Roll 'Bama Roll's Community Guidelines

Sorry to bring the mood down a little but given the change over in power we felt it best to update everyone on the RBR community guidelines. Also, there has been some questions about what are the rules on political talk, cussing, posting awesome .gifs etc. Well, here they are. In the end, these aren't so much as rules but more like "guidelines". We want RBR to be fun and enjoyable for all and at least this gives you an idea of our expectations.

RBR is intended to feel primarily democratic, and most of the unwritten rules come by way of self-government by the community. These few official guidelines have been created and exist for a singular purpose: to help make RBR a place that is safe and enjoyable for everyone who participates. However, I would also like to remind you that RBR is our home on the Internet. Just as you wouldn't go as a guest to someone else's physical home and throw dirt all over the walls, please be respectful as a guest in this online home, both to me and to the other guests here.

Free Speech on RBR

At RBR, we believe strongly in free speech and in having a diversity of people participating, and sharing ideas that are relevant to the community. As a RBR member you are, in general, free to express your opinion without fear of retribution. The diversity of personalities, beliefs, and styles is exactly what makes RBR the strong and vibrant community that it has become. As care-takers of this site, we want to keep RBR free and open to everyone. However, I will remind you (in case it has been a while) of what you all agreed to when you first signed up for the site:

This is an Alabama blog for Alabama fans, but we talk about all kinds of stuff from football in general to the music and movies we like, the SEC and NCAA in general, so you're welcome to do the same. Rival fans are also welcome, but in everything you comment on or post, remember, the anonymity of the internet does not give you license to be rude. Also, Alabama is better than your team. Secondly, let's remember that there are a lot of different people that root for the Tide, and therefor a lot of different people are reading this blog. We want to keep things PG-13 around here and any sort of racist/sexist/homophobic/just plain hateful comments will be deleted immediately and you are likely to be banned. Good rule of thumb, if you wouldn't want your mother reading or seeing it, don't write or post it.

To the Alabama fans, we expect members of our community to respect other SBN communities and their right to enjoy free discussion among their fellow fans. Having a rival fan stick a nose in is not fun. Whether you like it or not, you are a part of the Alabama fanbase and in a way represent RBR as well. Don't make us look bad.

Sorry for the 1 day waiting period for new comments. We get trolled hella bad and unfortunately it's an necessity. No worries, after 24 hours you can comment till your fingers fall off.

P.S. Before you can comment you must be able to recite the Rammer Jammer and Yea Alabama from memory. Sorry, thems the rules.

Under normal circumstances we will not delete posts or comments unless they are a blatant violation of these guidelines. However, in such cases, we reserve the right to delete posts without notice.

Since RBR IS a community, you should know that free speech does not mean the right to say what you want, when you want, how you want, without being sensitive to, and respectful towards, individuals and the community as a whole. In a community, speech is not completely free; it comes with responsibility.

The following are not acceptable nor permitted on RBR (excepting, in some cases, for obvious humor between people with an existing rapport) and are subject to sanction as outlined below:

1. Individual ticket posts are not permitted

2. Posts created for the purpose of advertising or other commercial purposes will be deleted without notice.

3. Further to the above, posts created by users who have joined the community, not participated in discussions, and made their first (or among their first) posts self-promoting for their own book, website or other personal publication of any kind, will be deleted without notice. RBR does not exist to provide free advertising. If you want your book, website or other publication reviewed, contact the managing editor via the email address on the left sidebar

4. Profanity is permitted, but watch your tongue (key board). We realize that in the heat of a game thread, occasional blue language may slip through. Please try to keep it to an absolute minimum. There is no need to put an * in cuss words to hide their appearance. We all know what you are saying, so just say it. But realize by using vulgar language your comment could be deleted, a warning may be given and after that, a banning may be in order.

5. Personal, aggressive, attacks on community members/authors are forbidden. Disagreements are welcome but keep it civil. Such posts will be deleted without notice and anyone making such posts will be banned.

6. Comments that are intolerant or prejudiced (sexist, racist, homophobic, discriminating on the basis of religion) in nature. This is a SB Nation-wide policy; any such posts or comments will result in an immediate ban.

7. Sarcasm is the main form of communication for RBR. Use it wisely.

8. Comments that bring politics or religion into RBR conversation are permitted but closely watched by moderators and regulars. We are not here to watch everything you say. But if your "opinion" seems aggressive or too emotional, comments will be deleted and a warning will be given. No fanpost or fanshots on political topics will be allowed, unless pre-approved by a site manager.

9. Posting personal information about anyone -- RBR member or not -- without his or her permission is not permitted.

10. In very rare circumstances, if an individual is upsetting (trolling) the majority of the members of the community, for various reasons, it may become necessary to ban an individual from the site for the sake of the greater good. The community almost always can police itself, but in unusual circumstances it may be necessary to step in. This would only be done on very rare occasions.

