HabboxForum Rule Changes ~ September 2015

[Matt]

http://www.habbox.com/assets/images//2012/08/29/yi4gA.gif

The Forum Rules are an integral part of HabboxForum and play a vital role making both a safe and fun environment for all users. From time to time Management may adjust or edit the occasional forum rule due to feedback from the community or personal opinion. A couple of months back a feedback thread was created where users could comment on particular rules that they believed were outdated, wrong, needed changing or needed deleting altogether. After lengthy discussions between Forum Management and General Management we have come up with three separate stages that will see different aspects of the rules altered. The purpose of this is to make sure the Forum is a more enjoyable place for users - which we believe a huge part of that is relaxing the forum rules. We read all responses in Feedback very carefully and tried our best to make it so that everyone's input was somehow integrated into the new rules.

As I have already mentioned, this process will be ongoing and staggered/split into three different stages. You may see certain rules still being changed after they have been implemented (it all depends on how the community responds and how management believe the new rules are received). Each stage is as follows:



Stage 1 ~ Implementation of our new General Forum Rules:
These are the rules that apply across the entire Forum and is perhaps the biggest stage out of the three. Each rule has been carefully scrutinised however some rules in this category will have been left untouched. Further changes may be made to any of these rules later in Stage 2.
At no point will the Forum rules be changed without the community being notified (either via the Development Forum or in a notice).

Stage 2 ~ Changes to Forum Specific Rules:
As you may or may not know, certain Forums (such as Spam and the Trading Forum) have their own sets of rules. Working alongside the General Forum Rules, the Forum specific rules apply at all times in their given sub-forums and users can be penalised if these rules are broken. Stage 2 will see these being changed and edited to better suit users. In most cases these rules will be relaxed so that using these sub-forums will be more enjoyable and not as strict. Furthermore, this stage will be used to make any amendments to the rules which were implemented in Stage 1.

Stage 3 ~ Review:
This is the final stage and will occur a number of weeks after the completion of Stage 2. This will be where any feedback regarding the new/revised rules will be taken on board and any final changes that we believe are needed, will occur. Your feedback will be vital to ensure we have got it right.

Both Forum Management and General Management have attempted to cover all areas of the Forum so that we are not as strict when it comes to what you can and cannot do when using HabboxForum. From day one of these new rules your feedback will be of utmost importance and will be significant in shaping any changes. If you have an overall opinion on the new changes or believe we have missed anything out, please tell us! A feedback thread will be posted upon the release of Stage 1 and will focus purely on this topic. Even if you are just suggesting a minor tweak or a total revamp of a rule, feel free to post it in the designated thread or send me a Private Message.

I hope you all enjoy these revamped rules as I know how much everyone loves being contacted by moderators for rule breaking (... right?). Please bare with us as this is ongoing and will not be made perfect overnight. The rules haven't been drastically changed but it's a move in the right direction.

Stage 1 will be implemented at some point next week and I look forward to hearing your opinions :)

Matt
Forum Manager

[Matt]

My original thread said the changes would occur from mid next week but we've had a change of mind!

The Forum rules have now been changed. To read the rules fully (which I'd highly suggest!) just click here (http://www.habboxforum.com/faq.php?faq=rules_main#faq_rules_forum)or go to "Quick Links > Forum Rules". Some users may want particular rules (such as rule A3) to be further relaxed. If this is the case then feel free to post in feedback.

Summary of changes made in Stage 1:


A1. Acknowledges differing opinions as a main cause of rudeness - any 'digs' or comments made to users on a personal level will be removed.

A2. "Rick-Rolling" and annoyance aspect has been removed - BADSPOILER needs to be used when posting 18+ content

A3. Mild Swearing is now allowed on the Forum. Follow the instructions in rule A3 on how to disable the filter on certain words. The following words have been allowed (bastard, basterd, bitchinesses, shitload, bastad, shittest, bitchiness, bitchiest, bitchier, bitchily, bitching, bitched, bitches, bitchy, bitch, {bich},{bch}, bullshitters, bullshitting, bullshitted, bullshitter, shitless, bullshits, shittiest, bullshit, {shittier}, {shiz}, {shizz}, {shitting}, {shitty}, {shits}, shit, {shat}, {shite}, {shiit}). To see what these words are, adjust your setting in UserCP and then refresh this page. Any issues with this please comment in the Feedback Thread.

