Please post in the appropriate forum.  Don't be upset if we move your post to a more appropriate forum.  In the event you find your post missing, please attempt to locate it in what might be a more appropriate forum by using the Search feature.

Each forum has a name and a brief description with them.  This makes information easier for people to find if they have a similar question or are interested in the same things.

This also includes sites like Myspace, Xanga.com, or any type of social sites that allow personal information or inappropriate material that does not fall under the G-rating rules of this site.  Any site that is not officially approved by the Mousegeeks.com Staff is not allowed to be advertised on Mousegeeks.com.

Profiles may be checked for content periodically & if deemed inappropriate will be removed and will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Cross-Posting/Multiple Posting/Bumping:  Cross-posting/Multiple Posting/Bumping is copying posts/threads several times throughout the forum or consecutive (one right after another) replies to a thread or posting to bump a thread to the top for no logical or beneficial reason (Bumps are only allowed 24 hours AFTER your last post to the thread.).  One thread per new subject / one reply needed (use the Edit feature if you need to add something).

Hacking and Hacker Discussions:  Any discussion of hackers, except to say that you've been hacked, will be removed from the forums.  This includes admission of hacking, accusations of others being hackers (Naming Names/Flaming), sharing of hacking programs (3rd party programs), and altering original game files with the intent to alter original game playabilities.  Inherent bugs and/or glitches of games will still be allowed to be discussed.  Most programs these days have bugs or defects and it is understandable to discuss these types of gaming experiences.  There's a large difference between hacking a game and exploiting a glitch inherent in a game.  Anyone caught hacking a game will find their account suspended due to breaking the policies of the game provider.  Doing a glitch can hardly be the fault of the player as these will occur accidental to many players or should be fixed by the game provider.

This also applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures.

Highly Controversial Topics:  These conversations tend to lead to violent outbursts based on strong personal beliefs.  Posts which contain political commentary, religious or other highly controversial topics will be removed and action will be taken depending on the severity.

These topics may (but are not limited to) contain beliefs/opinions on religion, political subject matter (i.e., new governmental laws, candidates, etc.), abortion, sexual orientation and/or highly controversial current events.

This also applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures.

Impersonation Of Other Users:  Creating accounts on the site with similar names of existing users in order to cause chaos or misconceptions towards that user is not allowed and it can lead to permanent suspension from the site.

Anyone impersonating or acting like they are an administrator or moderator is not allowed and can result in disciplinary action.  If a user finds a thread or post that is inappropriate please report the thread or post and let the administration and moderating staff handle the situation.

Irritating Posting Styles:  This refers to posting styles which make it hard to read and/or comprehend what a user is attempting to state on their post(s).  Mods and other users must be able to read and understand what you are posting.  Use of all caps (indicates yelling), caps/lowercase variances (I want A fRiEnD), poor color choices for their text vs.  forums background colors (such as white text on a yellow background), excessive punctuation (yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) or letter repetition in a word (Woooooooot!) are both irritating and sometimes hard to read.  These types of posts will be removed from the forums or edited by a mod.

This also applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures.

Multiple/Sharing Accounts:  Members are only allowed one username per person in a household and are strongly discouraged from sharing accounts with other family members and / or friends.  In terms of guideline violations, mousegeeks.com moderators/administrators may track multiple shared accounts from single or multiple computers as one account.  If a guideline violation is severe enough, it may become necessary to ban/delete one or all of the usernames on the same computer, depending on the severity.  You are responsible for anyone and everyone who uses your account and/or accesses other accounts from your computer.

The actions of one person could easily directly impact all known shared message board accounts.

NOTE:  This does not apply to Admins/Moderators, we sometimes need multiple accounts to test technical issues that come up from various user levels and to do that properly it requires us to create "test" accounts.

Name Changes:  One free name change each year will be allowed.  To use a free change, a valid reason for requesting a change will be required.  "I want to," or any variation thereof, will not be a considered a valid reason.  To request a name change, please PM an admin with your new name and a reason for the requested change.

If you have been suspended for a period of more than five days, you will not be able to receive a name change.

Special Note:  We will not allow any name changes that contain characters which cannot be typed on a conventional English keyboard.  This means that if your desired new name contains an accept, a little heart, or any other character that requires us to copy paste the name, it will not be allowed.

Off-Topic/Nonsense Posts:  If your post/thread doesn't make sense or is filled with gibberish, these posts will be removed.  While we expect that some topics will stray a bit, if it completely hijacks the thread and/or disrupts the flow, those posts will either be removed or split into its own thread.

