THE PILKIPEDIA RULE BOOK - NEW MEMBERS READ

[Gtpod]

If you're new around here, hi there. Sorry to throw caps at you like that, I just really wanted to make sure you read this. And please do read it, it'll avoid much confusion or anger in the future if you intend on sticking with us; we totally lay our cards out on the table here, no secrets at all.

For the regular members, alright? I inadvertently buried the last rule thread thinking I'd replicated it after a skim-read, but it turns out I missed a lot of important stuff, so this is just a refresher on the rules you should probably know already, but in case you don't, have a browse through.

A point to start off on, these are the rules of the site that are entirely non-negotiable. There's a lot of things we are willing to hear criticism of and new ideas about, but these rules are completely set in stone. While there is a large degree of freedom around the forums, we just have a few things we'd rather you'd keep in mind when posting.

Number 1
No discussion of illegal downloads of Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant or Karl Pilkington's works, or any other commercially available media.
This is by far the most important rule of the site, and I will explain exactly why - if you post a link to an illegal download of a podcast, or episodes of The Office, or any commercially available material with a distribution license in the UK, Europe, North America or Australasia the entire website can be shut down. We know this for a fact as it has happened in the past.

It's an offence to make available (through links to third party sites etc) copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner; we do not have this. Therefore, we are taking a fairly hard line in relation to sharing the boys' copyrighted work. Anybody found to be sharing links to copyrighted work on the main forum will be given a permanent ban, no questions asked. We have no problems dropping long-term members as easily as newbies for breaking this rule; one single violation and you are gone for good. It's simply not worth having these kind of people around when they could potentially ruin the fun for the other thousands of people who enjoy what we do.

Some more specific rules:

-Do not indicate that you have any links to downloads of this kind and to PM or email to get them, this probably wouldn't be a problem but it's better to be safe than shut down and we're not taking the risk.

-If you post a request for links to downloads they'll be deleted. We don't want to look like we're a place to come for illegal RSK downloads.

-Do not assume that material available in one country is allowed to be linked to (even if it's free in that country). The best example is the RSK HBO Pilot; available for free download on itunes for people in the USA only. Links to download this (while free in America) would infringe the copyright of HBO and will not be hosted on this site.

-Don't tell people how to circumvent regional restrictions. People are smart enough to work it out for themselves and it doesn't make us look good.

Now that that's done...some more legal stuff:

The Website Owner is not responsible for any material submitted to the public areas by you. Any material (whether submitted by you or any other user) is not endorsed, reviewed or approved by the Website Owner. The Website Owner reserves the right to remove any material submitted or posted by you in the public areas, without notice to you, if it becomes aware and determines, in its sole and absolute discretion that you are or there is the likelihood that you may, including but not limited to -

1.0 defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the rights of other users or any third parties;
1.1 publish, post, distribute or disseminate any defamatory, obscene, indecent or unlawful material or information;
1.2 violate any copyright, trade mark, other applicable Great Britain or international laws or intellectual property rights of the Website Owner or any other third party.

Remember, we are fans of the boys and should respect their right to have their creative works copyrighted. We're here to have fun, discuss and enjoy the boys' work, not rip them off in any way. Sorry for throwing all the legal stuff at you, had to be done.

Number 2
Be nice. Please.
This rule is equally important as the first: just be nice. It's really not that difficult for everyone to get along, all you have to do is be nice. If everyone's nice, there's no need for other rules about what you can and can't say or do, just don't offend each other and we'll all get along fine. If you create a bad atmosphere, you'll be monitored by the mod team, warned about your behaviour, and possibly banned if you persist.

Number 3
We're fans, not stalkers.
There's times when people's fanatic nature can spill over into scary territory, and it's something we don't like to see. Have you found a secret picture of Suzanne? Did you work out Ricky's address? Do you know where Steve gets his shopping done? Well, we don't want to know. We enjoy the trio's work, we may even like their personalities or appearances outside of any professional environment, but we're not mentalists. Any hints of stalking will be brushed aside most likely by the regular members; don't be surprised if you break this rule to find yourself under fire from RSK fans for just taking it all a step too far.

Number 4
Don't like it? Change it!
We're very much a democracy here at Pilkipedia, and the forums in particular are run on the idea that you're the ones in charge. I may stand here at the control desk, but you're the committee behind the decisions. Do you want something added, changed or removed? Just ask! The Suggestion Box is a thread in the Announcements & Feedback board where you can propose an idea for myself and others to ponder and mull over in a serious manner; 9 times out of 10 it will then go to a public poll in the same board where members can vote and discuss it. If there's a genuine reason why it wouldn't work however, it'll become the 10th time out of 10 and won't be put to a vote, but this doesn't happen often.

