Hi there!

I decided it was about time to do an update on the rules. This was the old rules thread, and the update. They aren't much different. I broke a few up a little, and talk more about them then the old ones did. Also, I can update these myself, which could be really useful!

I put them up where the other admins could see them and nopony said anything bad about 'em! (I'm so alone.)

So here they are!

Okay, so if you're reading this, you probably want to know all about our rules. Or maybe somepony told you you have to read this post so you know the rules. In either case, we've got you covered!

I'll go over the short version first, then cover things in a little more depth.

1. All new threads have to be promoting something, and it has to be pony-related, or at least site related. It doesn't actually have to be something of yours.
2. Keep thread titles down to a reasonable length.
3. Wait at least seven days before repeating a promotion, or doing one that is similar. Longer if on the restricted list.
4. No direct links to mature stories are allowed. Indirect ones are, as are embeds.
5. Don't insult or flame other users, their stories, their groups, or whatever they are promoting. Be nice.
6. Don't troll.
7. Don't annoy the admins.
8. Add your stories to all the relevant folders. Yes, even the mature ones.
9. Obey all the site rules.

Simple, right? Now, lets go back over them in more detail.

All new threads have to be promoting something, and it has to be pony-related, or at least site related. It doesn't actually have to be something of yours.

There are a few things here. The first thing is that it has to be first and foremost a promotion. This isn't really where you should be asking for an editor, for help, or just talking 'bout things. You can promote a blog post about something, and be asking for help there, of course. But we're about "Look at me!", not "Help me!", or "Lets talk!".

Second, it has to be site or pony related. You can promote your mlp stories, mlp art, yourself, your blog posts, things like that. You can't promote your Skyrim playthrough videos, your reviews of anime, or your new kitten. (Unless your new kitten is drawn mlp-style, of course.)

Also, we might call this the shameless self-promotion bureau, but you can promote stuff by others, too.

Keep thread titles down to a reasonable length.

Less than two lines on a monitor that isn't really really big? Don't double post, either, or at least delete the second thread when you notice you did it. We'll let it slide occasionally, tho'.

Wait at least seven days before repeating a promotion, or doing one that is similar. Longer if on the restricted list.

Nobody likes spam, and it gets really irritating when the same promotion gets posted over and over. We've had enough problems with this in the past that we've set a seven day limit before you can promote something again, whether by the same poster or somebody else.

Promoting another promotion thread falls under this, too. If it's within seven days, it's a duplicate, and if it's more than seven days old, why promote the thread when you can promote it directly?

If you keep posting the same promotion every week, we might ask you to wait longer, since that can still be pretty annoying, especially if your promotions tend to include flame wars. If you are posting a bunch of very similar promotions close together, we may ask for more time between them as well. Any such restrictions will be added to the restricted list.

No direct links to mature stories are allowed. Indirect ones are, as are embeds.

This is actually a site rule. This group is not specifically dedicated to NFSW stories, so you aren't allowed to link to nsfw things in it. If you want to promote them, say what the name of the story is, and link to your user page or story page.

Embedding a story is a different matter. If you look at a post with a story embedded in it and mature isn't on, it'll just say " [Adult story embed hidden] ", so you are allowed to embed any stories, mature or not.

Don't insult or flame other users, their stories, their groups, or whatever they are promoting. Be nice.

This is just common courtesy. Remember that the original poster is there to promote something, and they have a right to promote it here, even if it's something you don't like or somebody you don't like.

It doesn't matter if, say, you belong to Yak Reviews, and this is an author whose stories you like to smash. Don't do it here. Don't post reaction pictures, make fart jokes, or be rude. If you can't be nice, just don't post.

This goes double if you are an admin of a group like that, 'cause you are the face of the group, so it's the whole group replying, even if it's just your opinion, really.

Don't troll.

This is when you are deliberately trying to irritate others, or when we think you are, even if you were really clever in trying to make it look like you aren't. Saying things like that all mormons are terrorists, or that all liberals are idiots, or that anybody reading foalcon is a child molester.* Even if you believe what you are saying, we won't put up with it.
*These are supposed to just be examples of the type of things I see posted sometimes. No arguing with the examples, please...

