Honestly, there are a lot of rules on Mylot. You need to understand them before starting any discussions. You do not want to lose your account because you broke a rule and this is one of the top reasons members lose their account. Don’t be frightened by all the fine print. This post will explain everything and soon you will be an expert in no time. Another good place to look for information is the FAQ menu located at the very bottom of the screen on any Mylot page. Once you learn the ins/outs of Mylot, it will be so easy and lots of fun making new friends and earning money at the same time.
1. Please take warnings from Mylot staff seriously
This rule is self explanatory but there are many rogue members who seem to think the rules don't apply to them. Spend enough time on Mylot and you will definitely learn quickly who the rule breakers are. They are rude, have no online etiquette and will sometimes tell you outright they don't care about the rules. If you don't want to risk losing your account, it's best to stay away from these rule breakers. So how many warnings do you get from Mylot staff? Who knows but why take any chances.
2. Help Mylot - send abuse reports
Well you already know about troublemakers but what are trolls and flame wars? Webster’s dictionary defines a troll as a folklore dwarf creature that lives under bridges but this is not the troll we are talking about however the troll on the internet certainly behaves just like that fairytale creature. A troll is a person who deliberately sets out to offend others. They will say all kinds of hateful things to make others angry, that is their only goal. When you continue to engage in this somewhat hostile discussion, it then becomes a flame war (heated discussion). There is no real discussion, just insults flying back and forth and both sides trying to get their point across. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing with other members, but be respectful to one another. Mylot does not like trolls and flame wars and encourages us to report them.
3. Help out when you can
The Mylot staff tries to monitor the site constantly, but they also need your eyes and ears. Mylot in a way is making us all junior deputies. We are all responsible citizens in this online community and we all share the burden of keeping our town safe. There are Mylot moderators who constantly monitor the forum and they delete posts that break the rules, warn members when they are doing something wrong or you may even get a private message from a moderator. Just one caution, don't confuse moderator with helping Mylot out. It is not your job to monitor the forum and go around pointing the finger at every member. This type of behavior enrages members and soon you will have a bad reputation. What is the point of being a Mylot member if no one wants to join any of your discussions? If you can phrase the offensive behavior to the member in a friendly manner, then go ahead and let the member know. That is a way of sharing your Mylot knowledge. If however the member is offended by your finger pointing, then please leave that member alone and just report the matter to Mylot. Understand the difference now?
4. Rate for Mylot reputation system
Not only can you start discussions on Mylot but members get to grade each other. The Mylot discussion rating system is very easy to understand but should not be taken lightly. Read the post (or view photo). If you find the post or photo useful, then click on the (+) sign to give the post or photo a positive rating. If you do not feel the post or photo was useful, then click on the (-) sign to give the post or photo a negative rating. If you have no strong opinions either way, you should not rate the post or photo. Many actions are indeed “neutral” and should not be rated at all. If you feel the post or photo violates the Mylot community guidelines, then click on the (!) sign to report the abuse to Mylot staff. The discussion rating system is private to all members. Mylot feels this keeps the rating system objective and better for the members. If you disagree with a member in a discussion, this has nothing to do with the rating of that post. Do not use the rating system to harm other members. Mylot actively monitors the ratings to identify and prevent inappropriate ratings.
5. Search before starting discussions
The best way not to break this rule, is by doing a search of your topic before posting. It's ok to discuss the same topic. There are over 240,000 Mylot members so there is no way you won't run into some overlap. However bring something new to the table for that specific topic. Here is an example. Say the discussion is about American Idol and how much everyone enjoyed this year's season finale. You can start a post about comparing all the season finallies and what everyone liked about them. See the difference? American Idol is still the main topic but the agenda of the discussion has changed. Another way to avoid breaking this rule is by choosing interest categories and posting in those forums. This way, you get to monitor the different discussions and know when someone has posted a similar topic you want to discuss.
6. Always give quality responses
If you don't know how to respond, did your mother ever tell you the phrase “if you can't find something nice to say then don't say anything at all?” Well Mylot pays its members for discussions so it's ok to disagree with others. However you do not have to answer every single post you see, especially if you have no good response to the post. Phrases like “I don't know, who cares, wish I could help” or any comment that does not help the poster in any way is simply useless. Mylot does not pay for these types of posts so why waste your time? Find another topic where you have something useful to contribute. Like I mentioned above, there are a lot of rules on Mylot and these are just a few. Please take the time to learn these rules so you don't risk losing your account.