Personal Relationship Discussion:  Posts/threads created to specifically discuss any of the following topics are not allowed since we maintain a strict G-rating on these forums:  Taken, Baby, seeking or advocating BF/GF, Kissing, Dating, Weddings, Engagements, or any real life or virtual relationships.  This is due to the adult/inappropriate nature these posts can take.

Personal Information:  This site has children present therefore asking for or volunteering personal information is not allowed.  Personal Info consists of Real Life Names, Age, Gender, Location, Email Address exchanges, Instant messenger ID's, Password/Account Information, School Information and other similar details.  This also applies to posting personal pictures of the users, their schools, homes (that include their exact locations), etc.

This applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures.

This also includes sites like Myspace.com, Xanga.com, or any type of social sites that allow personal information or inappropriate material that does not fall under the G-rating rules of this site.  Any site that is not officially approved by the Mousegeeks.com staff cannot be advertised.

Profiles may be checked for content periodically & if deemed inappropriate will be removed and will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

For more information on Internet Safety for children please visit some these sites:

WiredKids.org
WDIG'S Internet Safety Tips

Spamming:  "Spam" refers to posting identical and/or irrelevant messages to one thread or many different threads that have nothing to do with the intended subject, or posts that disrupt a thread or fill the message board with clutter.  Mass PMing people you don't know or who haven't invited you to PM them, posting for the sole purpose of boosting your post count, threads with the sole purpose of posting "what I did today..."  (this is a forum, not a blog or chat room), excessive bumping of threads (you are allowed one bump per thread twenty-four (24) hours after the last post created in the thread!), one or two letter replies (i.e.  ok, LOL, Yes, agreed, nods), and excessive use of smileys as a response are all considered "spam".

This applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures.

Trolling:  Intentionally posting false arguments, flames or personal attacks for no other purpose than to incite a negative reaction, annoy others or disrupt a discussion is also prohibited.  These perpetrators are known as "trolls".

Anyone impersonating or acting like they are an administrator or moderator is not allowed and can result in disciplinary action.  If a user finds a thread or post that is inappropriate please report the thread or post and let the administration and moderating staff handle the situation.

This applies to all forums, threads, posts, private messages, user pages, profiles, avatars and signatures with the intent to harass the members or staff of this site.

Swearing or Cussing - profane or obscene language, usually of surprise or anger.

R or X-rated material (picture or website) - Pornographic material deemed inappropriate for children and most adults.

Violence - Violence is any attitude, word, or action that threatens or destroys the human dignity of a human person or groups of persons.

The Moderators here at Mousegeeks.com have a monumental task watching these forums.  Due to the vast number of members and the incredible number of posts per day, we sometimes do not manage to immediately catch all rule violations which is why we do ask for your help in catching things that might slip by.

Moderators and Administrators are held to an even higher standard for following the rules than regular users.  If you have an issue with actions taken or displayed by a Moderator please report it to an Administrator.  If you have an issue with an Administrator please report it to Facnyface.

Reporting A Thread Or Post To A Moderator:  If you see anything questionable or another member is getting out of hand, click on the yellow triangle on the upper right corner of the post in question.

Please include a brief message stating who the person is & what they did specifically.  Do not use this feature for any other reason and do not take matters into your own hands by replying, PMing, or scolding a person.  Please click the button to report a post only once.

An email is sent to all Moderators/Administrators for that forum and it will be dealt with as soon as they see the email.

Moderators and Administrators of these sites monitor your compliance with the rules of the site and dispense disciplinary action at their discretion.  Disciplinary decisions may be appealed through the Appeal Procedure.  All Appeals should be kept in PM's and/or e-mail correspondence and should not be publicly posted.  If you have concerns regarding in incident, please feel free to discuss the matter with them via an e-mail or PM.  Do not create a new topic simply for the purposes of questioning a moderator's decision.

Any posts containing inappropriate content will either be edited or removed from the forums and posting such Words/Phrases/Content after being warned can result in being suspended from Mousegeeks.com for a given amount of time defined by the infraction and the Moderators.  If you are consistent about posting this sort of content after you have been warned you will be permanently suspended from the site.

Anyone impersonating or acting like they are an administrator or moderator is not allowed and can result in disciplinary action.  If a user finds a thread or post that is inappropriate please report the thread or post and let the administration and moderating staff handle the situation.

Forum Infractions may result in actions being taken that can range from written warnings to temporary suspension to permanent suspension depending on the severity and frequency of the offense.

Attempting to bypass a suspension by accessing the forums with another account will result in a permanent, immediate suspension.

Moderators and Administrators are held to an even higher standard for following the rules than regular users.  If you have an issue with actions taken or displayed by a Moderator please report it to an Administrator.  If you have an issue with an Administrator please report it to Facnyface.

Live Chat Rules:  All rules in this FAQ must be also followed in the Live Chat.