Teen rules for blogs and boards

One of the sites we were to evaluate was the Gameblog of the St. Joseph County Public Library. This is a very lively blog, with an active discussion board, apparently moderated by two staff members who seem very much in tune with their patrons.

I was struck by the sensible list of rules that one of the moderators set forth in an initial post to the discussion board. Despite evidence that the rules are enforced, resulting in many participants being "banned" either for a period of time, or, for more serious infractions, permanently, the gamers seem to accept it philosophically.

The rules are:

#1 Be nice and we won't kick you out.

#2 I have a feeling that none of you are new to boards, but if you have any questions, feel free to IM or email me.

#3 Avatars can't be larger than 80x80 and 6k.

#4 Signatures are allowed, but please keep the graphics down to 150px high or 500px wide. Also, don't go nuts. Keep it to 2 images max. You can always change it later.

#5 Do not directly link to an image that isn't yours. It's called bandwidth theft and it's not nice. Try using ImageShack, PhotoBucket, or AllYouCanUpload.

#6 Right now there is no #6, so check back here often so we don't have to say, "I told ya so!"