Forum Guide & Rules

Forum Rules
The following rules serve as a guide for our users and visitors so that they know what is expected of them while they are participating in discussions and communicating with other members of our community. Some of these rules are strongly enforced while others have a few slides. Please take a look at them below:

• You must be at least 13-years-old to be a registered user of our community.
  - This rule is non-negotiable. If you are under the age of 13, and we find out about it, you will be banned from our community. Additionally, you will be reported to a ProBoards Administrator who will likely take actions against your global ProBoards Forum Account.
  
  
• There is to be zero discussion of politics or religion as our community is based around fun and friendly competition. Those topics often instigate negative debate and arguments that have no business in our community.
  
  
• Our forum is an English/British English-speaking community. This means, in order to post on our forums, you must write in the English Language. While we accept people from all around the world, we do require that our members write and speak in English.
  
  
• We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment and bullying. If someone is bullying you, take screenshots of private conversations where the bullying happened, gather as much evidence as you can, document all incidents, and report the user to an administrator. When you report the user, be sure to include as much evidence in screenshots and documentation as you can so we can determine the best action to take against the user as quickly as possible.
  
  
• We have a zero tolerance policy for racism and discrimination.
  
  
• No back-seat moderation. This means let the moderators do their jobs. If you see a thread or post that needs the FF2 Staffs' attention, simply report the thread or post with the built-in report tools (most of the time the cog/settings icon in the top right-hand corner of the thread/post).
  
  
• Several of our Fun Zone forums contain weekly events which include deadlines. These events must be completed and entries for the events must be submitted no later than the deadline given for the event. If an entry is submitted after the deadline time, the entry and member who submitted it will be disqualified.
  
  
• All works submitted for Fun Zone events must be your own original work. Answers to riddles, puzzles and the likes, should not be discussed with other members prior to the deadline date and time. You can discuss the event itself, whether it was easy or hard, etc., but providing answers to other users will result in instant disqualification from an event and/or temporary/permanent ban from events.
  
  
• Self & Site Promotion should only be done in the appropriate areas of the forum. Those areas are the website link via your profile, your forum signature, Streams & Gaming forum (read pinned post), and the Promotion forum (read pinned post).
  
  
• To Be Continued ...

Warning System & Forum Bans
Apart from a few specific no-tolerance rules, our staff uses a warning system to discipline rule breakers and trouble makers at FFZ.

How The Warning System Works

• First Infraction - The user is sent a written warning via private message explaining which rule they broke and linking them to the forum guide and rules.
  
  
• Second Infraction - The user is sent a written warning via private message. Additionally, the user's warning level via their user profile is increased to 25%.
  
  
• Third Infraction - The user is sent a written warning via private message. Additionally, the user's warning level via their user profile is increased to 75%.
  
  
• Fourth Infraction - The user's warning level via their user profile is increased to 100%. Additionally, the user will be temporarily banned from Forum Fun Zone for a period of 14 days.
  
  
• Fifth Infraction - The user will be permanently banned from Forum Fun Zone.

Decreasing Warning Levels
Should you have a warning level increase due to violating our rules or guidelines, you do have the ability to decrease your warning level back down to 0%. If your warning level reaches 0% or no warning level, you basically earn a restart. This means that your next infraction count starts over at 1.

For each week you do not receive an infraction on a current increased warning level, you are eligible to receive a decrease in warning percentage of 5%-10% depending on what the staff decides. So each week gives you the ability to have your warning level decreased which gives you the opportunity to decrease your level back to 0% and restart your infraction count.

Automatic Permanent Bans
Our forum has a zero tolerance policy for underaged users, harassment, bullying, discrimination, and racism. Infractions involving these areas will result in an automatic permanent ban. No warnings will be given.

Staff Groups & Descriptions
We all know that when a new forum becomes somewhat popular, and even sometimes before popularity, people will be chomping at the bit to become a staff member. That being said, we will let you guys know when staff positions open up for application.

As of June 6th, 2021, FFZ has a total of three staff positions available. This post details the different positions and their responsibilities. For information on applying for a position, please see the Becoming a FFZ Staff Member portion of this guide.

FFZ Staff Groups
Administrator (Admin) - This position is super rare to come by on our forum. In order to become an Admin, you have to either know the founder personally, or be an active member of our community for a minimum of 6 months to 1 year and appointed by our founder based on our need for Admins.

Other Admin Qualifications

• The user has not had a single negative action taken against their account.
• The user actively participates in forum discussions and events in a way that further promotes or enhances current discussions.
• The user has intermediate or advanced knowledge of HTML5 and CSS3. Having the same knowledge of JS is a plus, but is not required.
• The user should be fluent in how the ProBoards forum software works. This includes most, if not all of ProBoards' features and admin control panel.
• The user should lead by example and take the initiative. 
• More ...

Global Moderator (GMod) - This position is a little less rare than an admin position. This position is open to all members who meet requirements, apply for the position or are appointed by an admin. This position opens up when the need arises for us to add to our staff team. There isn't really a time-frame for this position. However, one does need to be an active, positive influence in our community and demonstrate strong leadership skills.