Don't annoy the admins.

You know, sometimes there are members who like to play games and try to get away with as much as they can. They'll post things that incite flamewars, and do the same promotion every week to the day, and bend every rule to its limit. This rule is for them. If we think a thread has good reason to be locked or deleted, we can do it. Any use of this rule may be looked at rather closely, though.

Add your stories to all the relevant folders. Yes, even the mature ones.

You are here to self-promote, right? That's why we have folders. Add your story to 'em! And you can add Mature stories to SFW groups according to the site rules, so go for it!

Obey all the site rules.

This is just common sense. You can't post NSFW pictures, or do anything that Meeester or Obs or Wanderer D or knighty or any of those guys would have an issue with if they saw it. That goes for all of fimfiction, but I thought I'd remind you of it here, too.

Anyways, hope you found this helpful!

--Sweetie Belle

4839981 Nice! This will help a lot. Thanks!

4839981 Wait, your an admin in here?! But, you were an admin... I... uh...gah.. my head hurts from learning about this...

4839989

Thanks!

4839991
No problem! There were some things that didn't seem like they were clear enough before, or you had to look at comments for. I think this is better, and I like the whole thing of having the rules first, then expanding on 'em.

4839996
Yep! Sometimes I almost find myself getting an admin position in a group so I don't have to try an' remember if I'm admin or not. But I'm an admin in something like two dozen groups!

--Sweetie Belle

4839989

Sorry, couldn't resist the pun

4839998 Oy... being an admin of not one but two or more would drive me crazy...

4839981

I put them up where the other admins could see them and nopony said anything bad about 'em! (I'm so alone.)

...I was being lazy and letting other things distract me. Not that I'm going to be saying anything bad about them, but that I didn't say anything previously at all. I apologize for that.

Actually, the only thing I really have to say is about the new Rule 7.

7. Don't annoy the admins.

You know, sometimes there are members who like to play games and try to get away with as much as they can. They'll post things that incite flamewars, and do the same promotion every week to the day, and bend every rule to its limit. This rule is for them. If we think a thread has good reason to be locked or deleted, we can do it. Any use of this rule may be looked at rather closely, though.

If any of you manage to get me annoyed enough to point to this rule, you dun goofed. It takes a lot to really annoy me.

4840009

That all right. You at least said you'd take a look. I'm sure if the thread had been bumped by other admins commenting on it, you'd have remembered. I hope you think they're an improvement, anyway.

Rule 7 is kinda a last ditch one. It's for dealing with rule lawyers, really. Sometimes somepony will argue that every single thing they did was within the rules, by redefining the word 'the' or something...

--Sweetie Belle

4840006

Some of 'em are kinda low activity, and enough rules are similar between groups that I mainly have to remember the different ones. It's kinda weird locking a thread in one group and recommending they go to another group that I'm also an admin in sometimes...

--Sweetie Belle

4840032 Huh, that's interesting...

4839981 I do see the occasional promoting of a Youtube channel. Is that allowed?

4840133

It depends on the channel, really. If the channel was pony or site-related, say if you were doing mlp analysis on it, or fanfic readings, then it'd be fine. If it was unrelated, and, say, you were promoting your Lets Play Skyrim videos, then it's not.

Of course, sometimes it takes a while for threads to get locked, even if they aren't allowed, depending if anypony's on.

That falls under rule 1, though. These rules are heavily based on the old ones, and that hasn't changed. Part of the point of this was to make them clearer.

--Sweetie Belle

4839981 I'm still a little confused about one thing. If you want to promote the same thing, you have to wait a week, right? But, what if you've promoted something that week already, and you want to promote something else? Do you have to wait until the aforementioned week is over, or can you promote sooner?

4842690
That "one week" rule is for people promoting the same thing again. But at the same time, we ask people to be reasonable. If you've got two dozen stories and you post 24 threads in a row to promote each one individually, that's not going to make anyone happy. Even posting more than three or four threads in a row could get stuff locked and/or deleted, depending on the situation. So even if you've got a lot of stuff you'd like more people to see, try to space your threads a little.

