Forum Courtesy

[MacAddikt]

Like any community, virtual or physical, Mac-Forums can only be successful if we abide to a common set of rules. We already have Forum Rules to dictate the requirements to lose your rights as a member (read: getting banned). But there is another set of rules that while technically allowed, are frowned upon. The rules I speak of are rules of courtesy. Following these rules will help bring us closer together as a community (and probably even earn you a few extra reputation points).

Thread Titles
Please title your threads properly. Threads with titles denoting that you are in desperate help, new to the subject or frustrated are unnecessary and usually less likely to be answered. Put the relative subject of your question or comment in the thread title. Please avoid titling threads with words such as:

• Help - Obviously you need help, or you wouldn't have posted
• Newb - We have a Switcher Hangout for such people
• Question - Put your question inside the thread

Thread Location
There has been a lot of time taken to divide Mac-Forums into the sub-forums we have based on content we have seen over the years. It takes much less time to decide which forum your thread is relative than it took to write your thread. So if you have the time to make a thread, you have the time to find the appropriate forum to post it in. Please use your best judgement to determine the location, and don't post in a forum of high volume (such as Anything Goes). The majority of people seem to use the Get New feature anyway, and will see your thread regardless of which forum it was posted.

There are times that threads may be relative to several forums. Such as a Powerbook owner with a software problem. Even though the problem is on a Powerbook, it is a software problem, and should be located in a software forum.

•••••••••••
As I stated, this is a community, and as such I would like to hear the opinions you the members have of these or other issues not stated above. Before testing the limits of any rules, consult a moderator (via PM) for advice to avoid any conflict.

 

[schweb]

This is a great post. Hopefully new people will read it and take it to heart. It's like going to someone's house...figure out what the rules are before you throw your business out to them

 

[D3v1L80Y]

A few points to add to this:

Crossposting
If you're going to post a thread, once is enough.
Placing the identical thread in multiple locations, known as crossposting, is frowned upon.
Just take the time to place your thread once... in the best suited forum and wait for a reply.
If you feel that your thread would be better suited in another sub-forum, don't crosspost/repost it... just contact a member of the staff to have them move it for you.


Thread bumping
Thread bumping is when a person posts a short note to "bump" their thread to the top of the forum.
While it isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is an annoyance when the OP hasn't waited at least 24 hours of no response before doing so.

Keep in mind that this is a forum and not an instant messaging service.
It can take time for someone to reply to your thread, so just be patient.
If more than 24 hours have passed, maybe a little bump is okay... but just give it time.


Double posting
Double posting is when you post your response, but then immediately post another reply after it.
This may be done because you have forgotten some information or perhaps you are addressing a reply that came while you were composing your post.

Now, if it's been a day or so, then it's not so bad.
However, if it's only been an hour or even mere minutes then there's no need to double post, since you have the ability to edit your posts.

So, instead of adding another post, just click on the "Edit" button and you can add information to your existing post.