There are very few "rules" on ROTB. ROTB is intended to feel primarily democratic, and most of the "unwritten rules" come by way of self-government by the community through Recommended Fanposts, positive and negative feedback, peer influence, etc. The few official Community Guidelines exist for a singular purpose: they exist to help make ROTB a place that is safe and enjoyable for the entire community.
Speech on ROTB
We here at ROTB believe in responsible speech. We believe strongly in celebrating a diversity of people, and of ideas, on the site. Users are, in general, free to express their opinions without fear of retribution. The diversity of personalities, beliefs, and styles is appreciated as being part of what makes ROTB strong.
However, ROTB is a community, and responsible speech does not mean "the right to say what you want, when you want, how you want," without being sensitive to, and respectful towards, the community as a whole.
Here are some guideline as to what we mean by "responsible speech":
What will happen to those who are 'irresponsible' on ROTB?
When it comes to violations of the Community Guidelines, ROTB works primarily on a case-by-case basis. On a normal or small offense, offenders will be contacted in the thread and warned, as well as reminded of the guidelines. Repeat offenses will be handed as necessary and punishments can range from further warnings to a permanent ban (or anything in between). Offensive comments, fanposts or fanshots can and will be deleted on the same case by case basis.
Moderators hide comments in question and then brings up the comment in question to the moderator group. The group decides what action will be taken and the "head coach" of the site will act on it, whether it be reinstate the comment, delete it, warn the member or ban the member. Any issues should be directed to the "head coach" regarding decisions made in moderating.
Procedure For Lodging An Official Complaint
If you believe a user has violated the Community Guidelines and you wish to bring it to ROTB's moderators for review, flag the offending comment, choosing "inappropriate" from the drop-down menu selections, and include a note about why you feel the comment violates our guidelines.
Complaints are evaluated, and any appropriate follow-up action taken, internally. The user who made the complaint should not expect any reply unless the moderators have specific questions.
Fanposts
The only Community Guidelines for Fanposts are:
- A Fanpost must be a minimum of 75 words or it is considered to be unsubstantial and is deleted as a violation of the Community Guidelines.
- A Fanpost must in some way belong on ROTB -- in other words, it must relate to the Cards, or to football, or to ROTB, or to an existing thread or Fanpost, etc.
- A Fanpost must have some "take" on a topic related to what was said above.
Tips on writing good Fanposts:
Some of the qualities that the most popular Fanposts often have in common are:
- They expand upon the main idea with supporting examples, or statistical data, or a link to a relevant article, or a "thinking question" for others to consider, etc.--something beyond just the main idea itself.
- They explore a topic, idea, or question that has not been explored recently, or at all, on ROTB.
Keep in mind that if your Fanpost contains only one point or idea that is not developed, expanded on, or supported with arguments or data, it is really not a Fanpost--it is a comment that should be posted in an existing thread or Fanpost.
General Disclaimer: What is written above are guidelines that help to explain the policies, procedures, and processes ROTB generally uses. It is entirely at our discretion how to interpret and implement these guidelines, which are subject to change at any time.