News April Rules Updates

[Kaerri]

Hey everyone! Recently we've updated the rules to reflect a change in policy regarding advertisements, and clarifications to policy regarding commissions and plagiarism. The full rules are posted in Site Questions and Information and in Introductions, as usual.


Advertisements: We've clarified the rules regarding commissions, which are permitted. Also now permitted is the sharing of offsite contact information, though we really recommend you not do so publicly for your own protection.

4. No Advertisements – Users are not allowed to advertise external websites or services with the intention of either personal gain or distracting from the community. This means: links that benefit the posting user, links that sell a product or service, or links that serve to gain a user-base on another website are considered advertising and will be removed.

Commissions - Commission requests and advertisements are permitted as long as such posts are made in the Creativity section and given the "Commissions" tag. Costs may be discussed in the post, but any and all payment information (such as credit cards, etc.) may not be posted in public and may only be handled via PM.

Admin Permission – A user can seek permission to have an external site affiliated with RpNation under Advertising Links. The website must be approved by RpNation Site Administrators. If seeking an official affiliation with RpNation, please contact us using admin contact.

Reporting Advertisements - Users are advised to report any thread or post that appears to be advertising a product or promoting a roleplay not hosted on RpNation. Reporting can help moderators remove Spambots quickly and efficiently.

Offsite roleplaying - Users are allowed to recruit for offsite roleplaying in a thread for Skype and all the various IMs and programs that exist. However, RpNation and the RpNation staff are not responsible for any content/harassment that may occur unless it is on the RpNation site or on the official RpNation Discord server.

Public contact information - We highly recommend NOT sharing any contact information publicly, as doing so can lead to harassment, stalking, and/or other unpleasant things. We will not be issuing any warnings to users who choose to do so; however, be advised that RpNation and the RpNation staff are not responsible for any adverse occurrences that may result.

Plagiarism gets its own section now, clarifying that all creative works belong to their creators/owners and that those creator/owners are free to request that unauthorized copies give credit where it's due.

8. Plagiarism - Plagiarism is defined as the “theft” or unauthorized use of someone else’s intellectual property, such as writing, artwork, and other creative works. RpNation does not condone the use of plagiarism in any form. If the creator of such a work reports an instance of plagiarism, the plagiarizing post is subject to removal and the poster may receive a warning.

Pictures - Use of pictures found on the internet is exceedingly common, and we don't want to limit it unfairly. Users are free to use any images not explicitly restricted by the creator/owner of the image. We do encourage users to include a link to the picture source wherever possible, to give credit to the creator/owner. Note, however, that if we are contacted by the creator/owner and requested to take down an image, we will do so, so make sure any images are free use.

BBcode and other formatting - While BBcode is more limited than HTML, and therefore there are more limited ways to use it, we still wish to protect the rights of those who have spent extensive time with their post formats. If a user wishes to share coding that they have created, we absolutely encourage that. However, many users wish credit to be given when their codes are used, and some may not wish their codes used at all. With that in mind, if the creator of a particular BBcode combination requests that other users include a link to the original source, that request must be honored. If the other user does not comply after a reasonable time, the original creator of the BBcode may make a report and the staff will handle it from there.

 

[Reine]

Also now permitted is the sharing of offsite contact information, though we really recommend you not do so publicly for your own protection.

YES. Thank you all so much! I've been wanting to talk to my friends through other formats for the longest time now

 

[welian]

Hooray for additional clarity!

 

[CabalAnomicPotato]

Rules=good, bow down to your RpN masters, accept rules, love rules, live rules.

 

[cupidcreep]

oops i kind of stole the formuoli does this mean i'm gonna be banned

 

[BDark]

If I link an Amazon product but not as advertising it, is it still against the rules?

 

[cupidcreep]

If I link an Amazon product but not as advertising it, is it still against the rules?

no, that's fine

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

Just for clarification... (just having a bit of a hard time understanding some of the things) can you now link to other role play sites? Are you allowed to link to sites that allow for 18+ role playing on them? I plan on doing neither of these things either way, but do like to know the rules of the site when helping new users and what not.

