[wp-forums] Profanity in Usernames

[esmi at quirm dot net]

on 10/03/2010 23:27 Mark / t31os said the following:
> I'd not go so far as to add forum rules or guidelines onto the 
> registration process(good idea though, keep em coming), perhaps a link 
> at the top of the form would be a good alternative though, maybe with a 
> brief message..

Agreed. People will just scroll through them otherwise. But I think a 
note about the use of profanity is usernames - preferably right by the 
username input - would be helpful. Nothing complex. Short & sweet along 
the lines of:

"Accounts associated with usernames that are considered to be profane 
will be removed on sight."

Probably not the best wording but it's a start?

<snip>
> One idea could be to have a singular document that covers both forum 
> rules and forum entiquette. If you wanted to describe that in a more 
> simple manner, it could be translated into "What you can do" and "What 
> you cannot do".. (such a page wouldn't be desribed that way though - i'm 
> sure someone cringed when they read that).

Is "Do's & Don'ts" too simplistic?

I'm also wondering if 2 documents might not work better that one.

1. Here's a list of all the things you can do to help others help you.

2. Here's another list of all of the things you shouldn't do unless you 
want to get banned, moderated or otherwise get into trouble.

For example, some people are genuinely nervous of posting site urls in 
case they are contravening a forum rule. I think it might help if they 
were made aware that it is not only OK - it's sometimes essential - as 
long as the context is appropriate.

<snip>

> For now though, i do believe the forum rules could do with a little fine 
> tuning, and maybe a few minor additions.

I'll try and have a proper look at the current Rules over the next day 
or so (time permitting) and see if I can come up with any concrete 
suggestions for additions or changes. If we stick with it for now, it 
can always be built upon until such times as it can be naturally 
sub-divided. At the very least, it offers a clear focal point for 
discussion.

Mel / esmi