A4. Accusing others of scamming hacking, or any other illegal activity is now allowed as long as sufficient evidence is sent to a Super Moderator or member of Forum Administration prior to it being posted for the community to see.

A5. Information included regarding disciplinary actions undertaken on the Forum; When posting private content, consent is required for all parties/users involved; Real life meet-ups rule removed.

A6. Illegal torrents and illegal streams added

A7. Token Grinding added ~ rule subject to future change in stage 2.

A8. 15 minute edit time altered slightly (allowed so long as information is relevant)

A9. Left the same

A10. Left the same


Rules taken out:



[*=center]Asking directly/indirectly for reputation
[*=center]Video BB Code

[lawrawrrr]

More about defamation, libel and national law has been added into rule A4 as a result of our decision to allow members to name users who break the Habbo Way (with proof necessary).

The rule now reads (changes or additions in bold):


A4. Do not accuse others of scamming or hacking or any illegal activity without evidence ~ making baseless accusations leads to arguments and often members being targeted, as well as being illegal itself in many countries. We do not allow you to accuse anyone of hacking, scamming or activities which break the Habbo Way without legitimate evidence. All evidence is to be submitted to a Super Moderator or member of Forum Management before being posted. If evidence is not provided or deemed to be fake or insufficient then any posts or threads regarding that topic will be removed.


Accusing others of breaking national law is not allowed: defamation and libel will not be tolerated on Habbox, and any serious claims of a member breaking the law of their country or that of Habbox's base (the United Kingdom) should be forwarded immediately to the General Manager, lawrawrrr who will assess claims and take it forward with the relevant authorities if necessary. Posting "evidence" of claims without first speaking to the General Manager may result in an infraction or warning, or further (if your post is defamatory or libellous). Such laws include (but are not limited to):




Paedophilia and child sex laws
Copyright law
Pirating software and files
Revenge pornography



What is defamation and libel?


Defamation is an area of law that provides a civil remedy when someone's words end up causing harm to your reputation or your livelihood. Libel is a written or published defamatory statement, while slander is defamation that is spoken by the defendant.
Source (http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/defamation-slander-libel)

[Matt]

Stage 2

Stage 2 of the rule changes focus on the forum specific rules as well as any additional changes that we believed were needed after the introduction of stage 1. Below is a summarised list of the changes made to each area of the forum. As always, feedback is appreciated and taken on board so feel free to comment on these changes or any others via this thread (http://www.habboxforum.com/showthread.php?t=829757).


Forum Specific Rules

Debates Forum:
Announcement/Rules made more specific to prevent confusion
Certain areas have been deleted as they are either obvious or have been mentioned already
Emphasis placed on evidence/quotes being in QUOTE tags

Trading:
Due to signed trophies by Habbo Staff Members being worth a lot more than standard trophies, the part about all trophies being worth the same has been deleted
Bumping rule (3 times within 72 hours) has been removed - extreme/excessive/OTT bumping that is picked up by moderators can incur a usernote as a reminder to not bump so often
Commenting in trading threads is now allowed so long as it relates to the item that is on sale. If thread creators do not wish to have users commenting in their threads, they can specify that in their original posts and moderators will monitor the thread closely.

Graphics Forum:
Rules regarding ripping and the [CC] prefix simplified
PAPOY rules tweaked slightly


Trading Forum Layout:

Previously the Trading Forum saw three individual sub-forums (Categorised Rare & Normal, Normal Rare and Super Rare & LTD Trading). We felt that this particular layout could be quite intimidating for newer users wanting to buy/sell/trade their Habbo items and we have therefore merged all of the sub-forums together, so that now everything falls under the one forum - the Trading Forum.

As a result of this, three prefixes have been introduced that represent the old sub-forum categories. Threads will require users to include one of these three prefixes. If a user is unsure, moderators can view the thread and add in the prefixes. This takes less pressure off the users to 'get it right' when posting threads as previously it was a bit confusing and intimidating with three separate sub-forums.

The new prefixes are: [Categorised Rare & Norms] [Rare] [Super Rare] [LTD] [Misc]

The old prefixes of and [Selling] have now been removed and users are asked to include either "B>", "T>" or "S>" at the start of their thread title. If users forget this, then moderators will simply add it into their thread title and will not incur a usernote/private message or visitor message.

All of this information can be found in the Announcement at the top of the Trading Forum.


