Hi! So we've gotten a lot of new members lately, and with some recent events, it looks like we may be getting a few more. That's great! However, I've realised that some people are coming from other servers that may have some very different standards from Reborn. So I'd like to take a moment just to make a few things clear. Also, our established members should note that I'm also going to be pushing the bar even higher.
The first thing to realise is that what happened in the past or on another server needs to stay there. Don't bring old drama to Reborn (we have quite enough, I assure you~); it's not going to make anything better. As Eternal Edge said, this is a new server and a new chance.
More to the point, Reborn is not like other servers. We have established community guidelines. For instance, I'd like to point to Rule 2:
If you're being an idiot, we will mute you. Thanks! <3 That said, this typically only applies to the people who just consistently say unintelligible things, or, for instance, say over and over how much they love Shrek 9. However, the other, broader part to this is the no chatspeak part. What do I mean by that?
Chatspeak is the use of shortened characters to abbreviate individual words. For instance "Are you two all right?" as chatspeak is something like "r u 2 alrite?"
We strongly discourage this at Reborn. It may seem trivial, but for those of us used to regularly using these ancient things called vowels, speaking like that makes one appear not only lazy and uneducated, but it makes it sound as if their mouth is stitched closed. In the past we have discouraged this, but not muted for it. As of now, we will mute for excessive chatspeak. If you're just dropping a "u" here and there, you don't have anything to worry about (though it is a habit that probably ought to be broken) but we are going to begin enforcing this more heavily on others.
Some clarifications: Generally we regard the chatspeak rule to apply to individual words. If you're abbreviating more than one word, such as lol, btw, wtf, etc, then it's okay. Another question (get ready for grammar mindfuck) is, is "ok" okay? The answer is yes, and Here is Why. There's your fun fact for the day- "OK" means "Oll Korrect" which is two words~
Anyway, when it comes to rules, basically everything boils down to Rule 1:
The "at least pretend like it" part is us respecting your opinions. We understand if you're not comfortable with, for instance, discussions about homosexuality on the server. We don't expect you to change your opinion if it makes you uncomfortable. We do expect you to filter your actions into an appropriate, respectful manner, even if that means stepping out of the conversation for a while.
The respect rule is very, very broad, and we use it quite liberally. Many servers have a rule that says "Respect the auth." I really dislike those sorts of rules, because it implies that the normal users don't also need to be respected. That's exactly why we have the rule as we do. However, do realise that the "respect the auth" is inherent within that rule as well. We make informed decisions, and keep track of incidents. If you have a problem with a mod or their actions, don't get mad- bring it it to an admin. If you have a problem with an admin, bring it to Ikaru or myself. We'll work with you, because we respect you as well.
Another thing inherent in Rule 1 is respect to the community. This means a number of things, but for the people coming in from other servers, one thing that can sometimes be a problem is our tiers. We are not Smogon; we do not follow thier tiering. If you don't like it, you are not required to be here. Respecting the community means respecting our tiers as well. If you think our tiers are "dumb as shit" because we leave Chandelure, Moody, Drizzle/Swift Swim, etc in OU, then perhaps Reborn is not the server for you. Moreover, I would ask a person who thinks these things to challenge exactly why he or she believes them. Smogon is not God- their decisions are no more or less "correct" than ours. The things we keep in OU do not break the metagame but because Smogon has banned them many people assume that they do without taking the time to think for themselves. Regardless, do respect the community by tolerating, if not appreciating, our more lenient tiers.
There are also a few points of Rule 1 that I have not made clear before, but have occasionally enforced. This is what I meant before when I said we're raising the bar. Specifcally I am referring to disrespectful language, even if it isn't aimed at anyone in particular. Now, Reborn will likely never censor swear words for the sake of them being curses. I find this trite and tedious. However, there are some words that are highly disrespectful in and of themselves. For instance, "nigger," "faggot." I do not want to see these words on the server, because they are in themselves derogatory to their given groups. I don't care if you're black and so you feel it's okay to say that- It sets a poor example to others, and diminishes the community. I don't care if you're joking when you call ___ a fag; it's rude to them, and it's rude to homosexuals, and even if you're joking, it shows that we tolerate those sorts of things. Those are things I am not comfortable tolerating. We will have no more of it. Also applied to this is "bitches." I do not mean the swear word "bitch" itself- but the use of "bitches" to refer to females as a whole. For instance, in a context such as "bitches love cars." It is highly sexist and objectifying to females, and as a society, we do not need to lower ourselves to that level.
Another thing that I have for a long time discouraged is the use of the word "rape," as in the context, for instance "lol my scizor just raped that team." Not to mention the fact that it's borderline Rule 7, in itself, it's also highly inconsiderate to people who have actually been through such a thing. There are a few on this server, and even outside I guarantee that at least one person, if not several, you know has been sexually assaulted- even if you have no idea of it. It happens a lot, and too often as a culture do we glaze over this cold heartedly. For these reasons, I do ask that you brag about your victories in some other, more appopriate way.
On the note of Rule 7:
"Overt" can be quite vague, so in a separate post I'll repost a list of the criteria the mods use for evaluating this. It's on a 9-point scale, and we currently mute for anything above 3 (and generally ask that 3 be taken to a separate channel or PM).
I would ask all of you to bear in mind these things when you're on the server. I pride Reborn in having one of, if not the highest standards of community in PO, and I hope that as members, you take pride in being a part of that- and furthermore, working to preserve it. Thank you for your time!