Announcement: How to be a good forum member

Subject: Announcement: How to be a good forum member Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:46 pm

Forum Netiquette

Here are some guidelines and recommendations that will make these discussion forums a friendlier and more useful place.

Lurk for a While

Hanging
out and just reading the material on the forums without posting is
known as "lurking." It's a good idea to lurk for a while before you jump
in with both feet. Reading the material here helps you get to know the
people who post here, the type of questions. answers and comments that
are commonly made, and the general way things operate.

Know What You're Doing

Take
the time to learn how to use the forums before you wade in. Read the
FAQ's, Guidelines, and have a look at the forum setup. It's pretty
simple, but you should know what you're doing before you start posting.

Be Friendly

Your
demeanour and behaviour sets the mood of these forums. If you're
friendly, others will be more inclined to join and participate. We'd all
much rather hang out in a friendly place than with a bunch of grouches.

Don't Flame

Flaming
is engaging in personal attacks on the web. It's very important to
remember at all times to argue the point rather than attacking the
person that made the point. Debates (even heated, vociferous debates)
are welcomed - personal attacks are not. You won't win any converts to
your way of thinking by insulting another person. Use persuasion, not
confrontation.

Don't Over-Use Emoticons

Really - one smiley will do. You don't need a string of twenty.

Free Speech Law Does not Apply

We're
not being arbitrary, or petty dictators here, and we very rarely would
censor a post, but it's true - free speech laws don't apply here. This
isn't a public square where you can stand on a soapbox and say whatever
you want - it's a privately owned forum and we as owners and moderators
have the right to establish limits and set policies regarding posting
here. Your involvement and participation is a privilege, not a right

Recognize Cultural and Linguistic Differences

We
tend to think of all posters to these forums as being from our neck of
the woods. Remember that the Internet is a global medium, and the person
asking that question could be from Afghanistan or Australia just as
easily as they could be from Canada or the USA. The English language is
widely used, but it's not universal. Be sensitive to cultural
differences, weaknesses in the ability to express oneself in written
language and differences in terminology.

Share Your Expertise

That's
what it's all about - it's the reason these forums exists. If someone
asks a question, and you have an answer, please take the time to provide
that information in as much detail as possible.

Don't Expect an Instantaneous Reply

People
don't sit around here watching the forums so that they can provide
information instantly. You'll probably get an answer to your question,
but it may not happen within an hour.

Mind Your Manners

Remember
when your mom forced you to call Grandma to say thank you for the
birthday present she sent? Well, we're being Mom here. Say "thank you"
if someone helps you out. Really, it's not considered a waste of
bandwidth. If someone takes the time to provide useful information to
you, take the time to thank them.

Keep it Family-Friendly

We're
not prudes - but we like to think of this site as family friendly. You
don't need vulgarity to prove your point. Nobody's going to gasp and get
upset if you say "shit in the bush" instead of "defacate in the
forest," but we really don't like to see inappropriately vulgar language
or smutty content. Your tolerance level may be far higher to this type
of thing than other visitors, so it's best to err on the side of
caution.

We Don't All Have to Agree

If you have the type
of personality that drives you to sway everyone to your way of thinking,
you'll go crazy here. If people disagree with your way of thinking,
accept it as inevitable and get over it. Sometimes the best way to
maintain peace is to agree to disagree.

We'll waive this
recommendation as soon as there's global peace and canoeists all agree
whether to put their groundsheet either inside or outside of the tent.

Be Open to Other Points of View

We
may not lots, but none of us know everything. Being open to other
points of view is the sign of an intelligent person with an open mind.
Giving serious consideration to another's viewpoint is a great way of
learning and growing. Be gracious and admit it if you've made a mistake,
and welcome the knowledge if someone shows you a better way of doing
something.

Don't Shout

The use of all caps when typing is
CONSIDERED TO BE SHOUTING and is generally seen as being rude. It's also
hard to read. That little button at the far left of the keyboard that
says "Caps Lock" will prevent this from happening if you take the time
to use it

Don't Post Libellous Material

The Internet isn't
an anonymous free-for-all. You're responsible for what you post in a
public venue like these forums, and the rule of law applies to those
posts. If you post something libelous, you could could be getting
yourself (and maybe us) in a heap of trouble.

Don't Advertise

We
provide and pay for these forums as a meeting place for people sharing a
common interest. They shouldn't be considered a way to get free
advertising material out to that group. If you'd like to advertise, feel
free to contact us about those banners and text ads you see over on the
right side. Heck, if you're perceived as supporting these forums, the
users will probably even buy your product.

Use Descriptive Subject Lines

Be
as informative as possible in the subject line - it's what people see
as they scan through the forums, and it's what they use to determine if
they'll read (and subsequently respond to) your post.

* Good: "Need Software Info: SmartMovie v8.9 for Motorola Razr v2"
* OK, but Not as Good: "Need Info for SmartMovie v8.9"
* Bad: "SmartMovie Info"
* Very Bad: "Can Anyone Help ME???????? Please????"

Put it in the Right Place

You'll get a much better response to your post on the best 3G phone if you dont place it under the Love and Friendship Forum.

Contribute, Don't Reiterate

There
isn't a lot of value in responding to a post with "I agree" or "right
on." If you want to add to a thread by agreeing with a viewpoint, try to
add some further examples or background on the issue.

Avoid Run-On Sentences

Your
post will be much easier to read if it doesn't consist of one long
sentence or paragraph with no breaks. Hit that enter key once in a while
to help keep things readable.

Private Messages Deserve Private Replies

If
someone sends you a question via private message, reply using that same
medium. Don't post a public reply in the forums. There may be a reason
that the person used the private message system, so respect that.

Don't Hijack a Thread

If
someone has started a thread, don't change the subject and take it off
in another direction. That's considered hijacking and it's not polite.
If a particular post sparks a new question, start a new thread with that
question.

Read the Whole Thread

Sometimes threads run
to several pages. Don't read the first two posts and jump into the
discussion without seeing what else has been said. You may be repeating
information already posted, or the focus of the thread may have subtly
shifted in another page.

Maintain Your Thread

Once you've
asked a question, come back once in a while and look at where the thread
is going. Someone may have asked you to clarify a point or provide
additional info.

Read Your Post Before Submitting It

Before
you click that submit button, quickly re-read it. Are their obvious
spelling or grammar errors? Does the post accurately convey your
question? Could your post be misconstrued in any way? Use the Edit
option and dont flood.

Use the Quote Feature

When threads
start to ramble a bit (as they invariably do) you can help keep things
in context by using the quote feature. Rather than just replying to
something ten posts ago in a thread, use the reply-with-quote feature
and it'll be obvious to users what part of the thread you're replying
to.

You also don't have to leave a person's entire post in the
quote tags - you can edit the text between the quote tags to contain
only the part of the user's post that you're replying to.

Don't Bump too Often

Posts
are displayed on the forums chronologically from the time of the last
reply to that thread. If you've asked a question and nobody has answered
it, it will gradually "sink down" out of site.

A good way of
bringing your post back to the top of the list is to reply to it with a
one word post, saying "bump." People will understand that you're just
bumping your post back front and centre. However, it's important not to
abuse this practice - don't bump your post every 24 hours to keep it at
the top. It may just be that nobody has an answer to your question, and
you're simply not going to get an answer, no matter how many times you
bump it.