With the recent discovery of the Lightsaber item in Animal Crossing City Folk/Lets go to the City, the staff have been discussing this item along with any future items made like this and have come to the following decision.

If an item is not obtained through normal in game means, and has been modded by someone and traded around, it is considered a hacked item. Our rules state that exchanging hacked items/seeds are not allowed on ACC. As such, from this point onwards, any threads asking for these items will be locked under rule 3.8 Discussing/Exchanging Hacked Seeds.
A modded item is one that you cannot get through normal means in the game, like buying from Nooks, or obtaining from another special character.
If you have a thread in which you are trading these items, we ask that you please either lock it, or in the case of giveaways, no longer provide this item.

We have included all previous Rule announcements in this thread that we feel are the most important. All other announcements have been removed from the board.

Summary of previous rule updates

Flood Control - Active
In another effort to help combat the spam problem we have set up a flood control on the boards. If you try to post too many threads or posts on the boards this is the message that you will get:

We're sorry, but members are only allowed to post new threads once every 60 seconds, and new posts once every 5 seconds.

We may tweak these settings but for now those are what we have it set at; 60 seconds between threads and 5 seconds between posts.

Thanks to all who were involved in the discussions.

If you have any questions please ask on the Site Support board.

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Exchanging Nintendo Wii Virtual Console Games
Just a quick announcement regarding the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo released an update to the Wii Shop Channel that enables people to give Virtual Console (VC) games as gifts. Given the fact that these games cost real money, we are not permitting the exchange of VC games, WiiWare games or any other Wii Shop items anywhere on ACC.

Wii Shop Channel Gift Feature

Thanks.

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New Member Posting Restrictions
In an effort to combat the recent spam problems, we have implemented posting restrictions on new accounts. Starting 12/03/2007 the following probationary period has been put into place on new accounts:

Signup - 24 hours: Read Only status
24 hours - 1 week: 2 threads and 10 posts per day (public & private)
1 week - 2 weeks: 10 threads and 20 posts per day (public & private)

We want to extend a thank you to all of those who posted their thoughts regarding the spamming problems on both the Site Support and Site Suggestions boards. Hopefully these new restrictions will help to stop the flow of spam that's been appearing on the boards recently.



Thanks.

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New Member Posting Restrictions - Updated
After much discussion amongst the staff and based on feedback received from the Site Support discussions we have taken away the PT restriction for new members. PTs are now unlimited as they were before the probation period was put into place. The updated restrictions on new accounts are as follows:

Signup - 24 hours: Read Only status on public boards
24 hours - 1 week: 2 threads and 10 posts per day (public boards only)
1 week - 2 weeks: 10 threads and 20 posts per day (public boards only)

As before we will continue to monitor things and make adjustments if they become necessary.

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An explanation of the points system
There has been some confusion regarding the points system so we thought a little clarification was necessary.

* If you commit a level 3, 4 or 5 violation, you will automatically receive a short, long or permanent ban respectively.

* If you have no points or fewer points that the level of violation you commit, you will automatically receive the same number of points as the level of violation you committed. This means that even if you have no previous offences and you commit a level 3, 4 or 5 violation you will receive a short, long or permanent ban respectively.

* If you have some points and you commit a level 0, 1 or 2 violation, additional points may be added to your record but this decision is based on your previous offences.  If you persistently commit violations of this level then you will receive a short ban.  Also, if you return from the ban and continue to commit violations of this level you will receive a long ban and then, if you still continue, a permanent ban.

* If you have already had a short ban and commit a further level 3 violation, you will receive either a further short ban or a long ban.  If after the ban you continue to break the rules you will be issued with a permanent ban.

*If you have already had a long ban and commit a further level 4 violation, you will receive either a further long ban or a permanent ban.

Please post any further questions you have about this on the Site Support Board.  Thanks.

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Reporting Non Family-Friendly Ads
The Google ads on ACC are ideally driven by the content on the page they appear on, and are usually family friendly.  However, since we can't dictate which ads appear, there are unfortunately times that an ad is not family friendly.  We have the ability to filter these ads out of ACC, but only if you guys let us know when they appear.

Whenever you run across an ad that you feel is not family friendly,  please send these using this link.  The only thing we need is the web address that appears under the ad.  

Please make sure that your message to us contains only the web address, for example:

"http://www.somebadsite.com/somepage.asp"

If an address is not shown under the ad (for example, image ads), please right-click the ad, select "Copy Shortcut", and paste the address into your message to us.

