NTWF Rules and FAQ - Please Read!

[Dan]

Greetings from the Neopian Times Writers Forum! This is a place where 'Times writers, artists and fans can get together and chat about everything from how to improve one's work to whether pirates are better than ninjas.

We’re a close-knit community, but we will gladly welcome anyone. Don't be frustrated if you don't understand this forum right away. Most Ph.D. psychiatrists still don't understand this forum. Just don't give up, and you'll get used to us. ^_^

However, there are a few rules that need to be followed:

• The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. It's also known as, "Harass the members and get beaten with a swordfish."
• To elaborate on the above- we want this forum to be a safe space for people from all walks of life to hang out and have fun. To that end, any discrimination or intolerance related to someone's race, ethnicity, political affiliation, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, lifestyle choice, or anything else that is personal to that individual will be considered harassment and bullying, and is not welcome here.
  
  • Intentional misgendering counts as intolerance and harassment. While accidents may happen (and both sides should remain civil when correcting and corrected - a simple nudge about the mistake and an apology should be all that's required), deliberately refusing to address someone by the pronouns they request will not be tolerated.
  • As this is a forum of writers, sensitive topics such as misgendering, homophobia, suicide, etc. may come up in fiction. This is permitted so long as it doesn't violate other forum rules, but it's best to add a warning at the top of the post or story if it contains this sort of content, so others may choose whether or not to engage in the material. If you're in a roleplay and have a character who may be engaging in one of these behaviors toward another character, be sure to discuss it with the other characters' player first.
• Do not target other members under any circumstances. If you have a concern about another member, please either take it up with them privately or bring it to the mods and they will do their best to help mediate the situation. Public "call out" posts are considered a form of harassment and are toxic to the forum in general, and will not be tolerated.

• Content - If you have passionate views about something, please either word them in a way that doesn't offend people, or just keep them to yourself. No racist, uber-political or uber-religious stuff on the forum, please, and absolutely no graphic sexual/offensive content. Please remember that there are people from all walks of life here. Keep everything PG-13. All content, images and links must comply with the Proboards Terms of Service.
• Ages - Under Proboards Terms of Service, a member needs to be 13+. If it comes to our attention that a member is under the age of 13, we're bound by those restrictions to delete the member (though they're welcome to rejoin once they're 13). As such, due to the somewhat serious nature of this matter, please don't joke around about being a younger member, as this will cause you to lose your account.
• Account Sharing - Is not allowed. For security reasons, you may not give your forum account's password to anyone else or ask anyone else to give you access to their account.
• Language - Mind the language. Please keep your posts civil and family-friendly. Be aware that we have a list of censored words, and there is zero tolerance for working around this list. When posting links or images, keep this rule of thumb in mind: If the content you're sharing would be censored or disallowed when written out, don't post it here.
• Constructive Criticism - When reviewing one another's work, please remember to keep your advice constructive. If someone critiques your work, try not to take what they say personally; it's an opportunity for growth.
• Spam - We love people who post, as long as those posts contribute to the conversation. Spam is any post that's not making a positive contribution to the topic at hand. These include one-word posts like, "Hey" and "OK."
  
  If you come across a post that is clearly from a spambot, please report it using the “Report to Mod” feature; to do so, click the gear icon on the top-right corner of the post, and select the “Report Post” option. This will flag the post for review, and a mod will take the appropriate action.
• Avatar and Signature Sizes - Avatars and signatures should not be too large or they will become problematic for other members. As a guideline, please try to keep all avatars around 150x150 pixels, and signatures around 500 pixels in width and 200 in height. If you use larger images, Proboards will shrink them to fit within posts, but the whole image will still load, potentially slowing down other members’ computers. If you're using an animated GIF as your signature/avatar, try to save it as small as you possibly can - under 100 KB would be a good cutoff point.
• Staff - Staff are appointed to first and foremost keep the forum running smoothly. If a Mod or Admin asks you to stop doing something, then follow their advice. If you disagree, ask another mod for their opinion. If a member is repeatedly asked to stop behavior that is not right, and they ignore it, the correct action will be taken. If you have a question about something, leave a message on the Issues & Inquiries board, or PM any staff member. We will try to answer it as best we can.
• Keeping the Peace - While a rare occurrence, sometimes mods will need to take action for misbehavior. A vast majority of the time, these will be friendly mod PMs reminding members of the rules, and tend not to indicate wrongdoing. More severe punishments are treated as a very serious matter and are not handed out lightly. Bans from the forum are very rare and decided upon by the entire Mod Squad.
  

Finally, the NTWF is here for your enjoyment. The staff are merely caretakers who have volunteered our time to try and keep the NTWF a friendly, happy, and somewhat orderly place. But we do not run it. Without YOU, all of you, the NTWF would be a ghost town. And each one of you are equally important, regardless of if you have 500 trophies, or have never been published.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Important Locations:

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-The Forum Gates - Post a message here and be officially welcomed.

- Issues & Inquiries – The name says it all. A place to ask questions that may not already be answered in the FAQ below.

