[Ian]

Hello everybody,

Welcome to The Daily Neopets forums! We hope that this forum serves as a central hub for everything Neopets! Naturally to keep things in order, safe, and fun we must put in place a few rules for all of the members! Be sure to stay up to date with these rules so you never miss out on something. "I didn't read the rules" is not a good excuse! If you're ever unsure about a rule or need some more clarification, feel free to PM any staff member.

(Avatar Lending Program: You may be reading the wrong rules! If you're looking to borrow an avatar, click here. Pet lending's a bit different - click here for more information.)

Respect all members and staff members!
We expect that all members respect other members and staff members. If everybody respected one another, we could stop writing rules right here. Please be kind and courteous to other members, not harrassing them and keeping your cool around others. The golden rule of TDN forums is "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Consequence(s): Increase in warning level, verbal warning

Do not post S.P.A.M. (short, pointless, annoying messages) or irrelevant posts!
We do not want any short (less than 7 words), pointless, or annoying messages on our forums! Don't bother posting messages such as "lol" or "congrats!" as it barely adds anything to the conversation. Be sure to keep your posts on the current topic (e.g., don't wonder off the topic with a random comment) and RELEVANT. Chat speak is a big nono too and it will promptly be deleted. We define spam as:

• Posts less than 7 words
  
• Excessive and possibly abusive use of smilies
  
• A post that bumps an old (more than 21 days) topic back up
  
• Posts that have nothing to do with the topic
  
• Any posts with excessive chat speak in them
  
• Double posts - don't do this (hit the "EDIT" button of your previous post)

If you want to determine if your post is relevant and non-spammy, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• Does my post contribute to the conversation at hand?
  
• Is my post at least 7 words?
  
• Is what I'm saying relating to the topic?
  
• Am I using proper English and not chat speak?
  
• Am I posting for the post count or because my post adds to the conversation?

Consequence(s): Increasing in warning level, verbal warning, deletion of spammy posts

Do not backseat moderate.
We have a team of moderators that keep TDN Forums clean. If you spot a post that breaks our rules, hit the "REPORT" button under the respective post. The post will be sent to a moderator to review. Please do NOT correct the member yourself! Just hit "REPORT" and go on with your business.

Keep private information private!
Do not give out any personally indentifiable information out on these forums (such as telephone number, address, last name). It is very risky to provide this information publicly on these forums, seeing as there are a LOT of dangerous people out there that may use your information to find and harm you. However, feel free to give a general idea of where you live and your age, as long as the information cannot be used to find you in the real world.

Consequence(s): Deletion of personally indentifiable information, verbal warning

Asking for passwords, PIN numbers, and personal information
While on that note, do not go around asking people for passwords, their Neopets PIN number, email, or any personal information. This is not allowed! If somebody is asking for private information of this kind, please report the user to a moderator immediately. This kind of behavior is intolerable!

Consequence(s): Instant permanent account ban, IP ban

You may never under any circumstances post the following...

• Links to harmful websites (cookie grabbers, trojans, viruses, worms)
  
• Any sites that are considered illegal by US law
  
• Sites exchanging Neopets items for real currency
  
• Links to Neopets cheat programs (auto buyers, auto refreshers, etc)
  
• Links to pornographic, obscene, or rated "R" websites
  
• Posts containing discriminatory, hateful, sexual, profane, or inappropriate comments.
  
• Swear words (allowed words: gosh, stupid, crap, heck, dang, sucks)
  
• Any talk that you would never say in front of or to your parents
  
• Impersonate a staff member in any way

Keep everything G-rated, ok?

Consequence(s): Deletion of inappropriate posts, verbal warning, warning level increase

Potential scams and things against Neopets Terms
You are not allowed to post any (potential) scam topics, chain letters, NP exchanges for other currencies, autobuying programs, auto game-playing programs, any kind of cheat program or hacking program, and other possible things that could be potentially against Neopets Terms and Conditions. The same rules on Neopets apply here, seeing as we're a fan site.

Consequence(s): Deletion of inappropriate content, possible ban, verbal warning

Signatures and avatars
Please don't post HUGE (e.g., greater than 500x250px) signatures that hog up the page. Also, you are only permitted to put ONE line of 5 adoptables of any kind in your signature. This helps keep our forum faster for those on slower internet connections AND helps keep our forums clean.

Consequence(s): Clearing of signature, verbal warning, warning level increase (on multiple offense)

More than one account at our forums
There's no reason to have more than one forums account here, so please do not create more than one.

Consequence(s): Deletion of multiple accounts

Consequences, warnings, and suspensions
In most cases, we will issue you a verbal warning and/or warning level increase. However, if the situation with you is becoming increasingly problematic and severe and you do not abide to the rules, we may issue a permanent ban to your account and a possible IP block from all of The Daily Neopets, its subsites, and services.

Verbal warnings are considered "unofficial" and are just a friendly reminder to follow the rules. Warning level increases are official warnings that are in the system. At first, verbal warnings are given. If you continue to break the rules, both a verbal warning and warning level increase will be issued. To decrease your warning level, please go to the warning level reduction topic.

If you break numerous rules within a short amount of time (e.g., a few days) your account will be subject to suspension from our forums for 72 hours. In most cases we do not do this, however we will issue temporary suspensions if necessary. If you're involved in a big argument, we may give you a cool-off period of around an hour away from the forums.

Your account will be permanently banned if your warning level reaches 100% (it goes up by 20% each warn).

Thanks for helping us keep TDN Forums the best Neopets forum on earth!