- Introduction:
First off - if you're a new member and you're reading this, congratulations!!
You've made a great start!! We're very pleased to have you here and hope that you enjoy being here as much as we all do. 
After reading the rules, you might like to stop by our Newbies Central forum where you'll find several threads where you can introduce yourself and get to know some of the members here and tell everyone a bit about yourself.
You should also drop by the FAQ page which should answer any questions you might have about the forums and how to get yourself set up with signatures, avatars and so on. It'll save you waiting for replies from staff members - all the commonly encountered questions have been answered there, so please check them out if you need help prior to contacting a staff member.
If you are a new member, you will not be able to post a new topic or access your PM box until you have made at least one post in an existing thread. A good place to do this is in Newbies Central (link above) or the Sorting threads. This is in place for security reasons. You can email a moderator if you need to, but it's easiest to just make a post. - The list:
So, now for the necessary evil of an organized forum, the rules
The rules are summarized briefly below for those of you who just want an idea of what's okay and what isn't - the small print, which is advisable for everyone to read, is at the bottom. It is your responsibility to know and obey the rules and by posting in this forum, you have agreed to abide by them.
Do not create a hostile environment
Do not use bad language
No spamming and/or advertising - your own site or other people's
No one liner, short, pointless or off-topic posts.
Do not use "netspeak", "chatspeak" or "slang".
Do not use excessive characters in your posts - it breaks our parchment layout.
Do not type in "ALL CAPITALS".
Do not post any material that is not suitable for all ages. We have a PG 13 guideline.
Obey the Signature Rules.
Obey the Avatar Rules
That's it in a nutshell. Please scroll down for the small print.
Above all, please remember that we are all on the same side, joined by our love of Harry Potter. Respect each other and everyone’s opinions.
What if someone breaks a rule?
If someone says something offensive, report the post using the ‘Report’ button on the top right of the post. This will generate an e-mail to all moderators who will deal with the issue as soon as possible, generally within a few hours, even less if one is online at the time. This report is confidential – your name will never be known to the offending party. *Note, at this time the report button is not operational, so you may PM an active moderator. Some mods are retired, so please pay attention to whom you are sending your message. In your PM, please include a link to the offending post and a brief explanation of your complaint.
Warning levels:There are five warning levels here. They are only raised as a last resort and are not imposed lightly. If your level reaches five, your account will be restricted and you will no longer be able to post.
The rules are here to make a safe, pleasant and comfortable forum where everyone is respected and listened to. We really are a very friendly and approachable bunch who will always do our best to help you out if you’re having problems. Official warnings are not given lightly and will only be made after you consistently have had to be reminded to check the rules or in other extreme rules violations. We do give people several chances to get things right.
If you have any questions regarding these rules or are unsure about anything, please contact one of the Wizengamot or a Head Auror via Owl. The easiest way to find out who these guys are is to go here and search for the group Wizengamot or Auror at the bottom left. This list, though, will show you the site administrators and global moderators (Wizengamot). Do not contact the administrators, other than myself, for forum problems.
Thanks for reading and happy posting!!
- The details:
- Do not create a hostile environment
This means do not insult other people, their posts or their opinions in any way, shape or form, which includes via Owl. Do not contribute to a quarrel. If an issue arises, do not retaliate. Report the offensive post to a moderator and they will deal with it. ALL participants in a quarrel, whether the instigator of it or not, will be warned. Respect all other members at all times.
Flaming, abuse and aggression will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and that includes all staff members. Please respect them and their decisions - if you have a query, address the staff member via Owl - you are, of course, entitled to question any decision, but you must do it respectfully. If you are abusive, rude, swear or take any other action which is deemed offensive, your ability to post will be restricted. - No cursing.
This rule cannot be highlighted enough. There are automatic censors here that remove most words, but we still ask that you do not use bad language in the forums. This includes the use of asterisks to hide words, deliberately mis-spelling words and replacing letters with symbols or asterisks in order to avoid the censors. If you are unsure about the use of certain words, as not all countries regard the same words as swearing, please send an Owl to one of the staff. Some euphemisms are acceptable, but do not use them towards any member, idea, actor, or character. If you have a question regarding a word, contact a staff member before using it in your post. - Do not advertise your own site or other peoples within your posts
Creating new threads to advertise your own site or someone else’s, whether HP related or not, is not allowed. All such threads will be deleted. You are allowed to mention your own site in your signature. You may also include links to other HP-related forums in your signature and posts that may be of interest to other members but please, be reasonable. Please do not post links to any site which is regarded as NC-17 / X / 18 rated. If you wish to provide such a link for another member, do so via Owl. If you have a pertinent site that comes up in the natural flow of a thread's conversation, you may share the link or your site. Do so respectfully, and remember that we are always going to protect VTM and our members. - Do not spam
Do not spam these boards or other people through Owls, emails or by starting threads. We actively encourage any member who receives offensive/unwanted Owl's from other members to report them to a moderator (Wizengamot). All reports are always confidential. This rule also includes private conversations within the threads – that’s what the Owl system is there for. We can and will suspend Owl sending ability if this rule is abused. - Do not make one-liner, short, pointless or off-topic posts.
This is a forum - a place for discussion. If you don't have much to say, then perhaps you might find The Veritaserum Chatroom better for you. It's very hard to have a conversation if all you post is 'I love Harry Potter. I think he's cool, hence the rule. One liners may be deleted without further notice and post counts decreased.
All posts should be a minimum of two full lines of original text in the default Veritaserum skin. This does not include quotes from another source or another member, spaces, or smilies. After you post, if you notice your post is on the short side, please use the "edit" button, and elaborate more in your post.
*There are a couple of forums where one-liners are permitted because the post count has been turned off in those sections. The ONLY sections one-liners are allowed are: The Polls Forum (please note that this does not include polls in other forums, only the ones in the polls forum), Dumbledore's Office, and the Quidditch Pitch. - Do not duplicate topics
Please do a search of the forum before creating a new topic to ensure that there isn’t a similar one already in existence. Help on using the search facility may be found here. Duplicate topics will be closed down. You will be reminded on the use of the search facility – continually posting new topics after being made aware of the search facility will result in an official warning. If in doubt, contact a moderator via Owl. - Do not use "netspeak", "chatspeak" or "slang"
Not only does this make you seem much less intelligent, but it makes posts difficult to read and you must remember that these forums are open to everyone, including people who may not use English as a first language. Plus, there is nothing more irritating than seeing a post peppered with abbreviations that you don’t understand. A list of allowed abbreviations (mainly HP related) may be found here. A list of the type of thing that constitutes 'netspeak' is here. Some of these include btw, cuz, and lol. If you have a question about an abbreviated term, please contact a staff member. - Do not type in "ALL CAPITALS"
This is regarded online as shouting. If you feel strongly, use the bold, italic and/or underline features.
Please take a moment to read through the pinned masterlists that are available in most forums. These not only give you a guide to most of the topics available in a particular forum, but they also will reiterate any special rules that forum has in place, i.e. permission needed to create new topics, posting of one-liners, general atmosphere differences. Failure to follow any stipulations in those threads for those particular forums also counts as breaking the rules and the member who breaks them will also undergo the same consequences.
The Great Hall is a more formal discussion forum, so the rules in that forum are more strict. Please see the rules in the Great Hall before posting in any of those forums.
If you need further asistance or clarification on any rule, please contact a moderator.