Forum Guidelines: Contradictory & Heavy Handed
[Just to be clear I'm talking about the Forum Guidelines document
http://support.na.square-enix.com/rule.php?id=902&la=1&tag=forum
not the Forum Rules.]
In short, if you want to foster conversation on the forums, posters need to know what the rules are. But the Forum Guidelines document is very unclear, and is even contrary to stated features.
It needs revision; there's no incentive to post on forums if you're liable to get deleted for silly stuff.
A few choice examples:
Quote:
Posting personal information about yourself or other specific individuals.
Aren't social networking and blogging features planned additions/expansions to your features? :confused: So we're free to talk about everything, as long as it's not about ourselves or anybody else. Also
Quote:
Posting about commercial, business, advertising, political, or religious matters.
So no recommendations of the other games we're playing and how FFXIV can learn from them unless they're not for profit games? Or really old games no longer for sale?
Quote:
Posting aimed to create a negative impact on the community or its members.Posting seeking to damage or disparage Square Enix, the forum, FINAL FANTASY XIV, or others.
So we can't talk about ourselves or others, and if we talk about FFXIV, we're not to disparage it? Let's say you really meant that: why did you implement :mad: & :( icons? Who's left to get mad or frown at? This is so confusing!
Agree? Disagree?
P.S.
Quote:
Taking or discussing criminal actions
. If we're not supposed to talk about what jurisdiction we're in (i.e. personal information) how exactly are forum administrators going to guess if what you're discussing is legal? Are they just going to go with what "feels" legal or what they remember being legal in wherever they grew up?