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The Official Stage48 Rules

Discussion in 'Announcements & News' started by ithebigc, Dec 17, 2015.

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  1. ithebigc

    ithebigc Stage48 Admin Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2008
    Location:
    Fukuoka, Japan
    Twitter:
    ithebigc
    Stage48 Rules

    Optimized-Rules2.jpg
    Don't make Sakura sad by breaking the rules
    With the staff change in September, users have been asking for a clarification on what exactly are the rules of Stage48. Maybe some of you didn't even know where the previous rules were listed, or just need a reminder of the rules, so the staff has since gotten together and updated them. If you just want the shortened version, the bolded text is all you need. Everything following those is just elaboration, broadly separated into rules governing behavior and rules governing content.

    By using this forum, you agree to abide by these rules and the directions of the moderation team:

    Behavior
    • Contribute, don’t just post – We are a forum whose primary purpose is discussion, so please do your best to write posts that aren’t one-word reactions like “Cute” or emoticons like “xD”. If you don’t know how to respond in a certain thread then try and take some time first to think of a reply instead of just posting for the sake of posting.
    • Criticism is allowed, bashing isn’t – Everyone has the same right to criticize; the lack of new stages, a certain decision a member made, if you don’t like a single, etc. Constructive criticism is one side of what makes a good discussion. However, bashing idols or other groups without any basis is strictly disallowed. Comments like “x member is such a loser” without any rationale behind it will be deleted and you will be issued a warning.
    • Don't make things personal - Don’t take it personally if people disagree with you; again, this forum is for discourse and people may feel differently on certain topics. Along the same thread, if you disagree with someone, the best you can do is provide a well-reasoned post with facts or logic, not by attacking them.
    • No lewd remarks towards minors – Many 48 Group members can be considered minors, so please refrain from making lewd remarks about any idols younger than 18. I know that in many parts of the world the “legal” age is 16, but as our servers are based in the US, we’ll err on the side of caution here. If you wouldn’t say it in front of your mother, don’t say it to an idol.
    • No discriminatory slurs or insults – The use of any racist, sexist or other discriminatory remarks is forbidden, even if it is used just as a joke. Consider the feelings of others before you post.
    • Multiple accounts are forbidden – The use of multiple accounts to reinforce your position on an argument is not permitted. The same rule applies for using multiple accounts to game any forum contests or events or promote certain traders. If you have multiple accounts, choose one and stick with it or PM @ithebigc to merge your accounts.
    • Anonymous proxy services are forbidden – We don’t have anything to hide, and neither should you. Stage48 is available worldwide, there should be no need to use a proxy to access the site.
    • Do not spam/double post/triple post – Don’t talk to yourself in a thread or bump a topic for the sake of bumping the topic. Having back-to-back posts is fine if, for example, your last post was 1 week ago on episode 2 of a series, and your newer post is on episode 3, but spamming a post to bump the topic or when no one else is talking does not serve a purpose.
    • Do not message a moderator about receiving likes/dislikes - We have much better things to be doing. The rating system is meant for fun, as well as serve as an easy way to see how many people agree or thanked your post. It affects nothing except the user title, and even then, dislikes don't change your title negatively. Do not waste our time unless you're reporting someone for disliking every single post you ever made across the forum.
    Content
    • No adult content – Anyone 13 years old and up can join this forum, meaning a number of our members are minors. To keep this forum friendly for all-ages, refrain from posting or linking to any content containing nudity.
    • Give credit where credit is due – If you’re taking translations or images from somewhere else, give credit to the person who took the time to translate/scan or just link their blog. Make sure you have permission.
    • No piracy of goods purchasable overseas is allowed – Most 48 Group products are obtainable internationally via Amazon Japan, HMV, and CDJapan, among other sites. If you can buy it abroad, then rips of that content are not permitted on the site. That means no CD rips, concert rips, DVD bonuses, etc. Radio previews, performances on music programs, or LoDs are allowed, as they are not normally obtainable outside of Japan. Don't ask for links of the above banned pirated content either. The point of this rule is to support the girls that we are fans of, not steal from them.
    • Stay on topic – We understand that topics may be free-flowing and branch off, however, please try and stick to the original topic or else, look for the right thread to post in. In the same vein, please be mindful of where to post things. A performance with 16 members doesn’t mean the same video has to be posted in 16 members’ different threads, posting in the single thread that the performance is from is enough.
    • Take responsibility for OPs you create – If you start a thread, you are expected to maintain the opening post and update it to meet certain standards. If you are not quite sure how an OP should look or what information it should contain, please ask one of the staff or look around to see what other threads in that section looks like. Also, before creating a thread, make sure your source is official (any of the official blogs, an announcement by King Records, etc) and that a thread doesn't already exist for it.
    • Use English – We understand that English isn’t everyone’s first language, but we are primarily an English forum. Other languages are not explicitly forbidden, but discussion should not carried out in any other language other than English.
    • Thumbnail images or gifs larger than 750 (width) x 750 pixels (height) – Large images stretch the page unnecessarily. Please thumbnail them, especially if you have series of pictures such as those from scans. This is not a hard and fast rule, but if a staff member believes your images are too large we will ask you to resize them or remove the photo/post. Spoiler tags are not a valid workaround, as the images are still loaded regardless of whether users click the spoiler tags or not.
    • Signatures should be no larger than 750 (width) x 225 (height) pixels – Signatures are a way to show off your individuality, but ones that are too large distract from actual content and stretch the page. The same goes for text; don’t write so much in your signature that it would exceed the size of an image that’s 750 x 225 pixels. Moderators may remove or ask you to remove signatures that are deemed to be too large. Gifs are not allowed in signatures.
    • Gifs should not be larger than 2MB - It's a pain to load a page that's filled with gifs, more so when gifs are too large. Alternatively, try html5 for smaller file sizes and more color range (what you see on gfycat.com)

