In August, we ran out a rewritten set of community guidelines for how we like to do things around here. Those guidelines have done well for us this season and we’ve enjoyed a very good fan experience with regulars and guests alike. Recently, we were given a change to the way we’re doing things which was not adequately covered in those guidelines. To clear up confusion, I’ve copied those guidelines and added the new wording.
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If you’re new around here, I’d like to welcome you to Winging It In Motown, the SB Nation blog dedicated to the Detroit Red Wings. If you’re a returning member of the community, welcome back. Please take a moment to review the site guidelines.
First and foremost, WIIM is a community. As is such, it’s important to note that well-established community members are going to be given more leeway than outsiders. This has always been the way things have worked and I don’t see any reason to change that. If you have not earned a reputation here, then don’t assume that the site’s moderators are ever going to side with you in a fight. Better yet, just don’t get into any fights. Try a discussion instead. It’s just like a fight, except fewer people think you’re a jerk afterwards. That doesn’t mean you’re not free to disagree with people though. Some of the best discussions come from people respectfully settling their differences of opinion.
With that in mind, here is a list of rules and guidelines.
- Please do not post links or even hints to how users would be able to find sites for illegal game feeds or merchandise. Comments which contain these will be deleted. While there is a certain level of interpretation to this rule, we will always choose the side of caution when it comes to deciding whether a comment does this.
- We’re easygoing on language. Cursing is not forbidden. Just remember, if it can’t be tasteful, it needs to be funny. Still, homophobic slurs, racial slurs, and the dirtiest of the misogynist words (you know which one) are strictly forbidden. Consider this your only warning. Using those is grounds for an insta-ban.
- Friendly banter is fine, teasing is shaky ground, and antagonizing is a no-no. Passive-aggression is still aggression and it will not stand, man. No trolling.
- We love to hear from you. If you’ve got a topic in mind that you want to discuss, the Fanposts section is a great place for it so we can discuss it. Anything goes in the Fanposts. Just try to keep it hockey-related.
- A little self-promotion is fine. A little more than that is spamming. This rule will tie heavily into the concept of how much clout you have around here. Spammers get banned, friends of the blog get linked.
- If you’re going to post a picture in a comment, that comment must have a title. This is especially true for .gifs. Having a title on a comment allows a user to click the title and hide the picture. We will delete pictures posted without titles, no matter how funny or how many cats they have in them. Not everybody has a brand new Commodore computer and sometimes, when the site gets image-heavy, users need a way to lighten the load.
- Speaking of pics, to be intentionally broad on the rule, just… use judgment when posting.
To wrap up, we like to have fun around here. We hope that you will too. Thanks for being a part of our community. We’re looking forward to another great year.
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Thank you.
