User-Run Forums on RPoL
All registered RPoL Users may create Discussion Forums which do not require a Request Access to join, and to which any registered user of RPoL may post.
Creating a Discussion Forum
The RPoL Game Creator has settings for the following five areas:
- Game Name (required): Enter the name for your new Forum. Note that formatting code may not be used here, and entering profanity or non-alphanumeric characters will stop the game from being created. This field is limited to sixty characters in length.
- GM Alias (required): In a Discussion Forum, this field will be ignored and your Account Name will be listed instead. You should put something in this field, however.
- Classification (required): Select the "Discussion" category from the list. Forums may only be created by Users in the Discussion category.
- Forum: Check this box to ensure your newly-created board will be a "Forum".
- Bio1 and Bio2 (optional): As with GM Alias, these will be ignored when the forum is created.
Moderating a Discussion Forum
The creator of a Forum becomes its Owner, and can assign others to assist them with running the forum using the "Mods Menu" to "Manage Forum Access" and "Add a Moderator". Moderators can edit and remove posts and can ban Users from the forum. They cannot edit posts by the Owner, change the Forum Owner, or ban the Forum Owner.
Note that it is expected that all Forums created by users on RPoL be moderated, and that all abide by our content guidelines and Terms of Use. The Forum Owner is ultimately responsible for this, and must be diligent in their moderation duties within their Forum.
The Mods Menu
Forums are managed through the Mods Menu, available to the Game Owner and the Moderators of the forum. There, those with proper access will see a section on the forum information, and several links to assist them:
| Link | Notes on Usage |
|---|
| Manage Forum Access
|
Here the Game Owner can create new Forum Moderators using the "Add a
Moderator" function (or remove one). The Owner and Moderators can also use
this area to ban users from the Forum (using the "Ban a User" button), or
remove a user ban by choosing the user from the list and removing their
ban. Banning a user will not stop them reading the Forum, only from posting
to it.
|
| Activate Players DB
|
This function will change the Forum to a Game, where users must Request
Access and be added in order to post.
|
| Edit forum details
|
Here the Forum Owner can change various Forum details such as the Forum
Name, the Forum Owner (any other Moderator can be made into the Forum Owner),
and whether Bump Control is on or off. Setting bump control "on" will mean
that no matter how many replies a thread receives, it will only be "Bumped"
to the top of the forum at most once per week.
|
| Remove unwanted threads
|
This allows the Owner or Moderators to prune unwanted threads from the forum.
|
| Delete this forum
|
Using this link, the Owner can delete the forum. Note that it is customary
on RPoL to give at least one week's notice to a board's participants before
deleting it.
|
Participating in a Discussion Forum
Discussion Forums are run by their Owner and Moderators. They may have rules posted, so it's a good idea to read these rules before posting in them. The Moderators and Owners of Discussion Forums are analogous to a GM in a game: they have the sole say over who may user their forum and how discussions there will take place, and they have the power to ban those who become undesirable participants. RPoL Site Moderators will not interfere in these decisions, so if you are banned from a discussion forum you must deal with it by contacting the Forum Mods/Owner and working it out with them. They are under no obligation to allow anyone to access their forum who has caused trouble for them.
Last updated: 15:23, Mon 30 Apr 2007.
Direct link: http://www.rpol.net/help/?t=help&page=userforums