    The staff will generally observe a “three strikes” rule, except in severe cases when the banhammer comes down immediately. You will receive official warnings on your account for larger infractions, explaining exactly what you did wrong. However, as long as you change your behavior, nothing else will happen. If you receive three warnings on your account within a year, you will most likely be subject to a temporary ban, its length dependent on the severity of your offenses. This is not a set in stone system. When we issue warnings, we will also note on your account what we're issuing the warning for, allowing us to go back and check the quantity and reasons, thus allowing staff to make a decision as to how to deal with users at that point.

    All rules are subject to change by staff and in the case of a conflict, the moderation team will have final say. If you believe a decision has been made in error, you are free to message an admin to state your side of the story.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
    • Informative Informative x 5
  2. minaeshi

    minaeshi Next Girls

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2014
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    Oshimen:
    Morita Hikaru
    Twitter:
    minaeshit
    Let's hope people actually take the time to read this, especially the Criticism =/= Bashing and Signature rules. Thanks for the notification on this!
     
  3. fluffy

    fluffy Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2014
    I hope people follow the lewdness rule, because I have seen way too many gross things posted about young girls here.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Gale Kakumei

    Gale Kakumei Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2015
    ^Definitely agree, it's nice to see it enforced.
    What a bummer, but understandable.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. Kinenbi

    Kinenbi Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2007
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Twitter:
    kinenbi
    Ah. There goes my ability to have a personal picture in my sig since I don't have image editing software :/.
     
  6. wlerin

    wlerin Next Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2012
    Oshimen:
    Taniguchi Megu
    I have a concern about this rule. It's not that I have anything to hide, but I do sometimes use a free proxy to access e.g. Japanese radio programs, and depending on the length of the program or its commercials, access other sites in between. (Also, being somewhat scatterbrained, I don't always remember to turn it off >_< )

    Is it possible to embed webms now? Because that (or mp4) is what's on gfycat and imgur.
     
  7. ShiroGohan

    ShiroGohan Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    These are very reasonable guidelines to follow for the most part. Thank you guys for taking the time to make ensure that this is a quality forum experience.
     
  8. Kappa

    Kappa Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 28, 2014
    Thank You @ithebigc. For the most part I think already people know the general etiquette for forums but its always better to put them in writing. The problem in the past was the moderators pretty liberal. I hope these rules are more rigorously enforced from here on. :lol:
     
  9. Nory

    Nory Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2014
    Oshimen:
    Tsuzuki Rika
    Twitter:
    Kami_oshi_SKE48
    I remember I read the rules when I joined but I swear I don't remember about gifs not being allowed in signatures....ah bummer.
     
  10. rka

    rka Senbatsu Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2013
    Location:
    Poland
    Sorry to see all this gifs leave. I enjoyed the creativity of many.

    Was it too much a burden for the bandwidth?
     
  11. Puni

    Puni Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2013
    Location:
    Germany
    Oshimen:
    kashiwagiyuki
    Twitter:
    puni_2k
    There are multiple issues with unnecessary huge gifs and images.
    1. The server needs enough bandwidth as to not slow down to snail speed during peak hours.
    2. The client also has to have enough bandwidth, which for fixed lines usually isn't a problem but mobile devices may have issues here. Especially if you are in a congested area.
    3. It also uses up the traffic on your data plan.
    4. Memory usage is also a concern. Currently this page alone uses up nearly 13MB. If you add some more images and gifs devices with a low amount of physical memory slow down drastically.
     
