Gamers Unite! Forum Guidelines

by Amy Wong - Jul 14, 2010 28,308 views

The Gamers Unite! (GU!) Forum is an online community established by Facebook gaming fans for Facebook gaming fans. We provide discussion forums for every Facebook game for users to post questions, share information, and discuss tips and tricks. GU! encourages contributors who are courteous and respectful and discourages those who choose to behave in a disrespectful and/or irresponsible manner.

The following guidelines apply to every discussion board on Gamers Unite! and are to be followed by all members. Any post or thread in violation of any of these guidelines may be edited or deleted at our discretion. Repeat offenders, as well as any member who comments an offense that is deemed serious, may be banned from GU! at our discretion.

Basic Forum Guidelines

• Treat your fellow community members with courtesy and respect.
• GU! is a PG-13 forum. Please keep all posts at this level or below.
• No foul language allowed.
• No indecent or provocative images allowed.
• GU! is an English speaking site. If English is not your primary language, please use Google Translate. to provide translation.
• Check your spelling before posting. If members cannot read what you have to say, then they cannot respond.
• Make sure your post has all the relevant information so that other users can understand the question you are asking or the information, tips, or tricks you are sharing.
• AVOID TYPING IN ALL CAPS, as this is considered to be the online equivalent of shouting. If you need help reading what is on your screen, your computer has tools that can assist you.
• Double check the tone of your message before posting it. If necessary, use some emoticons/smilies to help lighten the tone.
• Keep topics on subject by limiting your replies to the stated subject.
• Do not post any “add me,” “send me,” or “trade” requests except in the appropriate designated areas.
• Do not post any deletion requests. Instead, visit the Deleting your Gamers Unite! membership thread for instructions on how to delete your GU! membership.
• Do not post your e-mail address, phone number, or home address.

Starting a New Topic

Before starting a new topic, check first to make sure the topic doesn’t already exist.

• Use the Google Search Box at the top of every GU! page to search for your topic. Use keywords that describe your topic. Check the results to see if your topic already exists.
• Click the “Write Post” button in the appropriate discussion board for your game.
• Give the thread an appropriate, descriptive title. This is not the place to include information. You will be limited on how many characters you can include.
• After typing the title, a display box will open with a list of topics that may be similar to your topic. Look to make sure these threads do not already cover your question or information.

In addition, do not use the title of the thread to leave your question or comment. Use the title box leave an appropriate title for the thread you are creating, then use the text box to ask your question or make your comment.

Bashing

GU! encourages the posting of opinions and beliefs on any of the topics found on our forums. However, please keep in mind that not everyone will agree or share your opinions and beliefs. In addition, you should expect that other members may respond to your posts with opinions and beliefs that are contrary to your own.

If someone makes a post you disagree with, respond to the message itself by posting your thoughts and opinions on the topic only. Posts that attack other GU! members, are inflammatory in nature, intended to provoke an angry response from others, or flame, bash, or insult other people are not allowed.

Links

GU! is a site where gamers can share information, tips and tricks, and ask questions. Sometimes, the information, tip, trick, or question can be found on another gaming site. Linking to information on other sites is permissible if the information is not already covered on GU! or the other site has more comprehensive information about a subject than we have already provided.

If you share content from other sites, please credit the source. Please use your best judgment and follow fair use guidelines.

Links to sites that contain scams, self-serving referral links, inappropriate content (i.e., pornography), or sites that attempt to compromise browser and/or operating system stability and security are not permitted. In addition, links to a user’s personal site for the purpose of making money off our members (including promotions/contests) is not permissible without advance permission from a Gamers Unite! Staff Member.

The use of URL shorteners is prohibited.

Spam

The following types of posts are considered spam and are prohibited:

• The posting of unwanted and unapproved advertisements.
• The posting of scam links.
• The posting of self-serving referral links>.
• The posting of links intended to make money off our members.
• Creating a post/thread for the purpose of replacing another post/thread that was deleted.
• Intentionally bumping up a thread that has fallen down on a discussion board
• Intentionally creating a new topic with the exact same information you typed in another thread.
• Repeating the same post on multiple threads and/or boards.

Member Disputes

All disputes, disagreements, and arguments should be handled courteously and respectfully by the members involved through either Facebook’s PM system or off-site through IM or e-mail. Under no circumstances should a dispute, disagreement, or argument be conducted in the public areas of the forum.

It is not the job of the Gamers Unite! Staff to baby-sit members who cannot get along with others. Please do not ask us to intervene in a member dispute.

Reporting Posts

If you see a post that violates GU! Policy, you can report the post by clicking on the hidden “xFlag” button that will appear when your mouse moves over the bottom right corner of a post. A pop-up box will open that will allow you to choose the reason you are reporting the post and submit it to the Gamers Unite! Staff.

At this time, only the original post in a thread can be reported. Reply posts cannot be reported. Since only the last 20 replies are shown when a thread is viewed, offending posts in a popular thread will drop out of sight on their own. However, if a post is particularly offensive or a fight has broken out in a thread, feel free to either use the “Contact us” link at the bottom of every page or send the Gamers Unite! Staff members a Facebook message (most GU! Staff members allow non-friends to send PM messages).

Use At Your Own Risk

In addition to discussion forums, GU! offers members tools they can use to help enrich their gaming experience with their favorite Facebook games. While these tools do not modify the actual game play or contain any programming language that is harmful to your computer, use of these tools is at your own risk. No one associated with Gamers Unite! is responsible for any consequence that arises from your use of any GU! tool.

From time to time, community members may post instructions on how to hack a Facebook game in order to modify how that game works. The most common types of hacks are those that will allow you to exchange one item for another or provide you with extra in-game coins, though we have seen others as well. Despite claims to the contrary, no one can guarantee that a hack is 100% undetectable. No one has any way of knowing if a game’s creators can trace a hack. You, AND ONLY YOU, are responsible for any consequence you incur as a result of using a hack posted in our discussion forum.