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Electronic Arts is dedicated to providing a friendly online community where all members feel welcome. When members join our website, they agree to abide by our Terms of Service (TOS).
Posting etiquette and rules that are most frequently broken or misunderstood on the Forum (BBS):
Illegal Activities:
– The discussion of illegal activities is not permitted. This includes software piracy, game « cracks, » among other things.
– Do not ask for or give out serial numbers. If you have lost your serial number or need a new one, please contact http://techsupport.ea.com
– Do not share accounts. Accounts created with stolen or shared serial numbers will be banned.
– Do not post copyrighted material. This includes text from game guides.
– Do not post links to stolen content from The Sims 2 Store.
– Do not link to content that may raise the game rating to an « M ». This includes linking to teen pregnancy hacks, nude hacks, etc.
Behavior:
– No Swearing. Foul language will not be tolerated. Swearing via substitution of key letters with symbols is against the rules. (Example: If « horse » were a swear word and it was posted as « h**** »)
– Swearing, flaming, or insulting others will not be tolerated. Respect others even if their opinions differ from yours. Don’t call people names. Post as though you were in a roomful of strangers and be civil and respectful of others. If you disagree with someone, you are free to do so politely, but please don’t make it personal.
– No Flaming. No Trolling. Flaming is intentionally posting hurtful or harassing messages to a particular person in order to get a reaction. Trolling is deliberately posting sarcastic, off topic, or rude remarks in order to incite a fight or argument on the boards. Take the high road and be polite.
– No Spamming or Flooding. Flooding or spamming means posting disruptive numbers of messages, including posting the same message in multiple forums.
– Keep your posts and the Exchange clean. Do not post anything referencing adult materials, this includes linking to adult themed patches and downloads for the Sims. Content on this site must be suitable for younger audiences.
– Please do not post personal information (i.e. your age, contact info, pictures, etc.) We have many community members who are underage and we need to do our best to protect them.
– Do not impersonate anyone else on the BBS. This includes moderators, EA employees, other members, celebrities, or anyone else. This includes using a screen name that uses the words « SimMaster », « Mayor », « EA », « Maxoid », or « Maxis » without being authorized to do so.
Guidelines for Courteous Posting:
– Keep your posts relevant to the section they are in. For example, posts in the Community Showcase section should relate to the Exchange. Posts not relating to the section they are posted in may be deleted.
– Blatant advertising, or spamming, of websites is not allowed. You may post a link to your website once or twice, but may not do it repeatedly. Please keep these posts in the « Community Showcase » section of our Forum (BBS).
– Do not post in ALL CAPS or post multiples of words in extra-large font. This is considered shouting. Shouting is not polite. Find a less « noisy » way to emphasize your ideas.
– Do not post messages with a number of repeated symbols, multiple exclamation marks or multiple question marks. (For example: ~ ~, **, !!!, ???)
– Do not include religious, political or blatantly controversial content in your signature. Signatures were created to show off your Exchange and fansite creations. This is not the place to debate politics or religion. Signatures that include references to these topics are considered off-topic and inappropriate, just as it would in a post. Linking to harmful content, such as trojan horses or pornography is also inappropriate.
– Confine your signature to three lines or less. Keep the content of your post easy on the eyes and focused. Having a lengthy signature distracts and clutters the board.
– Do not create multiple threads for one topic or post your thread in every category. Simply choose the one most fitting for your post. Try to include all your points in a single thread.
– Do not post blank or « no text » messages.
– Make your subject titles as direct and descriptive as possible. Simply writing, « Help » is not informative. A better subject might be, « I Need Help with The Sims 2 Body Shop. » Such posts inevitably receive better responses and allow others to skip over questions they know they won’t be able to answer.
– Do not post threads with misleading thread titles. (For example: Subject Thread Title: « Look what I discovered! » — Actual Subject Text: « Where can I find cheats? »)
– Use the search feature as much as possible. You may find that your question may have already been answered. This will allow new threads to stay visible for longer periods of time.
– Try to politely work out differences of opinions or agree to disagree. This is a very diverse community and there are people in the community who hold different beliefs then you. Respect their differences. Remember that what brings us together is The Sims 2.
– Keep your sense of humor. This is a fun game and the BBS is a fun place to talk about The Sims 2.
Maxoids:
Maxoids are employees of Electronic Arts. Their job is to manage the entire site including regular updates, keeping the site clean, and enforcing rules. Please respect the decisions they make as they are representatives of EA. If you have a question or concern, please sign a guestbook of a Maxoid.

Moderators:
Finally, the SimMasters are given authority by EA to moderate the BBS. Please respect the decisions they make. If you have a question or concern over an action a moderator has taken, approach them in a polite manner and ask for an explanation.
Repeated violations of these rules may result in a member being banned from participation on the Forum (BBS). We reserve the right to ban or alter an account’s permissions on this web site at any time, without warning.
Thank you for abiding by our rules and have a pleasant time using our boards. If you spot something that you think may be inappropriate, please report it to one of our moderators.
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