If you want to win our hearts and pockets, you will have to start by following these guidelines:
Think before posting.Do you actually have something to contribute? If not, don't post. In this community, we care about the
quality of your posts.
Power-posting is when board members post 'empty' messages to the board, in order to simply increase their number of posts more quickly. Examples of power-posting are replying to a message with only 'LOL' or 'I agree', but failing to contribute anything further to the discussion. If you reply to a message, make sure you have something to say. Power posting clutters up the forums, clutters up the 'new posts' function, and uses extra bandwidth and server space. While we don't mind people using bandwidth to chat usefully on the board, we do mind people using it just because they want a more impressive 'post counter'. If you're not sure if you're power-posting, take a moment and think it over before you post. If all your post contains is a 'LOL' or an emoticon, it's a power-post. If it adds something to the discussion, it isn't.
Use the Search function.Before posting a new thread or replying to one,
search to see if what you're going to say or ask has already been discussed or answered before.
Choose the appropriate section to post to.Read the title and description of each forum. If you're not sure where to post, choose the forum that seems the most appropriate or post in the
General forum.
Stay on topic.If a thread reminds you of something else, you can always link back to said thread in a
new thread. Why stay on topic? Because it's easier to carry on a conversation that way.
When responding to an existing thread, attempt to focus on the original topic. If something comes up and you're inclined to post "that reminds me," or "we also need to consider..." determine whether it might be better to start a new thread, or if your statement even needs to be said at all.
Don't double post.If you accidentally double post, you can always use the
Delete option.
Use the "Modify" option to edit your posts.If you made a mistake or if you need to add something to your post,
edit your post by clicking on the
Modify option. Remember you shouldn't post right after a post you made before... unless a long time (e.g. months) has passed in between posts.
Make sure your post is worthy of an oscar.- Use the "Preview" option to see how your post would look like.
- Don't use all CAPS.
- Don't use too much formatting or formatting that would make your post ineligible or that would make our eyes bleed.
- Don't use too many emoticons.
- If you use images, make sure they are not huge. I suggest the use of clickable thumbnails. (Imageshack and other image hosting services provide that option.)
- Check your spelling. (Firefox, Opera, and Safari have built-in spell checkers. If you use IE, use ieSpell or the Google Toolbar's AutoFix option.)
- Make sure your post makes sense. Good grammar usually helps with this. If you need to polish your grammar, you can always refer to The Internet Grammar of English. (Your posts don't have to be perfect. Just make sure they're clear.)
- Read the "How to post" at the bottom of this post.
Respect others.No trolling, flame wars, personal disputes, etc.
Ignore spam.Don't reply to it. Just report it.
HOW TO POST
Choose clear, informative subjects. This is more likely to elicit response from experienced users who have knowledge about that particular topic. It also makes the topic easy to reference and find in forum searches by future users with similar problems.
When asking questions, provide as much information as possible, including error messages, what you have previously tried, what documentation and searches you have attempted, and related configuration files. Read How To Ask Questions The Smart Way for more helpful advice.
And now on video:
How To Behave On An Internet Forum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xs8HWN6UyEPosting and you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9q2jNjOPdk