 

[Fable]

Just for clarification... (just having a bit of a hard time understanding some of the things) can you now link to other role play sites? Are you allowed to link to sites that allow for 18+ role playing on them? I plan on doing neither of these things either way, but do like to know the rules of the site when helping new users and what not.

The only update to the advertisement rule was the allowance of personal contact information. Content linking to offsite RPs (allowed via PM for IM programs, but not other RP sites) and 18+ content is still prohibited

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

The only update to the advertisement rule was the allowance of personal contact information. Content linking to offsite RPs (allowed via PM) and 18+ content is still prohibited

Oh, alright. I thought that maybe personal contact information could also technically mean your username on other role playing sites.

 

[KageYuuki]

So would this mean sharing a discord server with your players on the actual thread is okay now?

 

[Kaerri]

So would this mean sharing a discord server with your players on the actual thread is okay now?

Yes.

 

[KageYuuki]

Hype! \o/

 

[Sunstone]

Hey everyone! Recently we've updated the rules to reflect a change in policy regarding advertisements, and clarifications to policy regarding commissions and plagiarism. The full rules are posted in Site Questions and Information and in Introductions, as usual.


Advertisements: We've clarified the rules regarding commissions, which are permitted. Also now permitted is the sharing of offsite contact information, though we really recommend you not do so publicly for your own protection.



Plagiarism gets its own section now, clarifying that all creative works belong to their creators/owners and that those creator/owners are free to request that unauthorized copies give credit where it's due.

This has more likes than the original rules post.

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

So, to clarify, your username and what not on other role playing sites does not count as personal contact information and cannot be shared on the site?

 

[Kaerri]

So, to clarify, your username and what not on other role playing sites does not count as personal contact information and cannot be shared on the site?

I would not consider usernames for sites you're not allowed to link as allowable personal contact information. The intent of this update is to allow for the sharing of Discord, Skype, etc., not to create loopholes in existing rules.

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

I would not consider usernames for sites you're not allowed to link as allowable personal contact information. The intent of this update is to allow for the sharing of Discord, Skype, etc., not to create loopholes in existing rules.

I'm not trying to create loopholes. The only role playing site that I even use is this one. I even stated above that I only wanted to know because I spend a lot of time speaking to new members. I tell people all the time to message me and I'm often asked about the rules. So I'd like to know exactly what is allowed and what is not. The post was not specific enough to answer my question and so I asked so that I could get some clarification.

 

[Kaerri]

I'm not trying to create loopholes. The only role playing site that I even use is this one. I even stated above that I only wanted to know because I spend a lot of time speaking to new members. I tell people all the time to message me and I'm often asked about the rules. So I'd like to know exactly what is allowed and what is not. The post was not specific enough to answer my question and so I asked so that I could get some clarification.

I didn't say you were. I said we were not. Try not to take it personally.

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

I'll just stop it here before this goes somewhere I don't want it to go. Either way, thank you for the information.

 

[Nozomu]

Hopefully this clears up things for other people now

 

[Negative Zone]

I have a question! How do the rules regarding encouraging artist credit and restricting off-site linking interact?

For example I'd like to credit a fanartist but the blog where they post all their work is on tumblr. Would it be OK to link to the tumblr in that case since the intent isn't to gain followers but to credit the artwork? Or should I just stay kind of vague with it and say "oh this art is by so and so on tumblr"?

 

[Hall Kervean]

What about profile pictures? How would one credit those, if it weren't original artwork?

 

[Reine]

What about profile pictures? How would one credit those, if it weren't original artwork?

Presumably the "about" or signature section of a user's profile.

 

[Hall Kervean]

Presumably the "about" or signature section of a user's profile.

After 15 minutes of searching, I can't find this picture. Fabulous.

 

[Reine]

After 15 minutes of searching, I can't find this picture. Fabulous.

Try right-clicking. You can reverse-search it on Google.