Completely Off Topic Rules And Guidelines

[Than the Moa]

COMPLETELY OFF-TOPIC RULES and GUIDELINES

 

Make Topics That Have A Point

The forum is called Completely Off Topic, not Completely No Topic. Meaningless, random jibberish will be locked. Likewise, this forum is not your personal blog or chat room.

 

Do NOT Spam

SPAM stands for Stupid Pointless Annoying Message.Spouting random jibberish at every opportunity is not good, especially not if it is done in a thread that has a clear point. If you want to chat, do it elsewhere or on IM/PM, but don't do it here. Excessive roleplaying is also prohibited, and please stay on topic. Derailing a thread risks getting it closed.

 

Do NOT Flame

Tearing into other members or their ideas is not productive for anyone. If they have broken a rule, use the Report button. If they need to be pointed to the Rules & FAQ, point them to it and leave it at that. If you disagree, present your opinion in a courteous manner. If you don't like something that's being discussed, say why or perhaps keep to yourself. Flaming isn't tolerated here.Trolling, or flame baiting, is similar to flaming. It is antagonizing someone in hopes of getting a negative response to make the other person look bad. While trolling is not exactly the same as flaming, it is just as bad, if not worse.

 

NO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT

NO links, pics or even REFERENCES to porn or hentai, or any adult content whatsoever. This will result in instant banning. BZP has no age requirements which means there are people of all ages here, including very young children. We're a site with the primary intent of discussing a kids toy line-- keep things safe for everyone. If you want to talk about adult subjects then find yourself another messageboard that allows it.If you don't know what the above rule is talking about and referencing, then don't worry - you won't break it accidentally. If you do, be warned... this is an automatic suspension and then banning.

 

NO ADVERTISING

Read this topic for information on the advertising rule. This advertising rule includes creating topics to simply advertise a site that you know of/own; that's what your signature is there for.

 

NO Clubs/Groups/Leagues, etc.

No topics for "clubs," "groups," or the like, where you have to join, and people are excluded. It hasn't worked out in the past, due to spam and other conflicts, so they're out and will be closed if posted.

 

NO Politics & Religion

Politics and religious discussions are forbidden. Not because there is anything wrong with discussing these things, but because 99% of the time those topics turn into flame wars. NO exceptions! If you want to discuss these things then there are plenty of messageboards out there that focus on serious topics like politics or religion where you can go to discuss these things. Please keep debates like this off BZP-- there's little reason to bring it up to the audience here anyway.There will be NO exceptions here. Yes, even new presidential discussions are forbidden, unless there is a News Article and/or Official Topic about it. Thanks for being understanding about this rule.

 

Use the Report Button

There is a "REPORT" button in the lower left-hand corner of each post for a reason. Posting "Will a Moderator please lock this thread!?" does nothing to bring the thread to our attention. If you feel that that post is breaking the rules, hit the report button, enter an understandable reason, and leave it at that. Don't be afraid to report something even if you are not quite sure whether it breaks the rules or not; a Forum Leader/Assistant will take a look and make a decision.

 

OFF TOPIC means OFF TOPIC

COT is for the discussion of things not covered in the rest of the forums. Off topic games and discussions are for here. Bionicle- and LEGO-related topics go in their respective forums and BZPower-related topics in General Discussion, Q&A, or here.

 

Topic REVIVAL

In the Completely Off Topic forum, if a topic has not been posted in for 60 days, you may not revive it by posting again, or it will be closed. When a topic is inactive for that long, people didn't want to continue discussing it, so let it stay dead. If there's new information/interest/etc. in the topic, feel free to just create a new topic for it instead.

 

Birthday Topics

Creating birthday topics for people on the day of their birthday is fine. However, topics celebrating the birthday of BZP staff members are for the General Discussion forum.

 

Unofficial Topics

When posting topics, please do not note that a topic is unofficial in the title (eg. "Unofficial Polo X Topic!"). Using the "unofficial" title is not necessary to differentiate your topics from those with official status. Don't worry about being closed because you didn't specify in the title; as long as you don't specifically call it official, there won't be any confusion. If you include an unnecessary 'Unofficial' in your topic's title, it will be edited out by a Forum Leader.

 

Topic Approval

The following topics cannot be posted unless you PM a Forum Leader first, and they give you the heads up:

 

Official Topics

 

We hope you enjoy Completely Off Topic and follow the rules here, so that the forum can continue to be the enjoyable place that it is. COT can be a hectic forum, so we appreciate you doing your part to help.

 

Please PM a COT Forum Leader if something needs to be added, corrected, or suggested.

 

Our regards,

COT Forum Staff

Edited July 17, 2014 by -Windrider-