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Matrix Community Message Board Guidelines

These guidelines are a set of suggestions about how to conduct yourself at matrixcommunity.org. Because we believe strongly in freedom of thought and expression, they are not rules. They are based on our community's history and on basic online etiquette. Please familiarize yourself with them to avoid any problems with other community members. Forum-specific guidelines may be found at the bottom of this page.

The Matrix Community members do not appreciate ad hominem attacks in response to ideas the attacker disagrees with. Ad hominem, or personal, attacks are remarks intended to offend, insult, degrade, belittle, provoke, or demean other users.

If you feel you cannot argue your point without resorting to attacking your opponent personally, please take your conversation to other means such as the private message function or e-mail. Failing that, a Barking Grounds thread may be created, and you will be requested to settle your differences with your opponent there, instead of ruining others' discussion in the thread where tempers originally flared.

The Matrix Community Message Board moderators and administrators are here to help you with posting issues and to maintain the integrity of the boards. They are volunteers and community members, not authority figures. Please do not hesitate to question their actions simply because they have the 'moderator' or 'admin' title attached to them.

Moderators and administrators are nominated by community members or volunteer their services, and are elected in community-wide votes when such positions become available. I has been decided in this poll that moderator status expires after three months of unexplained absence, whereas administrator status does not expire automatically. Issues other than unexplained inactivity are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Administrators have access to the entire functionality of the board. Admins can create new forums, delete and ban users, post board-wide announcements, email users, view users' information, change Recent Visitors and Poll settings, among other things. They can also do everything the moderators can, and they are subject to the same restrictions as moderators. The administrators are Velouria75 [Public Relations], Graphic Enemy [Balance], and furiosity [Technical].

Here is what the moderators [and admins] are authorized to do:

• Delete double posts - if you make a double post, you should edit it out with a request for one of the moderators to delete the duplicate. Usually a mod will delete duplicate postings regardless of what they look like, so you can just leave it.
• Fix broken image links, code, and page alignment problems. If you post an image that is too large to be viewed comfortably by someone with a 56K modem, a moderator may edit it out of your post, or edit in a link to a smaller version. This is to ensure that everyone can participate in forums without hardship. If you post HTML code that is faulty or incorrect, breaking the page or making it difficult to load the page, moderators may edit it out or fix it. If you post too many letters/numbers/symbols in a row, it might go beyond the page's limit, creating a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen, and moderators may edit out extra symbols/letters/numbers from your post to get the page alignment back to normal.
• Delete spam messages and floods. - If you post the same thread multiple times, it is considered a flood. This board has automatic anti-flood protection so it won't let you flood by clicking the Submit button too many times, but for the really persistent users who will actually wait out the no-flood period, moderators can and will remove your duplicate threads. Posting duplicate messages in different forums is considered spam. If you believe your thread spans more than one forum's discussion scope, post it in the Construct - anything goes there. Moderators can and will delete threads that show up in all forums at once. One copy of the thread will be left in [or moved to] The Construct. We believe in letting people speak their mind, but not at the expense of others. Multiple threads about the exact same thing posted in different forums create confusion for other posters.
• moving threads to archive - After a forum has enough threads to create a serious strain on the server whenever someone chooses Show All Threads, the oldest threads from that forum will be moved to an Archive forum, where threads can be viewed in their entirety, but cannot be responded to.
• announcing special events on top of the forum page - If there is anything going on that the moderator feels needs everyone's attention, he/she is able to create announcements at the top of the forum page that everyone will see.
• Lock flaming topics - If there is an argument going on where posters have abandoned honest discourse and respect toward others' opinions in favour of personal insults, hate speech, threats of physical violence, or anything of that nature, moderators are allowed to lock the threads. Each time a thread is locked, the moderator performing the action is required to first post a message explaining why the thread is being locked, then lock it.
• Send mails to abusive users - if you abuse the board in any way whatsoever, be it by posting malicious code, material that is not appreciated by others in the forum despite requests not to do so, attempting to hack the board, spamming, flooding, ad hominem attacks, or hate slurs - you will be contacted by a moderator or administrator with a detailed explanation of your offense and a request to stop doing whatever it is you've been doing. If you fail to stop after three warnings, your membership at these boards will be suspended.

