Simplified rules | Netiquette | Guidelines
Terms of Service
Simplified rules for membership in the Ice Castle:
Use common sense in posting/reading--inappropriate material won't be tolerated.
Don't harass members or anyone else. If you make or even hint at a "slam" to another member in your poetry, you will be banned from the board for two weeks. If it happens again after that, your membership will be permanently revoked. There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of behaviour and it will not be tolerated.
Don't automatically take offense to anything you read. Chances are more than likely that it has nothing to do with you. If you believe another member is attempting to insult you, talk to them and work it out like adults. If you don't feel comfortable talking to them, you can bring it up with a staff member.
Don't spam members or anyone else
Don't use bad HTML that will screw up the message board
By posting, you grant Lady Snow and her staff right to move or duplicate your posting as needed, including placing it in other pages of any websites in the Ice Castle network without your express permission. (you retain all copyrights; this is primarily so we can surprise contest winners)
Anything posted to the library may be deleted by Lady Snow or her staff members, or by ezboard staff, without any notification or reason given. This includes your original posts, your replies, and any graphics you choose to include in any postings.In the Ezboard Library, Personal Photos (the small image under your name in each post) should be 60 by 60 pixels, jpg or gif format. Icons (the tiny image next to your name) should be 10 by 10. These do not apply to castle staff, who are given larger images to denote their rank. Signature images or animations should be no more than 175 pixels tall and/or 350 pixels wide, and under 12 Kilobytes.
In the new Library (Library.icecastle.org), Avatars should be no more than 120 by 120 pixels, jpg or gif format, and under 16 kilobytes in file size. Signatures may contain one image of no more than 350 pixels wide, 150 pixels tall, and 12KB in file size; OR two small images of under 60 pixels square and under 5KB in file size. Total signature height should not exceed 250 pixels, including text. (Total signature height is the space from the dividing line to the top of the buttons beneath the signature) The total file weight for the signature should not exceed 16KB. 250 pixels is more than the length of most replies... we're trying to reduce the excessive amounts of scrolling some people's signatures have required in the past. Any signature that noticeably exceeds these limitations will be truncated by Lady Snow. If you do not understand these sizing requirements, it is your responsibility to find out beforehand. Check with Lady Snow or Joshua if you have any questions.
No more than 3 posts per forum, per scribe, per day. Do not flood the boards.
Make sure those posts are in the proper forum. Don't post a poem in the Hall of Tales, don't post free verse in the Garden, and so on. If you have any questions, ask a Herald. If they're not sure, they'll check with Snow.
Don't post works by non-members, even if you have their permission, or even works you coauthored with another writer who is not a member, unless Lady Snow gives you express permission to do so.
If you wish to do this, write to Lady Snow with a copy of the poem, the non-member author's name(s), and a list of places the other writer posts their work.
Your membership may be canceled by Lady Snow or her chosen representatives, for any reason or no reason.
By posting you certify that you agree to all rules, terms of service, and guidelines
Use good 'netiquette':
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Netiquette:
Below are some simple rules of message board etiquette to understand before you venture into a forum, message board, or newsgroup. Think of netiquette as a set of guidelines that will keep you from making mistakes and make you look and sound like a veteran member.
Lurk. Read the board without posting for a few weeks. This is known as "lurking," and it will give you the flavor of the forum.
Read the FAQ. Find and read the forum's FAQ, or list of Frequently Asked Questions and other important and useful information. It can answer questions you didn't even know you had, and it's the quickest way to learn the board.
Stay on-topic. Know what's on-topic and what's off-limits. Every forum is a little different in what it talks about, and how it does the talking.
DON'T SHOUT. TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING. It's easier to read a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.
This does not mean that it is acceptable "tO tAlK LIke ThIs." This is even more rude and annoying than all caps.
Never, ever post "MAKE MONEY FAST." It doesn't work, it gets people really mad, and no matter what it says, it's probably illegal.
Everyone hates commercials. Be very hesitant about posting advertisements or commercial messages. This also gets people really mad.
Ignore "trolls." Some people get a thrill from posting "flames" (really obnoxious messages) just to get a rise out of people. Sad, isn't it?
Don't "spam." Spam is posting the same message to dozens, even hundreds or thousands of unrelated newsgroups. No matter how important you think your message may be, it's not worth it. Think about it - if everyone posted about
every topic, no one would be able to find anything.
