Rules and Guidelines for the board.

Here at the Citadel we aim to hold show ideas to a higher standard than was/is usual elsewhere. The following is an outline to the way ideas should be written;

1; Write in plain English, use a spell check, reasonable grammar, punctuation and so on. You want to make your post easy to read. No one expects you to be perfect - we all make mistakes and typos from time to time - but do the best you can.

If you can't be bothered to even attempt to write in plain English no one will bother to read it.

If English is not your first language please note this from the start. We'll be more impressed that you made the effort than bothered about mistakes.

2; Please use the search function AND look at the episode lists provided elsewhere before posting to make sure that your idea has not been submitted or tested on the show before.

Also note the banned ideas list - something's Mythbusters will not consider doing.

3; Have a title that fits the idea - 'Myth' or 'New Myth' ect tells people nothing about the idea. You do not have to come up with a catchy 'Mythbusters' type title.

4; This is a discussion board, meaning that people are free to comment on what they think of ideas.

Don't be offended or complain if people don't think your idea is the best ever, or tell you it is unsuitable/not testable for the show. Getting different points of view is helpful, and on occasion can lead to a different take on an original idea that is interesting or valid.

Likewise, don't get disheartened if people don't comment. Sometimes ideas are so straightforward, or the original post contains all the relevant information, that there is little to add.

5; If commenting on an idea keep things civil and helpful. 'This is a dumb idea' is not really helpful, nor is 'you are an idiot' - even if that might be justified on occasion. If you have nothing positive to say don't say anything.

6; Start an idea with a line or paragraph that outlines the idea, for example 'What really happens if poo hits a fan?' or 'Could you really make a car entirely out of wood?'

Then you can move on to discussing the idea in more detail, including here links to evidence that support the idea from reputable sites - wilkipedia is fine IF the entry in question has links to other sites.

If you have some idea as to how an idea could be tested include this at the end.

We want to see evidence in a thread that you have considered the idea in some depth before posting it.

7; When posting ideas keep in mind that Mythbusters have a limited budget, 7-10 days to film segments, need to have a strong visual element to myths and have to be able to run experiments safely. They are also not qualified in many areas, and while they don't mind bringing in experts when they have to, they don't want ideas where the experts would end up overshadowing the cast or taking over.

8; There is no reason to be impressed or intimidated by the status, post count or karma of other members. It is not a symbol of anyone here being more or less worth than you. If you have something worthwhile to contribute, we'll all gladly listen.

Do NOT post aimlessly to "improve" your own status. It's better to post few but good things and be a respected minion than to post endless strings of meaningless stuff and be a hated senior member.

{Thanks to OziRiS for that addition}

The ranking/status system is meant to be a bit of tongue in cheek fun, and should not be taken as being offensive. As noted above it is not symbolic of an individuals 'worth' on the board. It is just a measure of the number of posts they have made.