[B]Profanity Filter - Additional Words Added:

Based on feedback from stage 1, the following words have been removed from the profanity filter. If you are yet to turn off your filter (and would like to) simply follow the instructions posted in the Profanity Filter thread. The below spoiler includes a few of the additional words that have been taken out, however quite a number of other words have also been removed. Furthermore, shit and dick have now been removed from the filter altogether and will not be filtered anywhere on the forum (due to them being unfiltered on Habbo).

fuck, fucking and ************* - other words have been removed but listing them would take quite a while!


Bobba - Scams - and Bug Errors and Glitches:

To make this forum a bit easier to use we have decided to merge all of the sub-forums together so that it can all be found under the one forum. Similar to the trading forum, you will now use prefixes to specify what your thread is referring to. The announcement at the top of this forum will explain what falls under which prefix and we hope this will make things a bit easier when posting in this forum.


Videos and Images that avoid the Forum Filter:

Due to the forum filter being updated we have decided to allow users to post certain (music) videos that contain the occasional swear word without them having spoilers. Videos that swear occasionally are allowed to be posted on the forum without the use of any form of spoiler. Videos that include repetitive/excessive foul language and/or words that are still filtered on the main forum filter are required to have BADSPOILER tags. Images that contain filtered words will require BADSPOILERS.

[Matt]

Stage 3:

This is the third and final change to the rules and although this stage was originally going to be an overview of the all rules implemented previously, we have decided to use it as an opportunity to edit particular forums, delete certain subforums and make the forum a bit easier to use. Feedback (http://www.habboxforum.com/showthread.php?t=829757) is appreciated and changes will continue to be made even after the implementation of stage three.


Feedback Forum
The old subforum called "Report All Habbox Bugs Here (Habbox.com, V7, Forum, Wiki)" has now been removed and all bugs are to be reported in the one stickied thread that is under the same name. This subforum was rarely used and the thread will provide instructions on who to tag/mention (be it the Site, Forum or Content manager). The 'Community Polls' subforum has also been deleted and all polls added into the main Feedback Forum.


Rare Values Suggestions
Previously there was an entire Forum dedicated to the suggestion of values. Again, being one of the more quieter forums we have decided to move it into the Parent Forum of 'Anything About Trading'.

Bobba, Scams, Bugs, Errors and Glitches
This forum has now been merged into the "Habbo in General" forum as we felt it more or less fell under this category anyway. The forum can be found by clicking into the Habbo in General forum and at the top as a subforum. This forum functions normally with the use of prefixes.

Games and Entertainment Forums
We have decided to merge these two forums together so that we cut down on the number of section within the forum. This new section will be called "Gaming & Entertainment" and will go pretty much unchanged. Below is the new layout of this new section - the titles in bold are the new subforums and the italics represent what falls under each:
Online Games

Discuss MMORPGs such as Runescape and WoW and other online games

Console and Computer Gaming

Anything about console games, computer games, console hardware and software

Music
A place to discuss anything and everything about music.
TV & Film
Discuss anything about TV & Film in here
Anime & Other Entertainment
Discuss all other types of entertainment.




Buy and Sell Habbox Donator/VIP Forum
This forum now allows all users to reply and comment in threads. Previously only administrators were able to comment on threads in this forum, making it harder for users to make contact with the buyers/sellers. Of course, if buying prices/methods would like to remain private then you are more than welcome to contact users via PM or VM.




Welcome Forum
Only a minor change here. The 'Leaving' subforum has been merged with the main Welcome/Goodbye as it is generally pretty clear if a user is coming or going!

Congratulations and Thank You Forum
Previously this forum did now allow for post count to increase. This has now been changed and all posts made within the forum will contribute to post count. This does however mean that the moderation of this forum will become slightly stricter. Threads congratulating unnecessary achievements (for example waking up this morning?) will be moved to Spam. Similarly if threads are derailed and go off-topic, they too will be moved to Spam or removed altogether.

Adjustment to the Pointless Posting Rule
The following section of rule A7 has been removed "Do not posts threads which only allow for short, one or two word answers and do not promote active discussion. Repeatably posting short replies such as "Yes" or "Nope" is also forbidden. What is classed as pointless or abuse is entirely down to the discretion of the Forum Department." Instead, excessive one-worded replies in a number of different threads will be moved out depending if they are clearly to get post count up.