Welcome to Mystery Science Discourse 3000.
As a general rule, we prefer not to impose extensive rules on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 community or these forums, and to resolve conflicts or disputes as they arise. That said, we ask that all users on this forum be aware of the following common-sense guidelines and courtesies.
1. BE KIND.
The MST3K fan community is well known as a friendly, supportive space. We need to work together to keep it that way, and the best first step is making kindness our primary rule. Give each member the benefit of the doubt, and treat your fellow MSTies as you would like to be treated.
2. PLEASE AVOID POLITICS.
Many members of the fan community — as well as MST3K cast, crew, and alumni — are engaged in political causes and discussions in their own lives. However, since MST3K does not endorse specific political positions, and is aware that our fans are distributed along the political spectrum, we’d like to keep these forums politics-free to prevent unnecessary bad feelings within the community. An errant comment here or there is unlikely to get you in trouble, but we ask that you refrain from consistently bringing up political issues in threads where they are not relevant. More specific details on this rule can be found here.
3. DISAGREE POLITELY.
Sometimes you just aren’t going to see eye-to-eye with another member, and that’s okay. Do not resort to name-calling or personal attacks. Disagree with grace and thoughtfulness, and know when it’s time to simply withdraw from the conversation — or when to gently suggest that others do so. If needed, you are always able to block members who you prefer not to hear from.
4. KEEP IT CLEAN.
MST3K itself adheres to a certain Looney-Tunes-style standard of family-friendliness; which is to say, not everything has to be kid-appropriate, but it should at least not be overt or explicit. Try to hit a similar tone with your posts here in the forums. Avoid profanity or other problematic speech. Sexual content is also inappropriate here. And finally, slurs of any kind and attacks on marginalized folks will not be tolerated.
5. DON’T PROMOTE ILLEGAL STUFF.
Don’t try to sell unlicensed MST3K things. And please don’t advocate for file-sharing of episodes that are available to buy legally. “Keep circulating the tapes” is an important tenet of MST3K’s history, but it hits different in a world where cable television is less of a factor. At its core, “circulating the tapes” means we want you to share the show with people in ways that support its continued existence. Pirated episodes hurt the show, especially when legal copies are easy to get.
6. DON’T POST SPAM.
Do not spam the forums with multiple repeated iterations of identical or similar messages. This is discouraged regardless of what the message or idea may be, whether the poster is sharing a web link, soliciting DMs, or even if the post is related to MST3K. Anyone who persists in posting redundant material or questions even after being directed to existing threads may receive a temporary suspension from the forums, or in drastic cases, a permanent ban.
7. USE THE FLAGS.
See something that you think isn’t in the spirit of this community? Don’t blow it up — instead, flag it, by clicking the little flag icon under every post on this site. Flagging alerts the moderators that an issue may need addressing, whether it’s general bad behavior or outright rule-breaking. This does not necessarily mean the mods will take the action you expected or wanted. But it does bring attention to a potential problem.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREAK THE RULES?
MSD3000 DISCIPLINARY PROCESS
- A general warning and/or reminder of the forum rules will be given.
- If behavior persists, private discussions and/or warnings will take place with relevant parties. These discussions are private and are not open to public discussion or debate.
- If behavior persists after a minimum of three (3) warnings, users may incur a 48 hr temporary ban. The topic(s) involved may be locked for a cool-down period of 24-48 hrs.
- If behavior resumes, users will incur a 7 day temporary ban and posts/topics will be subject to deletion.
- If behavior continues, users are subject to a permanent ban.
In certain extreme cases – including but not limited to spam posting, threats of violence, or illegal activity – immediate administrative action may be taken against a user without following these steps. We reserve the right to remove any user or post at any time, for any reason.
TERMS OF SERVICE
Yes, legalese is boring… but sometimes, we have to take some basic precautions to protect ourselves – and by extension, you and your data – against unfriendly folks. We have a Terms of Service describing your (and our) behavior and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To use these forums, you must agree to abide by our TOS.