• Modify a posting for a non-technical reason - Moderators are not allowed to edit your posting to change its meaning, fix your spelling errors or otherwise interfere with your freedom of expression.
• Delete unique postings - if you post a message in a thread and you come back later and the message is no longer there, please send a private message to a moderator from a different forum or an administrator. If you find that a thread you posted is missing, first check if it has been moved - sometimes threads are moved completely, without leaving behind a locked thread. Deleting unique posts belonging to other users results in suspension of moderator status, so allegations of deleted posts will be investigated server-side as well. A moderator may remove their own post/thread unless others have already replied to it.
• Abuse the Forum Announcement feature - This function is there for community issues and concerns, and not self-promotion. If a moderator is using it to promote their own site/business/service which is not related to the forum's spirit [and/or has not been agreed to by forum regulars], please follow grievance procedure outlined below.
• Abuse the Lock Thread feature - moderators may not lock threads whose subject matter they don't like. The only circumstance under which a thread is locked is if an argument has gotten out of hand. Moderators may not lock threads that contain arguments where opposing views are being discussed without personal attacks taking place. Moderators may not lock threads because of personal animosity toward one or more participants in the thread[s].
• Prune posts - pruning is a feature which allows to mass-delete multiple choice by date or username. Under no circumstances are moderators to use the pruning tool. Pruning any part of a forum is grounds for immediate revocation of moderator status, and possibly banning (conditional on what board members decide).

If you believe that one of these has occurred in a forum you frequent, please forward the following information to a trusted board member, another moderator [preferably in a different forum] or an administrator [there is no chain of command or ranking so please speak to whoever you are most comfortable with]:

1. The thread URL
2. The name of the moderator you believe/know to be responsible for the offense
3. Any background details that may be relevant

Please use the Private Message tool available in your profile to contact whomever you choose to contact about moderating matters.

Before being elected as a moderator, a member must agree to the following policy:

I agree that I:

1. have read and understood the community guidelines, and agree to abide by the rules in the moderator guidelines section.
2. have read and understood the forum specific guidelines for the forum I am to moderate.
3. have read the moderator non-disclosure agreement and agree to abide by it.
4. will under no circumstances delete unique postings unless they are double posts, or spoilers in thread titles.
5. understand that if I do delete a unique posting that is not a double post or a spoiler in a thread title, I will be subject to possible revocation of my moderator status.
6. will only edit posts to fix page alignment or other technical reasons, remove pornographic images (to replace them with a non-clickable link), remove spoilers from a subject line or black out spoilers in the body of a post. I will not edit a post for any other reason and understand that if I do so, I will be subject to possible revocation of my moderator status.

Non-Deletion Policy

The Matrix Community operates a strict non-deletion policy. Unique posts will not be deleted under any circumstances, no matter how offensive or distasteful. This is part of our commitment to freedom of speech and expression and is integral to who and what we are. The exceptions to the no-deletion policy are as follows:1) double posts may be deleted, and 2) spoilers may and will be removed from thread titles. Further details of the policy can be found in the above guidelines and some of the reasons we feel so passionately about the issue in our history. This policy is not subject to change under any circumstances, including community polls. We repeat, the non-deletion policy is inviolable and non-negotiable. Any moderator or administrator found to have deleted any part or whole of a post that was not a duplicate post or a spoiler post, will be subject to the possible removal of their moderator or administrator status. Please do not, therefore, request moderators or administrators to delete unique posts as they will not do so and refusal often offends. Users may, of course, edit their own posts to remove all content. They may not, however, delete the post entirely.

Spam

Unique threads that are indubitably spam, troll threads or floods will be locked and removed from the main forums and placed in a Spam Archive. Any duplicates of said threads will be deleted in accordance with the guidelines. Any and all replies to spam threads will be moved along with the original post. Individual posts made by spammers or trolls in existing threads will not be removed or deleted, in line with the above non-deletion policy. Any users identified as spammers or trolls can be banned instantly and indefinitely by the administrators, without a community poll. This policy was voted in by our members in response to a sustained troll attack on the board in January 2004. Details can be found in this thread.

Pornographic Images

Any pornographic images posted on the board will be edited and replaced with a non-clickable link to the source of the image. Some of our members browse and post from workplaces and public terminals, and this policy is to protect them from potentially embarrassing situations.

Forum-specific Guidelines

This forum is intended for discussion of anything pertaining to Matrix films that have been released and are widely available for viewing: “The Matrix” (1999), “The Matrix Revisited” (2001), “Animatrix” (2003), “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and “The Matrix Revolutions” (2003). Please note that if your thread is not related to the released films, your posting will probably be moved to a more appropriate location. The original thread will be locked in this forum and display a link to the new location.