4843088 aha. Thanks.

4839981

7. Don't annoy the admins.

It's good having power, isn't it.

4868712

Not really.

It's kinda a bad thing if we ever hafta invoke that rule. It means one of the other rules probably has to be changed, or we need a new rule, because you were doing things that needed admin action and didn't fall under any of the other ones. It's there if we need something to fall back on, but hopefully it shouldn't need to be used.

--Sweetie Belle

4868784
I actually posted that comment before I read the specifics of those rules, sooooooo, yeah. Thought it was a funny rule to include at the time.

4868790

I can kinda see that, and technically that'd rule would still be implied even if it wasn't there, but when you've got somepony complaining about how they were treated by the admins, it's nice to have something to justify your actions. And no matter how nice you act, there will be somepony complaining a bunch at some point.

Of course, technically Kindred's the head admin, not me, so I can't guarantee 100% how the rules are enforced. But Kindred doesn't do adminy stuff around here much. I did write the rules, and the other admins do tend to listen to what I say. I'm an admin in a lot of groups, so a lot's just that they know I've got a good idea of what I'm doing...

--Sweetie Belle

What are the details about promoting work you sell? For instance, can I promote my being open for drawing commissions? Or maybe promote pre-made works that I sell? Actual money, of course, not favors or trades.

4891858
Sure, I don't see why not, as long as it's tied to FIM, naturally.
It would also benefit you, should you be looking to promote art commissions, to drop a thread at the Art For Fanfiction group.

4891858
Well, here's a recent example of someone promoting their commissions.

4839981 Where tho...

does it say that threads that actually get comments, regardless of being discussion threads or not, need to die? I'm looking at the rules, and truth be told, I don't see anything about not being allowed to post comments on the promotion threads. And I'm not talking about being off topic, or spamming, or mindlessly bumping a thread.

I mean down-to-earth commenting on whatever is being promoted. When did that become illegal? Because I'm looking at my groups feed and there are three threads that got locked because people did the disservice of actually commenting on it.

And I know what Elric is gonna say: he's gonna quote the rules and say this isn't a discussion group, which I agree with from a members perspective. But I'm talking about nine comments, most of which are on topic. Nine doesn't strike me as an out of hand number. Why not just slap a rule in there saying 'no comments' and be done with it at this stage?

4920031
I know you don't care about my take on it, but here it is anyway.

This is a group for promoting things: stories, blogs, art, pony stuff in general. In regards to the promotion found in the first post of any thread, comments are fine. "Sounds great, I'll read that!" "I love what you did with that pic, where can I find more of your art?" "Is this story based on ____?" "Is this related to ____ [story, fandom universe, headcanon, etc.]?" All of that is great, and I have no problems with that kind of thing.

That's not what we were seeing in the thread that undoubtedly prompted this post. What we had there was someone asking a whole bunch of questions, with "Incidentally, I wrote a blog about this" right at the end. If people wanna talk about the topic he brought up, guess what? It's possible to leave comments on the blog! But once people start talking about their own take on what it means to be a writer -- or whatever else -- and getting all philosophical, it has ceased to be about self-promotion. And that's why I locked the thread.

I'm talking about nine comments, most of which are on topic.

Yes -- a topic that had nothing to do with the purpose for which this group was created.

Why not just slap a rule in there saying 'no comments' and be done with it at this stage?

Because comments are fine. See above. You wanna have an actual conversation? My view is that you should take it elsewhere.

4920039 Oh, this last one is just the third. I don't generally move my arse for one locked thread I disagree with.

If people wanna talk about the topic he brought up, guess what? It's possible to leave comments on the blog!

It's possible to leave comments on the story, too. It's possible to PM the guy. It's possible to go talk to him in another thread. Why isn't it allowed to leave comments here? Why now? This one got locked for people offering their own services and the odd comment, apparently (and offering services strikes me as self promotion of a different kind, so very definitely on topic for this group), and this one got locked because people actually gave requests, which this group was comfortable with within my memory, and not a discussion. Last I checked, it gave promotions some pretty awesome flexibility. And how about this, from a stickied 'how to shamelessly promote your story':

Comments are great, so encourage them!

