Fan Clubs & Groups Rules

Hello and welcome to Fan Clubs & Groups! This forum is essentially for fanclubs or social clubs about various miscellaneous, non-Pokémon topics. Any topic is acceptable here, from fanclubs for TV shows, music, and games to support groups for social issues (religion, sexual orientation, etc). So long as everything is kept positive, anything goes. However, there are some rules to keep in mind when posting here.

Posting in a Club

There are a number of clubs in this forum that you can join. If you don't see a club that interests you, feel free to make your own.

• Stay on topic
  If you come into a club and there is already a discussion going, don't change the subject abruptly. If you would like to add a new discussion topic, that's fine, but please try to contribute to the current discussion as well. If a discussion has stagnated for a few days, it's okay to completely change the subject.
• Don't post in inactive clubs
  If a club has had no new posts in over a month, please do not revive it. You can remake it or you can post in Clubs Ideas and Discussion to request that someone else remake it. If a club has been inactive for over a month, there is clearly a lack of interest in either its members or its creators so starting a new club where the new maintainer has recent enthusiasm for it is in everyone's interest.
• No double posting
  However, if it has been two weeks and you were the last poster in the club, you may post again with a new topic in order to revive the club.
• No "May I Join" posts
  When you join a club, mention that you are a new member and, if available, fill in the new member questionnaire that some maintainers include in the first post. But you must also stay on topic! You do not need to wait for confirmation of joining the club—just jump right in and start discussing what everyone else is discussing. Posts made for the sole purpose of joining may be deleted at the moderator's discretion.
• Keep it positive
  This forum is meant to be a haven for people with like-minded interests. If you dislike a certain TV show, do not join the fanclub for that TV show in order to argue about why you don't like it—that is not what it's for. Likewise, if you cannot positively conduct yourself in the LGBT club, stay out of it. Playing devil's advocate here and there is fine but if all you can say are bad things, there will be trouble. That said, if you are looking to discuss a certain topic but don't necessarily have good things to say about it, consider making a thread about it in its matching forum where all kinds of opinions and discussions are encouraged.

Creating a Club

Threads are moderated in this forum. That means a moderator has to approve a club before it becomes visible to the public. In order to maximize your chances of getting your club approved, please try to follow this checklist:

• Is my club unrelated to Pokémon?
  This forum is for miscellaneous clubs. If you would like to make a club about anything in the Pokémon fandom, please use Pokémon Clubs.
• Does my club already exist?
  Before submitting your club, look through the forum to ensure your club has not already been made. If it does exist, use the previous thread. If the owner of the existing club has not posted in the club in a month AND you are an active contributor to the club, you may ask to become the new owner. (You may request to have ownership of the old thread transferred to you or, if you prefer, you can make a brand new thread and have the old one closed with a redirection to the new one.)
• Is my club too broad or too specific?
  It can be hard to pin down exactly what the best breadth is for topics in Other Clubs but generally, try to keep the club to one topic and try not to be too specific with your club. Clubs with multiple topics can get confusing and it becomes too hard to juggle discussion fairly between the topics. On the other hand, if a thread is too specific, there won't be enough interest. Here are some examples:
  • Too Broad: Super Mario Bros & Legend of Zelda Club, TV Sitcoms
  • Too Specific: Luigi Fanclub, Sheldon Fanclub,
  • Just Right: Legend of Zelda Club, Big Bang Theory Club
• Where is the best fit for my club?
  Recently there's been some argument over Other Clubs taking potential activity from other forums so to help stop that: consider Other Clubs as the place for constant fans of an interest. If all you're looking for is a place to talk about the latest chapter of a currently-running manga, try making a thread in Japanese Entertainment since that's something that anyone keeping up with the series can jump into whether they have a lot of invested interest or not. If you want a place where fans can come up with theories, discuss their background in an interest, and socialize all at the same time, Other Clubs will be a better fit. This question isn't a requirement for creating a club, per se, but take a look around at other clubs and see if the atmosphere matches what you want in your thread.
• Is my club positive?
  This is a pretty simple one. No anti-clubs here. Don't badmouth other clubs/interests/ideas when making your club. Make sure anyone will feel welcome no matter what their interests are.
  If you are unsure about whether a topic will be appropriate, feel free to contact the moderator of the forum (listed on the forum view or at the bottom of this thread) to get their opinion.

Maintaining a Club

Now that you've created a club, it's important to stick with it to keep it active and successful. Here are some tips to help you do that and attract members.

• Spend time on your first post
  The first post in a club is everyone's first impression of it. Don't skimp! A guide for creating an opening post is included in the next post of this thread but generally you want to make sure that your post is easy to read and not too long. CSS or BB Code is not required by any means, but it can be very helpful in dividing your post and making it attractive.
• Keep discussion flowing in your club
  This is the most important part of maintaining a club. As the owner of the club, it is your job to make sure that the club stays alive. If you notice people aren't very enthusiastic about the current topic, come up with a new one. If people are being excluded, try to steer the discussion in a direction that can include them. If someone is breaking rules or making the club atmosphere uncomfortable, take them aside and tell them to stop or inform a moderator who can help. You are in charge of your club and it is up to you to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome as well as to foster new discussion.
• Don't forget about your club
  This kind of goes without saying but try your best not to forget about your club! If you don't post in over a month, your club could change ownership to someone else. (If you are still active on PC but not in your club, an attempt will likely be made to contact you about the transfer but this is not guaranteed.)

Questions and Wrap-Up

As always, all forum-wide rules must be followed here unless otherwise stated. If anyone is acting out of line, report the post and a moderator will get to it as soon as possible.

Feel free to contact the current moderator if you have any of the following questions/concerns:

• You have a question regarding a certain club
• Your club hasn't appeared in over 24 hours and you want to know why
• You want to make a club but don't know how to start
• You have a question/suggestion about how Other Clubs is run
• Any further questions about these rules or the forum

Current Moderator: Shining Raichu