Site Policies

The Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. Respect your fellow members and they will respect you in return! We wish for all members to be content in their stay here, and that requires every individual to use good manners when they participate in forums or cbox.

1. You must be 13 years old or older to be a member of this website.
   Iwaku is not an appropriate place for children. By joining this site, you consent that you are at least 13 years of age.
2. We follow Flexibility of Speech not Freedom of Speech.
   The U.S. laws for Freedom of Speech do not apply here. You have the freedom to voice your opinions, HOWEVER; you do not have the freedom to force your opinions on others, say malicious comments, or attack another member and their opinions. Just as you wish to be respected, others must be respected.
3. What is Harassment?
   Harassment is the badgering of a person for ANY reason, even after they tell you to leave them alone. If you continue to bother a person after someone asks you to stop, that is considered harassment. Harassment includes things such as pestering a person in Private Messages, Visitor Messages, constantly being rude in cbox or forum, sexual harassment, and deliberately causing fights. If we receive complaints by more than one citizen of your behavior towards them, you will be warned and possibly even suspended for an undetermined period of time. Different types of harassment will receive different time frames of punishments. Extreme harassment can result in banning from the board altogether.
4. The Naughty and the Scandalous!
   Iwaku is aimed towards teenagers and young adults. Know that the content and feel is at a general PG-13 rating. (That means content is only viewable for those 13 and older. NOT FOR KIDS!) Cursing is allowed. Sex and related subjects are bound to be discussed in forums and cbox. However, please use decorum and common sense! Not all members are comfortable with this sort of conduct, so respect the wishes of others if they ask for you to tone it down. Note that Iwaku is not a dating service. If you're looking for a "good time", a significant other, etc.; this is not the place. We have MATURE sections for all members 16+. You are not allowed to have multiple accounts to gain access to this section, and if you are caught lying about you age to get access your account will be blocked.
5. Helping Newbies and Inexperienced.
   Newbies and Inexperienced users are members of this community just like you are. Remember, you too were once brand new to Iwaku, and not everyone can pick up things at the same pace. Instead of picking on these people, please be a good citizen and help these people get acquainted with the rules and ways of Iwaku. They won't learn unless you teach them! Becoming a mentor is an excellent way to help them along. Remember, if you claim someone you are their mentor! Don't abandon them!
6. Respect of Authority.
   The Administration & Staff are here to help keep Iwaku running smooth and happy. They are volunteering their time to aid members when they have problems, providing fun, amusing content as well as forum maintenance. Harassing a member of the staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If you feel a staff member has crossed the line with their behavior or disagree with a mod action they have taken, contact a member of the Administration via Private Messages. Never insult or call out staff in public as this causes unneeded drama on the forums. The Staff cannot do their jobs properly if they constantly have to worry about an individual attacking them.
7. The Reputation/Karma System.
   The Reputation/Karma System is a handy way to discreetly let someone know if you think they are making good or bad posts on the forum. All members can leave comments through the reputation system. Please user the reputation system responsibly.
8. The Spoiler Effect.
   A "spoiler" is a piece of important plot or information given out accidentally or deliberately about any movie, book, anime, ETC that someone else has not seen. Many people can not afford to see or read something as it comes out, or prefer to wait until they have time to sit down and enjoy it... giving them a spoiler can ruin their experience as is a very rude thing to do. On the forums we have a special BBCode that can hide spoiler content so only people that want to know can choose to read. In the cbox we have the [spoiler] code that will hide spoilers from others.
9. Consequences of Impostering.
   Impersonating or "Impostering" other members of Iwaku, be they past, present or a "fake" member using multiple accounts will not be tolerated. This is an act that can ruin reputations, break friendships and hurt a lot of people.
10. Icons/Avatars & Signatures
    Icons should be no more than 150x150 or less in width and height.. Only .jpg, .gif, and .png formats are allowed. Signatures are the text or graphics under a users post. Please keep signatures SMALL. Incredibly large images, or lots of text in a signature causes the messages to load extremely slow. We recommend five lines to a signature as a guideline, and images should be no wider than 600px and no higher than 200px.
11. Writing your personality.
    Our community has a very big focus on writing. Online, the only way you can show your personality is the way you type. With your typing in the forums or chat, members will form opinions whether you are immature, smart, silly, or "beyond help". Think of your typing as the way you dress. Do you look like a homeless slob, the gamer geek, or the Shakespearean poet? Please do not use 1337, chat speak, or excessive slang as your regular form of typing. Keep in mind that we have members from all over the world and they may not know or understand your chat speak! You are not expected to have perfect spelling/grammar/ETC, but we expect your posts to be readable English!
12. Spamming is a pain.
    "Spamming" is the posting of anything of a senseless nature, inappropriate content, or misplaced content in a place it does not belong. (Examples: Posting fifty time in on day just to boost your post count OR repeat posting of a message to try and get attention.) This can also be called "Flooding", or filling the room/board with the same content over and over again. Spam is only allowed in the Insanity Forum!
13. Advertising in the appropriate area.
    Advertising is allowed if it is done in the appropriate way! You may post a link to your website in the appropriate forum. Please don't "mass spam" members with Private Messages. You are allowed to post your link in the cbox, but you are not allowed to constantly post it every five minutes and annoy the same group of people.

As a Member of Iwaku you have the right to:

- Roleplay!
- Chat!
- Share ideas and opinions!
- Enjoy yourself and the company of others!

These rights are given as long as you follow the Guide and Policies of Iwaku! All private content and conversations remain so unless bad behavior has been reported. If you harass members on Iwaku or continuously break policies, your conduct will be brought to the attention of the Staff. All members are able to report posts and private messages when they feel like someone is harassing them or breaking rules.

Staff Members discuss the situation and decide what to do about any bad behaviors. If your behavior is deemed a threat to the peace of Iwaku, you might receive a small warning or have your account suspended or banned. Issues are always taken on a case-by-case basis.

So please remember: Treat others as you wish to be treated! And your stay at Iwaku will be a happy one!