Note that due to Google's process for filtering ads, it may take a few days before the ad is removed from ACC after we add it to our filter.  Also note, that any PTs sent directly to staff members regarding this may get overlooked, so please only use the link above to report ads that are not family friendly.

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New Process for Sending Nominations
The process for nominating members for ACC staff positions has changed.  Instead of sending PTs directly to the staff, please start sending these using this link.  

Please read the following notes before submitting:

• Please be sure to replace the "(enter username here)" text in the topic with the user you are nominating.

• Any nominations sent directly to staff members through PTs may be overlooked.  

• This is not for nominating yourself -- any nominations of yourself will be ignored and deleted.

• Also, please be aware that while we appreciate your feedback, you will not receive a response when sending these.

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Note regarding "chain letter" type content in profiles
Profiles are generally provided so you can tell other members about yourself. Recently, we've been finding chain letters contained in them. We view chain letters -- defined as a story that demands the reader retell or spread the story -- as spam and will delete them on sight.

Chain letters are usually not destructive, but since most contain misleading, inaccurate, or false information (and some even demand money),  we've decided they are more harmful than good.

If you have questions about your profile, use the "Report a Problem" button from your profile, and the staff will check.

Two examples follow:

"John Doe is in the hospital with [insert illness here].  He only has a short while to live.  However, if you copy and paste this into your profile, [some charitable organization] will donate money for his recovery."

"[Insert company name here] is handing out $100 to the first 10,000 people that post this in their profile.  Try it -- it really works!!"

Thanks in advance for your co-operation in this.

Also, as a side note, chain letter emails in general (or any email that asks you to forward it to someone else), are almost always false.  They are almost always worded in a way that convinces its readers that it is accurate and true and should be forwarded.  There are many sites whose purpose is to educate people of these false chain letters and hoaxes.  One site I frequently visit when suspecting a hoax is Snopes.com (specifically, this section).  If you receive an email that you suspect may be a hoax, check out sites like this first, and you can help stop the spread of such hoaxes by educating others when receiving them.

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Looking to WiFi with other members of a controversial topic group
While we are all for making sure everyone finds WiFi friends with similar interests, we have noticed an increase in the number of threads that are also looking for controversial classifications of people. Starting on Saturday, March 7, we will be locking threads that are asking to WiFi with people who are of a similar controversial classification (religion, sexuality, politics, etc). The public boards are not the place for introducing controversial topics.

You may still mention controversial topics in your profile as long as you are not breaking the other rules of ACC. A simple statement such as, "Looking for (insert controversial group/topic) for WiFi" would be perfect for the profile but you are free to use your imagination on how you want to state it. You may also suggest that people read your profile when you are looking for similarly minded people to visit via WiFi.

We haven't changed any of the rules. We're just going to be more vigilent on making sure that everyone has an equal chance to have fun.

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AC:CF Items
Today we have added the AC:CF Items to ACC.  You can find these listed under the Gameplay section by clicking the AC:CF Items link.  You can also set up your AC:CF characters with the AC:CF items.

This is the first phase of getting the AC:CF items set up.  There is a lot of optional information that we will try to add gradually, as well as possibly getting some missing images added.  But until then, you can at least set up your catalog and print out checklists.

If you have any questions or corrections, just let us know on the Site Support board.

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New AC:CF Avatars!
We have just added new avatars for AC:CF characters.  You can get to these by updating your avatar, and selecting either "AC:CF Custom Avatars" or "AC:CF Landscape Avatars".  There are a total of 87 new avatars, including both human and animal avatars.

Much thanks to prshack and the rest of the staff for putting these together.

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Official Animal Crossing Art thread
Due to the amount of Animal Crossing art that is being created, we have decided to make an Official AC Art thread.
You can find the Official Art thread here. We have also created a separate AC Request thread here.

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Official universal Do Not Contact lists
After discussions with the Staff and SIC, we have created two 'Do Not Contact' lists. This list are for those members that do not wish to be contacted by giveways or Service Clubs. You may place you name in either thread, or both, if you do not wish to be contacted by them. Youmay remove you name at a later date if you wish. These lists are to be followed all Giveways and Service Clubs at all times. Failure to do so, may result in PT's being locked under rule 1.12 - Harassing others.
Here are the two Official Do No Contact lists:

Service Clubs DNC list
Giveaways DNC list

The first post in these two threads will be updated with the list of members that do not wish to be contacted.

