Guidelines
In addition to the Forum Code of Conduct, here are some common courtesy guidelines to follow to ensure these forums remain a constructive and friendly gathering place for the community. While these do technically fall within the bounds of the Code of Conduct, these cover more specific examples of common errors that will lead to thread deletions or posting privileges being revoked.
The Heroes of the Storm forums are for discussion of topics directly related to Heroes of the Storm
The forums here are specifically to discuss the game and related topics. Any topics not related to Heroes of the Storm, Battle.net or Blizzard are subject to deletion.
Don’t post in all capital letters, use a misleading title, excessive punctuation, non-standard symbols, etc.
While everyone wants their posts read, we ask you to refrain from using these types of tactics in order to bring more people to your thread. Let your post stand on its own merit. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.
Using the words Blizzard, Blue, or any community team members name in a thread topic to gather attention is frowned upon
Everyone would like Blizzard to read and acknowledge his or her post, and we understand that. However, use of such words in the topic does not help that come to pass. Please make your thread title relevant to the post subject. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.
Note that threads discussing e.g. the Blizzard authenticator or Blizzard’s latest press release are allowed to have Blizzard in the title as it’s then relevant to the discussion.
Posting “First” or IBTL constitutes as spamming
You will be suspended if you create a post that is intended to call out that you achieved a specific reply number in a thread. This is considered spamming. Posting IBTL (in before the lock) is not helpful and if you feel a thread should be moderated please use the rating button to do so.
Posting TLDR or L2P constitutes as trolling
Posting TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) is saying you don’t care about a player’s post. Posting L2P (Learn to Play) mocks the player for their skill or experience level rather than provide constructive input on the post itself. Both are considered trolling and will lead to a suspension.
Naming and shaming constitutes harassment
Accusing named or otherwise identified individuals, guilds, etc. of dishonourable behaviour, such as cheating or “ninja looting”, will lead to post/thread deletion and a suspension. While such warnings may sometimes be warranted, allowing targeting of others in such a fashion is open to abuse and thus not allowed. You may present your point of view while preserving the anonymity of those involved, and let the reader decide whether to contact you for details.
Do not bump posts
The act of posting simply to bump a thread is considered spamming. This also includes bumping very old threads for no reason (called ‘necro bumping’ or ‘necroing’).
Petition posts are frowned upon
These are discussion forums, and as such we ask that you hold discussions. Creating a thread to ask for replies as votes is not a discussion. Threads violating this guideline are subject to deletion.
Do not post about locked or deleted threads
Posts that are moderated have a reason behind the moderation. It’s up to you to read the forum code of conduct and these guidelines to determine what you did wrong, learn from your mistake, and attempt to post again without breaking any rules.
Multiple threads on the same topic will be deleted
When multiple threads cover the same topic we will typically leave one of them open, lock one with an explanation, and delete the rest. This is done to allow other topics to still have a place on the forums. Which thread is left open typically depends on the thread length and how constructive the first post and the thread in general are.
Post in English, and English only
Moderators need to be able to read everything you write to make sure it’s not unsuitable for the forums. If we can’t, we have to assume the worst and consider the post a breach of the forum guidelines. Posts not in English are subject to deletion.
Note: an extra version in English is not good enough, as a moderator can’t verify that the non-English text is the same as the English one.
Suspensions add up
Repeated suspensions or multiple violations of the forum guidelines at the same time will add up and lead to a longer suspension than otherwise may be given for a single incident. When suspensions differ for the same Code of Conduct violation, suspension history is usually the reason.