Rules for Participation and Commenting

The following rules are for all users to follow.  Failure to do so will result in action taken against your account.

The goal for these rules are to keep Artists Beware as a constructive and a valuable resource.  Bewarees should feel welcome to comment.

Commenting Rules

1.  Comments are to remain professional, constructive, and on topic.  We are not a drama site.

• No name calling.
• No unnecessary hostility.
• Non-business related issues are off-topic.  (We don't want to hear about anyone's personal drama.)
• Transphobic, Homophobic, and Racist language will result in an immediate ban.
• Well wishes such as "I hope this gets resolved, OP!" are ok, but please see the "dogpiling" section on using the like feature.

2.  No excessive personal information or bewares in the comments.  This includes, but is not limited to:

• Financial situations.
• What someone is spending their money on.
• Personal disputes.
• Attempts to guilt trip artists / clients due to personal matters.

3.  Dogpiling will be handled at moderator discretion.

Do not wait for moderators to steer the comments back in the right direction.  If you see many comments sharing the same sentiment as you, please use the like feature instead.

4.  Do not pressure submitters over how they want their beware resolved.

If a user expresses that they do not want X or Y in relation to their transaction please do not force the issue.

5.  Do not imply a beware does not belong here or that the submitter should delete it.

Queue mods moderate submissions.  If it's in Artists Beware then it belongs here.  Users do not have the ability to edit or delete their own posts.

6.  Questions or comments in bewares directed at staff will not be approved.

We understand that users may feel the need to justify a comment if a moderator responds to it.  Moderator responses serve to keep the comments focused and in compliance with Item 1. Thus, responses or comments meant for staff will not be approved. 

Please PM one (1) staff members with questions, comments or concerns.

7.  No self advertisement in bewares or advice posts.

8.  Do not backseat moderate.

• Queue mods manually approve comments, so do not chastise other commenters.
• If a post needs the tags updated, feel free to PM us!

9.  Moderators will not approve an alternate alias unless it's 100% confirmed.

• No: "similar styles". 
• No: "types the same".
• Yes: Same email address.  
• Yes: Same art.  
• Yes: Same characters.
• Yes: Same full name.

10.  Users who spam/ harass Bewaree's with links to their bewares will be banned.

We do not condone harassment.  Let the original poster (OP) contact the bewaree in question.  First offense will receive an official warning.  Second offense is an official permaban.

When Contacting/ Responding to Moderators

1.  Please choose one (1) moderator to contact with questions.

• It's ok if you don't understand the instructions we've sent or need clarification!  We will be happy to help you.
• Questions should be only directed to our PMs or Twitter DMs.  Do not contact moderators on their personal accounts. 

2.  When responding to a Rejection Notice rude or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

• For Revision Notices: We will give you clear instructions on what to fix.  The items in your rejection notice are not up for debate. We will reject your post again if you do not make changes.
• For Rejection Notices: We will outline the conditions in which you may resubmit.  If there are none, then your rejection is final.
• Zero Tolerance Policy:  You will receive a permaban if you curse at, threaten, or harass our moderators onsite and/or on their personal offsite accounts. 

3.  The Report Content feature is for inappropriate content that requires immediate moderator attention.

• Don't respond to Rejection Notices, Revision Notices, or Mod Comments via Report Content.
• Report Content will be disabled by an admin if this feature is abused.

4.  Bewares are not deleted.

• If you have proof the contents of a beware on you is false, hand over the information to one (1) Administrator.  There are two options: Tag reversal, or complete deletion.
• See "So I've Been Posted to Artists Beware, Now What?"
• Legal threats will result in your account being banned from this site, all social media sites, and all communication ceasing.  We will expect communication only via your legal representative.

5.  Moderator action is final.

• Arguing with us will not reverse the decision.
• "Mod Shopping" aka contacting a different moderator will not reverse a decision.

Actions Taken Against Accounts

1.  Polite reminders are not official action against accounts.  

If your comment was not posted, then you aren't in trouble!  If a moderator responds to you with a "reminder" you aren't in trouble.  Moderators keep the comments focused, clean, and streamlined.

2.  Official warning notices come from the built-in warning system.

They are visible on your Profile Page.  After three (3) official warnings you will be permabanned.

3.  Temporary bans vs. permanent bans.

• Temporary bans are issued at moderator discretion if a user is becoming too heated.  They are not permanent strikes unless indicated otherwise. We need you to take a breather!
• A permaban is when a user reaches three (3) permanent warnings.
• Very poor behavior will result in an instant permaban.  
• Permabans from Livejournal have not carried over.  You are welcome to comment/ post again with a clean slate.

4.  Contact one (1) Administrator to Deactivate your account.

Deactivation does not remove your content.  If you wish for your email and username to be scrubbed, let the administrator know.

Moderator Code of Conduct Violations

All moderators are to adhere to the Moderator Code of Conduct.  In the event a moderator is violating these rules please contact one (1) Administrator.