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Important announcement regarding passwords
It has come to our attention recently that some members have had their passwords reset and accounts taken over. We strongly suggest that any member that has recently used any site other than http://www.animalcrossingcommunity.com to access ACC, change your password immediately. We are doing our best to contain this situation.

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Official Nintendo News and Updates (EU/UK version)
For some time we have had an Official Nintendo news threads for the US, we are now starting a Europe/UK based thread. This will feature news straight from the Nintendo UK site.
Visit the Official Nintendo News and Updates thread (UK/EU version)

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Concerning the Nintendo Connection Ambassador Promotion in the UK and Europe
Recently, Nintendo of Europe launched a service where members could recommend others to connect to Nintendo's WiFi connection and they would receive free Nintendo points and VC games, called Connection Ambassador Promotion.
As with trading of VC games, we are NOT allowing any members to advertise or get referrals through ACC. Anyone found doing so, we have the posts removed.

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Rule regarding social networking site
After some discussion, we have decided to relax the rule on mentioning and linking to social networking sites.
We have decided that members will be allowed to mention social networking sites from now on. However, the rule for linking to them still remains.
You will be allowed to mention names, such as facebook and myspace, but linking to your own page or naming them is still not allowed.

The rule will be updated accordingly, but may still show as it is for a while. Please only report post that are linking to these pages from now on.

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ACC on Facebook
After some discussion, we have decided to expand ACC into the realms of Facebook, through our new ACC fan page on Facebook:

http://facebook.com/animalcrossingcommunity

Also, a button has been added to the top of the site to access the fan page.

For now, the goal of this page will be:

- To help expose ACC to other Facebook members who may not know about ACC
- To serve as a means to keep ACC members engaged off site
- To serve as a backup method for communicating site issues to ACC members

At first, the page will only be open to admins for posting updates -- no members will be able to post.  Later, we may consider opening it up to other fans to post on the wall and hold discussions.  Admins will mainly post ACC announcements on the fan page, and possibly other special Facebook-related announcements.  We will also post updates when the site may be down.

We are also going to start looking into ways for sharing ACC content on Facebook, through this page, and also through Facebook Connect or Share links.  For example, ACC members who have Facebook accounts may be able to share patterns once they are created, to their Facebook account with a link back to their pattern on ACC.  This is just one example though, just to give you an idea of the possibilities.

Please note, though, that this does not affect our policy with posting Facebook links on the forums -- this is still not allowed, since we are not able to monitor or control Facebook content other than the ACC fan page.  However, as we continue to explore the possibilities with integrating with Facebook, we may consider making adjustments to the rules.

Also be aware that Facebook does not allow registration to members under 13.  However, even if you're not a member of Facebook, you will be able to bookmark and monitor the Facebook page for updates.

Hopefully this will help give the community a boost, and help spawn even more interaction.  If you have any questions on this, please post them on the Site Support board.

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Markup and Posting Advice for Giveaways, Shops, Hotels, Service Clubs, Recruitment and Quiz Threads
In order to help reduce the amount of tickets submitted for those working in Giveaways and various Services and also to help all members to better understand what does or doesn't constitute an abuse of markup and/or thread bumping, the Mods and Admins have decided to create a Sticky on both the Giveaway and Service Club Boards.  

Any Giveaway or Service such as Landscaping, Shop and Hotel, may use these sticky threads to get advice on their markup templates. Other members may follow the threads to get a better idea of how to best utilize markup in their own posts. These threads are specifically for Giveaways and Services.  Details of how to fully utilize these threads is contained in their respective opening posts.  

We've also noticed that specific Giveaway/Service Club members have been targeted by certain other members and have had all their giveaway/service club posts reported for markup abuse or thread bumping. The ACC Staff does not tolerate such behavior and considers it Malicious Reporting. Anyone found to deliberately target a member by frequently reporting their job-related posts will receive a Harassment notification.  The ACC Staff has and does work with members to correct their markup abuse/bumping so there is no need to go and report every single post.

Much of the information regarding thread bumping, posting of information and markup have already been set out in Guidelines on the Giveaways Board, the Service Clubs Board and also Section 6b of the guide on the Site Support Board.

