Forum Rules and Mission Statement

Forum Rules and Mission Statement Jan 11, 2024 6:03:07 GMT descending and fourdollaremo like this

Post by Fishwhiskerz on Jan 11, 2024 6:03:07 GMT

Forum Rules

1. This forum will not tolerate hate speech or discrimination.
This includes but is not limited to hate based on race, gender, orientation, or religion. Do not skirt these rules to post something that you know is offensive because it doesn't fit nicely into a list. Please also be open-minded to the possibility that something you say may be offensive without intention. As for anyone who may want to point these instances out: if you are in a place to do so, please be patient when explaining what somebody has done wrong. If they're very clearly acting in bad faith, please mention a mod to take care of the situation.

2. Please be kind to yourself and others.
When it comes to yourself, please keep self-deprecation light. When it comes to others, try to default to curiosity instead of judgment. This is a general rule, but here are a few scenarios in case it bears specifying:

Full odds hunters are allowed to make lighthearted jokes at the expense of method hunting and vice versa. However, any content targeting another facet of the community should be KEPT lighthearted. This forum welcomes hunters of all kinds, so we want to keep alive the feeling of friendly rivalry and camaraderie. I don't want to see mockery of RNG manipulation, lock removal, or anything else of the sort.
Do not make people feel bad for failing a shiny in any way. If you want to make fun of yourself for a fail, that's fine, but make sure you go easy on yourself.
Please do not use appearance-based insults, even against somebody detestable. It will inevitably have the side effect of letting people you care about who share those traits think that you find them ugly. Follow the 5 minute rule: if it's not something somebody could fix in 5 minutes, don't comment on it.

3. This forum is roughly PG-13 in regard to sexual references and triggering topics.
To clarify, this means that lighthearted innuendo is allowed, but explicit sexual topics and imagery are not permitted. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the etiquette around different topics:

Non-sexual nudity: Artistic nudity is allowed, such as in drawn figure studies or the Animal Crossing statues, albeit under a spoiler tag.
Substance use: Lighter substances such as weed and alcohol may be discussed under spoiler tags, but anything heavier should not be brought up at all.
Real-world events & politics: We can't avoid this area altogether, as I would like to potentially run charity events. But in general, if a current event involves upsetting topics, such as war, illness, discrimination, and the like, please try to avoid discussing it here. If it is important, you can run it by a mod. Always use spoiler tags if you are unsure. I don't want to silence urgent issues, but I also do not want to become a forum centered around political discussion. Please also drop a conversation of this kind if it starts devolving into an argument, and give a staff member a mention so that they may handle it.
Mental health: We allow discussion of things like neurodivergency and mental health struggles. However, please keep in mind that this is not a crisis forum. If you are in serious danger, please seek your area's relevant mental health resources, and understand that nobody here can act as a professional.

Please also use spoiler tags when discussing or portraying any common triggers such as animal suffering, needles, assault, real-life pictures of insects and spiders, etc. Users are permitted to ask others to spoiler mark content in discussions, but we will not be keeping a dedicated blacklist. Please respect someone's request if they need you to spoiler a specific topic. Please also provide adequate warning as to what is inside the spoilers, like so:

CW: Ghosts
[spoiler]boo![/spoiler]

If done correctly, it will appear like this:
CW: Ghosts

SPOILER: Click to show

boo!

4. Regarding spoiler tags, please also use these for major spoilers from any media.
Exceptions can be made if it is a reveal that has extreme cultural significance, but in general, please err on the side of caution. Some people have had the luxury of going spoiler-free on a piece of media thus far, and I don't want to be the place that ruins that for anybody.

5. Do not post any illegal content such as direct links to ROMs.
We may have a section including ROM hacks, which you are obviously free to post about. It is just not allowed to link directly to a ROM's file or somewhere to download it. This information is spread through cryptic hints for a reason.

6. Do not spam.
This includes making many consecutive threads or replies to your own thread with little content. It also applies to replying with a lot of images in a conversation where they're not relevant; in general, it's best to put large image loads under spoiler tags to be kind to those with slower internet.

7. Do not impersonate others.
We don't want people running around pretending to be popular shiny hunters, or anyone for that matter.

8. Be honest about the odds and legitimacy of your hunts, as well as any tools that were used.
We don't frown upon people who may want to hack in shinies! It's just necessary to be up-front that such is the case when posting about it. Similarly, don't pretend that your shiny is full odds if you chained for it. If you are using some sort of speedup tool like the kind you can find on most emulators, say so. Just be honest.

9. Please keep content to the relevant places.
If you're unsure about what type of post should go where, we have a guide for that!

10. Please respect staff's decisions when it comes to deleting or moving topics or other such actions.
If you oppose or otherwise have a question about moderation, please send me a PM and I will answer as soon as possible.

Forum Rules and Mission Statement Feb 26, 2024 6:54:01 GMT descending and fourdollaremo like this

Post by Fishwhiskerz on Feb 26, 2024 6:54:01 GMT

Mission Statement

I don't want to sound like a boomer, but let me be real. I grew up on forums, and the current state of the Internet terrifies me. In an increasingly difficult-to-navigate online world, I want this forum to be a place that is not only safe and easy to use but actively makes us better at using the Internet. Here are some aspects I would like to see represented in this community.

Preservation.
As convenient and fun as Discord servers are, they are an absolute nightmare for preserving the legacy of a hobby and its community. So much information is only accessible if you join a server; it cannot be searched from the outside or added to an online archive. The idea behind this forum is to have somewhere that, although it is invite-only to have an account, can still be viewed from the outside and thus used as a resource if ever necessary.
Resourcefulness.
At the time of creating this forum, I've been watching a lot of videos on the current crisis of online literacy. Here is one such video that I recommend watching. So as not to overwhelm, I'll sum it up: I would like for us to create an environment where people are encouraged to be curious and seek out their own answers. This shouldn't dissuade anyone from asking perfectly reasonable questions! I want people to be able to help each other access information they may not be equipped to find. Internet literacy is a skill, and it's one I'd love to see everyone help each other grow. "Don't be afraid to ask for help" and "Do yourself a favor by trying to seek answers yourself" are statements that can coexist here.
Connectivity.
I am well aware of how toxic people's relationships with their hobbies can be if they isolate themselves within it. When I say "connectivity", I mean both to the people and the world around you. I want people to be able to share their stories with each other on a platform that isn't hostile to human life. I also want to make sure that this forum and shiny hunting aren't all people are doing with their time! I would like to use things like themed events as jumping-off points to encourage going outside and building other skills and hobbies.
Inclusivity.
I went over this in the rules, but I want this to be a place for people to thrive regardless of how they hunt. There is merit to be found in full odds, methods, RNG... anything you can think of. I want people to be able to understand why others make certain decisions: why did your friend go for a full odds Meowth, when in your eyes, they could've used a method? Why did that one person chain a Smeargle as their shiny catcher instead of getting one full odds? Why does someone you saw online prefer to hunt in fangames? These are all questions that a discussion can be built around if we are just willing to entertain them. This brings me to the biggest point of all...
Curiosity.
This was also briefly mentioned in the rules, but it bears emphasizing since it's a line that can be traced through all of the previous points. Above all, I want this forum to make people curious. Get interested in the history of shiny hunting and try to preserve it! Start developing your skills in different facets of online literacy - we can all learn together! Build other skills outside of Pokemon and post all about it in your hunt updates! Ask a friend what their Holy Grail of shinies is! I believe that this can be a place that improves our lives, the way forums in the past have improved mine.