Unofficial list of (official) Bitcointalk.org rules, guidelines, FAQ

[Quickseller]

Is rule 21 actually enforced? Very few people follow it, and the couple of times I have reported it, nothing seemed to be done. Is it worth reporting at all?

I report old bumps as well and they seem to eventually get deleted. I don't think the lack of deleting a bump is going to be something that someone gets banned for though

I understand that, I don't expect people to be, I'm assuming they'll just get a warning or a PM reminding them not to do it. I'm guessing most people probably don't even know they're doing anything wrong in the first place, considering this thread only has 8000 views. The rules are surprisingly difficult to find on this forum, they aren't even stickied.

I doubt they will even get a warning. A moderator will probably just delete them as they are reported.

[MadZ]

Is rule 21 actually enforced? Very few people follow it, and the couple of times I have reported it, nothing seemed to be done. Is it worth reporting at all?

I report old bumps as well and they seem to eventually get deleted. I don't think the lack of deleting a bump is going to be something that someone gets banned for though

I understand that, I don't expect people to be, I'm assuming they'll just get a warning or a PM reminding them not to do it. I'm guessing most people probably don't even know they're doing anything wrong in the first place, considering this thread only has 8000 views. The rules are surprisingly difficult to find on this forum, they aren't even stickied.

I doubt they will even get a warning. A moderator will probably just delete them as they are reported.

I received a PM last time one of my posts was deleted and it didn't even break any rules, I doubt they would delete without some sort of notification. I'm not even sure if there is an actual warning/infraction system or if everything is done via PM, I'm unfamiliar with SMF.

[hilariousandco]

They do get warnings sometimes. I try to PM or post in their thread about the 24 hour rules as many don't know about it, but even after a warning some still do it and those are usually given a short ban (3-5 days or something). I like to post the warning so I can keep an eye to see if they took the advice or not.

[Quickseller]

They do get warnings sometimes. I try to PM or post in their thread about the 24 hour rules as many don't know about it, but even after a warning some still do it and those are usually given a short ban (3-5 days or something). I like to post the warning so I can keep an eye to see if they took the advice or not.

Would they get warnings even if they bump every 24 hours but don't delete their old bumps?

[hilariousandco]

Yes. Same infraction. Think people may have been banned for not doing that as well, though most seem to do it once they're aware of policy.

[Quickseller]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

If the topic post of a topic gives very specific rules for the topic, I will use those rules in addition to the global board policies for that topic. The starter of the topic may not change rules after posting their topic (not even by editing the topic post). Local rules can't specify punishments, though people may be banned for breaking local rules too much.

The rules must be specific enough that it takes less than a few seconds to decide whether a post breaks them. When you report posts like these, you must quote the local rule that was broken. Rules will be ignored if they are not specific enough, or if it takes too much work to enforce them.

It is possible for someone to create a "ruleset" that others can quickly apply to their topics by clearly linking to the ruleset.

(It has always been my policy to enforce local rules, though not many people have created topics with such rules.)

[Welsh]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

Self moderated threads were introduced (march 2013 they were introduced I believe). Which effectively allows you to decide your own rules. Local rules may still apply to Scam Accusations, Important Announcements, and Auctions as self moderated threads may not be created in those sections to my knowledge. So, they might be valid everywhere, but most people would just make a self moderated thread instead except where it isn't possible.

[Quickseller]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

Self moderated threads were introduced (march 2013 they were introduced I believe). Which effectively allows you to decide your own rules. Local rules may still apply to Scam Accusations, Important Announcements, and Auctions as self moderated threads may not be created in those sections to my knowledge. So, they might be valid everywhere, but most people would just make a self moderated thread instead except where it isn't possible.

There are legit reasons to use a self moderated thread however they are often associated with scams. If someone was concerned about appearing to run some kind of a scam they could open a "regular" thread with local rules.

[mprep]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

Self moderated threads were introduced (march 2013 they were introduced I believe). Which effectively allows you to decide your own rules. Local rules may still apply to Scam Accusations, Important Announcements, and Auctions as self moderated threads may not be created in those sections to my knowledge. So, they might be valid everywhere, but most people would just make a self moderated thread instead except where it isn't possible.

This probably eliminates the rule stated. I'm not sure where I've read it but I think that local rules are no longer enforced by moderators.

[Quickseller]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

Self moderated threads were introduced (march 2013 they were introduced I believe). Which effectively allows you to decide your own rules. Local rules may still apply to Scam Accusations, Important Announcements, and Auctions as self moderated threads may not be created in those sections to my knowledge. So, they might be valid everywhere, but most people would just make a self moderated thread instead except where it isn't possible.

This probably eliminates the rule stated. I'm not sure where I've read it but I think that local rules are no longer enforced by moderators.

It was enforced here

[mprep]

You can create "local" rules to new threads that you create that would apply to that thread only and are in addition to the forum rules.

Self moderated threads were introduced (march 2013 they were introduced I believe). Which effectively allows you to decide your own rules. Local rules may still apply to Scam Accusations, Important Announcements, and Auctions as self moderated threads may not be created in those sections to my knowledge. So, they might be valid everywhere, but most people would just make a self moderated thread instead except where it isn't possible.

This probably eliminates the rule stated. I'm not sure where I've read it but I think that local rules are no longer enforced by moderators.

It was enforced here

I'll have to contact the admins for more info/clarification.

[mprep]

Added in rule 26 with an short explanation:

26. Local thread rules, if stated properly when the thread was started, specific enough and don't conflict with the forum rules, have to be followed.[e]

26.

Those were mostly replaced by self-moderated topics, but local rules can be enforced at the moderator's discretion.

Added Quickseller to the credits.

EDIT:

Added an FAQ question, suggested some time ago by dserrano5:

Q: What about deleting DOXes?
A: Nope, we don't delete them either as long as they are on topic. Why? Because doxing is just compiling information about a user already available publicly, often via search engines.

[Mitchell]

Going to bump this thread as it should be known by everyone and maybe even stickied.

[--Encrypted--]

Going to bump this thread as it should be known by everyone and maybe even stickied.

I was just going to say that

this thread is very useful, it should be stickied

[qwk]

Going to bump this thread as it should be known by everyone and maybe even stickied.

Yep.

[mprep]

Bump (will delete this when someone posts after this).

[hilariousandco]

Personally I think it should be stickied. I think adding a link to this thread that gets sent along with the deleted posts urging people to read the rules would be a good idea also.

[MadZ]

Personally I think it should be stickied. I think adding a link to this thread that gets sent along with the deleted posts urging people to read the rules would be a good idea also.

Perhaps it would be a good idea for staff to add a link to this thread in their signature as well.

[hilariousandco]

Perhaps you and any anyone else could add it to yours?

[MadZ]

Perhaps you and any anyone else could add it to yours?

Sure, hopefully some people will benefit from it, I just thought it would most be effective among the staff.