And that last blog-promotion you linked got people offering their own opinions, yeah. On the topic of the blog post. How, though, is that different from all those other questions you gave as examples that were supposed to ask about the story being inspired from what-have-you. Which are on the topic of the story being promoted.

And even if all those are things you have no problem locking (which I personally would disagree with, but whatevs), since when has this group freaked out at 8, 9, or 13 comments?

And for the record, I am interested in your take on things. I just think you're taking it way too far. But cheers anyway for mistaking me for a dick. It really sets the tone for any discussion to come.

Well heck, I'm not trying to further any sort of rift or create some kind of toxic work environment or fuel an arguement and what have you, but I gotta say, I'm in Haphazred's mindset here, and have been for a while.
I feel like this recent crackdown is making the group a less fun place to be, in all honesty. Used to be a jolly old place where peeps could meet peeps and have fun through a mutual love of shamelessness. I know that, back in the day, it was a fun place for me and many others. But as of late, I feel as though the shamelessness have been shoved to the back, and I, personally, and undoubtly a few others, have been afraid to comment on any threads for fear that it breaks some kind of rule. Now it's just The Promotion Bureau.
I get that, should a thread continue with irrelevant discussion for two pages, spanning months at the top of everyone's feeds, that action should probably be taken. Frankly, locking threads with a few comments does keep a constant flow of new threads coming our way, with the old'uns being cast away, and that is fairly productive. But it's not exactly welcoming, and sure as heck not fun. I know, I know, not every group is meant to be fun and silly, I get that, but it just strikes me as cold, clinical and not as social as it used to be. Not as shameless, as it were.
My opinion? Let the people discuss. Let 'em talk a little. I don't think we, the admins, should crack down on conversation, as long as it has reason to be there. It's what makes this fandom worth being a part of. We don't want to appear as though we're militant chatter-stampers or anything like that. Wasn't like that back in the day, and we survived.
Or maybe I'm just a bit daft in the old noggin.
Now, this isn't me siding for or against anyone, as I consider everyone in this group a friendo, but I'm just chipping in my two cents is all.
I don't want to say an awful lot in this public sphere, as y'all can probably tell. Not trying to embarrass or anger anyone, here. But if this is the new vibe the group wants to give off... well, I dunno.
A'ight. Love y'all. Talk on the flippy-flop.

Please forgive my maymays

Oh, and as always, follow the rules, everybody.
They're super cool and give you secret powers.

4920031

Where tho...

Sleeping! I should probably still be sleeping, but I woke up.

does it say that threads that actually get comments, regardless of being discussion threads or not, need to die? I'm looking at the rules, and truth be told, I don't see anything about not being allowed to post comments on the promotion threads. And I'm not talking about being off topic, or spamming, or mindlessly bumping a thread.

I mean down-to-earth commenting on whatever is being promoted. When did that become illegal? Because I'm looking at my groups feed and there are three threads that got locked because people did the disservice of actually commenting on it.
And I know what Elric is gonna say: he's gonna quote the rules and say this isn't a discussion group, which I agree with from a members perspective. But I'm talking about nine comments, most of which are on topic. Nine doesn't strike me as an out of hand number. Why not just slap a rule in there saying 'no comments' and be done with it at this stage?

Oh. Actually, looking at the comments, I think that last one's past Elric's bedtime, too...

It's always been a grey area about promoting that you need help, and what we've pretty much done is only allowed it if you had something tangible you could point at that you were promoting. That's kinda what I was driving at here:

There are a few things here. The first thing is that it has to be first and foremost a promotion. This isn't really where you should be asking for an editor, for help, or just talking 'bout things. You can promote a blog post about something, and be asking for help it there, of course. But we're about "Look at me!", not "Help me!", or "Lets talk!".

Second, it has to be site or pony related. You can promote your mlp stories, mlp art, yourself, your blog posts, things like that. You can't promote your Skyrim playthrough videos, your reviews of anime, or your new kitten. (Unless your new kitten is drawn mlp-style, of course.)