-Profile and Rank Changes – Customize your rank and profile to really suit you. ^_^

-The Reviews and Previews Board - Post on the thread of the latest NT issue to request reviews for your work. Also, tell your fellow Neopian what sorts of stories you're writing next.

-Work Reviews and Advice - Get your masterpiece-in-progress critiqued. You can also find a collaborator for your next piece here.

If you see any problems, or if you have suggestions to improve the forum, please contact your friendly neighborhood Spiderman mods and admins:

Admins and Moderators:

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Admins:

Patjade (Head Admin)
Killix
Huntress
Celestial
Gelquie

Full-Mods:

Carolyn
Twillie
Thorn

Minis:
None yet!

Please be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions in the following post!

[Dan]

General Proboards FAQ:

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1) What are the different editors when writing a post?

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There are two ways you can write a post on this forum: Preview editor or BBCode editor. The Preview editor allows you to see your post exactly as it will appear upon posting; you can insert text formatting, tables, lists, etc. simply by highlighting the text you want formatted and pressing the appropriate button above the text box. If you’d prefer to see the BBCode tags as you write your post, click the BBCode button underneath the text box to swap over to that mode. This will show your post with the tags included and allows you to write in additional tags where necessary. You can also swap between the two editors at any time to get a sense of how your message will appear when posted.

2) How do I edit/delete my posts?

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Unlike the Neoboards, you can edit your posts on the NTWF. This means that you'll never have to post twice in a row to change errors in the original post or to add something on that you thought about after you finished. If you no longer want your post to be viewed, you can delete it instead. However, note that you can't delete an entire thread by deleting the first post. If you want to have your thread deleted, contact a mod.

The edit button is located on the top right of your post, it's the second button over. After editing your post, you can also opt to add a reason for your edit, which will be included at the bottom of your post. To delete a post, click the gear icon at the top right of your post. This will display a drop-down menu, where you can select the “Delete Post” option.

3) How do I quote posts?

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To quote another user's post, just click the quote button in the top-right corner of the post. If you want to quote multiple posts at the same time, all you need to do is click the gear icon in the top right corner of the posts you want to quote and click “Select Post”. After you’ve selected all the posts you want to quote, click either Reply or the Quote button in one of them, and the quotes will appear in a new message for you to respond to.

4) What are PMs?

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PMs are private messages that only the sender and the recipient can read. If you want to say something to someone that you don't want to say on the open forum, you can send it to them in a PM. You can also send a single PM to multiple recipients, creating a group conversation in which all recipients see all responses.

Writing a PM is a lot like writing a regular post, except that you can't edit it once it's been sent.

Whenever you get a new message, you’ll get a notification letting you know. To get to your inbox, click “Messages” on the top menu bar. You'll see any PMs you have; click on them to read.

5) Can mods or admins see my PMs?

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Staff members actually cannot see your private messages, no matter how mighty our fish slapping abilities may be! So, if there is any conduct happening behind these private chats that you're not comfortable with or think needs modly prevention, it is up to you to report it to us so that we may take appropriate action.

6) What are spoiler boxes and how do I make one?

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Spoiler boxes are a feature that we use in various areas of the forum to keep text hidden until you click on them. You're using one right now! Oftentimes we use them to hide spoilery information on new movies, TV shows, video games, and the like so as not to ruin it for those who haven't experienced it yet.

To make a spoiler, you can use the button when posting a thread, or type:

[spoiler]TEXT HERE[/spoiler]

7) What are Forum Themes and how do I change mine?

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Forum themes change the colors and backgrounds - the way the forum looks. You can change your forum theme by choosing one from the drop-down menu in the Settings tab when modifying your profile.

8) What are notifications?

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You can be notified when other members interact with you, such as quote your posts, tag you in their posts, or like a post you make. These will appear as a small white bubble above the Profile button in the top menu bar. Clicking on the bubble will take you to a list of all notifications you’ve received. You can also access this page by clicking the Notifications tab in your profile, and change which items you receive notifications for by clicking Edit Profile and then the Notifications tab.

9) What do I do if I have a problem with the forum?

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If it's not in the FAQ, create a thread on the Central Square board. You can also report it using the “Report to Mod” feature; to do so, click the gear icon on the top-right corner of the post, select the “Report Post” option, and explain the problem in the window that pops up. This will flag the post in question and a moderator will be able to view the problem and get back to you with a response.

Profile FAQ:

1) What is my "profile?"

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Your profile is a page that shows all of the user information that you allow other people to see. It contains your avatar, signature, post count, gender, and other such vital information about you on the site.

To view your profile, click on the "Profile" link in the toolbar at the top of the board. Note that you must be logged into your account to do this.

Many parts of the profile can be changed by clicking the "Edit Profile" button on this page. From there, you can click through the different tabs to modify different portions of your account, such as avatar, personal information, privacy settings, and forum settings.

2) How do I change my avatar (little picture under name)?

