Forum etiquette

[stevem]

The following is some advice and guidelines about general forum usage and behaviour. These are not specific to this board, but are generalised and should be considered when using any internet discussion forum.

Don't rush in

There is no need to rush into active involvment on a forum. The time spent reading the various forum announcements and discussions will give you a feel for the particular forum and it's members interactions with each other. You may get some lighthearted teasing about being a 'newbie' even at the most reputable forums, but your efforts to follow guidelines and established practices will be noticed, appreciated and lead to your rapid acceptance within the community.

Personal Disputes

These should never intrude on forum discussions or topics. Heated debate or exchange between individuals should be taken to the personal messaging system 'PM', email or chat program. Personal attacks should be reported to the forum moderators rather than responded to.

Respect other forum members

This is a two way process. You should be careful not to be abusive or offensive and you need to be mindful that the other person may not have intended to cause offense. Tolerate the opinions of others even if you disagree with them, and refrain from posting condemnation of someone who has caused your hackles to rise.

Advertising

Forum discussion is not a place for advertising a business or web site. Linking to your site in your forum profile or post signature is no longer allowed. If you have something to advertise, get prior clearance from Nicke by PM before posting. As a general guide, advertising is not permitted and will be removed. Expect any advertising spam you post to be deleted, and possibly removal of yourself as a member.

No trolling

A 'troll' is a person (or group) who posts provocative comment and then sits back in amusement watching the antics of those who get overheated and vocal. Their actions are akin to harassment, and they should be reported to forum moderators.

Power posting

Most internet forums display a count of the number of posts you have made and assign you a ranking in accordance with your post count. Frequent brief posts of the 'I agree', 'LOL' or similar type will definitely be seen as a deliberate attempt to rapidly raise your ranking. Such behaviour clutters a forum, uses up bandwidth and server space, and renders any 'Recent posts' feature rather useless. Your contributions to forum discussion should add something to it.

Spamming

Making repeated posts that say basically the same thing or creating multiple topics about the same issue are considered SPAM. Spammers should be reported to forum moderators, and should NOT be replied to. You wont become one if you use the 'Search' feature before starting a topic and avoid repeating yourself. Never complain about spamming by posting about it, or you will have become a spammer yourself!

Flaming

Posting negative comments intended to draw a more negative response is unacceptable and is usually punished severely. Personal insults, needlessly extending a debate beyond the topic at hand, and using patronising language are unwarranted and unwanted.

SMS-style comments

Using SMS-style comments and localised slang should be avoided, as it will not be understood by the majority of the board community.

Photo Content

Photos posted with semi/naked content are not allowed and will be removed.
Don't waste your time posting them, or the moderators time removing them please.

Finally, It isn't a democracy

Forum moderators have the final say majority vote doesn't always count. Moderators seek to make the community enjoyable for as many people as they possibly can. They do their best and if you disagree with a decision, contact them via PM, rather than airing complaints in public.