WTS Rules
The purpose of WTS is to create a safe environment for fans to talk about soccer/football. The board rules have been developed and grown by the site staff in response to the challenges we've faced in running forums for more than 8 years. We are not trying to restrict your opinions or ideas, but rather are trying to ensure that everyone feels comfortable posting theirs.
Fans who are genuinely interested in having friendly and civil discussions about soccer are welcome! Trolls who sign up to cause trouble and start fights, are not. We try our best to resolve any problems with members peaceably, but in some cases repeated breaking of the board rules will result in removal of privileges or banning from the board. We're not trying to "get" you and we understand honest mistakes - punishments are a last resort for repeat rule-breakers.
Board membership is a privilege and not a right: bad behavior will cause you to lose that privilege. Gossip, bullying, and aggressive and attacking behavior has no place here.
We have added each rule for a reason: if you have any questions about these rules or the reason for a certain one, please post in the Help forum or contact an admin calmly and politely and we will try to answer your
No personal attacks!
Please be respectful of all members of the posting community and treat others as you would want to be treated. Abuse of this rule will not be tolerated by the site staff. Disagreements are fine, but they should be conducted in a civilized manner - we have faith in your ability to discuss issues without resorting to personal attacks. Please remember that it's about the argument, not the person. If you see a personal attack on the board, please use the report post button and do not retaliate. Retaliation just inflames the situation and makes it more difficult for the staff to punish the real offender.
If you have a problem with another member, please contact an admin or mod and we will try to help you work it out.
No bullying!
Everyone on this board should feel they can post their opinions without being being bashed or bullied. Bullies on this board will not be tolerated, and bullying will summarily result in banning from the board. If you feel that anyone is bullying you on the board (or about the board using messengers, the chat, emails or private messages), please let an admin know and it will be dealt with anonymously.
Posting Rules
1. Threads that are located in the inappropriate forum will either be closed or moved to the appropriate forum. Please read forum descriptions carefully before posting.
2. Please check to see that a thread on your topic has not already been posted before you post (use the search feature to help you). Multiple topics will be closed, merged or deleted.
3. Create threads with clear titles that describe the topic of the thread (that means no titles like 'Guess what!'). When posting, please keep to the topic of the thread as much as possible. Threads that stray too far from the topic will be closed.
4. DiStOrTeD TeXt and text used in all CAPS (the online equivalent of shouting) should not be used. Also text and kewl talk are to be avoided - that includes text using numbers and letters (example: 4 u 2), and other intentionally misspelled words. Remember that we have many members from non-English speaking countries – when you use kewl talk it makes it difficult for them (and the rest of us) to understand what you’re saying. Also, please do not post in all lower case letters and try to use good grammar, punctuation and spelling in posts. This is not a chat room: please make an effort to post clearly.
Please be assured that we understand that not everyone is a grammar scholar or spelling bee champion - but we can tell the difference between someone who is trying and someone who is just being lazy. All we ask is that you put some effort into your posting. If you don't feel the need to put any time into your posting, others will not put any time into reading your post.
5. Offensive, obscene and profane language should not be used. Most points can be expressed without resorting to inappropriate language.
6. When posting any news articles, include a link to the site or otherwise quote the source that it was taken from. Copying portions of text from other websites without giving credit is in fact infringing copyright laws and could result in this site being closed down.
7. Please do not 'bump' threads (posting only to bring the topic back up to the top of the forum).
8. Board avatars and all other graphics are copyrighted and should not be used without the permission of the site team. Please also do not link to attachments, avatars or other graphics on the boards or on other websites, including in your signature, as that takes up our bandwith and costs us money. Plus, it's stealing and just plain wrong.
9. The discussion of distribution of illegally-obtained copies of games is not allowed. Please do not post about illegally downloading games / other items from the net, as it can result in our site being shut down. Such discussion will be deleted.
10. "Karma"/Reputation on the board is meant to be a fun feature. If any disagreements or bullying erupt about negative karma, or if there are any competitions to have the "highest" karma, the feature will be removed.
11. Threads celebrating number of posts reached are allowed at every 500 posts. ie, 500, 1000, 1500 etc. Threads celebrating other post counts will be deleted.
12. User names can be changed by pming an admin. Members are only allowed one account. Any multiple accounts will be deleted. If you have multiple accounts, please let an admin know so they may merge them. Otherwise, the newest account will be deleted. Remember, having more than one account takes up server space unnecessarily. It also is a tool of those who would do harm to the board, and thus casts a negative light on you. Excessive creating of accounts may result in your banning from the boards.
13. Posts with the intention to disrupt the peace and harmony of the board are not allowed and will not be tolerated. This is not the same as posting a suggestion or constructive criticism. If you are a member of this site, you should want it to flourish. Sowing discord on the board ruins things for everyone. Please don't expect us to pay for you to use the board so that you can badmouth it.
Spam
Spamming will not be tolerated, and will be deleted. Spamming includes any post that is made solely to increase your post count – such as only posting smilies, one or two word posts, or posting a reply when one is not required (such as repeated "thank you" and "you're welcomes"). Please also refrain from double posting; use the 'edit post' button where needed. We want to hear what you think - spam posts add nothing to the discussion and make the real discussion difficult to follow.
Signatures
1. Signatures should be no more than 200 pixels high x 500 pixels wide, and should include no more than 8 lines of text.
2. Sound wavs, offensive language, links to other similar themed forums, and any quotes or pictures that would be 'spoilers' are not allowed.
3. One small (150 high x 200 wide pixels max) animated banner is allowed per person. If your banner causes other members’ scrollbars to ‘jump’ or in any other way messes up board functions, you will be asked to remove it.
