Forum Updates ~ 10/10/10

[Jamesy]

Apologies for the length of time between the this and the last update, it's been quite slow in terms of things to change. Until this week that is, feedback has been absolutely buzzing and so I bring to you one of the biggest sunday updates in a long while. So you may need to fetch your reading glasses as you plough into this one (H)

• Mobile Skin Tweaks
• Minecraft Subforum
• Moderator BBcode
• Removable of Social Groups
• Changes to the Pointless Posting rule
• Changes to the Bumping Threads rule
• Changes to the Smilies code
• Changes to the rule regarding profile pictures
• Updates to certain Forum Specific Rules
• Dissolution of the Welcome Committee

[Jamesy]

The mobile skin has been tweaked so it now displays whether a thread is closed or not on the thread list. You can see it in this screenshot:

Show Hide

This should hopefully stop any disappointment when browsing via mobile when you find the thread is closed after loading it.

Thanks to Mr-Trainor for this suggestion!

[Jamesy]

Following the explosion in popularity for the all mining, all building all crafting Minecraft, we've decided that it should be given it's own subforum under Console and Computer Gaming. All threads regarding Minecraft can be placed in there and we anticipate it's popularity will not wane any time soon - the game is still only in Alpha remember!

You can view the forum by Clicking Here.

Thanks to StephenHi for this suggestion!

[Jamesy]

Something that we had to drop several months ago, but it's time to retire the Bold red edit that members of the Moderation department have been using since the beginning. Introducing the new Moderator Edit BBcode:

Edited by Jamesy (Forum Manager): Please do not be naughty or you will get a spanking

However this comes with a clear warning: These tags are only for use by Administrators and Moderators. Any regular users seen abusing our trust in putting these tags in place will be facing harsh action by the Moderation Team.

[Jamesy]

Introduced at the beginning of the year, Social Groups have proved to be pretty unsuccessful. After the hype died down it's become clear that the most usage they seem to get these days is by spambots. For this reason Myself and General Management have taken the decision to remove them, you are of course more than welcome to find relevant sections on the forum to continue your discussions.

[Jamesy]

In an effort to make the pointless posting rule less akin to a ball and chain around members posting and based upon member feedback of such, we've reworded it so moderators will no longer be editing you for short posts. The only time they will is when threads that do not promote discussion are made (and will most likely be moved to spam). This should also benefit the Moderation Team who are quite often mislead by the wording of the rule into editing semi-valid posts. The new wording is:

Do not posts threads which only allow for short, one or two word answers and do not promote active discussion.

In addition to this, I have also loosened restrictions on the bumping of threads older than 14 days. You are now permitted to use your own judgment on whether bumping a topic will be the correct course of action. However, the final say on this will be at the discretion of (Super) Moderators. Hopefully this will benefit forums such as Web Market and the like.

This is a small step forward, I am of course open to any further suggestions on how we can make the place a more relaxed place to be.

[Jamesy]

Suggested under previous Forum Management, the "eusa" based smilies have been updated with new, more memorable codes. You can see them listed below:

Old	New
:eusa_danc	:dance:
:eusa_wall	:frust:
:eusa_clap	:clap:
:eusa_whis	:whistle:
:eusa_thin	:hmm:
:eusa_snoo	:noway:
:eusa_sile	:mute:
:eusa_shif	:shifty:
:eusa_shhh	:shh:
:eusa_naug	:naughty:
:eusa_liar	:liar:
:eusa_hand	:hand:
:eusa_eh:	:eh:
:eusa_droo	:drool:
:eusa_booh	:boohoo:
:eusa_doh:	:facepalm:

or view the entire list here: http://www.habboxforum.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies

Thanks to Skizzling for this suggestion!

[Jamesy]

Following member feedback, you are now permitted to put pictures of yourself in your Profile Picture. This being the one that displays on your personal profile (for example [@]Jamesy[/@]). The same user rank restrictions apply for the size of the image.

Note: Images of yourself in your avatar are still not permitted.

Thanks to KK. for this suggestion

[Jamesy]

Following yet more member feedback and months of neglect, certain specific forum rules have been rewritten and even abolished all together. First up, the Graphics Forum Rules have been completely rewritten to be less wordy, in addition to this they have been renamed "Guidelines" in a further effort to make them seem less pushy.

For a comparison, here are the old ones:

1. If you are not going to give constructive criticism, don't post at all - Do not reply to alteration posts with things like: bad/good/awesome. If you think somebody's alt is bad then tell him or her how to improve it and actually help. If you are going to post, then post CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM or at least comment about the actual graphic as to why you think it is good or bad. If you shall not do this, then action will be taken by one of the Moderators or Super Moderators.

2. Everyone has a right to make alts, don't say otherwise - Everybody is allowed to make alterations if they want, posts like 'Stop making alterations!' are not allowed on any level and will get you into trouble.

3. Do not post gory or vulgar images - This includes lots of blood, real or pixel art and pictures of a sexual nature.

4. Don't be rude about people's alterations - Try to give constructive criticism instead of blatantly being rude to wards somebody due to their alteration skills.

5. Don't use other people's alterations without permission - Only use other peoples alterations with permission as this will cause a lot of fuss if you do not have permission.

6. Don't shout at somebody to remove his or her alteration because it is stolen - If you find a stolen image that someone is using and claiming is theirs without permission, PM a Graphics category moderator and he/she will sort it out.

7. Don't accuse anybody of stealing an alteration without proof - Also, when you are posting an alteration that has some parts of someone else's alteration you must state this otherwise you may end up getting in trouble.

8. Don't post competitions in the graphics section - If you have a really good idea you can PM the competition manager but you must never post them in the graphics section.

9. Don't ask for any kind of pay for alterations - There is no way we can be sure it is not a scam, if you are caught doing this there will be a punishment.

The new ones are simply:

1): Be Constructive in your posts - if you dislike a graphic tell the creator why! Member feedback is an invaluable resource and a little nudge from you will help them to improve

2): Respect other users - everyone is allowed to post their graphics and telling them otherwise won't be tolerated. Similarly don't make personal attacks on the poster based on their graphic.

3): If you suspect a graphic of being plagirised, PM the Moderator of that section, a Super Moderator or the (Assistant) Forum Manager with proof. Don't post in the thread as this creates a bad atmosphere and could cause arguments.

4): If you base an alteration off another graphic, post a link to the source otherwise you may find users think you are trying to pass off someone elses work as your own!

5): Remember the age group of the forum, posting pictures of explicit gore or sex will be removed for being inappropriate.

and can be found stuck at the top of the 2 main graphics forums.

The forum specific rules in Health, Life and Relationships have been abolished completely. They were far out of date and were mostly common sense / covered by global forum rules. Enjoy!

[Jamesy]

Finally (my fingers are dead now) Myself and General Management took the belated decision to dissolve the Welcome Committee. It was clear that there was a complete lack of faith in the entire operation of it by all involved and thus continuing to animate a corpse was not in the best interest of anyone. All threads posted within it have been moved to the public greetings forum.

I'd like to thank all members of the Committee, past and present, who put their time and effort into giving it a go!