Posting Etiquette

[Maria]

Like all forums, The Rath has certain guidelines and etiquette that members are expected to follow. If you're not a long time member, it can be hard to learn all the rules, both spoken and simply expected, so we've put this together to help explain what's expected here at the Rath. Please take the time to read this in it's entirety; knowing and following these rules will save you and the mods a lot of time and grief.

If you have any further questions, PM myself or your mentor.

General Etiquette:

Double Posting: Please do not double post. Double posts will be edited or deleted. There is a "modify post" option in the upper right hand corner of your own posts: please use this feature if you wish to add something to your post.

Grammar and Spelling: While some Internet abbreviations and short cuts are allowable, we try to use proper spelling, capitalization, and grammar wherever possible. Text speak (tlkng lyke dis) in significant amounts is not allowed.

Wraparound Words: Words that are of inappropriate length, such as words that require a scroll-bar to appear, will be deleted. They make your post difficult to read and discourage members from reading your post.

One Word Posts: Please don't post "one word" posts. You can certainly agree or disagree, but as we pride ourselves on our well-thought-out answers and non-traditional internet culture, please explain why you agree or disagree. Discussion cannot be had when people only post, "Yep!". In the same vein, please refrain from posting only emoticons. A post should have true content.

Off-Topic Posts: Threads have topics, and discussion is meant to relate to that topic. Do not post in threads with off-topic comments; your post will be deleted. (For example, a post about Ash in an Irial thread would be deleted.)

IMing/Preferred Information Conversations: Please try to refrain from "preferred information" conversations. These are conversations that involve information that it not available to the general public - such as a conversation about the novel you are working on which the person you are talking with has read, but other members have not. If another member would not be comfortable joining the conversation, or would not be able to join it, it probably best kept to PMs. "IM" style conversations are conversations that consist mainly of two-three people talking on and on, such as you would find in an instant message window. This is a forum, not a chat. The word "forum" means "open discussion".  If other members cannot join in on the discussion, then you need to move it to PMs.

"What are we talking about?": Please do not post in threads asking what the conversation is about. Reread the last few posts in the thread if you are unsure of the topic.

We also have specific rules for certain areas of the Rath. These can be hard to remember, so use the following for reference if you need to.


The Book Discussion Areas:

"The Book Discussion Areas" refers to the following boards:

General Discussion
Wicked Lovely
Ink Exchange
Fragile Eternity
Radiant Shadows
Desert Tales
Love is Hell
Unbound
Half Minute Horrors

In the interests of preserving real discussion of the Wicked Lovely books, certain rules have been instituted in these areas.

General Etiquette: The GE policies are enforced much more strictly in these areas. Posts not complying with the guidelines are likely to be edited, moved or deleted.

Movie Talk: Movie Discussion is NOT allowed in any of these boards. Posts about the movie in one of these boards will be deleted.

Real Life Talk: The book discussion areas are for discussing books, not real life. Therefore, discussions about your RL are not permitted in the book discussion areas. To talk RL, try the Courts or OtherStuff.

The Courts:
The Courts provide a healthy mixture of social bonding and discussion. Each Court has social threads, where real life conversations are permitted and a laid-back vibe is encouraged. The Courts also have discussion threads on Court-related topics. Please be friendly and respectful to all members and stay on-topic in the discussion threads. And be sure to visit the Courts to read in-depth information about rules and expectations.