[Atarah]

As some of you may have noticed, the concentration on the topic is less within Polls and Surveys compared to General Discussion. Therefore, the staff have discussed the rules which apply to Polls and Surveys, which up until now were all those in General Discussion. Please see below the new rules, in particular the length expected for a topic in Polls and Surveys.

Basic Rules

All Topics must contain a Focus of Discussion and 2 constructive sentences toward that discussion.
Two constructive sentences is the minimum effort we expect you to put into a discussion post. In Polls and Surveys more people concentrate on their poll choice and describing it than actual discussion itself - however, we still expect one to be present and active within your topic, or it could face the prospect of being closed.

Don't flame.
Under no circumstance does anyone ever have the right to tell another that they are a "happy," etc. Calm discussion should take place in this forum, insulting each other should never be necessary.

Don't curse.
Minor curses like "Hell" or "Damn" may be allowed in context. But anything more than that, no matter the context, will not be allowed. We have a censor for a reason.

Don't spam.
Stupid, pointless, annoying messages. If you post these constantly, you will be punished. 1-3 word replies are often classed as spam. If you have something to add to the discussion, do so. "I agree" or "I disagree" adds nothing to the discussion. Just stating your poll choice as a post will also be classified as spam.

Use common sense when posting.
This is probably one of the most important rules! Just think before you act!

Don't make Coded Box Questions/Emboldened Questions or similar at the end of a discussion.
When done, many posters answer those questions specifically, and thus do not discuss the issues between each other.

Don't make coloured discussions or posts.
There is no reason why you would need to make your discussion a different colour - remember, different people use different forum skins, making your topic yellow might be okay for your skin, but not for another. The same applies for posting in this forum, its not necessary.

Don't wannabe moderate
If you see a person whom you think is breaking the rules, even if you know what rule they break, you have no reason to tell them so. Moderating is a Moderators job, report the person, and leave their topic or post alone. Posting about how they must move their topic to x forum or y forum only creates a spam post when said topic is moved by a Moderator, and thus needs to be removed following appropriate action being taken.

Poll allowance is at an individual moderator's discression.
If your topic is not approved, please do not argue about it. A topic may be denied for several reasons, for example if a similar topic exists, or if a topic has insufficient detail. No topic will be denied without good reason. If you desire help on creating, writing and replying in this forum, please see our other pinned topic, found here.

Use semi-proper English when you post
Here is an example:

Good Post: What do you think of the new combat system in RS:II?
Bad Post: omg wut du u dink ov t3h nu c0mb4t ding n rs-too???????????!11111111

The author of the first one is considerately reader-friendly, whereas the author of the second one doesn't know the difference between letters and numbers, and likely failed a kindergarten level spelling test five years past the appropriate age of administration. We will delete posts like this.

Posts or topics that violate these rules are subject to deletion or closing without notice. Please also note that these rules are subject to change at any time without due notice.

Punishments

Punishments can range anywhere from a verbal warning to a rating deduction to permanent banning depending on the degree of your offense. Punishments are at the individual moderator's discretion.

Thanks for your cooperation!
~Casey, Dark Tyger, Arno, Setanta, Maxman