General Information:

So, what is the Brunching Shuttlecocks?
    If you don’t know this, go to http://www.brunching.com/ and find out.  If you’ve seen the page, and you’re asking anyway, go away, smart-ass.

Why am I a Scrappy, who are these Self-Made-Users, what is a Cereal Subunit, and what in the ever-loving name of Pete is a Shuttlequack? 
    It’s a simple hierarchy.  Scrappy is the bottom rung (named after Scrappy Doo, the horrid addition to the cartoon Scooby Doo). 

Next are the bulk of the posters, a Self-Made User.  After a certain number of posts, you will become a Self-Made User.  We ask that you not incessantly post random things to increase your post count so that you become a Self-Made User.  You will get there eventually. 

A Cereal Subunit is a moderator of a particular forum.  They keep their forum neat, organized, and orderly. 

A Shuttlequack is the over-arching entity of the Board.  They are responsible for keeping the Board itself running smoothly, and as such, have final decision making powers.

Why do some people have custom titles, and what do they mean?
    A Shuttlequack got bored, happened to notice some quirk about a post of yours or your name, and bequeathed (stuck you with/cursed you with/tortured you with) a custom title.  Usually, begging and pleading for a custom title gets you nowhere, or a title like “Please Boot Me.  Hard.  With pointy shoes.”  Note:  Mods cannot, I repeat cannot grant custom titles.  Only Shuttlequacks have that ability.

What exactly is a “boot?”
    A harmless initiation ritual.  It’s becoming less common as time goes on, but it will still pop up on occasion.  If you are being booted frequently, it is usually due to you doing something the community at large does not care for.  Boots usually end when a user hits Self-Made User level, signaling that they have “grown up” sufficiently.

Come on!  I’ve been trying to get everyone to boot me, but it’s not working! 
    What, you think we haven’t seen sadomasochism before?  A bit of reverse psychology isn’t going to shake us up.  Ask for a boot, you’re going to get a wide range of activities, all designed to mess with your head.  We have to pass the time somehow.

What in the world is a “Brunchma?”
    Essentially, we created a Greek letter.  What, you didn’t think we had the power to do that?  How little you know, young one.  A “Brunchma” is the letter we use to identify ourselves, hence “Tri-Brunchma’s” similarity to the sorority “Tri-Delta” or some other Greek deal.  And you thought you left all that behind.  Nope, and we have the blackmail pictures to prove it.  Yes, even the ones with you flirting with the bookshelf. 

What's the deal with your IRC channel?  
   The IRC channel, #tribrunchma (or #beyond for serious chats), is not run by the same people who moderate the board.  As such, different standards are applied.  The channel is run by Dia, with assistance from GuardianLion and Angstrom.  Any issues, problems, or questions should be directed to one of those three.  If you cannot reach them through IRC, email irc@lionsanctuary.net to report your problems. 

Board-Specific:

Can you help me decide where to place my new topic?  I don’t understand what each of the forums entails.

Brunching:

Thoughts From…:  General thoughts on the Brunching Shuttlecocks, and spin-off thoughts.

Ratings:  Rate the various things in your life; compare notes on Lore’s ratings.

Where…and Dave?  Discuss Lore and Dave’s latest projects here.

Self-Made Critic:  Movie discussions belong here.  Not Happy Media.  Got it?

Non-Brunching:

Mind-Numbingly:  Everything that doesn’t fit anywhere else.

Action Packed:  For those who like a little fiction in their lives.

Hilarity Ensues:  Caption pictures (CYODC), amusing jokes, etc.

But Seriously:  Serious topics, hobbies, sports, and the like.

Wax Intellectual:  Serious topics to debate, intellectual exercises.

Happy Media:  Television, music, books, entertainment options.

www.crap:  Links to the Weird Wide Web appear here.

Bouncy Cling Shrimp:  Games, games, and more games. 

Board Related:

Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!:  Announcements about the Board are posted here.

Toll-Free Support:  Technical problems with the Board, suggestions for improvements.

Tri-Brunchma:  Real Life things, such as travel announcements.

Got it.  So, should I introduce myself in Tri-Brunchma?

We'd really rather you not.  Actually, we'd prefer to get to know you through posting to other threads.  That way, our initial impression of you isn't one of "Hi! Look at me!  I want attention!"  Once you pass Scrappydom, introduce yourself in the Self-Made User thread.    