This forum is intended for discussions regarding the yet to be released sequels, online games or other post-trilogy features. This is in order to ensure that those members who have not yet seen the sequels due to later release dates can participate in community discussion without finding out the storyline. It inherits the Informant Forum Code of Ethics, in the sense that thread titles should not contain spoiler information. Moderators may and will edit such thread titles. However, the Spoiler Warning Levels are not in effect. When the sequels have been released in all countries, the threads from Déjà Vu Forum will be moved to Deep Image — all the previous discussions will be preserved, but their URIs will change.

This forum is intended for any and all threads: discussion of everything under the Sun. The only time a thread will be moved out of this forum is if it obviously belongs in another forum; if this is not obvious and someone believes it should be moved, it will be up to the thread author to decide the thread's fate.

This forum is intended for discussion of anything pertaining to the Matrix Community - our ongoing projects, bug reports, feature requests, questions for the administrators or moderators, community meetings and events, and so forth. Please note that if your thread is not related to the Matrix Community, your posting will probably be moved to a more appropriate location. The original thread will be locked in this forum and display a link to the new location.

This forum is intended for posting of news and rumours related to any upcoming Matrix films or Matrix-related projects, as well as discussion of these rumours.

Following are detailed spoiler guidelines as compiled by gOoBaLL and voted on by community members:

Spoiler Levels and Criteria:

Level 1 [Green] - For Potentials

Things such as comments regarding the production but nothing really specific. For example sfx house contracts, set reports with no plot info, or rumoured actors (with no character name).

Level 2 [Amber] - Alert

Either confirmed or rumoured, or from a credible or unreliable source, things such as sfx scenes etc, that may ruin a surprise but not the plot. Also character names/brief descriptions/minor sequences etc. also minor sequences not plot related.

Level 3 [Red] - Hull Breach

Either confirmed or rumoured, or from a credible or unreliable source, MAJOR plot/character details

If a thread has a level 3 spoiler, for example, the thread title should read: Spoiler Hull Breach: [thread title]. Please note that the Informant moderators may edit thread titles to conform to this spoiler breakdown.

Code of Ethics

1. The first post of a thread does not need to be blacked out under any circumstances because the type of spoiler is indicated by thread title.
2. The thread title itself can only be descriptive to the extent that it does not contain a spoiler itself.
3. If a subsequent post contains a spoiler that is different from the one the thread began with, or if the thread didn't originally have spoilers, this should be pointed out by typing e.g. Spoiler Hull Breach: [content of spoiler] and also blacking out the spoiler. Even if the level is lower than the thread's original spoiler it needs to be blacked out and the new level indicated, because people may still not wish to read the new spoiler.
4. If you wish to discuss blacked out text, the spoiler aspects of the discussion needs to be blacked out itself, but no "warning" is needed.
5. Blacking out is NOT necessary when referring to spoilers which weren't blacked out to begin with, e.g. spoilers that were in the thread title (see above codes for clarification).

Please note that if your thread is not related to the upcoming films, your posting will probably be moved to a more appropriate location. The original thread will be locked in this forum and display a link to the new location.

This forum is intended for threads pertaining to science fiction in general. It specifically excludes The Matrix, as there is already a forum for that. Any other science-fiction related topic is welcome in this forum. Please note that if your thread is not related to sci-fi, your posting will probably be moved to a more appropriate location. The original thread will be locked in this forum and display a link to the new location.

This forum is intended for discussions in languages other than English, including non-Latin languages that use high bit characters. It inherits the purposes and guidelines of all the other forums, with an accent on the Informant forum Spoiler Warning Levels and Code of Ethics.

This forum is intended for discussions between administrators and moderators that might harm the community if they happened out in the open. This may be about board security, specific actions being taken on the server, location of areas where sensitive information is stored, abusive users, or other similar issues. The forum is for specific task-related discussion, not for decision-making. Neither is it a hangout for moderators and administrators.
A nondisclosure agreement is in effect whereby moderators and administrators agree that the details of whatever is discussed in Pirate Signal forum and, by extension, all private communications (e-mail, IM, PM, IRC, written or spoken) regarding discussions in Pirate Signal forum are to remain private and not to be disclosed to anyone inside or outside the community, until all involved parties have agreed to disclose the subject matter of the discussion. This is a security precaution to prevent existing moderators from abusing the community, not a way to keep things secret from our members.

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