It has come to my attention that, due to some recent threads in certain topics on this board, some parents/grandparents feel these boards are too unfriendly to let their children/grandchildren participate, for fear of being flamed by some who have posted unfriendly comments here in the past (including the very recent past). I think this is a true shame. I'm sure they're not the only ones who have shyed away from participating due to the unfriendly tone taken in some threads, and it's time to take some action.

First, there will be some rules. These rules will be enforced by the administrators.

1) Keep your comments friendly. If you have something unkind/unpleasant to say to someone else, even if it's "for their own good" then email or PM the admins about it, but DO NOT post about it, and do not PM the person you have unpleasant words for. The admin is the ONLY person to contact regarding the other person's behavior.

2) Keep your posts useful. Don't post something just for the sheer sake of trying to increase your total number of posts. There is some leeway here, of course, as short friendly comments might not have much purpose, but are still welcome if they contribute to the friendly tone of the board or are encouraging to someone else. However, please do your best to avoid posts that simply have no purpose. There is nothing more disappointing to see the "New messages" icon beside a forum, and then open it up, only to find a useless post there that says nothing new or interesting.

The only place for useless posts is in the Speaker's Corner area.

3) Do not post "mine is better" type posts. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but the intent must be to help the author improve his mansion, NOT to simply boast about how yours is better.

4) Do not ask Vern when the next release of [Product Name here] is. He doesn't know. It will be released whenever it's ready.

5) Don't repetitively ask when a custom mansion will be released. Also, do not promise a specific date when your mansion will be released, since it takes time for forum admins to approve and upload mansions. You may say when you will be sending your mansion to admins for approval, but make it clear this is not necessarily a release date.

If you break the rules, your post may be deleted by the admins. You may also receive a warning message from them, and if warnings go unheeded, your account may be temporarily suspended. If repeated offenses continue after your account is reinstated, your account might be permanently suspended.

Second, some suggestions:

1) Remember that written words do not have the inflection that speech has, and therefore it is a very good idea to *re-read* your post before you submit it, to see if anything might be taken the wrong way. If it might be, reword it, add smileys, whatever, so it won't be misunderstood.

2) Avoid bragging about something you've done. You can of course *let* people know about something you've done, for instance posting a screenshot of the Mansion Completed screen for a certain custom mansion that you finished well, but try to avoid the attitude of bragging, especially "I did better than you" or "My mansion is better than yours" type comments.

3) Be respectful to others.

4) Sometimes, you must swallow your pride in order to avoid conflict. Just walking away and not posting is sometimes the route you must take. Keep in mind however that you *can* email or PM administrators about someone if you feel their behavior is inappropriate or annoying. The admins will take action, not you, and they will do it at their own convenience, after they've had time to discuss it among themselves.

5) These boards are a free service. All the recent flaming has not only made some feel they are inappropriate for their children/grandchildren, but it has taken time away from me that I could have spent working on the Midnight Mansion expansion pack. It's also annoying that I have to keep stepping in to try to resolve conflict. Don't make me regret hosting these forums on this site. Let's all just try to be nice to each other. And when you can't, simply don't post. Walk away. Or email the admins if you must. But don't flame.

Finally, I hope that these rules won't make anyone feel afraid to post. The idea is the total opposite: the intent of these rules is to allow users to feel complete freedom to make friendly posts without fear of being flamed or nagged, etc.

Thanks for helping me keep these boards a friendly place.

-Vern