How do I check how many posts I have?
    Click on the “Profile” icon next to your name in one of your posts.  The answer lays there, young grasshopper.

What do some of your abbreviations mean?                                                                                                                                  Check here for abbreviations defined.

Rules:

Are my posts censored here?  Can I curse?
    Yes, you can curse.  However, we ask that you refrain from excessive cursing, as there are younger kids either reading or posting on the board.  A good test appears to be the PG-13 test.  If you’ve never heard it in a PG-13 movie, don’t use it. On occasion, a thread will be started that does not follow this rule, but as they are usually started by Shuttlequacks, we tend to just let them go on.  After all, they can poke you with sharp, pointy objects.   

    There are exceptions, as we encourage freethinking.  But, excessive cursing for no reason may result in your post being removed.  As for censorship, you may post whatever views you hold.  See the Wax Intellectual forum for examples.  However, we ask that you realize that everyone has their own thoughts, and they may not match yours.  Flaming people’s opinions will get you nowhere.  We welcome debates, but not ones that resort to childish name-calling.

Is it possible for me to ever be banned?  Or, how should I toe the line?
    Yes, it is possible for a poster to be banned. We generally prefer not to, as we welcome all viewpoints and walks of life. However, the rule boils down to "Don't be an Ass." For those who aren't sure what exactly that means, here is the banning procedure, direct from the Shuttlequacks.

-If a moderator (CS) thinks that a poster's comments are particularly offensive to a person/group, and not something that can be handled well by the board at large, they are within their rights to use the following procedure:

1) Public general warning in hopes that they get the hint.  

2) Public specific warning, stating/quoting what behavior is the problem.  ("We don't allow name-calling.  "Poopyhead" is considered name calling.  Blah blah cease and desist blah warning blah.")

3) Private specific warning.  ("Last warning for using 'Poopyhead' blah blah shoes on your nose blah again and you're banned.")

4) Take away account access (change password or make account read-only), email the offender that this has happened and that it won't change unless they present a convincing case for restoration of access to the Board. That decision will be made by a quorum of Quacks.

5) If the case is successfully presented, and they receive one last chance, and they blow it, then they are forevermore banned.  This last chance clause will probably not be invoked often, and for all intents and purposes, step 4 is it.

In both steps 4 and 5, sock puppets are banned as well.  Any suspected sock puppets will receive an email stating why they've been banned and how to remedy the situation if the banning was mistakenly made.

Look!  It's all shiny and new!  Look at the buttons...I'm going to start twenty new threads...
A warning:  If you get your kicks through starting reams of new threads instead of reading and responding to existing threads, we reserve the right to remove your ability to start new topics until the shiny newness of the board wears off.

How about HTML or embedded files?  Can I embed a sound, picture, etc?
    HTML is currently turned off for most of the board.  In its place, however, is the Board Code. It works in a similar manner to HTML Please remember, though, that placing words in bold is the equivalent of shouting, so please keep it to a respectable level.

    If you need help with the Code, click on the "quote" button under someone's post that contains the feature you wish to emulate.  That will show you how to do the code.

   Please refrain from embedding files, aside from in Image threads in Hilarity Ensues.      

How about embedding a picture in my signature?
No.

Even if...
No.  

But what about...
Not even close.

Fine, fine.  How about avatars?  Can I just link them from where I found them? 
If you don't have permission from the owner of the site, don't remotely link the picture.  If they see a spike in traffic, they may remove the picture, or worse, change it to a horrific image that you don't want associated with your name.  It's bandwidth theft, and quite rude to boot. 

Problems?:

Hey!  I can’t log in!  I changed my email address, and suddenly, it tells me my password is invalid!  Help!
    When you change your address, a new password will be assigned and mailed to that new address.  Check there for your new password.

Can I post someone's contact information?
   While you may choose to post your own, general privacy issues would strongly suggest you not.  If you wish to establish a closer contact with someone, email them directly rather than posting for the world and lurkers to see.  As for other contact information, never post someone else's real information.  Especially if they're from a big corporation.  With lawyers.

OK, I’ve got a serious problem with someone/the board.   Whom should I contact?
    If you need help with other people or board issues, contact the moderators at modsquad@brunchma.com.  In addition, you can try the admins at shuttlequacks@brunchma.com.  They should be able to help you.