1.Be nice
For starters, be nice to each other. With a lot of people together in/on a place, naturally not everyone will agree with you on something. Everyone has different opinions on various issues, let's all be respectful towards each other and our opinions.

2.Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a problem many people have to deal with these days. That's why, every now and then, when someone posts it may not be in perfect grammar/spelling. It's not appropriate to keep pointing out these little mistakes.

On the other hand, if you know you are dyslexic, try to keep the story short, and press [Enter] every now and then. Even though many people have tried, time has proven that reading through a sea of letters without commas, enters and so forth is rather daunting, and discourages readers from paying attention to the post in question. Your post may be neglected, and that's a shame.

Let's also keep in mind that not everyone is as "gifted" as *you* are. In short: Be nice, be respectful, and try not to be rude.

3.No Flaming/Trolling
Flamewars contribute absolutely nothing to the forums. Don't get aggravated. If a mod or Admin encounters a (potential) flamewar, the participants, but in any case the starter, will be warned, if not banned for a time span the moderator/admin in question deems fit. Users can also receive cuts in reputation, posts etc. for the same behavior.

There is no gain in hammering on about a particular subject. If a thread degrades to a "yes/no" fight, be the smarter one and leave it be.

Using Anime Avenue to organize forum raids is also a form of flaming/trolling. This will not be tolerated and is punishable by a ban.

4.Don't go "Off-Topic"
Try and keep the discussion on-topic as much as possible. We are the last to say that "off-topic is evil!" but that does not mean we condone total off-topicness. If a thread gets out of hand, leave it be, and contact a moderator/admin.

Have some respect for another person's topic. If the topic means nothing to you, then stay out, but don't make "funny" remarks. If your remarks are enough of an annoyance/offensive to other members, appropriate action may be taken by moderators and administrators, in accordance with these rules.

5.Respect
Know who you are talking to. There are a lot of people on these boards that have been in the community a long time, think webmasters, moderators and naturally the administrators. Advice from these members is not to be taken lightly. You, after all, asked the question and wanted information, not them.

6.Don't SCREAM
Don't go screaming for a solution (Screaming? How do I do that in a text-based discussion?). For example, the excessive use of caps. TEXT WRITTEN LIKE THIS is extremely annoying, and you will annoy the other users. If you ever want to make yourself CLEAR then you just accentuate a particular piece of text. Stay true to the netiquette and keep your use of caps in check.

7.No illegal activities
Links to websites that contain illegal games/movies, pornographic sites, sites with grotesque, violent and/or racist content are NOT to be posted.

For posting of these sites you will be banned, no questions asked.

Discussions and questions about things like MP3 and DiVX are allowed to a certain extent. MP3 and DiVX are file formats/codes and those are not illegal, their content however, can be illegal. If anything, try and use logic when posting links to such downloads.

BitTorrent downloads to Anime and Mangas are allowed.

8.Pornographic Material
Posting of images depicting genitalia and bare breasts is prohibited. Linking to websites with such content is also not allowed. Posting such material are grounds for a temporary to permanent ban, subject to the severity of the offense and discretion of the moderators.

9.Advertisements or "SPAM"
If you want to advertise your forum/website, put the link in your profile. If people want to visit your site, they will use the link in your profile. Advertisements are NOT tolerated.

"Easy money" topics like pyramid games, banner click systems, chain letters etc. etc. are not tolerated in this forum, topics of such nature will be removed.

10.Racism, Cultural Intolerance, Gender and Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Racism, maliciously inappropriate remarks pertaining to cultures, gender, sexual orientation or other degrading remarks are things you do only once. Posting of such slander most likely will get you a ban, the length will be up to the Banning Moderator and can be between a week to Permanent.

11.Be Clear!
Please be certain that your topics and posts are clear as to their meaning, and contribute to the forum or thread. Uncertain thread titles such as "Oh my Gawd!" or "Lookit what I found!" create confusion and make it difficult for people to discern your purpose. Moderators may rename your thread title if they find it unclear or unspecific.

12.Spoilers
Keep the spoilers in check, we have a movie/gaming and manga forum and some people are not at the point where you are, and perhaps vice versa. Remember to use tags where appropriate, and if unsure, better safe than sorry.

13.Seek, and thou shalt find
The board has a nifty function, we so lovingly call "the Search Function". When posting a topic, or asking a question, use the search function first to make sure the question has not been answered yet.

14.Don't be a hero
Don't act like a tough guy towards the rest of the forum members, moderators and administrators. Mutual respect is what counts!

15.Personal Affairs
Personal affairs (Example: Problems with other members) are NOT to be fought out via the forums. If you have some kind of problem with someone, use an instant messenger program like MSN, ICQ or AIM, you can always e-mail each other, or use the PM function.

The forum and its members have no part in it, so don't make them be.

16.Images
I. When an image moves the forum out of proportion please link it.
II. Uploading/Posting any inappropriate or pornographic material is prohibited and can result in a permanent ban.

17.Signatures & Avatars
I. Do not use too many signatures because they make the forum load slower as well as make it longer to scroll. If you have too many signatures we will tell you to remove them or an administrator will have to remove it personally.
II. Any type of pornography is prohibited in avatars and signatures. Anything sexually explicit but not pornographic must be placed under spoiler tags (defined by the discretion of Anime Avenue staff).
III. Read Signature Rules here - make sure your signature follows the restrictions outlined.

19.Bumping
Do not double post to bump threads. In fact, don't bump threads, period. If it's on the second page (or even the bottom half of the first) and you don't have anything good to say, don't reply to it.

20.No Bashing
If you don't have anything nice to say, then it's better to keep it to yourself. We frown upon bashing of other members, manufacturers and sites.

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A lot of rules, but very simple. All these rules are not here to get in your way, but to make these forums a fun place to hang out for young and old, to foster pleasant discussion about anything and everything.

Members are responsible for reading rules and relevant stickies pertaining to guidelines. Claiming ignorance does not justify violation of rules. Rules are subject to the application and interpretation of the moderators and administrators.

So, with that - welcome to Anime Avenue, post away!

- Anime Avenue team.