We are hoping that the assistance given in these two new threads will go a long way to creating fairness on the Giveaways and Service Clubs boards.

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RSS on ACC
Even though RSS has been around for years (before ACC was launched), we finally have decided to integrate it into ACC.  Now you can subscribe to any forum using your favorite RSS reader!

At the top of ACC is a new RSS button which links to the announcements RSS feed.  And on the forums page, there is a smaller RSS button next to each forum where you can view (and subscribe to) the RSS feed for that forum.

If you're wondering what RSS is, and why they are used, you can read more about this in the link below.

Why are we adding RSS to ACC?  There are a few reasons.

One reason is to help members stay engaged more with ACC, especially when they don't feel like constantly visiting ACC.  For members that may not visit as frequently as others, this will help them stay updated, and possibly draw them back to ACC.

It can also help active members stay more in tune with new topics created on their favorite forums.  Think of it as a compliment to the My Favorite Boards feature.

If you have any questions or general comments about this, please let us know on the Site Support forum.

For more info about RSS:
What is RSS?

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Regarding Advertising on ACC
There have been a few updates regarding advertising on ACC that I wanted to share with everyone.  But I want to first explain a little why I host advertisements on ACC.

When ACC was started, I had no intentions of it growing to the size it has today.  It was going to just be a little side hobby, and probably last a year or so.  However, it soon began to grow... and grow.  And later, it outgrew the "free" hosting, and that's when donations and ads were introduced.  Donations and ads now play a big part in keeping the site up and running smoothly and free to members.

And while donations will always go to support the costs and upkeep of ACC, the revenue from advertising supplements donations in supporting the site, and also helps provide a side income to me, sort of like a second job. As advertising continues to grow, I may someday be able earn a dedicated living to building and supporting ACC and other sites like it.

Of course, there are limits to what I allow on ACC regarding advertisements:

- Only family-friendly ads
- No pop-up or pop-under ads
- No audio ads

So with that in mind, consider that as you read over the following changes and requests regarding advertisements on ACC:

Dropping Adtegrity as an ad provider

Due to the recent complaints about our Adtegrity ads causing viruses, and their lack of filtering to block inappropriate ads, we have decided to drop Adtegrity as an ad provider, and go back to Google Adsense where they have a better reputation, and provide more control over the ads being shown.

Advertise on ACC

We are now opening our advertisement opportunities to accept applications directly from third parties to advertise on ACC.  This will not only allow us to ensure we are serving more family friendly ads, but will also allow us to directly partner with other sites that are much more relevant to ACC, and much more interesting to our members.

If you own a web site that you would like to advertise on ACC, follow our new "Advertising" link under the "About ACC" section of the menu.  Also, if you know anyone that has a family-friendly web site that you feel is relevant and interesting for our members, please pass along this information to them.

Help keep ads family-friendly

We will always have some percentage of ads that will come from Adsense, even if we start to gain direct support from third-party advertisers.  Therefore, we need the help of the community to help make sure these ads remain family-friendly.  If you find ads that are not family-friendly, please report them to us and we will block any ads we determine are not family-friendly.

Consider unblocking ads

As the popularity of ad blockers increases, the effectiveness of our ads decreases.  While I completely understand and respect the annoyance some members have with online advertising, consider unblocking advertising on ACC.  As stated above, I try to keep advertisement relevant and family-friendly, and do not want to advertise in a way that offends the members of ACC.  Even if you don't click advertisements, some ads only require the ad to be visible to earn revenue, so you may have an impact even if you don't think you do. Also, keep this in mind on any site you may visit that you enjoy (unless, of course, you feel they go overboard).

Thank you, and if you have any questions regarding this, please use this thread on the Site Support forum.

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Fanfic board and Fanfic competitions
After much discussion, we have made the following decisions on what types of fanfic competitions may be run on the public boards.

Fanfic competitions that are offering prizes (either in-game prizes or keyboard art or similar) should go on the Contests Board. Fanfic competitions that are not offering any prizes are not allowed on the public boards, and must be run via PT's. No Fanfic competitions are to be posted on the Fanfic board, they will be locked. Normal Fanfics are still to on the Fanfic board.

We kindly ask that if you have one of these fanfic competitions, please make sure that it is on the correct board. If you think yours may need moving, please contact a moderator and we will discuss/move it.
If you have a fanfic competition that is not giving prizes at all, please lock this and continue it via a PT.

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