4. Site staff may remove items from your signature at their discretion without prior notice. It is up to the site staff to decide what is appropriate and what is not; arguing or lashing out at the staff when being asked to edit your signature will result in the loss of signature privileges.
5. Please also do not include lists of names of board friends - while we are happy that you have made friends on the boards, this can (and does) make other members feel excluded and is contrary to the community we wish to have here.
Misuse of Board Pms and Emails
Board private messages (pm's) and emails are for members' private use in chatting with other members. Abuse of these features - especially using them to spam - is not tolerated and will result in banning from the boards. This includes spamming members with the link to your site. Including obscene, sexually graphic or pornographic material in private messages is also not allowed
Links
1. Please do not post links on the boards. This helps keep the boards orderly. You may include links in your signature, however. (Please be respectful and don't link to other soccer/football forums in your sigs.)
2. If you have a soccer/football related site, you can request it be added to our links by pming an admin.
3. If you are posting a link to an article, please quote the article in your post so that we can still read it even when the link becomes dead. Definitely include the link and credit to the author, but make it easier for your fellows to discuss the article by posting it or relevant parts of it in the thread.
Passwords and Board Security
The site staff will NEVER ask you for your password. Please do not give it out, and we recommend making it something no one could guess and changing it regularly. Anyone who attempts to access another person's account will be banned immediately
Advertising / Selling items
We do not allow posts selling items on the boards - that is not what they're for.
Chat
WeTalkSoccer.com has a live chat system available to all members. ALL WTS Policies (aka Cops) are in force in the chat room regardless of whether or not a staff member is in the room. Our chat systems logs all communications that take place in the chat rooms and should there be a report of abuse or policy violations, site administrators have the ability to review the transcripts. Abuse or WTS policy violations in the chat room may result in a loss of posting privileges and/or banning. Hence, we have a few rules that pertain to the IRC chat:
1. No flooding in chat. Continual posting of one or two letters adds nothing to a conversation and is very annoying.
2. No profane or abusive language. Our IRC host does not allow cursing in their chat room. The chat will automatically kick you for swearing and after 3 kicks you are banned from the chat. That is our host's policy, not ours, but we must abide by it.
3. The chat room is English-only. It is for everyone to come together and it is not fair if members are excluded for not speaking a particular language.
4. Keep the caps lock off please. Online this is considered shouting.
5. You must use your board username in the chat so that you are easily identified by other members. Anyone who tries to use someone else's username or pretends to be another user in the chatroom will be banned from the board.
6. We have a zero tolerance policy relating to sexual activity in the chat room as well as abuses, and though we may not catch it when it happens or even the following days or weeks, when we do the people involved will be banned. Our chat room is a place for all our valued members to have a place to sit back and relax, go into live-discussions and chat with the people behind the web site – it’s all about fun (So, please don't screw it).
We want to keep the chat a bit more relaxed than the boards, but these rules are in place to help everyone enjoy it. If you continue to break them you will face a ban in chat.
As always, if anything is going on on the board or on the channel that is making someone feel threatened or uncomfortable, please bring it to the attention of a staff member right away.
All those breaking the rules can first expect a verbal warning by a moderator/admin and then, if they persist, an account deletion or temporary posting ban. Persistent and deliberate rule-breakers will have their account "K-lined". That means they are no longer welcome on these forums and their account will no longer function. If they re-register, their new account will be killed immediately
Abuse of the Board Staff
The board staff donates their time to help keep this site running smoothly. It is their job to enforce the board rules. It is not an attack or personal grudge towards you if they move, close, or edit your thread.
Having said that, they are people and members first. They have feelings just like everyone else, and it is not okay to make nasty and abusive comments towards them. They are not outside of the "no abuse" rule just because they are on staff. They have just as much right to enjoy their time on this site as you do.
If you have a problem with an action a moderator has taken, please contact an admin calmly and civilly and we will work it out with you. But ranting, yelling, harassment and rudeness will not be tolerated. And if you want something or need help, those are the quickest ways to ensure that you will not get it. Bad behavior is not rewarded on this board.
Please remember:
- Moderators are not online 24 hours a day. They cannot be expected to be instantly available to swoop in at a second's notice.
- They do their best, but it is possible that the mods might not see every single post on the board. Member help by reporting questionable posts is an important part of keeping our board running smoothly.
- Mods will take action on rule violations when they see them. Don't forget that the mods have a lot of posts to go through when they come on the board. If you feel something has been missed, please report it politely: please give the staff the opportunity to help you before you send them a rant accusing them of not doing anything!
- Sometimes board issues require discussion by the staff, or the moderator dealing with it might need help or advice from other members of staff. This does not mean your request is being ignored! Please be patient. If you have pmd/emailed a mod rather than reporting a post or posting in the help forum, remember that not every mod is on every single day. Please be patient and give that staff member the time to return to the board and respond rather than lashing out at them.
Please take a moment to remember that the staff work hard to make this a nice place for you to enjoy, and they don't deserve bad treatment in return.
Suicide Notes
Please do not post suicide notes, or posts that others would see as suicide notes, on the board. This is not because we don't care about you! These posts are harmful to other members who are left in the position of not being able to help you in such a situation. What if they say the wrong thing? It's not fair to other members to put that on their shoulders. In addition, seeing others post about committing suicide can lead others who are having suicidal thoughts to act on them.
If you DO experience suicidal thoughts, please please please speak to a therapist, counselor, support helpline, or trusted adult.
Drugs and Alcohol
1. Please do not post on the board while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Not only will it probably cause you embarrassment when you return and see what you posted, but it also can be very disturbing for other members. The boards are meant to be a safe place where people are free of the effects of drugs or alcohol.
2. Please do not post about illegal drug use. This raises major legal issues for us.
