure to include proof to make this process easier for us.


Member rankings (numbers indicate postcount):

0 - No Poster
1 - New Marbler
10 - Novice Marbler - 1 star
25 - Beginner Marbler
75 - Intermediate Marbler - 2 stars
125 - Experienced Marbler
200 - Advanced Marbler - 3 stars & Personalized Custom Title
350 - Professional Marbler
500 - Expert Marbler - 4 stars
750 - Senior Marbler - Consideration for Colored Username
1000 - Respected Marbler - 5 stars
1337 - Elite Marbler - 5 stars, green
2500 - Master Marbler - 5 stars, blue
5000 - Ultra Marbler - 5 stars, red
10000 - Supreme Marbler - 6 stars, red

Staff rankings:

Marble Blast Moderator: 7 stars, blue
Junior Council Member: 7 stars, red
Council Member: 8 stars, red
President of the Council: 9 stars, red
Forum Administrator: 10 stars, red


----Marble Blast Staff Contact List----

Please use this for any problem you might encounter which was unable to be solved by the forum members.

Due to privacy Terms of Use, information will not be displayed unless the staff member wishes to. Please edit this post if you would like your info displayed.

--------------------------------------------------

Aayrl (Moderator)
AIM: halfbugs
Yahoo!: [e-mail]
MSN: [e-mail]
GoogleTalk: [e-mail]
EMAIL: [e-mail]
Skype: soaepic
Phone: [Unavailable to you, sorry!]

Perishingflames (Council Member)
see my profile

Pablo (Council Member)
MSN: [e-mail]
EMAIL: [e-mail]

Technostick (Council President)
EMAIL: [e-mail]

[IsraeliRD]

----Replying to topics----

Before posting, please ensure you have read the previous posts and acknowledged the last post's date so you will not:
- Ask the same question if it was answered beforehand.
- Post an answer to a question if an answer was given already and was the correct one.
- Bump an old topic.
- Post off-topic.

- Please attempt to avoid writing 1 word or 1 phrase posts (unless that's all you really have to say!); while convenient at times, posts such as simply "fine" seem lazy.

- If discussion goes off-topic, please either continue the discussion in a new topic (a suitable place for some may be the spam board) or return on topic. While we encourage new discussions, it is not fair to the topic creator and the members involved in the original discussion when their thread is hijacked for another topic. If the topic itself is 'done and over with' then it may be locked by staff.

-- Exception to this rule:
- Posts responding to a topic such as "Oh yes!!" or along the lines of a cheer or expressing emotions, getting the pun across or having a damn good time is alright.

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 5% warning after getting warned from staff multiple times.


Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Asking common questions----

We are aware that some question have been asked and answered time and time again. Especially if you are a new member, please use the search feature before posting to see if your question has been previously answered. If you cannot find the answer, go ahead and post. However, if you are repetitively asking commonly answered questions, it is obvious you are just not taking the time to search, and you may be warned by a staff member.

- For members viewing the topic: If you know the answer, please help the poster by giving him the answer. Do not get angry at the member: he is knew, and the forum search sucks (and the rubbish bin is quite cluttered).

-- Exceptions to these rules:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 5% warning after getting warned from staff multiple times.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Bumping----

Any topic more than a month old is considered 'old'. Posting in these, unless you are the topic creator, is NOT ALLOWED UNLESS they fall in the exception category (see below).

If you see someone bumping an old topic, please refrain from posting afterwards and telling that poster to stop doing so. Instead, please contact a staff member with a link to the topic.

-- Exceptions to this rule:
---> Very contributive. For example, the member requested help and none was available at the time or was not successful, and you have a valid answer.
---> Topic creator allows you to.
---> Resource topics (such as video topics, new level topics, graphics topics, etc) in which you have something useful to say other than "nice!" (see 'Replying to Topics') Your post must be on-topic and must follow the 'Replying to Topics' guidelines.
---> If the bumping member asks a question (which is related to the topic), members are allowed to inform the bumper of previous posts or topics which answer his question. Staff may lock the topic if they deem so.

---> If you have made your own topic in which no one replied (and you still want someone to answer), instead of posting every 5 minutes, please wait 48 hours before bumping your own topic. If members still do not answer, you may bump a topic every 24 hours after. Don't be afraid to keep requesting help. If we haven't helped you to your satisfaction, then by all means keep on bumping unless explicitly stated otherwise by a staff member!

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 5% warning after getting warned from staff multiple times.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Double Posting----

Sometimes after you post you may wish to add additional information. However, instead of immediately posting again, just use the "modify" button in the top right hand corner of your last post and add the desired info. If you continually double post, triple post, etc. – unless under circumstances that merit exception (see below) – you will be punished.

-- Exceptions to these rules:

---> If the last post is old (for example in a level topic, where you posted something a while ago but want to alert other members of a new level that you have created) or it is doubtful that other members will see that you have made a modification to your previous post.

---> If you have asked a question and have not received an answer after one/two days have passed (see 'Bumping' guidelines).