Other GMod Qualifications

• The user has not had a single negative action taken against their account.
• The user actively participates in forum discussions and events in a way that promotes or enhances further discussion on the topics.
• A basic understand of HTML5 and CSS3 is a plus.
• Graphic Design knowledge and ability is a major plus
• The user should be fluent in how ProBoards moderation tools work.
• The user should be knowledgeable and fluent in ProBoards' features and admin control panel.
• The user should lead by example and take the initiative.
• More ...

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Moderator (Mod) - Moderators are appointed by GMods or can be assigned by an approved moderator staff application. A user does not have to be registered on the forum for a specific length of time to become a moderator. Simply, they need to be an active, positive influence in our community, show us their leadership abilities, and apply for the position when it opens up.

Other Mod Qualifications

• The user has not had a single negative action taken against their account.
  
• The user actively participates in forum discussions and events in a way that promotes or enhances further discussion on the topics.
• The user must know how to use moderation tools on the ProBoards forum software.
• The user must be able to manage one - three individual forums at a time.
• The user must be willing and able to following instructions given to them by their GMod supervisors and the admin team.
• More ...

Becoming an FFZ Staff Member

As outlined in the Staff Groups & Discussions guide, some positions are strictly appointed positions. Some staff positions can be applied for or appointed by other staff members. So, to recap: Admins can only be appointed by the founder of FFZ, Izzy . Global Moderators (GMods) can be asked or appointed by an Admin and/or can have an approved staff application. Moderators (Mods) can be asked or appointed by an Admin or GMod and/or have an approved staff application.

As outlined above, the GMod and Mod positions are the only positions on the staff team that our users can apply for. When we look to promote new staff members, we look at the applicant's overall activity, positive influence among community members, their ability to lead and take initiative, whether or not their posts enhance or hinder further discussion on topics, and much more. It is a good rule of thumb to remain an active, positive influence in our community if you wish to become an FFZ Staff Member.

So, How Do I Apply?
When a staff position opens up, meaning we are actively seeking new team members, a thread will be posted in the Bulletin Board announcing that Staff Applications have recently opened up. In that thread, you will be updated on which positions we are looking to fill and how many of each position we are aiming for. Additionally, the "Updates" section at the top of the forum will include an announcement that applications have opened up AND a link will be added to the navigation links under "Site Information" in the banner that navigates to the Staff Applications announcements thread.

From there, you will be linked to the Staff Applications for whichever position you want to apply for. This application is a Google Drive Form. You will fill out the form, answering each question as honestly as you can. Make sure you follow all of the directions and answer ALL questions. When your application is complete, you'll submit it for review. 

I Applied, Now What?
So, you've submitted your application and are unsure what to do next? Well, now you wait. Once the applications have been submitted, a member or a few members of our staff team will review applications. On occasion, we may reach out to a candidate for more, up-to-date information depending on specific needs of the forum and their answers to certain questions. If this happens, it will be done by way of Private Message. 

When our staff are finished going through applications and/or reaching out to potential candidates, they will make a decision. Regardless of the decision that is made about an application, the applicant will receive a PM from an Admin or Global Moderator stating their application status (approved or denied), thanking them for their application, and encouraging the applicant to apply again at a later time (if they were denied at the time). If an application is denied, the PM sent will also include tips and ideas for improving the applicant's chances the next time a position opens up. We encourage users to apply and keep trying, even if they aren't approved right away.

Forum Fun Zone Categories & Boards
Our forum has various categories and boards for our users to participate in. That being said, there is a lot going on around the forums so we figured we'd give you a little jumpstart at what to expect while posting around the community. 

Welcome Center
This category is a place for new and returning users to get information. News and announcements, forum guide and rules, other guides, introductions and the likes are found in this category. 

Welcome Center Boards

• Bulletin Board - This forum contains any community-related news and announcements. Any events that are updated will be posted to this forum, any feature updates, theme changes, and the likes can also be found here. Only Admins can create threads/topics in this forum.
• Support & Suggestions - This forum is for members and guests to ask support related questions and/or make suggestions or provide feedback about our community. Guests and members have access to create threads in this forum.
• Landing Strip - The landing strip at the airport is for new members to introduce themselves to the rest of the community. This forum is relatively important because if an introduction thread isn't created, the user cannot be assigned to a team.
• Member Interviews - Registered members of our forum can post ONE Interview Me thread where community members can post questions to them as a means of getting to know them better. The person being interviewed has a right to decline to answer any question that he/she deems too personal or uncomfortable. This forum encourages member engagement and promotes friendships.

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Team Headquarters
This forum category can only be seen by registered users of the forum. The forums within it can only be seen by members of specific teams. Our teams our: Pink Panthers, Blue Devils, Orange Wildcats, and Green Dragons. If you are a member of a team, only one team forum will be shown to you. That forum will be for your assigned team.
In your team forum, you can discuss pretty much anything you want (within reason) with members of your team. Additionally, you can discuss strategy, brainstorm events and present them to staff as a way to encourage activity within our community. 