11. When posting .gifs or pictures in comment section please add a "subject" so that readers who wish not to see them can hide each one at will. Also, to reiterate, any nude or inappropriate pictures/.gifs will automatically be deleted and a warning will be given.

12. Finally, we like to have a lot fun here on RBR. We cut jokes, we use acronyms like TWSS (That's What She Said) SLAL (Sounds Like A Loophole), post .gifs, rag each other for the stupid things we say and generally just want to talk 'Bama sports with our friends. We DON'T WANT TO delete any of your comments. We DON'T WANT TO ban anyone. If everyone handles themselves appropriately there would be no need for any of this. However, this is the internet and idiots come in all shapes and sizes. If this atmosphere isn't enjoyable for you, please accept a full refund and our deepest apologies.

Consequences for Violating RBR's Community Guidelines

Complaints about possible violations of the Community Guidelines should be directed to bammer for review and consideration. Feel free to contact him at any time at bamaman82@gmail.com

We will aim to balance a high tolerance for the importance of free speech and low tolerance for minor or petty complaints, with enforcement of the stated guidelines on behalf of the entire RBR community. Here is the general procedure; there may be exceptions to this, at my sole discretion:

If you think a violation has occurred, either contact me, flag the post, or mention it in the thread. We will then contact the offending user privately, either by email or by issuing a formal warning on the site. No other action will be taken.

If a second violation is made by the same user, We reserve the right to take more serious action, up to and including a temporary ban (i.e., asking you to stay away for a few days).

A third violation through this process means some sort of action will definitely be taken. That might be as simple as another temporary ban -- or, it might result in you being permanently banned from RBR.

In the event it seems clear to me that you have as your primary motive disrupting and/or upsetting specific individuals or the community as a whole, as noted above, we reserve the right to ban you before going through this process.

Procedure For Lodging An Official Complaint

If you believe a user has violated these guidelines and you want me to have a look at the situation, send an email to the address on the left sidebar, and also flag the post using the tools available on the site itself. Please include the following information:

• Your RBR user name
• The RBR user name of the user about whom you are complaining
• The URL(s) of the post(s) in question

The last part is really important - this is a busy site, and if you can direct us directly by URL to the specific post you are making a complaint about, that makes dealing with it much easier. We'll try to get back to you and at least let you know we received your complaint.

Finally, please don't take any of these guidelines to mean that we are "clamping the hammer down" or any such thing. It has been a while since the guidelines have been updated and we felt this was as good as a time as any. As noted above, RBR is intended to be a place for freewheeling exchange of ideas about Alabama. Almost anything goes, if you are respectful of others.

FanPosts and FanShots

The guidelines for posting a FanPost are:

• A FanPost must be at least 75 words long or it is considered to be unsubstantial and will not be accepted by the site. (not our rules)
• A FanPost must in some way belong on RBR -- in other words, it must relate to Alabama or to RBR, or to an existing thread, etc. We have broadened the scope of our topics a good bit but let's do this within reason.
• It is not permitted to use FanPosts, FanShots, comments or signatures for advertising. Anything posted in a FanPost, FanShot, comment or signature that contains commercial advertising is subject to deletion without notice.
• Individual FanPosts or FanShots for the purpose of selling tickets or looking to buy tickets are not allowed. If you have extra tickets to sell (including season tickets) or are looking to buy tickets, posts will be provided for that purpose in the Ticket Exchange section. All posts for ticket sales at RBR must be for face value only.

Tips on writing good posts:

Some of the qualities that the most popular FanPosts often have in common are:

• They expand upon the main idea with supporting examples, or statistical data, or a link to a relevant article, or a "thinking question" for others to consider, etc. -- something beyond just the main idea itself. Don't just post a large quote from an article and say "What do you think?" Post your own opinion, too.
• Format Fanposts with the idea it could be front page material. We want to use Fanposts as much as possible but if they aren't formatted correctly, use inappropriate pictures or the grammar is poor we can't use them.
• They explore a topic, idea, or question that has not been explored recently, or at all, at RBR. Please check both the Front Page, FanPost and FanShot recent post lists to see if your topic is already being discussed.

Keep in mind that if your post contains only one point or idea that is not developed, expanded on, or supported with arguments or data, it is really not a FanPost -- it is a comment that should be posted in an existing thread, or posted as a FanShot. For more information on how to construct your posts, please see this post containing some suggestions and ideas on FanPosts and FanShots.

Disclaimer: These guidelines are intended to help you understand the policies, procedures, and processes generally used by the moderators, aurthors and managers of RBR. While you are using RBR, which is a part of SB Nation, you are also subject to the SB Nation Terms of Use. Also, please take note of the SB Nation Privacy Policy, to which this site subscribes. Both of the above links are also available at the bottom of RBR's front page. Finally, it is entirely at our discretion as to how to interpret and implement these guidelines, which are subject to change at any time without notice.