New Folks and Guests... Please Read

[Andy]

This is linked above in the Nav Bar, but I don't believe it hurts to see it in another place:

<b>Board Guidelines and SOI Rules</b>

These aren't really rules. We don't really have rules here at Sons of Ivy. Ok, well we have two (no posting NSFW material directly, you can do it through links; and no copying and pasting entire articles, you can post snippets and links).

But that out of the way, there are basically no rules. Sons of Ivy started several years ago as a private board, created by a group of friends who were looking for a different kind of Cubs message board. One that wasn't overrun by idiots who couldn't string together a coherent thought, and one that wasn't overrun by tyrant moderators who cry about "swear" words and "personal attacks." Fuck that.

Thus, Sons of Ivy was born. And for years, we operated our little private message board. But now we're ready to take things public. Mostly.

So as I said: this isn't about rules. These are just guidelines, and they're as much for you as they are for us. The group of posters we have are, without a doubt, the funniest, most knowledgeable Cubs posters anywhere on the 'net. We're really proud of that, and we want to keep it that way. Not because we're elitist douchebags, but because that's what makes this place so great to us. And you.

So consider these guidelines before you jump right in. We'd love to have you as part of our community, but first impressions - just like in the real world - can be really hard to shake.

<b>First Things First</b>

• Be yourself. If you're not the type of person to be wildly out there, don't be. You'll probably get more shit for being a tall-tale-teller than for being relatively tame.
• Have a modestly thick skin. At one point or another, everyone gets ripped on here, to some extent. Be prepared to weather through it. How you respond will make a huge difference in how long the ribbing continues and to what extent.
• This is an adult site, so if you're not cool with f-bombs, boobs and taints, you're probably not going to be very comfortable here. Just sayin'.

<b>Posting in the Baseball Forum (The Friendly Confines)</b>

• First and foremost, this is a Cubs fansite. 99% of the people here are Cubs fans. So if you're not a Cubs fan, accept that this place has a very strong Cubs bias.
• Check for other threads that have already broken a story or stated an opinion first. While the same topic will come up in multiple threads, there are some who have a very short fuse with duplicate threads. In short, read first, post second.
• If you're espousing an opinion that bucks the "common opinion" of the board, be ready to defend it.
• Try to stay away from trade talk that may happen only in video game world. If it's unlikely to happen, it's probably a good idea to refrain from bringing up the topic, unless it's stated as a "In a perfect world" type of post.
• Try to type in well written, spelled, and grammatically-correct sentences. We don't really care, but if you don't, the impression you create is that you're a dumb ass.

<b>Posting in the Game Thread Forum</b>

• Each game will have a thread. All conversation for that game is generally kept within the thread, except in the case of a home run. Home runs (for the Cubs that is) usually generate a couple of other threads.
• Each thread is a work of art. More knee-jerk reactions and emotions flare up in the game thread than any other part of the board. If you want to blow a gasket, do it there.
• Just about every game has one person that kinda dictates each inning. If someone is already doing it, there's little reason for you to do it too.

<b>Miscellaneous</b>

• A lot of us are drama queens. Bunch of fucking puffers actually.
• If/when things get a little heated, keep family and personal things out of it.
• Despite the relative freedom of speech of the place, know that there is a very short leash for homophobic and racist posts. We're not into the whole censoring thing, but know that you will very quickly get bashed if you are to dabble on that side of things.
• Butcher is responsible for most of the avatars. If you want one, you'll have to ask him very kindly to come out of retirement. He's capable of being talked into it through sexual favors.
• We have a boatload of custom emoticons. Most of them have a story behind them. Use them in your posts as you would condiments on a sandwich.
• Everyone here is typecast into a personality type. Stick around long enough and you will be, too. Accept it and do whatever you can to perpetuate that you are that generic personality type we believe you to be.
• If you see something written that pissed you off, take it with a grain of salt. Most of the people here are so full of shit, it's unbelievable.
• Humor is highly, highly valued here. But don't force it.