Speedsolving.com Community Rules

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1. Be Civil, Be Respectful

Online communication relies entirely on the written word, and you will be judged on the quality and content of your posts. Treat others with the same respect you expect to receive.

a. No Flaming or Trolling

• Respect others: Do not engage in personal attacks, insults, or intentional provocation.
• Handling conflict: If you are attacked or provoked, do not retaliate. Report the offender to a moderator immediately.

b. Language and Content Expectations

• Family-Friendly: This site is frequented by young children. Keep all content appropriate for all ages.
• Profanity Censor: Do not attempt to bypass the automatic profanity censor. If manually censoring a word, hiding only one letter is not enough.
• Media Warnings: If you link to or embed videos/external sites containing mild profanity, place a clear warning above the link or video.
• Prohibited Content: Content that is excessively vulgar, profane, graphic, or violent is strictly forbidden.

c. One Account per Person

• You are permitted only one account. Duplicate ("alt") accounts may be banned without warning.
• Infractions earned on an alt account will be transferred to your primary account, alongside additional penalties.
• Creating a new account to evade a ban will result in the permanent extension of that ban.

d. Regarding "Backseat Moderation"

• If you see a rule violation, kindly and tactfully inform the user. If someone else has already done so, do not repeat it.
• Report the post if necessary, but do not flame the poster. Publicly policing etiquette often becomes a violation itself. Help other members; do not alienate them.

e. Replying to Posts

• Quote Formatting: Use the Reply to Post and Multi-Post features when responding to specific messages. This keeps discussions organized and easy to follow.
• Managing Long Posts: If replying to a lengthy post, shorten the quoted text or wrap it in [spoiler] tags.
• Media in Replies: Avoid quoting embedded videos or images directly. Either strip the embed codes to leave a standard text link, or place the media inside [spoiler] tags to prevent slow page load times.

f. Signatures

Signatures must not contain inappropriate or hateful content. Additionally, signatures:

• Must not exceed three lines of text.
• Cannot contain spoiler tags, images, or indents.

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2. Stay on Topic

Before creating a thread, read the sub-forum descriptions to ensure you are posting in the correct area. Once inside a thread, keep your replies relevant to the established topic.

a. No Spam

• Speedsolving.com has a zero-tolerance policy for spam (defined as posts/threads that do not contribute or are irrelevant to the section). Spam will be deleted without warning.
• Before posting, ask yourself: "Would I want to see this post if I were looking for quality discussion?"
• If you accidentally post a thread in the wrong sub-forum, contact a moderator to move it for you.

b. Excessive Cross-Posting

Cross-posting is copying and pasting the exact same thread/thought across multiple sub-forums. While occasionally acceptable (e.g., a video comparing two puzzles posted in both respective review threads), threads should almost never be duplicated. When in doubt, ask a moderator first.

c. Worthless Replying

• Only reply if you have something of value to add.
• Low-effort replies like "+1" or "go search for it" are strictly prohibited. They do not aid the topic creator or the community.

d. No Bumping Threads

• Do not reply to your own topic solely to push it back to the top of the forum.
• You may only "bump" your thread if you have meaningful new information to add. Otherwise, use the Edit button on your original post.

e. Sub-Forum Specific Rules

• Several sub-forums have unique guidelines pinned at the top under "Please Read Prior To Posting". Always check these. New rules may also be announced in the Announcements section.
• Personal Bests: Do not create dedicated threads for your personal records (PRs). Use the official community Accomplishment Thread or list your times in your signature.

f. Search Function

• Always use the search function before starting a new thread.
• If an older, relevant thread already exists, use it instead of creating a duplicate. However, check the date: only reply to a very old thread if you are adding substantial, worthwhile new information.

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3. No Advertising

• Blatant commercial advertising is rude and strictly prohibited.
• Advertising commercial sites, goods, or services unrelated to speedsolving is banned (with a minor exception for the Off-Topic Discussion section). Accounts created solely for advertising purposes will be permanently banned.
• Buying/Selling Puzzles: Puzzle transactions must be confined to the Buy/Sell/Trade (BST) Forum. You must review the specific BST Rules before posting there.

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Appendices: Enforcement & Examples

Rule Enforcement & Infraction System

The moderation team utilizes a formal warning and infraction system to enforce site guidelines:

• Warning: A formal notice that you broke a rule. It acts as a baseline reminder and does not add points to your profile.
• Infraction: A serious notification accompanied by infraction points. Most points expire after a set period depending on severity.
• Bans: Accumulating active infraction points triggers automatic temporary account suspensions:
  • 5 Points: 1-day ban
  • 10 Points: 5-day ban
• Disputes: If you believe an infraction was issued unfairly, politely contact the issuing moderator via private message to discuss it.
• Reporting Violations: Click the Report Post button located beneath any message to alert the staff. Do not reply to or engage with spam or rule-breaking posts.

Point Values and Expiration Durations

Examples of Spam (Prohibited)

• Thread titles containing excessive characters or punctuation (e.g., "!!!! LOOK HERE !!!!").
• Posts written with blatant disregard for basic spelling and grammar. (This is a forum, not a chat room).
• Re-posting threads or questions that were recently closed or deleted by staff. If you have questions about moderation, send a private message to a moderator.
• Re-posting threads that are currently awaiting moderation approval. If a thread isn't approved within 12 hours, contact staff directly.
• Unhelpful meta-commentary like "this thread is going to get closed" or "wrong forum."
• Image macros or memes posted outside of designated meme threads.
• Excessive use of emoticons/emojis.
• Posting multiple short messages consecutively. Use the Edit button to add updates instead.
• Replying to or "feeding" clear spam bots or trolls.

Examples of Flaming/Low-Effort Posts (Prohibited)

• Standalone, low-effort responses that add nothing to the conversation, such as: "OMG", "LOL", "GJ", or "Use the search function".
• Publicly mocking or correcting another user's spelling and grammar in a hostile manner.
• Insulting another member’s skill, background, beliefs, or identity.
• Note: Frequent use of ALL CAPS or aggressive profanity are strong indicators of flaming and should be reported immediately.