  12. Silenka

    Silenka Future Girls Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2012
    Location:
    USA
    Thanks for updating the rules! They're clear as day. Now no one has an excuse to misbehave :hehe:

    Don't forget you can ask for someone to make you a sig here. One user from that thread was nice enough to make my current sig ^^
     
  13. Tsumu

    Tsumu Kenkyuusei Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Location:
    Finland
    Browser based online image editor. It's quite handy, although requires a Flash plugin.
    https://pixlr.com/

    For a lightweight traditional software, try Paint.Net
    http://www.getpaint.net/index.html
     
  14. Gale Kakumei

    Gale Kakumei Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2015
    Have you tried Gimp? Free+Efficient. I love Autodesk (my dream is to work for them), but with Gimp you have a much wider palette. I actually only use PS for GIFs (and I actually pay for it lol), in every other aspect, I find Gimp to be more efficient.
     
  15. fluffy

    fluffy Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2014
    Paint will let you do the basic crop and resize. No need for fancy software.
     
  16. gotbild

    gotbild Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2012
    Location:
    Göteborg, Sweden
    Oshimen:
    Takajo Aki
    Twitter:
    gotbild
    Yes, it's very easy to use paint.
     
  17. ithebigc

    ithebigc Stage48 Admin Retired Staff

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2008
    Location:
    Fukuoka, Japan
    Twitter:
    ithebigc
    Yeah, that was one of the main points I wanted to make clear, the difference between criticism and bashing, as well as the reminder not to make things personal. If everyone remembered those two, I think daily conversation here would improve substantially.

    I wouldn't worry too much about the odd proxy here or there. The main reason that's there is because it gets highly annoying come time for Stage48 events like the Member Ranking and some person has logged in with the same IP addresses as 10 different users in the last two weeks. There, I'm presented with a conundrum. I can disqualify all submissions from those 10 people just to be safe, but then that's hardly fair to the people who were just browsing normally, or I can try and go verify that they're actually 10 different people, which is horribly boring and a waste of time for all sides. There's really no easy answer there, so the staff elected to just put this in the rules. When possible, try to avoid proxies.

    And unfortunately, I still don't think we can embed webms. The functionality isn't built into the forum, and although I found a great add-on that would allow us to embed many, many more things (G+ posts! Twitter!), @Mr Waffle has not gotten back to me about installing it. :(

    Funnily, we've heard both sides, that we're too lenient and that we're too strict, so it looks like we can never win :p The staff will continue to serve the forum as best as we know how, but for the most part, we do try to give leeway because the 48 Group is supposed to be a fun hobby, even if it is Serious Business. Now that the rules we're operating on are explicitly clear, we have more of a leg to stand on and people should know that when they receive a warning, it is something to be taken seriously because that's not something we're using for trivial matters.

    Partially that, yes. We already had to upgrade our servers once back then, we can't afford to do it again when we're not even taking in enough to renew our yearly Xenforo license :cold:

    The main reason though, would be that the staff have received a good number of complaints via PMs and reports that large signatures or gif signatures are a distraction when they're taking up even more space than what was written in the post itself. I mainly use a PC to browse Stage48 so I didn't see much a problem there, but once I tried accessing Stage48 on a phone, I clearly understood where they were coming from. It gets old quickly if I have to scroll through the same gif 3 or 4 times if that person has posted several times on the same page, so along with with size restrictions, we decided to not allow gifs in signatures too. With the popularity of tablets and smartphones now, we hope it'll make reading Stage48 a more pleasant experience for everyone.

    Mind you, the staff is aware many do currently have gifs in their signatures so we're giving everyone a grace period to update them, like a month, give or take. We can make nice signatures without gifs, right? :)

    You would think that, but I bet someone will attempt to test the limits lol. That's why we put in that catchall, "all rules are subject to change." :shifty:
     
  18. fuyuchan1609

    fuyuchan1609 Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    May 21, 2015
    Location:
    Canada
    Oshimen:
    Ogino Yuka
    How can I measure the size of my signature and gif?? Are they okay?
     
  19. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    I usually measure them in Paint. But keep in mind that the new rules state there should be no gifs in the signatures at all. We are asking everyone to make the appropriate adjustments to their sigs on their own. From ithebigc...

     
  20. M4YUYU

    M4YUYU Member Stage48 Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2012
    Location:
    USA
    Oshimen:
    mutuotomu
    Twitter:
    tomutomutomuuuu
    I use gif for my signature, but it's practically just two frames :lol: I don't think it's annoying and it doesn't change rapidly, but if we're not going to have any grey area at all I'll change it.

    I'm also iffy at the no proxy rule. I don't use it at this moment of time, but I can see why people would and it's not that hard to get around this rule if a person is motivated to do so for any reason. To outright ban it is a bit heavy-handed, in my opinion. With NAT everywhere, it's also probable that multiple users will share the same IP, even though they don't use any kind of proxy service.
     
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