DISCLAIMER: This essay contains ONLY the writings of the author. This was made entirely by me, with no coordinate with TNT whatsoever. The following may or may not reflect the thoughts of others. If you wish to comment on this essay in a mature manner, my Neomail is open.

Before you read further, Read the Terms and Conditions. "By using this site, you and your parents agree to abide by the following terms and conditions: ..." That means YOU are responsible for reading them, and you AGREED to follow them. If you don't comply, you risk being reported and possibly suffering consequences. It's as simple as that. You should NEVER sign up for something without at least ATTEMPTING to read their Terms and Conditions.  Technically, it's a legal binding contract, which you are required to follow in exhcnage for their services (A.K.A, use of neopets.com).  That's how things work in the real world.

Sure, I'm report happy. But IF AND ONLY IF you are rule-breaking happy. I do NOT "love" to report. But I DO love this site, and I like to do my part in keeping it fun and safe for ALL

TNT asks for our help in ridding their website of the rule-breakers (it's called the REPORT button, and the little note on boards stating: "If you spot anything that isn't right and our monitors haven't addressed the problem, please notify us using this form and it will be removed ASAP."), and for creating such a great website, I feel it's my duty to help them keep their site as clean as possible. I take the option to report very seriously.  I don't want to be a Neopets version of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"

Take a look around the site. You'll notice a report button on EVERY post, trade, shop, and  Neomail, and the report forms include many offenses to report on. Now, if we weren't meant to report anyone at ALL, then mind explaining WHY we have that option?  The users to staff ratio is VERY large...the report forms are their way or letting us help them keep their site clean and fun for everyone.

ANYONE has the ability to report a user that is breaking a rule.  You can chose to use it, or chose not to. It's all up to you.   Anyone using their given power to report when necessary does NOT make them a "meanie" or "immature", as some people seem to think. Reporting isn't about being mean or gaining power...it's about helping to remove content that doesn't belong to make Neopets a better place for ALL.

If you see content that needs to be deleted, report it.  Don't wait for others to do so.  You might say, "But won't that clog up teh forms and slow it down?   I used to as well...until I got THIS REPLY:

 

If you are reported, but you honestly did nothing wrong, it's the REPORTER who will get into trouble, NOT YOU. TNT takes reports seriously. I'm sure almost everyone has been reported wrongly at one point or another. But if you didn't break any rules, nothing will happen to you.  NOTHING.  False reporters will be slapped with THIS WARNING:

 

If rules were not meant to be followed, then why do they exist? Sure, in life in general, there sometimes comes a time and place where a rule can be bent or broken, but Neopets is NOT that place. NEOPETS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY. Do I disagree with some rules? Sure. But I still follow them nonetheless, because I AGREE to every time I log on, whether I like it or not.

In the REAL WORLD, we have laws, and if you don't abide by them, you can be jailed or fined, or both. Just because Neopets is a virtual world, that doesn't make their rules apply to the site any less than laws apply to the real world.  If you have a problem with Neopets rules, either don't play, deal with it, or take it up with TNT. No one said you had to agree with why each rule exists, disagreeing is part of being a human being. But disagreeing with why a certain rule is in place DOES NOT make you exempt from them in ANY way.

Regarding Off-Topic Posts:

The General Chat is GONE. That alone should tip you off that General discussions are NO LONGER ALLOWED. That doesn't mean you take it to other chat areas. People abused the "privilege" of the General Chat, and in the end, you got too greedy, broke too many rules, and lost it. IT'S NOT COMING BACK, TNT has said so themselves.

And since GC is gone, all off-topic boards ARE now considered Spam, LIKE IT OR NOT. NeoRule #13 states: "Do not Spam the message boards, guild boards, or other site areas. This includes Chain Letters of any kind!" SPAM means Stupid (or Short) Pointless Annoying Message(s). Spamming includes, but is NOT limited to chain letters or the same thing posted multiple times. Dictionary.com has a nice definition of SPAM:

In plain english, that means posting things that "don't belong".

You can see a screencapture of a WARNING about off-topic boards HERE if you'd like more proof (link used with permission). There are Thousans upon THOUSANDS of websites online you can visit to discuss and get help for your real world problems, or just chat in general. They are just a 30 second search away. That's what search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, and Dogpile) are for.  Neopets is not the whole internet you know.

There is NO need to hate the report-happy for ANY REASON.  If you broke a rule, and get caught, and RIGHTFULLY get reported for it, then it was YOUR OWN FAULT.  Harassing the reporters will only get you reported AGAIN, and frozen even faster.  WE DO NOT MAKE THE RULES, WE SIMPLY HELP "ENFORCE" THEM, AS WE ARE ALL GIVEN THAT ABILITY IN THE "Report" BUTTON.

So, in closing, FOLLOW RULES = STAY ICE-FREE. BREAK RULES = GET REPORTED, and Possibly a WARNING or a FROZEN ACCOUNT. If you feel you have been wrongly warned or frozen, then take it up with TNT. They are only human, and they DO make mistakes now and then, and their system isn't 100% perfect. They are the ONLY ones that can Freeze or Unfreeze an account.  They DO NOT just freeze random accounts at will; unless it's an error, they had a good reason to freeze an account. If it IS an error, CALMLY explain the reason(s) why you feel you have been wronged, and if TNT finds you are right and it was a mistake, then you will likely get your account back.  Be patient, and remember that TNT has the final say.  COMPLAINING ON THE BOARDS WILL NOT HELP, No user can help you get your acco

Don't blame reporters for your warnings/frozen accounts, BLAME YOURSELF for not following the rules you AGREED to. Reporters are NOT responsible for your ignorance to spending 2 minutes of your precious all important life to read a few rules and regulations. If you fail to adhere to the regulations TNT has set in place, you DESERVE to suffer the consequences.

There are BILLIONS of sites on the internet to go to if you don't like how things are run on Neopets.

Remember, Neopets is a place to have fun. HOWEVER, that fun can STILL be had while following the rules.

And remember, unless it's you I'm reporting (and if I have, you obviously broke a rule), what and whom I report is MY business.  NOT YOURS.  SO BUTT OUT.

-TakariFreak