I think the problem here is that the promotion is more supposed to be directing somepony over to what you are promoting, not looking for feedback here. If you've got a big project going on that you're looking for help with, you should have someplace that you're coordinating it you're linking to, not in a thread here. Art requests is more something you'd post in the Art For Fanfiction group, and then link to here. An' the last one was kinda like if somepony posted most of a blog in the Writers Group, then put a link in the last sentence to the blog. The original post should've been oriented towards getting people over to the blog, not towards discussing it here.

I might have been a little more lenient on it then 4920039, but then, I often let things slide a little if I think it's harmless. Still, I know if I lock one thing for a rule, and another pops up, and then another, I'm gonna be more likely to lock those too. I'm sure you've seen that happen over on the Writer's Group. It's sort of a "why's everypony breaking the rules?" thing.

Keep in mind, of course, that when I wrote these rules, I was trying to keep the status quo and just explain them better then they were and make sure everything was clear. I wasn't in a position where I felt comfy making any major changes. I can do bigger changes now. But this group is supposed to be oriented around promotions, not general discussions, and I wouldn't want to change that too much...

*Yawn*

Hope I'm awake enough to have answered your question. I recall could use at least another hour or two of sleep...

--Sweetie Belle

4920050

Thinking about it, I don't really want this group to be too much of an iron hooves of justice place, either. We'll be talking 'bout it. (hopefully after I get more sleep.)

4920039
4920211

--Sweetie Belle

4920249 K, cool. Have a nice evening.

Do comments on the group page count toward the one time in rule #3 or can we leave a comment and start a new thread fr the same story in the same seven day period?

5017287
Rule 3 limits how many threads you can create promoting the same thing. People are not notified when someone posts a comment on the group's homepage, so those comments often get overlooked...

It's fine to post a comment there and start a new thread promoting something within the 7 day period, since it's only posting threads which notifies people about the promotion.

p.s.
Here's the first "rule" from the How to get noticed: A guide to Self-Promotion thread:

1. Post on the forum, not in the comments.

This is all about SHAMELESS self-promotion. You want your post in as many people's faces as it can possibly be. That means you want people's feeds to be flooded with your glorious story! Comments do not give as wide a spectrum.

5017567

AWESOME! Thanks.

5017569
You're welcome.

Oh, don't mind me, I'm just bumping this rules thread.

5102039 that is heresy!

5102045
...Huh?

5102052 oh.. sorry it's a habit. Me and all my friends declare heresy on eachother all the time. It's a warhammer thing.

5102052 basically I was being silly and bumping it with you

5102057
I'm guessing your friend is no heresy?

--Sweetie Belle

5102138 lol of course though he is just one of many warhammer loving friends not many of us are here on fimfiction. Mostly just gaiaonline.
I turn most of our old rps into my own stories.

I do try and avoid him a bit on this site though seeing he gets a WHOLE bloody lot of hate. I dont want people down voting my stories just because I am his friend.

Well, just what I needed to know, now to self promote and promote others... after reading how to do it.

4839981 I have a question.

No promoting the same thing unless at least seven days have passed.
Nobody likes spam, and it gets really irritating when the same promotion gets posted over and over. This has happened enough that we set a minimum limit of seven days before you promote something a second time. Now, if you keep posting it every seven days, it could still get pretty annoying, so we might ask you to wait longer if it's getting to be an issue, especially if flame wars usually follow your promotions.

Does this mean that bumping your own thread more frequently than once a week is disallowed? I thought I read that somewhere, maybe in the old rules. A friend is asking, but this would be useful information for me as well. Their promotion includes nothing that would attract flamers.

Also, does bumping one promotion mean that the 7-day wait is reset before a new promotion for the same thing can be posted while still obeying rule 3?

4839981 Can you promote groups?

5130689
Yes.

5130698 Okay, thank you so much!

Ah, thanks. Sorry, did look at the guide but only now just looked at the rules after I disobeyed rule 3 by accident. God, I feel stupid now.

4839981 Can you promote clop fics?