Hi,
Ideally I would like to keep the rules on this forum to a minimum; people should be free to say what they want to.
I would politely request that people keep their posts civil and try to avoid the use of bad language or being directly offensive towards another poster. In the words of Bill and Ted "Be excellent to each other."
I will not censor anyone for what they have to say provided they are not directly offensive but please be aware the site that is hosting the forum does have rules.
Posters will be banned if they are offensive or spend too much time trolling.
All that having been said please have fun and let the discussions begin! If you have the time please post a short introduction in the intros forum.
Kind Regards,
TeabagSalad
While Rules should be kept to a minimum, there's no reason not to have some etiquette posted as a guideline of good poster behaviour. I basically stole this list from
SFN(I chose them, because they seem to be the best moderated and most civil board on the interwebs...that and I've been posting there forever
but mostly the former rather than the latter.)
I. General InformationGrammar and PunctuationPlease try to use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation when you post. It is much easier to understand a post when it is not full of run-on sentences and such. Sure, this may add a few seconds to the time it takes to post, but are you in that much of a hurry? If English is not your native language, and you don't have good grammar, that's fine; we don't bite. Just try to do your best. Grammar Nazis, however should note that Skitt's Law applies(and, yes, I know I just Godwined in the second post of a thread
)
Spell CheckEloquence can be severely hampered by words that don't exist. If you are on the Internet, use spell-checkers or reread your posts to make sure you don't have errors. You can also use the Preview Post function to see what your post will look like, before you submit it. Most decent browsers these days have a built-in spell check. If you see a squiggly red line, try right-clicking it!
II. Replying to ThreadsDon't FlameJust because someone doesn't agree with you, doesn't mean you need to insult them. They may be ignorant, but try not to flame them out of the forum. If they're intentionally insulting people, don't reply; Feeding trolls only makes them come back like stray cats.
Be CoherentWhen you reply, try to make as much sense as possible. Organize your post into paragraphs or sections as to make it easier to understand. If nobody knows what you're saying, they aren't going to learn anything from it, or try to reply to it.
If you are going to say "it" or "one" or "they" then make sure we know what you are talking about. "It" is not a very descriptive word and people may get confused as to what you are trying to say.
Don't SpamMake your replies relevant to the topic. If there is a side conversation going on that is not related to the original post, don't reply to it. Keep everything spam-free.
Give SourcesIf you're telling us about a study or a theory that you've heard of, try to give links to a web site about it. If you're the only person saying it, not many people are going to believe you (many people are skeptics). Try to provide good links which support your point, and remember, dictionary.com is not a technical resource.
LinkingWhen you link to another website, don't do the "Click Here" gimmick. It gives people no idea what you're linking to. Rather, you should make the link text descriptive of what the link actually is about.
Use QuotesIf you want to reply to a specific post, press the "Quote" button on that post. This will make your reply include the quoted text, so users will know who you are replying to.
Don't StrawmanDon't strawman. It is quite annoying and you will lose your credibility, and seriously undermines any argument.
The Nizkor Project is a great resource in learning about various fallacies. Learn them, love them, but don't use them.
Read LinksIf a user provides a link for more information, and you don't believe them, read the link. It may provide better information for you; if you ignore it, you may be missing vital information that supports their point. Purposefully ignoring it is strawmanning, and nobody likes that.
Don't be MeanIf you don't agree with someone, don't attack them. Tell them politely why you think they're wrong, and give them evidence. Insulting people won't get you anywhere but suspended.
I Hate YouNot everyone will agree with you, no matter how supergreat you are. Understand this, plus the difficulties involved in altering someone's deep-felt views over a text-only forum, and accept it. Don't try to force them into other beliefs.
One Source ArgumentsIf you can't provide more than one source, don't try to argue that position. Substantiating an event/opinion/theory requires more than just one source, even if the source happens to be the President/Prime Minister(unless, of course, the topic is what that president/prime minister thinks and/or says).
Me So GreatYou may be intending to become a moderator by impressing the forum staff your superb skills, impressive vocabulary, witty sense of humor and ability to make derogatory comments to newbies. That's all fine and good, but do it quietly and don't annoy the rest of the forum members.
HijackingTry not to hijack a thread and bend the topic to your will. Nobody likes a megalomaniac. Try to stay on topic and keep to what the original poster said.
Pointing Out the ObviousIf you don't think anyone will care, why not keep it to yourself? Posting just for the postcount and not for actual content annoys people.
AcronymsTry not to use too many acronyms in your posts. Not all of us know what they mean, so be sure to provide the full text the first time, to avoid confusing people.
Editing PostsPlease refrain from editing posts after replies to that post have been made. This will minimize confusion with following threads. Also, it is encouraged to show where you've edited a post if it has been edited to add content( e.g. EDIT: blah blah blah).
III. Posting New ThreadsUse the Search FunctionBefore you post a thread, use the search function to see if anyone else has posted the same topic. It's better to post in an existing thread than to start a new one.
Give SourcesIf you are asking a question or making a point, give references and links so users can see what you are talking about. If they have context, they can better understand you.
Give DetailsWhen you're asking a question, give plenty of details. Don't just say "my computer crashed, what do I do?" Give use details about what you're asking that will help us answer the question well.
Use a Descriptive TitleWhen you title your thread, give it a good title that will catch users' eyes and give them an idea of what it is about.
Bad title:
"Help!"
Good title:
"Computer virus. Help!"
Allow CommentIf you're posting an idea, be receptive to comments. If someone criticizes you, don't get mad at them. Take the comment well and, if necessary, reply to them to defend yourself (without being mean or nasty).
but mostly the former rather than the latter.)
