Forum Rules, How-To, Tips & Tricks (...or "Read Before Posting!")

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Welcome to the Lostpedia Forum, the place where you can discuss LOST theories, episodes, characters - all the issues of Lostpedia in a format to suit friendly discussion.

Stemming from the wiki, we believe Lostpedia's forum is special in that it has roots in a collaborative project, meaning those connected to either the wiki, forum or both, are involved in a real family community.

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To ensure a thriving environment of LOST debate, we ask that you first read the attached Terms and Conditions (which you agree to by opening a profile on our forum). These T&Cs outline the the basic rules of the site and each user will abide by them. Some of the highlights include the following:

• 1) Do not post or link to anything defamatory, vulgar, obscene, profane, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable material of any kind.
  
  Do not use any explicit language in your posts. We define "explicit language" as any profane word or statement that cannot be said on the show. If the ABC censors will not allow it, neither will we.
  
  Moderators will take each instance on a case by case basis, and we reserve the right to delete or edit posts which we find offensive. Keep in mind that this site is frequented by people of all ages.
  
  If you disagree with a deletion or edit by a mod, contact them about it civilly. If the mod stands by his or her decision, you can ask another mod to also get involved if you feel for some reason you've been treated unfairly or disagree with the original decision. However, note that anything that was originally in direct violation of the rules (e.g. swear words in posts that were them removed) will not be reviewed.

• 2) Respect your fellow posters.
  
  If you disagree with someone, debate and sarcasm is fine, but argue the post and the ideas behind them, do not attack the poster him or herself. Posts that have no actual content/criticism, or posts that only contain a image mocking the OP will be deleted, as will posts that just consist of "No" or "Fail".
  
  Likewise, plagiarism is not allowed. Plagiarism is claiming someone else's words or ideas as your own. While we don't expect you to footnote every post you make, cutting and pasting posts or articles from other sources and passing them off as your writing/opinion without giving credit may result in a ban.
  
  We take abuse and harassment seriously. Every story has two sides, so if you feel like you are being targeted, then please save all PMs and/or emails, and let one of the mods know.

• 3) Do not post or link to unlawful, harmful, or threatening material, including, but not limited to, any material which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, violate the rights of others, or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national or international law.
  
  We do not allow discussion on illegal downloading or viewing. The servers for Lostpedia are in the USA, which means that US law applies to them. Telling or asking people how to download or view content illegally is against the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which could lead to fines, imprisonment, etc.
  
  If you post a comment that discusses illegal downloading, it will be deleted.

• 4) Trolling Policy:
  
  A troll is someone who comes into an established community such as a message board and posts deliberately in an inflammatory, extraneous and antagonizing manner and will not be tolerated at Lostpedia.
  
  The sole reason of a troll is to cause discord and provoke an emotional response of other users and/or otherwise disturbing the normal on-topic discussion. Other means of trolling is to repeatedly post the same content, be it text or pictures or the starting of threads that have been previously been closed and/or deleted.

continued below

(major props to KittyLili114 and the other mods who helped create the first version of these rules/regulations several years ago)

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• 4) Do a search before posting, to make sure you are not repeating something that has recently been said.
  
  Please use the SEARCH feature to see if this question has already been asked and post in the relevant thread and please use the LOSTPEDIA WIKI to see if the information you need is in the wiki database.
  
  Please see the How To Search The Forums thread for more information and help with the search function.
  
  Do not double post the same messages more than once or post multiple, unrelated messages to bump your thread in order to get more attention, these will be removed.
  
  The moderators may merge, move or split topics to their proper locations as they see fit. If a question that has been asked several times previously reappears, we may close, merge and/or remove that thread without warning.
  
  Multiple threads on the same topic can be a bit annoying when trying to browse the forum, so please take care to post threads in the correct section.
  
  Things directly concerning Lost should go under the "Main Discussion" folder.
  
  Non-relevant threads should normally be placed under the "Off Topic" folder.
  
