By registering an account with TheOtaku.com, you hereby agree to abide by the following Terms and Conditions:
SITE GUIDELINES
I. Properly Commenting
UNIVERSAL RULES:
Comments at theOtaku should always be PG-13 or below, excessive use of swearing can result in action up to and including freezing and banning.
No hateful language. Be nice.
Double check all spelling and grammar. You might lose your posting privileges if you post high-quality comments with awful style. (e.g. "Thsi peace is a werk of negatife beauty, espexially the downard looking brush st8kes.")
No posting for the sole reason of promoting your own sites/contests.
No "I'm first" comments. (e.g. "Yay! I'm the first to comment.")
No flaming (fighting with another member), trolling (upsetting people for personal entertainment) or baiting (saying things to lead a member into a confrontation).
SUBMISSIONS:
(i.e. Comments made on people's fan works)
All comments must be respectful to the individual.
If you dislike a fan work, please state what you dislike in a constructive manner that will help the submitter improve that fan work. If you can't make comments that can help the submitter improve, then don't make any comments at all. (e.g. "I think you should spend a little time rounding out the face" versus "lol this piece reminds me of a toilet")
If you notice the submitter has plagiarized a work or believe the work to not have the quality necessary to be in our database, quietly report the work including as much detail as you can. Do not attempt to get into a flame war with the submitter (e.g. "YOU JERK! YOU PLAGIARIZED THIS!"), or you might get into trouble as well.
If you are unsure or need some help with how to report something, just follow the instructions in this post here: Reporting A Plagiarized Submission
Do not leave comments that only communicate a positive reaction to the work (e.g. "Awesome!"). Hugs serve that purpose. Only comment if you'd like to mention something specific that you like or think could be improved.
MYOTAKU/ WORLDS:
All comments must be respectful to the myOtaku/ Worlds user.
All comments should be in response to specific posts. If you'd like to leave a general note to the user, please use the person's guestbook or our private messaging system.
No comments / guestbook entries can consist entirely of: "I added you as a friend, can you add me as a friend too?" Make friends by having intelligent conversations, not by just spamming people about it.
THEOTAKU.COM:
All comments must be exceptionally well-formatted and must offer a reasonable reaction to the post. This is our most strictly moderated area.
II. Properly Submitting Works
UNIVERSAL:
Visual fan works cannot be pornographic or depict any sort of detailed nudity (e.g. exposed breasts). Written posts cannot delineate any erotic content.
Submissions for Wallpapers and E-Cards can consist of modified screen shots (or official artwork / manga scans) or your own artwork, but cannot include the artwork of others. This is plagiarism.
FAN ART:
Artwork cannot be traced. Otherwise, we would have hundreds of pieces that look exactly the same. Vectored work is permitted so long as it is well done and properly tagged as such. Otherwise, it will be deleted.
Deleting and re-submitting artwork in the hopes of getting a better ranking is strictly prohibited.
Common problems for rejected fan art: (1) The picture is blurry (2) The picture is clearly plagiarized (3) The image is distorted (4) The image is a collage (5) The image looks too generic, like it was copied directly or traced. (6) The image has too much white space.
Anything more than kissing or hugging between two characters is strictly not allowed.
WALLPAPERS:
Wallpapers can consist of modified screen shots (or official artwork / manga scans) or your own artwork, but cannot include the artwork of others. This is plagiarism.
Wallpapers cannot simply be a collage of cut-and-pasted screen shots. This requires no artistic skill.
Wallpapers should include your myOtaku/ theOtaku name somewhere on them. Plagiarism is very rampant in this section, so we need extra assurance that you didn't copy and paste it from another site.
GREETINGS:
Include some sort of greeting (e.g. a poem, witty comment, or slogan).
Greetings cannot include a photo of any kind.
Text on greeting cards must be placed so as not to block important parts of the image. Text must be easy to see - do not use hard-to-read or clashing colors.
Text on greeting cards must be well-formatted with absolutely no spelling or grammar errors.
NEWS NUGGETS:
News Nuggets must be exceptionally well-written. If you're not sure how to start, then take a moment to read this guide: How to Write a News Nugget
QUIZZES:
Quizzes must be well-written, with proper grammar and spelling.
Quiz result images must be easy-to-read and high-quality.
Quiz results may not include the artwork of others or be made by someone else.
If it's not being accepted please check this FAQ: Why Aren't You Approving My Quiz?! to make sure you're preparing it properly.
III. myOtaku/ Worlds Guidelines
Members of must be at least 13 years of age.
Members may not sign guestbooks, send private messages, or post comments on other people's sites with the sole purpose of advertising their own sites.
Members may not post links to illegal content on their myOtaku/ World homepages, including links to warez, illegal mp3s, ROMS, emulators, or any other copy-protected material.
Members cannot host any type of commercial advertising on their sites. This includes, but is not limited to: banner ads, pop-up ads, or forced spyware downloads.
Members may not link to, source, or distribute any pornographic material on their sites. This includes, but is not limited to: artwork, photographs, or erotic literature.
Members may not harass any other member through blog posts.
Members may not create sites designed to disrupt a viewer's browsing experience. All myOtaku/ World sites must be in "good taste", as determined by staff.
IV. Chat Guidelines
COMMUNITY CHAT:
TheOaku's Chatroom is designed to let members hang out and discuss any topic of their choosing: current or classic anime, industry news, or just life in general. The Chatroom Lobby is open to anyone who has been a member for at least one month.
Due to the nature of chat, proper spelling and grammar are NOT required. Conversations in the Lobby must always be PG-13 in content. Members who wish to discuss more mature topics should limit their conversations to private chat, and are also encouraged to create their own password-protected room. Any explicit content, such as material of pornographic nature or cybering, is not allowed anywhere, including private chat or passworded rooms.
Members use the Chatroom to relax and have fun. Hateful or malicious conduct—including flaming, baiting, or hazing—is not allowed. Access to the Chatroom is a privilege. Any member caught abusing the service will have their Chatroom access revoked, and may have their entire account terminated.
V. Bans
A member may be permanently banned from theOtaku if a senior staff member deems it appropriate.
Any member found helping a banned member evade said ban may also be permanently banned from theOtaku.
