Post by Evelyn on Apr 1, 2016 18:22:37 GMT -7
Welcome to our forum! Before getting started, you should look over the rules below. There aren't very many, so they shouldn't be hard to follow!
And once again, welcome! We hope you find a writing home here.
I. Know ProBoards restrictions on content and Terms of Service.
The first set of rules that all users on this forum must follow are the ProBoards Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. Some highlights from the Terms of Service include:
- "User Content" is any content, materials or information, not including Personal Information (as defined in ProBoards' Privacy Policy), that You upload or post to, or transmit, display, perform or distribute by means of, the Website, whether in connection with Your use of Services or otherwise. To clarify, You maintain full ownership of all your User Content posted to ProBoards." - Terms of Service, Section 15
- "You represent and warrant that you shall not use the Website or Services to upload, post, transmit, display, perform or distribute any content, information or materials that: (a) are libelous, defamatory, abusive, or threatening, excessively violent, harassing, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, or pornographic; (b) constitute child pornography; (c) solicit personal information from or exploit in a sexual or violent manner anyone under the age of 18; (d) incite, encourage or threaten physical harm against another; (e) promote or glorify racial intolerance, use hate and/or racist terms, or signify hate towards any person or group of people; (f) glamorize the use of hard core illegal substances and drugs; (g) violate any provision of this Agreement or any other ProBoards agreement or policy, including without limitation ProBoards' Community Guidelines; or (h) is generally offensive or in bad taste, as determined by ProBoards (collectively, "Objectionable Content")." - Terms of Service, Section 18
I recommend reading the entire Community Guidelines. It is very short, but it will give you a basic idea of what kind of content is prohibited. Please note that to the extent that ProBoards allows, you are given full freedom to write about violence, sex, drugs, etc. We do not impose a rating guideline, but if you cross a line that we feel conflicts with the Community Guidelines, we will warn you. A verbal warning will always be given prior to any disciplinary action, since content will be moderated and judged on a case-by-case basis.
II. Posting
This is a writing forum, so most of the posts on here will have to do with writing. As such, please keep on topic in the "Your Writing" category. Attempt to place your writing (or ideas or discussion) in the appropriate genre board, and try to label everything you post.
Aside from these two basic guidelines, we request that you try to follow our version of the Golden Rule: for every piece of writing you post and request a critique for, try to post a critique where someone else has requested one. We want to encourage our members to exchange ideas and improve their work, and as is the case in any writing workshop, this means not only sharing your own work, but also giving suggestions to others. If you'd like someone to spend time reading and writing a critique of your work, it's only fair that you should do the same for others. This will not be strictly moderated, but if we find that you are posting far more work to be critiqued than critiquing yourself, some of your posts may be moved to the Non-Critique and Personals board.
If you expressly do not want to receive suggestions for your work, you have free reign to post in the Non-Critique and Personals board as much as you want. You can even request your own personal board to act as a storehouse for your work. Please note that all threads not posted in the Non-Critique and Personals board are allowed to be critiqued, even if you have not requested any feedback specifically.
Beyond your own creative writing, the boards can also serve as a discussion area for different topics in writing, or even as a sounding board for new ideas. These topics can be labeled "Ideas and Techniques" or "Discussion and Debate". Ideas and Techniques posts should deal with story/poem/etc. ideas, techniques for writing, and practical advice. Discussion and Debate posts should deal more with discussing opinions on genres, debates on literary works, and things of a more intellectual nature. If we feel your topic has been improperly labeled, we will change it for you.
III. Critiques
Critiquing the work of others is a skill as much as writing is a skill. In fact, being able to implement critiques is also a skill. People often take criticism of their writing as a personal offense or as a sign that they are not good writers. We would like to help our members learn to take criticism and use it to improve, not give up. However, there is also some responsibility on the part of critics to understand what a proper critique looks like. It is not just proofreading spelling and grammar.
The quality of a critique is greatly improved when the critic can explain why something in the piece doesn't work, rather than just saying that they don't like it. There is a difference between subjectively not liking something and finding that something does not work. Wherever you can in your critiques, try to elaborate on why you didn't like something - if you find that it is something about the subject or style, then it is likely closer to a subjective opinion than a proper critique. If you do not like fantasy subjects, like dragons, unicorns, or the like, then it is unlikely you will like a fantasy piece. But that does not mean that the subject needs to be changed. Likewise, style concerns are certainly worth discussing, but to some extent, this is also preference.
It is also unnecessary to attempt to fix the problems you find in your critique. While suggestions can be helpful, there is a fine line between suggesting something, and changing the ownership of the work. A fix that you might think is great may not really fit what the writer has in mind for the piece - so while writers can still change something you think needs to be changed, they do not have to change it the way you think they should.
It goes without saying that any inflammatory comments towards the writers themselves (or overly harsh comments towards the writing) will face punishment. We want to foster a community of respect and intellectual discussion. Cyber bullying is not tolerated.
IV. Having Fun
This is not really a rule, but a reminder. We are here to have fun, improve our writing, exchange ideas, and make friends. We expect members to be inclusive and supportive of each other, and we will take action against those who hinder our goal of creating a quality writing community.
Last Revision: April 1, 2016
And once again, welcome! We hope you find a writing home here.