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Fun Zone
This category contains all the fun events going on around the forums. Each board within this category does not allow for member thread creations. However, it does allow for members to reply to topics created by staff members. Each of these forums contains a suggestions thread and we encourage you all to utilize those threads to suggest different things we can do in each forum to make it more appealing to you guys.

Fun Zone Boards

• Forum Games - You know those fun forum games you guys love to play? Count to 100, A-Z, Song Title, One Word Story, etc.? Yeah, those games, you can play those here, however with a twist. Make sure you READ and FOLLOW the instructions in the first post of each game to avoid being disqualified. Each game awards points for participation, and bigger point rewards for those who end the game.
• Cryptograms - Cryptograms are a brain-teaser type puzzle where you have to assign numbers to letters and figure out a word or phrase based on those letters and numbers. This type of puzzle is weekly and points are awarded participation and other reasons. Point prizes will be announced with each new cryptogram event.
• Word Search - Who doesn't like word search puzzles? Well, you might not, but we have one once a week anyway. Each week, our community members can complete a word search puzzle containing 10-30 words. Word Search puzzles are generally themed and participants will earn points.
• Jigsaw Puzzles - On a weekly basis, we will post some sort of themed jigsaw puzzle that our community members can complete. For this event, we award points for completing the puzzle and winning points for the fastest times as a screenshot of the time it took the user to complete the puzzle is required at time of submission. Only ONE submission is permitted per puzzle to ensure accuracy on time completed.
• Crossword Puzzles - I don't know about you guys, but we love crossword puzzles. Each week a themed crossword puzzle will be posted for you guys to complete. Again, points are awarded for participation.
• Scavenger Hunt - Scavenger Hunts usually begin at the beginning of a month and end at the end of a month. Each hunt has a theme tied to it and all the images are hidden in various places around the forum for our community members to find. Points are awarded for participation, completing the hunt, and prizes to those who complete the hunts first.

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Chat Zone
The Chat Zone category is an open discussion category that features distinct forums for particular types of discussions. Members and staff can create threads and polls in most of these board.

Chat Zone Boards

• Chit Chat - This board is the catch all board. Specifically, it's a general discussion forum where members of the community can discuss pretty much anything they want to within reason.
• Entertainment - This board is for entertainment-related discussions. You can talk about television shows, music, movies, sports, and the likes here. 
• Tech Talk - This forum is more for intellectual talk relating to technology like programming, computers, mobile devices, forums, and the likes.
• What Grids your Gears? - I'm sure there are things that annoy you or things that grind your gears. I'm sure there is something you want to rant about. This forum is a judgment free zone for you to do just that. So, rant away.
• Streaming and Gaming - Here, you guys can discuss various aspects of gaming from games to consoles, betas, and the likes. YouTubers and Twitch Streamers also have a special thread to submit their links to as brand promotion.
• Promotion - This forum is open to both guests and registered users. Here, you guys can post links to your forums, websites, and blogs. Registered Users will have their links added to our Promotion Database making their links easier to find.

Teams & Being Assigned to Teams

What are Teams?
Teams are FFZ's version of Hogwarts Houses, essentially. If you are a member of a team, you are able to earn points by participating in various events and aspects of the forum. We are currently working on prizes for top teams, top teammates and the likes.

How Do Teams Work?
We randomly assign a user to one of four teams after they have introduced themselves in the Airport's Landing Strip. The teams are the Pink Panthers, Blue Devils, Orange Wildcats, and Green Dragons. Each team is assigned two single digit numbers that represent the team in a random number generator. That generator rolls a number between 1 and 8. Whichever number is rolled, the user is then assigned to the team that corresponds to that number.

If you have not been assigned to a team, you will not be eligible to earn points for a team. You can still participate in events, but you won't earn points for doing so. If you'd like to join a team, be sure to post that introduction by following the instructions and guidelines in the Introduction Guide.

Team Points & How to Earn Them
Team Points are a big part of FFZ. They encourage our users to actively participate across the forums and in our Fun Zone events. You can earn points just for participating in an event. You can also earn points for winning an event. Both of these two options include the forum games section. It is important that you read the FIRST post in each thread for whatever you are participating in so that you do not get disqualified from an event or game. 

How Do You Track Points
We track points two different ways in two different places. The first way is by individual points. In the Forum Games section, when a game ends, the thread is locked, points are tallied, totaled and updated per user via their user profile in a section called Team Points. This is an easy way to track the users who have racked up the most points for their team. The second thing we do is we total all the points from all members of each team and then add those points to the Team Points section of our forum's header so that everyone can see who's currently in the lead.

In the forum games section, each game has a set a rules and guidelines team players need to follow to avoid being disqualified from the game. The rest of the area of the Fun Zone includes puzzles, word searches, crosswords and the likes. Points are assigned for participation, timeliness, and a random winner is chosen randomly if the event doesn't require a screenshot of the time it took to complete the event. Points awarded for each game and event will be clearly outlined in the first post. We cannot stress enough how important it is to pay attention to the first post in each thread for the Fun Zone area.