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General code of conduct


Arlie Rahn

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After some internal discussion, we feel that it is time to start instituting a general code of conduct for the dog pound at GDS. Now, I don't think anything here is going to be unreasonable, but we want to make sure this forum accommodates as many people that wish to join the different discussions as possible without fear of flames or massive insults. People who do not follow these clear guidelines will face penalties ranging from warnings to account suspensions (and even terminations in serious situations).

 

So, with that in mind, here are some aspects that we feel make up a general code of conduct posters in the GDS forums need to adhere to:

 

1. Do not flame people in threads. Seems simple and this item alone helps make each topic much more interesting and will generate better overall discussions.

 

2. Do not use personal attacks and insults. Resorting to this tactic when you disagree is a quick way to turn people off to your comments and make yourself somewhat irrelevant in discussions. Try to focus on making your point, not marginalizing yourself.

 

3. Be respectful. This single act can make the time you spend at the GDS forums much more enjoyable for yourself and others around you.

 

Again, we are not trying to be some kind of censor police, but we are trying to promote a family-friendly environment where people can feel comfortable engaging in respectful conversation on a large number of topics. There are a great many members that post here who have very interesting thoughts/opinions and we would like to have a fun place for you guys to visit. However, everyone needs to understand that this is a company forum and things said here reflect on GDS and each of our members. So, we have a responsibility to make sure these discussions do not put our company or our great fan base in a negative light.

 

Thanks again to all of you who choose to participate in our forums under these guidelines and we hope that you continue to enjoy your visits to the GDS community.

 

Arlie Rahn

CEO Grey Dog Software

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  • 2 years later...
We've had some questions and our official policy is that any attempts at re-selling a game on the GDS forums will be locked or removed. We've tried to be a little flexibile when it comes to trades, but we cannot have a "black market" for GDS games on our company forums.
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  • 5 years later...

Rules & Guidelines

 

I have been asked by a few people to clarify some of the rules, so the following are the general rules and guidelines.

 

Things To Avoid

 

Swearing - This is a family friendly board, so we ask all users to refrain from swearing. Obviously different people have different opinions on what constitutes bad language, so in general if you wouldn't hear it on a PG rated show or you wouldn't say it in front of polite company, don't use it in your posts. Generally a first offense or a casual slip-up will receive a PM from a moderator politely reminding you of the rules. Repeated or particularly bad breaking of the rules will usually result in an official warning.

 

Flame wars \ personal attacks - In cases where two or more users engage in a flame war or personal attacks, moderators will make a judgement call on what the punishment should be based on what happened and whether the users have previous history of causing trouble. Usually the matter will be resolved with private messages or warnings to those involved, although we may use suspensions or bannings in particularly bad situations.

 

Homophobia, racism, sexism, etc - Again, this is a family friendly board and all of the things listed are clearly not what we want happening. Much like swearing, where possible users who make these sort of comments will be dealt with via private messages or warnings; suspensions or bannings will be enforced if we feel the content was particularly reprehensible.

 

Piracy - For obvious reasons, we have a zero tolerance policy towards piracy. This includes being caught using pirated products, promoting piracy, or sharing links, whether for GDS products or others. Users breaking this rule will be banned permanently.

 

Emergency Measures

 

If a particularly bad flame war breaks out, or if a specific user is intentionally causing trouble, moderators are allowed to give a straight three-point warning; this suspends the user temporarily and allows the situation to be contained until a GDS staff member can come online to resolve it.

 

Warning System

 

This board uses a warning system whereby if a user gets three points worth of warnings (each warning is usually one point) in a short space of time then they are automatically suspended for a while. If you get an official warning then you will always get a private message informing you of the reason, and can see the warning in your profile.

 

Removing Posts

 

In cases where a thread has been derailed by trolling, flame wars, or other unnecessary content, moderators will usually delete the offending posts so that the thread can be restored to order. This is because if the offending posts are left in place, often you will end up with posters who missed the initial argument logging on days or weeks later, seeing the posts, and replying to them, thus re-starting the argument that caused the problems. By removing the posts it helps stop the same argument being re-run over and over again, or users searching back into other people's post history in order to drag up content to use against them.

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