Rules, Dealings, and Why I'm Picky (READ FIRST)

[Galia Meobo]

1) Rules/Guidelines

1. Follow Gaia's "Terms of Service" and "Rules & Regulations". The second you break these, you will be banned and reported, no question. This should be a no-brainer for everyone on Gaia.

2. Allow me to stress the importance of NO CYBERING! Because fo the layout, this guild is discussion-oriented, and we don't need random sex scenes popping up everywhere. Because it's a rule of Gaia, you will get no warnings: first offense is banishment and a report.

3. No Spamming. The people here worked hard on their writings and don't like it ruined by a random "bump" message in a thread specifically geared toward a story. Unless otherwise specified by the owner of the thread/subforum, no spamming anywhere. You'll be warned until the third offense, then you'll be asked to leave.

4. Aidryana and Talon Valentine "rule" this domain. What we say goes. If we say you're out of line, sit down and bite your tongue, cause mouthing off will only make it worse for you. All of the crew have the power to get rid of you and really don't want to use it, so don't push it. This is to keep a balance here since anarchy isn't the answer. You'll be warned until the third offense, then you'll be asked to leave.

5. Have some respect for the fellow posters in the guild. They're here to have fun just like you. This guild is DISCUSSION-oriented, not a debate. People want constructive criticism about their work and civilized commentary, not jerks running rampant. If I get a significant amount of complaints about your behavior (ie from at least five different people or many complaints from a number smaller than that), you will be asked to leave. I will look into the matter first before going that far since I do believe in the saying "innocent until proven guilty".

6. Don't try to get people angry. Emotions are contagious, and everyone will be effected by your psychopathic tendencies, if you choose to have and use them. On top of that, no hate or discrimination threads. We're all people here. If I catch anybody posting anything like this I will take action, whether that means asking you to stop posting in the guild until it cools down or making you leave the guild entirely. All depends on the level of damage you have done.

7. Have a ball. Keep the guild happy and active. I would like everyone to get along and stay in good moods as long as they're here.  

[Galia Meobo]

3) "Why Not I?"

In case you were wondering, the meaning behind this is "Why didn't I get my own subforum for posting my work in?" Those who have their own subforum can ignore this post. Those who don't are probably wondering how I could be so "mean".

I'm really not discriminating against anyone here, but having your own subforum is something you have to earn. It's a priviledge. The reason some people have their own is because of their current popularity amongst their writing community (ie... Gaia isn't the only place they have their works posted AND/OR people in their community are familiar with their work). It's not saying "you're a bad writer, your work sucks", it's more of "write more original works so you can get people to read them". It's how many of us start out. The more work you've posted, the more options a person will have to read and make a justified decision about what they think of your work. It's very rare that the very first thing a person posts somewhere gets rave reviews. We all start out small.

So, just for clarification's sake, I wanted to let people know that those who have subforums had to work hard to earn them. Those who don't just don't have enough different works posted out there. Don't worry, if you want a subforum to yourself, with enough hard work and determination, you'll get one. smile Have patience. (it may be a pain in the butt, but it's still a virtue)  

[Galia Meobo]

5) Disclaimer

Last but not least, allow me to say a few words in regards to those of us who have our works posted here:

If you post your work here, you must be able to prove that it is indeed yours. I understand how difficult that may be seeing as this is the internet where anyone can say anything about anything and anyone'll believe them (just look at wikipedia), but try. It's easy for those I know on a more personal level or have known on Gaia for a long time, but for the rest of you, make sure you have at LEAST one other person who can stand up for you if someone challenges you.

Copyrights are something to be taken very seriously. If it's not your work, I suggest that you DO NOT POST IT (there will be a place you can post it where you give the real author credit). People put their heart and soul into their works, and it's heartbreaking when someone else takes it and puts their name on it. Every kind of artist deals with this problem, which just continues growing because of an untrustworthy system called the internet.

With that in mind, please make sure you read all announcements, rules, and how to's on the main forum page to avoid being falsely accused. I don't like it, but I have to be suspicious of people until they can prove themselves. It seems unfair, but put yourself in the shoes of someone with a lot of work: that person takes pride in their writings, all of them, so they have to scan everything surrounding their work constantly to keep someone from stealing it. Imagine how that person would feel or act if someone took even ONE of their pieces.... this is why I have the right to be suspicious of everyone I don't know that joins the guild.