Forum Guidelines - Please Read

Welcome to the World of Warcraft discussion forums! This forum is here to provide you with a friendly environment where you can discuss all aspects of World of Warcraft with your fellow players. Community forums work best when participants treat their fellow posters with respect and courtesy. Therefore, we ask that you take the time to read through the forum Code of Conduct before posting.

Search

The new search function at the top of the World of Warcraft community site is extremely robust. Please be sure to use it to look for similar topics, blog posts, or web pages that may contain the answer before creating your forum topic. Making a new thread on an existing subject will likely result in your thread being deleted. If you continue to repost it you're likely to have your posting privileges suspended for spamming. Worst of all, you'll be making the other forum goers upset that you didn't take a minute to search before posting.

Rating

The new rating system (http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/blog/930468) can be used to promote positive discussion, and demote unhelpful posts, or even report posts that violate the forum code of conduct. By hovering over a post you'll be presented with a thumbs up, and a thumbs down icon. Clicking the 'thumbs down' icon you can choose from a few options. Dislike will rate the comment down. If enough people dislike a post it will be darkened, or with a lot of dislikes it will be hidden. You can also quickly report a post as trolling or spam, or use the report function to fill out a more comprehensive description of the violation. You can only rate each post once. Use it wisely to help foster a positive and helpful forum community.

Guidelines

In addition to the Forum Code of Conduct (http://eu.battle.net/en/community/conduct), here are some common courtesy guidelines to follow to ensure these forums remain a constructive and friendly gathering place for the community. While these do technically fall within the bounds of the Code of Conduct, these cover more specific examples of common errors that will lead to thread deletions or posting privileges being revoked.

The World of Warcraft forums are for discussion of topics directly related to World of Warcraft

The forums here are specifically to discuss the game and related topics. Any topics not related to World of Warcraft, Battle.net or Blizzard are subject to deletion.

Don't post in all capital letters, use a misleading title, excessive punctuation, non-standard symbols, etc.

While everyone wants their posts read, we ask you to refrain from using these types of tactics in order to bring more people to your thread. Let your post stand on its own merit. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.

Using the words Blizzard, Blue, or any community team members name in a thread topic to gather attention is frowned upon

Everyone would like Blizzard to read and acknowledge his or her post, and we understand that. However, use of such words in the topic does not help that come to pass. Please make your thread title relevant to the post subject. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.

Note that threads discussing e.g. the Blizzard authenticator or Blizzard’s latest press release are allowed to have Blizzard in the title as it’s then relevant to the discussion.

Posting "First" or IBTL constitutes as spamming

You will be suspended if you create a post that is intended to call out that you achieved a specific reply number in a thread. This is considered spamming. Posting IBTL (in before the lock) is not helpful and if you feel a thread should be moderated please use the rating button to do so.

Posting TLDR or L2P constitutes as trolling

Posting TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) is saying you don’t care about a player’s post. Posting L2P (Learn to Play) mocks the player for their skill or experience level rather than provide constructive input on the post itself. Both are considered trolling and will lead to a suspension.

Naming and shaming constitutes harassment

Accusing named or otherwise identified individuals, guilds, etc. of dishonourable behaviour, such as cheating or “ninja looting”, will lead to post/thread deletion and a suspension. While such warnings may sometimes be warranted, allowing targeting of others in such a fashion is open to abuse and thus not allowed. You may present your point of view while preserving the anonymity of those involved, and let the reader decide whether to contact you for details.

Do not bump posts

The act of posting simply to bump a thread is considered spamming. This also includes bumping very old threads for no reason (called 'necro bumping' or 'necroing').

Petition posts are frowned upon

These are discussion forums, and as such we ask that you hold discussions. Creating a thread to ask for replies as votes is not a discussion. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.

Do not post about locked or deleted threads

Posts that are moderated have a reason behind the moderation. It's up to you to read the forum code of conduct and these guidelines to determine what you did wrong, learn from your mistake, and attempt to post again without breaking any rules.

