I've noticed that whenever a moderator links to the Site Rules, they just link to
the whole thread, which means that the first thing someone who clicks on that link sees is a huge wall of Monty Python silliness. While I think it's great that you guys have a sense of humor, I also think the existing thread is pretty confusing and unhelpful for the average user.
At the very least, it would be better to link to
the second post in the thread instead of the thread as a whole, but in the long term it seems like it would be better to clean up the site rules thread, so that it just lists the rules in a straightforward, easy-to-understand way, with formatting that's conducive to quick scanning. For example, this:
1. Post with respect and courtesy. Debate is fine ... so long as when you disagree with someone, you respond in a civilized and constructive manner.
2. No libel. No defamation of character. Don't come here and slam/flame anyone/thing. Don't come here sounding off that Blizz sucks, EQ sucks, mod_author_01 sucks, etc and so on. None of that. You want to post things like that, take it elsewhere, there are enough other boards that cater to that type of thing. This isn't FlameVault. See 1.
3. Don't spam. If you have something to discuss, a question to ask, advice to give, that's fine. The occasional silly post/joke/whatever in Chit Chat forum is fine. (Example - my post directly above this. ) But posting random crap for no reason other than to post random crap ... just don't do it.
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... is hard to scan because nothing stands out, and has a lot of "fluff" and repetition. Something like this might be better:
1. Post with respect and courtesy.
Debate is fine ... so long as when you disagree with someone, you respond in a civilized and constructive manner. Name-calling, personal insults and attacks, offensive language, and other such comments are not welcome here.
2. Keep it on-topic.
The occasional silly post or joke in the Chit Chat forum is fine, but please refrain from posting random off-topic stuff for no reason, and keep your comments relevant to the page or thread you're posting on. And of course, no spam!
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I'd also suggest clarifying the rules with regards to solicitation. For example, is it okay to post that you're looking for a developer for a project you plan to monetize (such as an addon that hooks into a members-only website)? Is it okay to post that you're looking to pay someone to write an addon for you? Is it okay to post that you're looking for people to participate in a study or take a research survey? Is it okay to make job recruitment posts?
Also, private servers come up pretty often, and while it's probably true that the people posting these threads didn't read the rules beforehand, it's also true that the mention of private servers in the rules is pretty easy to overlook, as it's buried in the middle of a paragraph about the WoW EULA and gold-selling. It might be good to make this more clear.
Finally, having the site rules in a forum thread makes them hard to find, especially when:
(a) the rules also talk about addon uploading/downloading and other stuff that's not specific to the forum section of the site; and
(b) if you're looking in the
forum that sounds like the kind of place you'd find the rules (based on its description; its name is useless),
no threads are visible unless you change the forum view settings, because they're all too old and not stickied; and
(c) the description of the General WoW Chat forum doesn't make it obvious that this is where you'd find the rules for the whole site.
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