Continuing our review of our board guidelines, the focus here is on Ratings. Are they really that important? Simply put: Yes, they are very important, and for several reasons.

First, they enhance the readers' enjoyment of the site and your stories by allowing them to begin a story with realistic expectations. For example, when they see a "G" or "PG" rating, they can be confident that they won't be surprised by dramatically violent or sexual scenes.

There is another very important reason for our ratings system. We want to limit the possibility of a minor having a chance encounter with unsuitable material, and we want the parents of our younger members to be comfortable with their interaction on this site. Laws concerning online material are continually being revised and rewritten, and the ultimate responsibility rests with the authors to properly rate their material. Because of the seriousness of this issue, the Administrators and Moderators of this site take ratings very seriously.

You may wonder about the ratings we use here on RFF. Ratings and their meanings vary from country to country. Because this site is based in the United States, we use a modification of the US Movie Industry rating system: G, PG, PG13 and PG17*

*PG17 does not exist in movie ratings, and should not be confused with NC17, which is a stricter rating than R. We have created PG17 to encompass work in which sexual or violent situations may be present, but only in a vague, non-descriptive manner. It allows our writers to present stories of a mature nature in the main forums, as long as they do not contain the graphic depictions normally found in "R" rated material.

We do not allow erotica, slash, bi-sexual or same-sex pairings, or violence against minors. Stories or scenes that cross the line are removed at the discretion of the Admin and Mod Team.

We encourage everyone to review our Ratings Guidelines every once in a while to keep their meaning and importance fresh and top of mind. We tend to be very conservative in this area, but for very good reasons. Anyone who has questions about these guidelines may PM a member of the Admin or Mod Teams for clarification. We're always here and happy to help!

Admin/Mod Team