  Any thread not posted in the correct section may and will be moved by a moderator to the proper location.

• 5) Please try to limit personal comments and conversations to private messages, especially in the Main Forum.
  Visit our Off Topic Forum for games, chit-chat, and posts unrelated to LOST.

• 6) A troll is someone who comes into an established community such as an online discussion forum, and posts inflammatory, rude or offensive messages designed to annoy and antagonize the existing members or disrupt the flow of discussion.
  
  If you see these types of posts, the two best ways to make sure it gets taken care of quickly by a mod without encouraging attention to trolls are as follows:
  
  *Private Message a Moderator:
  A message will immediately be sent to a moderator, who can deal with the action appropriately.
  
  The following links will take you straight to a blank PM for you to fill out.
  
  Dharma Ranch Dressing
  ADDICTEDTOTHESHINDIG
  AlaskaDave
  REDSHIRT FOREVER
  TokyoRose
  steph4136
  jska108
  
  If you message a mod about a concern with a post, please send a link in your message.
  
  
  *Report Post Function:
  Another way to take action is to use the report post icon located in the upper right hand corner of a post. You can then write the reason for reporting it in the "Message" field.
  
  Do not continue the cycle by flaming them back with rebuke and offensive language, as this usually feeds the fire, and makes things worse; it's also the kind of reaction they are looking for. Trolls love attention, and usually go away eventually when ignored.
  
  Trolls will be dealt with accordingly, usually ending with a ban.
  
  Also, most forms of trolling occur when a user creates a sockpuppet. Sockpuppeting is when a user creates multiple accounts for their own use.
  
  There are many reasons why one would sockpuppet but most do this to harass other members or to call attention to their own ideas and threads or to just generally be a jerk.
  
  We take sockpuppeting very seriously here, and when caught the accounts will be banned.

• 7) Anonymous Proxies: Proxies often indicate a user is trying to hide their true identity, and if the user has nothing to hide or isn't planning anything they shouldn't be afraid to use their real IP. Most users who use proxies are trolls and troublemakers, and a user using an anonymous proxy will be banned.

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If you have any individual issues, you can contact a Moderator or Forum Patrol member who will be happy to help.

SysOps from the Lostpedia wiki are also heavily involved in the forum, so keep an eye out for them too if you need someone with high level access to the server in the case of vandalism etc on the wiki side.

You can also find more information in our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages.

We hope you enjoy the forum's high level of analysis and discussion!

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Please Also Read: Lostpedia's Spoiler Policy

Note to posters - if there are any additional items you'd like to see added to this guide, please contact a Moderator. As always, feel free to access the Lostpedia Suggestions page to offer feedback and suggestions pertaining to Lostpedia or or visit the Forum Q&A thread to ask any additional questions.

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Here is an index to the main questions that are answered below:

Harassment
Post Rankings
Infractions & Bannings
Thread Tags
Signatures
Spoiler Policy
Invisible Text
Posting Images
Quoting
Hyperlinking
Renaming Threads
Communicating on the Forum
Reporting Posts
Linking to the Wiki
Finding Threads You've Created
Creating a Poll
Social Groups
HOW TO SEARCH THE FORUMS
Can't Post on the Forum?
Plagiarism

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Harassment

There are many types of harassment, but one of the most serious types is sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature.
It includes a range of behavior from mild transgressions and annoyances to serious abuses.

Most people are not on this site looking for a date. There is some harmless flirting that occurs, but that does not mean that anyone is sending out any type of invitation.

Some people might be too afraid to say when he or she is uncomfortable, so it is up to you to know where the lines are drawn.
Please be sure you respect other members' private lives and any relationships one might have. While we generally have not had widespread issues with predatory behavior, we do take such threats very seriously and act accordingly.

If you ever feel uncomfortable with the comments someone has made towards you, please speak to a moderator.
We are here to help, and anything you say will be kept strictly confidential.

