This is not just a blog, this is a community to share, praise, criticize, and discuss New Jersey Devils hockey.
As with most communities, there are rules to follow. I'd like this be a robust community filled with intelligent discussion about anything related to the New Jersey Devils. In order to do that, the following rules are in place. Failure to comply will result in warnings (a special message that appears when you log-in to SBN directly from me) and/or bannings (bans result in not being able to contribute in anyway, you can still read the site) in very short order, regardless of whether you know of the rule or not. In the vast majority of cases, I will be the one to issue the discipline. My iron hand can quickly become an iron fist.
7/19/2016 Note: I finally updated this. Also, on or on about this day, there are network-wide rules and regulations. The following are either repeating of those rules or additional rules for this very site.
No profanity. All content comments, FanPosts, FanShots must be clean in terms of language. Keep the language clean. If you can't say it on a Devils broadcast, then you can't see it here. Otherwise, I'll delete the comment/post regardless of whatever it is that is written. No profanity.
The only exception for this is if you're posting a link to a song - because music is raw like that - with some profanity, in that case please provide some warning. For the kids/people at work.
Clarification: Masking the swear word isn't acceptable either; and it will get the content deleted and you w*rn*d and/or b*nn*d. You're commenting on a website, it is not unreasonable to take a few seconds to think of a more appropriate and clean term for what you want to type.
No personal attacks/threats/matters. It's not that anyone is above criticism. It's not that there won't be any arguments. If someone makes a dumb or terrible comment/FanPost/FanShot, then by all means, say so. Just as you would if I posted something dumb or terrible. But there's a difference between criticism/arguments and outright personal attacks or insults. Don't cross that line. Save the drama for some other site. Focus on the content, not the user.
No inappropriate content. This site is entirely Safe for Work. So nothing obscene (e.g. referencing rape), pornographic, etc. is allowed in terms of pictures, video, words, etc. This is a Devils blog, this isn't the place for that.
This also includes any making light or insults of serious crimes such as (but not limited to) domestic violence, DUI, alcohol & drug abuse, rape, sexual assaults, and murder.
It also includes making light or insults of any physical, mental, behavioral, or psychological disorder.
No bigotry. Racism, sexism, sexual orientation-ism, gendered language, religion bashing, etc. are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated here. This includes pejoratives, "jokes," personal attacks, and so forth. Additionally, Queen is a legendary rock band, do not compare them to a Swedish goalie.
No discussion of streams.For legal purposes, discussion of illegally hosted streams is not allowed. Legal streams are OK. If it's not from an official broadcaster, then it's probably not legal.
No multiple user accounts. Please only use one with All About the Jersey. If you can't remember your password, you can request a reminder when you log-in.
No "fake" accounts. Please don't sign up as someone else - like a player or a coach or a famous person - and then misrepresent them entirely. Be who you are.
No politics, religion, science, "big" subjects. This is a Devils blog, those topics are not up for general discussion, and so this is not the right forum for them. Very rarely, they may be involved with something surrounding the Devils - but this site is not your personal soapbox for that. This is far easier done than said with a little effort. I do it, so will you.
No spam. This is not the place to advertise your likely terrible products without permission. No spam.
No trolling. Nothing wrong with a little smack-talk or visitors coming in to say their piece. But like the personal attacks rule, there's a line between banter and outright stirring people up for the sake of stirring people up.
No plagiarism. If you're quoting a post, an outside link, using a picture in a FanPost or FanShot, etc., use the quote tags (the quote icon) and provide a link to the original article. That being said, please do not quote the entire article/post. Especially for FanPosts, do not present a whole quote or article without some kind of actual, original commentary from you.
Do not make things up.This is not a place to spread misleading rumors. Ever. If you're making a big claim, it falls on you to back it up - not on me or anyone else to prove you wrong. I don't care if it's about a player, a writer, me, someone else - this is not that kind of site and it never will be.
Be relevant. If you're commenting on a post about Devils prospects, it's not the place to bring up trade rumors. If you're writing a FanPost/FanShot, it shouldn't be about the same subject that was posted earlier on the front page or FanPost/FanShot sections, or something entirely unrelated to hockey. While tangents are OK; basically, if you comment, it should have something to do with the post you're commenting about. Similarly, if I or another writer say that a tangent has gone on long enough; then it's gone on long enough - please cease in that case.
Please use English. Again, I know for a fact that people around the world read AAtJ, but the vast majority of users use English and so content shall be in English. (This also means you can't curse in another language.) If you want to link to an article, interview, etc. in another language, fine - but do give people a heads up about the language.
No - and I mean no - public discussion of discipline. If you've been warned about something, take the warning to heart and keep it to yourself. Please don't apologize or ask about it in a comment, it provides no value to the post your commenting on (not to mention it's irrelevant). If you have a problem or a question about rule enforcement, please ask it by email and email only. Also, if you've been banned, registering a second account just to get around it and complain/scream/apologizing about it is a sure-fire way to get banned again.
AAtJ writers reserve the right to moderate accordingly. This is an open-ended rule to allow us to deal with people who may be within the rules, but as act as general detriment to the whole community. We won't be using this often (we hope). But we reserve to close comments before the 30-day limit or make posts without them for whatever reason.
This may all seems like a lot, but it really isn't. For most part, the majority of users follow these rules as-is. Keep it clean, keep it relevant, keep it real, post in English, and keep not acting like a jerk really covers all of this. Still, it is important to specify what is and isn't allowed.
Here are some other guidelines to follow. "Soft" rules, if you will:
Write decently. I'm not asking you to write perfectly or write like anyone else. I fully understand that English may not be your first language or that writing may not be something you're great at. A typo here or there isn't a big deal. All I ask is that you be careful of capitalization, grammar, spelling of names, and basic things like that. For a comment in a GameThread, it's not a huge deal; but for FanPosts and FanShots, it is. It is to your advantage to be aware of this so you don't look a total fool to other readers. And I'm very particular about it because I'm not just responsible for posting on a blog, but also for cultivating a smart community of Devils fans.
That means if you want to make a FanPost, take your time with it.Especially if you never made one before.
Read before you comment. Maybe your question/thought is already answered in the post.
If you like a comment, post, FanPost, or FanShot, then "Rec" it. On the bottom line of each comment, there's an "actions" link that if you click on, you can be able to "rec" the comment. "Rec" is short for recommend and with enough of them, the comment will be highlighted as a recommended post/comment. You can do the same for FanPosts, FanShots, or regular posts, the "Rec" link is at the very bottom of the post.
Likewise, if you see a rule violation, flag the comment/post. Similar to "rec"-ing a comment or post, if you there is content that I or the other writers missed in regulating, please flag it so it can be brought to our attention. Don't accuse people or demand that they leave - that's not your place to say, it's ours.
Support the Devils.Given the nature of the site, this is self-explanatory.
Any questions about the rules should be e-mailed to me. Do not post questions about rules and guidelines elsewhere on-site. It is not a public matter. I'll keep you all posted of any changes to the rules.