Be Original. Don't overquote: Copying a long post (more than 20 lines) just to add "I agree" or "me too" is considered bad form.
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Remember, every expert was a newbie once.Don't overpost. People don't have time to read your latest 20 works, and will simply skip over you for the next person or leave entirely.
Don't insult other members.
Don't take posts from other members personally. If you truly feel offended, talk to the member, or to a staff member.
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Guidelines of the Ice Castle:
(Read both Lady Snow's Terms of Service for complete details)
Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
A few examples of inappropriate behavior follow:
--Swearing and explicit violence sexual content, hate speech
--any material that violates copyright law
--any material that is threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, obscene, profane, indecent, or otherwise objectionable;
including posting other peoples' private information;
--hate propaganda or hate mongering, swearing, or fraudulent material or activity.
These are not all inclusive, and Lady Snow is the final arbiter of what is and is not allowed.
Remember that children are present, and take this into consideration when you post.
The Ice Castle is not a singles bar or a personal column. We are here for poetry, reading, writing, replying, performing, and community. Any member who is seeking a relationship is best advised to do it elsewhere. The Library is NOT to be used to harvest email addresses for attempts at romance, and any violator of this policy will be permanently banned from the board.
Also the email addreses of members of the library is not to be used for any type of mass mailing that does not directly concern the library. To fully protect yourself as members, you may make your email address private in your profile, and turn off the 'private message' feature in your preferences if it is not already off.
Any member who spams another member will be immediately banned. Spamming is defined as "Unsolicited email or internet based communication" (This includes email, chat conversation, 'instant messages' and message board postings as well as many other forms of communication.) and is not limited in its content. If you wish to share your website or any information with members that is not directly related to the Ice Castle community, inform the Lady Snow privately and she will consider posting it or sending it out in the Ice Castle newsletter. Links to personal websites are acceptable as a part of your Library signature file, so long as such signatures are appropriate in their content and are not disruptive to the workings of the Library. Mention of personal websites and upcoming publications is acceptable in the chat areas so long as it is kept brief and to the point, and is in no way offensive or in violation of other rules of the castle.
Material which disrupts the library, either by its content or structure, will be edited or deleted without question. This includes both inappropriate content (both textual and graphical) and postings utilizing JavaScript, VBScript, CSS1, CSS2, XML, SGML, VRML, HTML, ezcode, or any other method of programming or content which can disrupt the physical operation of the Library. If you wish to practice your CSS, HTML, or ezcode, do so in the Practice room, and we VERY STRONGLY recommend against usage of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) in your postings. No other forms of coding should be used within the library.
Repeat offenders will be banned.Don't harass members or anyone else. If you make or even hint at a "slam" to another member in your poetry, you will be banned from the board for two weeks. If it happens again after that, your membership will be permanently revoked. There is absolutely no excuse for this sort of behaviour and it will not be tolerated.
Don't automatically take offense to anything you read. Chances are more than likely that it has nothing to do with you. If you believe another member is attempting to insult you, talk to them and work it out like adults. If you don't feel comfortable talking to them, you can bring it up with a staff member.Personal Photos (the small image under your name in each post) should be 60 by 60 pixels, jpg or gif format. Icons (the tiny image next to your name) should be 10 by 10. These do not apply to castle staff, who are given larger images to denote their rank. Signature images or animations should be no more than 175 pixels tall and/or 350 pixels wide.File sizes are also a concern. No one wants to wait 5 minutes for your signature to download. Keep all files under an absolute maximum of 15K
By posting you grant Lady Snow and her staff the right to move or remove any information you post.3 posts per forum, per scribe, per day. Any more will be deleted at Lady Snow's discretion, and repeated offenses will result in a reappraisal of your membership
Don't post works by non-members, even if you have their permission, or even works you coauthored with another writer who is not a member, unless Lady Snow gives you permission to do so.
If you wish to do this, write to Lady Snow with a copy of the poem, the non-member author's name(s), and a list of places the other writer posts their work.
Lady Snow and her staff members will delete or edit any posting which violates any of these collected rules and guidelines with no notification. Where possible and if deemed necessary, we will forward the contents of the posting to the original poster.
Lady Snow and her staff members may delete or edit any posting with no notification.
Posting to the Library, entering the Amphitheater, and joining the Ice Castle as a member of any service therein affirms your adherence to the most recent version of these guidelines, rules and terms of service, which are subject to change without notice.
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Simplified rules | Netiquette | Guidelines | Terms of Service