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 5% warning after getting warned from staff multiple times.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Mature-themed Posts----

In order to promote a family-friendly forum, posts containing mature jokes and themes will no longer be allowed. Examples of mature posts include posts containing adult and vulgar language, such as rape jokes, and talking about drinking/usage of controlled substances.

-- Exceptions to these rules:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rules:
- 10% warning for each mature post made.

Last updated: 26 October, 2010



----Requesting a Topic Lock----

- Topic creators may request topic locks if they feel the need.
- Staff may lock topics once they become old and are prone to be bumped.
- You may request a topic lock if a topic was bumped by someone and you answered the bumper's question.

Please DO NOT:
- Request a topic lock if you see a thread going off-topic. If a staff member feels the need to lock it, they will. If they still do not lock it, you may ask them via private message to do so.
- Request a topic to be removed. Topics are never deleted; however, they may be moved to the rubbish bin during forum cleanups.

-- Exceptions to these rules:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 5% warning after getting warned from staff multiple times.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Racism and Religion----

Please refrain from discussing religion or making racist remarks, as this can hurt members of these forums.

-- Exception to this rule:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rules:

- 10% warning or more on first offense. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Threads dealing with politics, Mac vs PC wars, Console wars, etc.----

Threads dealing with politics, Mac vs PC, or Console wars are allowed ONLY when they are meant to start meaningful, educated discussion. Posting controversial thoughts with the primary motive to start a flame war or insult others IS NEVER ALLOWED.

-- Exceptions to this rule:
---> None

Punishment for breaking the above rule:

- 10% warning or more on first offense. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Flaming/Arguments/etc----

- By definition, flaming is posting messages to stir an argument or deliberately insulting other members. Flaming is prohibited on these forums.

-- Exceptions to these rules:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rule:

- 10% warning or more on first offense. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Posting links of any of the following: Sites to freely download copyrighted software or software cracks, Malware or adware websites, Adult websites, Hate websites, Sites promoting the use of illegal drugs, etc----

Please consult the staff if you feel that what you're about to post may break the rules below. This is better than finding yourself with a warning.

- You may not post or suggest to any member about methods of cracking copyrighted software or other materials; or where to find copyrighted, paid software for free which otherwise costs money.
- You may not post links to adult sites, sites that facilitate the obtaining of illegal software; links to cracks for copyrighted, paid software; hate websites; or sites promoting the use of illegal drugs.
- You may not post links to sites which contain viruses/worms/trojans/adware.
- You may not post pornographic images; 'adult' images may be posted with staff approval (images such as in the humorous 'adult' section of the Demotivational Posted Thread are generally ok). Remember, most users of this forum are of the age group 13-17.

-- Exceptions to this rule:
---> None.

Punishment for breaking the above rule:

- For posting adult sites/images: 10% warning or more on first offense. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.
- For discussing or suggesting where to obtain copyrighted, paid software illegally: 20% warning or more on first offense. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.
- 50% warning on first offense for posting a direct link to obtaining copyrighted, paid software illegally or software cracks. Subsequent offenses are within staff discretion.
- Instant ban for posting a direct link to malware (viruses/worms/trojans) or adware. If it was an innocent mistake, you are forgiven and noted down for doing so. Instant ban for a repeat offense. That means that a 2nd time gives you a ban regardless of the warning level.

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



Member rankings (numbers indicate postcount):

0 - No Poster
1 - New Marbler
10 - Novice Marbler - 1 star
25 - Beginner Marbler
75 - Intermediate Marbler - 2 stars
125 - Experienced Marbler
200 - Advanced Marbler - 3 stars & Personalized Custom Title
350 - Professional Marbler
500 - Expert Marbler - 4 stars
750 - Senior Marbler - Consideration for Colored Username
1000 - Respected Marbler - 5 stars
1337 - Elite Marbler - 5 stars, green
2500 - Master Marbler - 5 stars, blue
5000 - Ultra Marbler - 5 stars, red
10000 - Supreme Marbler - 6 stars, red

Staff rankings:

Marble Blast Moderator: 7 stars, blue
Junior Council Member: 7 stars, red
Council Member: 8 stars, red
President of the Council: 9 stars, red
Forum Administrator: 10 stars, red

Last updated: 23 July, 2010



----Marble Blast Staff Contact List----

Please use this for any problem you might encounter which was unable to be solved by the forum members.

Due to privacy Terms of Use, information will not be displayed unless the staff member wishes to. Please edit this post if you would like your info displayed.

--------------------------------------------------

Aayrl (Moderator)
AIM: halfbugs
Yahoo!: [e-mail]
MSN: [e-mail]
GoogleTalk: [e-mail]
EMAIL: [e-mail]
Skype: soaepic
Phone: [Unavailable to you, sorry!]

Perishingflames (Council Member)
AIM: xperishflames93
MSN: pf (@) perishingflames (dot) com
EMAIL: pf (@) perishingflames (dot) com
Skype: Perishingflames (I think)

Pablo (Council Member)
MSN: [e-mail]
EMAIL: [e-mail]

Technostick (Council President)
EMAIL: [e-mail]

Last updated: 23 July, 2010