THE HOUSE-KEEPING MEMO
Welcome to the The Poetry Craze. Trying to make a community out of the scattered poetry-writers/readers out there.
I'm using the general structure of my other forums, since it makes things simpler. Wouldn't want things getting lost. :)
Like all forums, I'm setting down a few ground rules. They should be easy enough to follow, but it does make life easier for everyone.
GENERAL RULES
Be friendly. You're allowed to disagree with someone else, but play nice.
No spamming the threads. Questions are allowed under the relevant thread, as well as anything thread-related. Randomness goes in the random chatter thread.
Have fun. No, seriously. This isn't school or anything.
...anything else that will come to mind later.
RULES TO CREATING A NEW THREAD
(It's open for now, but if there's too much trouble I will mod-lock it.)
Once you've started a thread, it will be your responsibility to make sure it's used for what you want. The only things a mod can do that you can't are ban users, embed polls and delete posts. If you feel either of those are necessary, then post in the QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS thread.
When starting a thread, start with one of the following:
Challenge: this is for on-going/un-judged challenges, and they will stay forever open
Contest: this is for the stuff with a time limit and/or prizes up for grabs. This doesn't mean you have to have a limited amount of rounds for a multi-round contest.
Discussion: for any discussions/debates...though check on the master list (in the Current Contents thread) to make sure there isn't already one that fits your criteria
Game: for games of any sort that aren't related to fanfiction but are related to poetry
3. If you want to start any thread that doesn't fall into one of these categories, post in QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS so a mod can look into it.
Post in Current Contents once you've created a new thread so it can be added.
RULES FOR INTRODUCTION THREAD
Strictly voluntary to participate. But always welcome.
RULES FOR CONTEST/CHALLENGE THREADS
Only one thread per contest and/or challenge please. Trying to keep clutter to a minimum. So that means registrations, entries and prize-givings are all in the same thread.
If the contest/challenge is series specific (eg. only for a specific fandom), then please be sure to mention it in your title.
Because Challenges are open, you cannot restrict entries based on rating and/or content (eg. slash pairings). Competitions, because they will be judged, can be restricted in such a manner. If they are poll based judging systems, M rated fics are automatically not allowed for the competition. You are free to have participants enter such poems as a challenge, however the tag will still be competition.
If you need to embed a poll for a competition, post in QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS with the details and a Mod will edit it in.
When you start a new thread for a contest or challenge, be sure to post in the Current Contents thread and a mod will add you to the Current Contents list. If it is a competition, also provide the date by which entries must be in.
Once your contest is complete, post in QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS with the title and they will lock the thread and remove your contest from the list of Current Contents (NOTE: This only applies for contests; challenges will be left open since there will be no time/entry limits and therefore no end). Your other option is to convert the Contest thread into a Challenge one, but post under Current Contents to notify us of that change.
RULES FOR REVIEW-TAG THREADS (inspired by the HP review tag and The Review Game on fictionpress)
No opening new threads for this. If you think one is necessary, bring it up here and we will consider it. I don't want wires getting crossed.
Rules specific for Review-tag will be posted on the first post of those threads; please make sure to read them before participating.
If there is any confusion on the review-tag that is not covered by the rules in the first post, post in QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS and a mod will look into it.
If there is a double-post, the end result should be everyone gets a review for a review. If you can't work it out amongst yourselves, post in QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS and a mod will look into it.
RULES FOR DISCUSSION THREADS
When adding a new discussion thread, please leave a post in Current Contents so a mod can add it to the master list
Try not to get off topic, but no-one's going to pull your hair if you do (from the mod's side anyway)
Stay friendly and open-minded. I don't want to hear anything about general bad decorum (but if I do...)
Breaking the rules will result in a friendly warning, but continuous rule-breaking, depending on the seriousness of the offense (for example, if you're insulting others for no good reasons, though I'm not expecting that will result in either a temporary or permanent ban by a mod).
If you have any general questions, feel free to ask under Talk to the Mods. You might PM if it's personal, but I know my inbox gets to drown in PMs so I can't guarantee replies.