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Here on the Lostpedia Forums, we have a post ranking system.
You have a custom title that corresponds with your number of posts.

The rankings are currently:

• 0- 19 Adrift
• 20 – 74 Stranded
• 75 – 99 Sleeps in the Caves
• 100 – 249 Ate Ben’s Leftovers
• 250 – 449 Plays the Lottery
• 500 - 999 Redshirt
• 1000-1999 Lostie
• 2000-2999 In Room 23
• 3000-3999 Burned the Raft
• 4000-4999 Destroyed the Sub
• 5000-5999 Dharma Member
• 6000-6999 Walks Vincent
• 7000-7999 Encountered the Monster
• 8000-8999 In the Book Club
• 9000-9999 Arrived on the Black Rock
• 10,000-10,999 Island Myth
• 11,000-11,999 Won the Golf Tournament
• 12,000-12,999 Found the Hatch
• 13,000-13,999 Turned the Key
• 14,000-14,999 One of the Oceanic 6
• 15,000-15,999 Pushed the Button
• 16,000-16,999 Received Orders From Taller Ghost Walt
• 17,000-17,999 Sees The Future
• 18,000-18,999 Joyrides in the VW
• 19,000-19,999 Stationed at the Flame
• 20,000-20,999 ????
• 21,000-21,999 Sacrifice the Island Demanded
• 22,000-22,999 Had Neck Snapped By Sayid
• 23,000-23,999 Survived the Purge
• 24,000-24,999 Swam To The Looking Glass
• 25,000-29,999 Faced the Smoke Monster
• 30,000-40,000Left for dead in the Dharma Pit
• 40,000-????? Has Work to Do

Please keep in mind that the rank titles are for fun.
Your post count does not measure your intelligence or make your posts better than any one else's.
Everyone should be respected no matter what their post count is.

Also, you may notice some members with the title "Island SysOp" and "Super Moderator" or "Forum Patrol".
These users are Moderators for the forum and System Operators for the wiki.

They are chosen because of they are hard working, devoted, and respected members.
SysOps and Mods and Forum Patrol are chosen carefully and they do not get chosen based upon post count.

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Infractions:
Infractions can be given to users for specific posts or for their overall behavior.
Infractions serve as a type of point system, where if you get too many, more serious action will be taken.

Bannings:

*Temp bans range anywhere from one day plus.

*Permanent Bans are given to users who repeatedly break the forum rules, spammers, or sockpuppets.

Please note that a user can and will be banned without warning or notice, depending on the situation.

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Tags:
Each thread in the forum can be tagged, which allows users a way to navigate similarly themed threads across the whole forum. Only relevant tags, designed to aid the flow and structure of the Forums should be placed here. Any tags that are placed for harassment of comedic value will be removed.

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Signatures:
Each user is able to create a unique signature ("sigs") for themselves, which will be seen at the bottom of each of their posts. Moderators ask users to kindly keep their signature simple, compact, and not too flashy or large. There is currently no signature size limitations for users, but in some instances, a Mod may contact you to change your signature. Further, YouTube-embedded videos are not allowed in signatures, but users may provides links to YouTube videos. Also, spoilers are not allowed in signatures.

There are a large number of users who can help you create a signature, or who can create a signature for you. Please contact any member or mod for information on where to look.

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Since Lost has ended, there is no longer a need for a spoiler policy.

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Invisible Text
While most users choose to use spoiler tags to hide text, you can also use invisitext. (again, do NOT use this to post spoilers in the Main Forum) To create text that appears to be invisible or "hidden", simply change the text color to any color, then replace the color name with "F5F5FF".

• 
  Select the button on the toolbar in the reply box that has an A with a line under it.
  This will cause a box to pop up underneath that.
  From there you can select a random color.
  Replace the color name with the proper spoiler text color: F5F5FF.

You can also use the code:

[color="Colornameornumberhere"]typetexthere[/color]