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To change your avatar, first click Profile in the top menu bar, and then click Edit Profile. From there you will be taken to the Avatar tab, where you can upload or link to your own avatar, use a default avatar, or create an avatar using Proboards Avatar Maker.

If you want to have a custom avatar, click Upload/Link, and follow the guidelines listed. Be sure to click Save Avatar Changes! Avatars will display as 150x150 pixels maximum. Please don't use very large images for avatars - they may not show up larger than 150x150 but they will load the full-sized image, which might slow the forum down for people with slower Internet connections.

3) How do I add a signature (text and images after post)?

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To add a signature, click Edit Profile and navigate to the Personal tab. Near the bottom there is a textbox where you can enter the text you want to display below all of your posts. If you want to add in images, links, or other effects, use BBC code to do this. For example, links should look like this: [url=]Link Here[/url] Please remember to stay within the size guidelines.

4) How do I get a custom title?

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Getting a custom title is very simple, but you'll need a little help. You just have to ask a mod for one in this thread.

5) What are these badges I see in people's profiles?

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Badges are little icons that you can display in your profile to show what interests you have and/or events you've participated in here on the NTWF. To see what badges you can select, and to request them, you can go here.

6) What are Personal Smilies? How can I upload my own?

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Personal Smilies are a code we have implemented so that you may upload your own custom emoticons if you so wish. To upload your own, go to your profile and click Edit Profile. From there, navigate to the Settings tab and scroll down to the section titled Your Personal Smilies. From here you can upload up to 25 images. They must first be hosted on an image hosting site like Photobucket before you can add them.

Once you have uploaded your smilies, they can be inserted into your posts just like regular emoticons, and can be found underneath the official Proboards smilies when writing a post. Remember that for the images to show up in your posts, you must first have smilies enabled.

NTWF-specific FAQ:

1) What do the different colored fonts (for names) mean?

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Different colored names are given to members based on their Neopets achievements. While the amount of pieces in the NT is one way to have a color/rank change, other Neopian contests will give different ranks, as well. The different rankings/colors can be found here.

2) What are the Archives?

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The Archives are a companion board to Memory Lane, wherein past forum boards are stored that no longer have enough activity to warrant a place on the main page. These boards are set aside for the time being to keep the forum organized, but if there is a demand for them in the future, they can be restored as an active board.

3) Where do I submit a new banner?

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PM it to Patjade . Please note that all banners must fit certain requirements, which can be found here.

4) How does one get to be staff?

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The mods are affectionately known as the janitors of the forum. The bulk of our work is related to small tasks like cleaning up spam, editing threads, and granting profile change requests. On rare occasions the mods will need to handle more serious situations, and it is based on these occasions that we make our decisions on new staff additions.

New staff additions are rare. We only take on new staff when we have a vacancy and we also consider several things--such as the stresses of the job, what we know about the candidates, and whether it would be wise to toss them into it. While the majority of what we do is forum caretaking, there are situations that crop up requiring a mature and level-headed personality. We also take into account members who have shown themselves to be active in the community, responsible, and helpful towards others. Even though these qualities don’t guarantee you will become a mod, they will still make you a great community member, and that’s what makes this forum thrive in the first place.

7) Can I advertise my Neopets Beauty Contest entry on the forum?

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No. This is because the NTWF is a Certified Neopets Fansite, and there were concerns about the current TNT staff and how they handle advertisement of Beauty Contest entries, and so they were banned to stay in accordance with Neopets.

If this ever changes, we will be glad to allow them again, but please refrain from posting these until then.

8) I want to create a fansite/blog/tumblr/whatever about NTWF things!

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Great! You can do that, with one caveat. Unless the fansite follows the NTWF's rules completely (in terms of content), you must make it clear that this is an unofficial fansite and not associated with the NTWF. You can do this by putting the word 'unofficial' or something similar in the title or the description. If you would rather go the route of an unofficial fansite, please don't try to make the title sound too official, lest it cause confusion. We ask this to make a clear distinction regarding where the NTWF can reach.

9) Why is guest posting disabled?

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To stay in accordance with Neopets as a Certified Neopets Fansite, we had to remove the ability to guest-post. You must create an account or log in to be able to post.

10) How big should my avatar/signature be?

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Out of consideration for those with smaller monitors and slower connections, we have a limit on how big your avatar and signature should be.

As a general sort of rule, signatures should be about 500 pixels in width and 200 in height, or less, it's up to you. This includes text. Try not to go too much over that, because once you hit about 700 or so, your signature starts to become problematic for other members. The wider your signature, the bigger the chance that it might stretch someone's page, depending on their monitor size, and the higher the signature, the more people have to scroll to get to the next post.

In the same vein, please resize your avatars if at all possible; if you set a huge picture as your avatar, Proboards will automatically resize it to 150x150 or less, but it'll really be loading the whole image every time your avatar appears on the screen, which increases loading time.

If you're using an animated GIF as your signature/avatar, try to save it as small as you possibly can - under 100 KB would be a good cutoff point.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the forum!