Multiple threads on the same topic will be deleted

When multiple threads cover the same topic we will typically leave one of them open, lock one with an explanation, and delete the rest. This is done to allow other topics to still have a place on the forums. Which thread is left open typically depends on the thread length and how constructive the first post and the thread in general are.

Post in English, and English only

Moderators need to be able to read everything you write to make sure it's not unsuitable for the forums. If we can't, we have to assume the worst and consider the post a breach of the forum guidelines. Posts not in English are subject to deletion.
Note: an extra version in English is not good enough, as a moderator can't verify that the non-English text is the same as the English one.

Suspensions add up

Repeated suspensions or multiple violations of the forum guidelines at the same time will add up and lead to a longer suspension than otherwise may be given for a single incident. When suspensions differ for the same Code of Conduct violation, suspension history is usually the reason.

Contacting the Community Team

Fan sites: do you run a high quality, frequently updated Blizzard franchise fan site with an active community, and wish to be part of the fan site program? Please send your application to Community-EN@blizzard.com.

Forum bans: have you re-read the Code of Conduct (http://eu.battle.net/en/community/conduct) and the ban explanation, and are still convinced you did not break the rules (that badly)? Feel free to send an appeal to Forums-EN@blizzard.com, but keep in mind that it’s no guarantee the ban will be overturned.

Community feedback: do you have feedback about the forums, blog articles, live event presence, contests or community staff? We always appreciate such, and encourage you to send it to CMfeedback-EN@blizzard.com. Please note that while feedback mails are all read and taken into account we can’t respond to these.

Q. Why was the MVP Program created?
A. In many cases, the answers to questions posed on the forums have already been provided by Blizzard Entertainment employees, or are common knowledge for many in the community. However, answers by fellow players often go unnoticed while the original poster seeks a more official response.

In order to address this, we have instituted a program that has shown great success on other Blizzard forums: the MVP (Most Valuable Poster) program. A distinctive posting text color (green) is given to identified MVPs who answer other players' questions consistently and accurately. It lends a note of credibility to what they post; it allows players seeking answers to take what they say at face value, and frees up Blizzard representatives so that they can focus on their primary responsibilities.

Q. What does an MVP do?
A. MVPs promote constructive posting wherever they can. They contribute to the community and encourage polite discussion throughout the forums. When you see an MVP post, listen to what they have to say—they were also chosen for their knowledge of the game.

Q. Why didn't you select _____, someone who always gives great constructive feedback on X subject?
A. Please understand that MVPs are not class/race or community representatives in that sense; they are not chosen for their ability to criticize game mechanics and give feedback. They certainly can do this (and many do). The members of the Community Team are still your vehicles through which you should submit feedback by posting on the forums and in blog comments. We do not have a class/race representative system in place at this time and would prefer to hear all players' feedback instead of a select few.

Q. Why aren't MVPs the hardest of the hardcore players?
A. You do not have to be max level in World of Warcraft, at the top of the StarCraft II ladder, or have the best collection of items in Diablo III to answer the majority of questions on the forums clearly and accurately. You do not need a specific number of Achievement points to be able to direct players to the appropriate page on the website for their question, or to link to an answer already given by Blizzard. MVPs are chosen primarily for their demonstrated communication skills and helpfulness toward the community, and while some of them may also be top-ranked players in one or more Blizzard games, it's not a requirement.

Q. Why aren't MVPs distinguished by the forum they post in most frequently, or the Blizzard game they play most?
A. We request that all MVPs post only where they feel comfortable. With that said, a Battle.net account flagged by Blizzard with MVP status will display as such across all forums, and on all of our new Battle.net community websites. An MVP should therefore be considered a valuable contributor to the community wherever he or she is posting.

Q. How can I become an MVP?
A. Keep posting constructively, answering questions about the game, and encouraging discussion throughout the forums—we'll take notice. Be sure to follow the Code of Conduct as well!

Questions or concerns regarding the MVP program or its participants can be directed to CMfeedback-EN@blizzard.com