Number 5
Read the FAQ!
This site has been running for a long time now, primarily focused on a limited amount of material in the Xfm shows. You can therefore appreciate that with new members come old questions, ones the regulars and old-timers will have heard a thousand times before. A new thread asking one of these questions can create some unintentional, subconscious antipathy towards the OP which just makes us look bad and the new member feel bad. So to avoid this and make everyone happy as Larry (smug git), we have created The Great Pilkipedia FAQ, wherein all the common questions have been answered. If you're a new member, please read this thread before asking a question regarding the Xfm shows/podcasts, as there's a chance it's been answered a hundred times before.

Number 6
Please keep thread titles accurate.
It's a rule Nigel (the previous owner) hammered into our minds to the point where it's rarely a problem these days, however for newer members we must reinstate - we don't want to see threads pop up in the Karl, Steve and Ricky board with titles such as "OMG GUESS WHAT!" or "Monkey News!". Be specific with your topic naming; if it's an RSK news item, use the headline; if it's an amusing RSK-related anecdote, give us a snippet in the header. If you post a topic with a vague title, don't be surprised if it gets overlooked. Make an effort to get people reading your threads.
Amendment: Furthermore, do not post topics with inflammatory titles. Don't start a debate with a biased question, or present ideas through an overly aggressive or negative heading. It's likely to rile people up and start arguments, which are no good for anyone.

Number 7
No pictures or videos in signatures and no animated avatars.
Experienced forumers will know that in many places it's traditional to have images or videos in your signature space below a post; well, we don't like it and we never have. It was asked for recently in the aforementioned Suggestion Box thread and when put to a vote, it was a landslide against. It's not allowed and quite frankly never will be, so please limit yourself to just text in your signature. Similarly, animated gifs or jpgs may not be used as avatars because they are unsightly and frankly, annoying.

Number 8
Did I say we're not mentalists earlier... ?
Okay, this is a bit of a disclaimer. For all the serious business in this thread, we're not adverse to having a bit of a laugh. Well, 'a bit' is a criminal understatement I suppose. Particularly the veteran members, we're like one big family here, and so you'll often see some gentle ribbing dressed up as absolute filth, but be assured we're only joking. In the General forum, there's no rules on swearing, there's no real rules on derailing threads or just having a chat, so the place can look a bit of a mess at times; this is intentional, it echoes the jovial nature of the guys we revere so highly. How can we come off all strict and serious when we idolise a man such as Karl? It'd be an absurd hypocrisy we'd never subscribe to. If you're the kind of person who can't take a joke, or takes the internet at face value, or is looking for an educated and cultured home for intelligent discussion, how can you be a true KP fan?


And that's it. If you are a new member, hope you stick around an' that, welcome etc.; throw up a post in the Welcome Thread, let us know you've arrived.
To the older members, hope you've given this a read to refresh your minds on what is and isn't cool.
If you think I've missed summat, just say so in here or PM me and I'll add to it.
Thanks for reading!

[ike]

Sorry guv', I won't do it again.

[ScottHanson]

Have you found a secret picture of Suzanne? Did you work out Ricky's address? Do you know where Steve gets his shopping done? Well, we don't want to know.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not be hasty. I, for one, want to know the contents of Ricky's bins.

[chinchilla]

some lovely little rules there..you forgot one though- i am always right and hilarious with it- suggestions to the contrary will be punsihed.

and where's this secret picture of suzanne....

[Gtpod]

@Nish: I'm talking a picture of her with her parents at Christmas, nicked from a photo album. A press shot of her and Karl or whatever is fine.

[Barrylad]

Great work poddy. Specially the last one. Huzzah.

[liammyles]

there is a video on youtube of some guy that met karl in london and filmed it on his phone...im pretty sure this is suzanne in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

[Barrylad]

there is a video on youtube of some guy that met karl in london and filmed it on his phone...im pretty sure this is suzanne in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

you absolute cunt

[liammyles]

there is a video on youtube of some guy that met karl in london and filmed it on his phone...im pretty sure this is suzanne in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

you absolute "Split Tennis Ball"

the old ones are still the best

[it's_a_foodage]

Guilty, get a new rule book!

[Barrylad]

Guilty, get a new rule book!

10 points to foodage. :)

[Retinend]

I'm glad someone put that nob 'ed Larry in his place. Smirking cunt.

[Midget Fighter 11]

Can I request a rule? What about proper grammar and punctuation and so on?

[Jimmy]

Can I request a rule? What about proper grammar and punctuation and so on?

This would just be a bitch to enforce, and would probably drive a lot of members / potential members away.

[Barrylad]

I can't speak for Gtpod...

but I will anyway,

Seeing as we don't have rules on swearing, tangents and other overbearing unnecessary forum rules, it would seem a bit pointless to incorporate one about spelling and grammar. Its just annoying and its no fun to join in a chat where you have to be watching your ps and qs for fear of a punishment or edit.