# Have you ever read the board manual? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375 "2010-06-24T17:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/1 "2010-06-24T17:10:38Z")
because posting on message boards is serious business! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/2 "2010-06-24T17:25:39Z")
I have read all the way through them. The problem is the stuff changes and I know I don’t know the latest changes. I wing it and wait to be told I violated a new rule. I’m all for letting the administration just telling you your an ass, and not being a nitpicking asshole disagreeing every time they tell you to stop something because a rule doesn’t exactly clarify something. I hate zero tolerance policies. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/3 "2010-06-24T17:27:34Z")
Damn right I’ve read all the rules. I belong to five other boards, and not one of _them_ would allow the excuse of either “I ain’t got time to read the instructions that are in front of my face.” or “They don’t do it that way on the other boards!” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/4 "2010-06-24T17:31:56Z")
Read it? Hell, I helped write a lot of it! Usually, when we make changes, someone writes the first draft, it’s sent around the mod email loop, and criticized, and rewritten, and then we all sit on it, and rinse and repeat. We hate making changes. For the Registration Agreement, Ed will bold the latest changes, so it’s easier to find the newest additions. In other words, no excuses, **Harmonious Discord**. I do wish that we could make it much, much shorter, but unfortunately, the posters who love to be rules lawyers have made that unfeasible. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/5 "2010-06-24T17:36:00Z")
No, common sense keeps me clear of most violations and ubiquitous mention of the rest by those that might have crossed the line informs me of what might not have been intuitive. Not that I’d recommend this to a newbie but it’s worked okay for me. 9 years, no slappage. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/6 "2010-06-24T17:37:58Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Read it? Hell, I helped write a lot of it! > > Usually, when we make changes, someone writes the first draft, it’s sent around the mod email loop, and criticized, and rewritten, and then we all sit on it, and rinse and repeat. We hate making changes. For the Registration Agreement, Ed will bold the latest changes, so it’s easier to find the newest additions. In other words, no excuses, **Harmonious Discord**. > > I do wish that we could make it much, much shorter, but unfortunately, the posters who love to be rules lawyers have made that unfeasible. Like I said say bad boy and I stop. It’s also pretty hard to get banned if you follow this policy. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/7 "2010-06-24T17:38:04Z")
Yes, as long as “skimmed” is a reasonable substitute for “read”. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/8 "2010-06-24T17:47:15Z")
Moving from **IMHO** to **About This Message Board**. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/9 "2010-06-24T18:12:14Z")
see?! i didn’t know that! 😃 \ ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/10 "2010-06-24T18:23:03Z")
_“Have you ever read the board manual?”_ You mean, like, in braille? Can’t say as I have. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/11 "2010-06-24T18:32:07Z")
I’m sure I’ve read most of them at some time or another. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/12 "2010-06-24T19:05:30Z")
The only rules that are important are “don’t be a jerk” and “no sock puppets”. Everything else is details. If you follow those two, the board staff won’t do anything worse than scold you. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/13 "2010-06-24T19:20:00Z")
I’ve skimmed a few of them, typically when they’re linked to in a thread. Haven’t gotten in any serious trouble yet- it’s not rocket surgery, gais. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/14 "2010-06-25T01:30:29Z")
It’s kinda pointless to read them all, but I have. It’s pointless because there are plenty of rules that are not listed, and no one will listen to my pleas to put everything up there. And the mods have made it quite clear in the past that they pretty much decide everything not based on rules, but their own judgment. I say that’s arbitrary and tyrranical, and leads to most of the problems any poster has with the moderation, but what can you do? The best you can do is wait for the worst offenders to get burnt out making so much work for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/15 "2010-06-25T04:17:06Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > The only rules that are important are “don’t be a jerk” and “no sock puppets”. Everything else is details. If you follow those two, the board staff won’t do anything worse than scold you. Basically, that’s what the Registration Agreement and all the other instructions say, yes. And if we could all agree on what being a jerk is, we wouldn’t have nearly so many problems. Personally, I think that spamming is being a jerk…even if you are a regular on this message board, that doesn’t make it OK to link to your eBay auctions, or your Etsy page. However, there are enough people who think otherwise that we have to point this out to them. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/16 "2010-06-25T10:28:28Z")
I have read pretty much all of them, but I agree with the sentiment that it should be common sense as to what is acceptable. This is the only board I frequent that seems to be constantly getting its knickers in a twist about rules and violations. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/17 "2010-06-25T10:47:55Z")
I don’t think I have read any of the stickies except the one about computer questions. I lurked here for quite a while before joining so I had a pretty good idea of what was acceptable by observing. Five years, no formal warnings. I think a mod may have told me that I was out of line once. If rule changes or ignorance of the rules caused me to have a lot of negative interaction with the mods, I would simply stop posting. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/18 "2010-06-25T18:44:36Z")
I pretty much follow the “don’t be a jerk” rule. I guess it covers all the rest. But I’ll go read them now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/19 "2010-06-25T20:08:36Z")
Of course, and these are the other things I’ve committed to memory: Cell phone contract Employee manual All 52 pages (not joking) that each of my kids’ schools mail to me before school starts each year U-haul rental contract, especially paragraphs 17 through 42 Mutual fund disclosure statement Ingredients and warning on Tylenol and Advil Parking garage limits of liability statement FAA regulations etc. Most of these I look for updates quarterly and re-do my 3 ring binder with plastic sheet covers and separators. Once I’ve fully internalized the GNU Free Documentation License, I plan on moving my binder into a Wiki format using WikiMedia. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375/20 "2010-06-26T03:10:36Z")
Manual? I don’ need no stinkin’ manual! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-read-the-board-manual/544375.md?page=2)