Post by ~*~Bella~*~ on Jun 23, 2007 10:38:34 GMT -5
HOW TO USE THIS SITE
Welcome to our site! The moderators and top posters of this site have compiled some of the facts that may make navigating this site easier.
There is a Help topic at the top of the home page. It’s not a bad idea to see if the answer to your questions is there before you ask someone.
If there is a topic called RULES or Moderating at the top of a board, READ AND OBEY THOSE RULES. Period.
There are clearly defined Boards, major topic headers, into which the topics/threads will fall. If you do not know where to place a topic you wish to open, ask a moderator (mod). If a topic is started under the wrong board, it may be moved to the correct board at the discretion of the moderator of the original board.
Topics are basically conversations. Good manners say we should observe conversational etiquette. The person who starts a topic should have the right to direct how it goes, unless that person resigns from the site. It is not unusual for a topic to go completely OFF topic within a short time. If the originator finds nothing wrong with this, then it may proceed. Many topics are very long. Join where the conversation is at the time, by reading back several posts. Posting something from pages back, or clear back to the original thought, is rude and disruptive. Think of it as walking into someone’s home and seeing a group of people talking. You would not walk over to them, make them stop, and bring you up to speed. Since these topics are conversations, it is helpful to post more than a one word or symbol reply to someone’ post. It’s on everyone’s shoulders to keep the conversation going.
Don’t step into an ongoing conversation with ‘whassup’ or ‘someone pay attention to me’. If you have specific questions, start a topic of your own. AND WAIT. Not everyone is on all the time to answer your questions.
Do not step into a topic merely to take issue with the topic or posters. If you do not agree with what is being said, the better avenue might be to avoid rather than confront. Not everyone on this or any site will all like the same things. No one deserves to be berated for this.
WE DO NOT USE CHATSPEAK on this site. The odd abbreviation or slang is fine, but the compact chatspeak is hard to read. Using a combination of upper and lower case is also hard to read. It is common in Net chat that all caps is shouting, so make sure that is what you really mean to do before using. Most of us prefer good old-fashioned English.
NO FLAMING. This goes back to manners. If you disagree with or even dislike a person, you do not have the right to attack under any circumstances. If you have a serious issue with a person, take it up in PM, or take it to a mod of that board.
There are language filters in place that will alter offensive words you type in. However, we are all clever enough to find ways around saying the words outright. This is not encouraged, no matter how strongly you feel on a subject. You can make your point without being offensive. Mods may alter or delete posts they find offensive and repeated action may cause your membership to be deleted. We are all here to be friends and we do not welcome prejudice in any form.
At the bottom of the homepage it shows who is on the site at the time. If you wish to send anyone a PM (personal message), simply click on the person’s name anywhere on the site, including in the members listing. Again, keep in mind that not everyone is on all the time and your answer may be a while in coming. At the top right corner of the page it says, “Hey, [your name], you have 0 messages, 0 are new” with the date and time. Click on your own name to open your messages. The message screens are fairly clear, but again, if you are having a problem, ask for help and wait for the answer.
Welcome to our site! The moderators and top posters of this site have compiled some of the facts that may make navigating this site easier.
There is a Help topic at the top of the home page. It’s not a bad idea to see if the answer to your questions is there before you ask someone.
If there is a topic called RULES or Moderating at the top of a board, READ AND OBEY THOSE RULES. Period.
There are clearly defined Boards, major topic headers, into which the topics/threads will fall. If you do not know where to place a topic you wish to open, ask a moderator (mod). If a topic is started under the wrong board, it may be moved to the correct board at the discretion of the moderator of the original board.
Topics are basically conversations. Good manners say we should observe conversational etiquette. The person who starts a topic should have the right to direct how it goes, unless that person resigns from the site. It is not unusual for a topic to go completely OFF topic within a short time. If the originator finds nothing wrong with this, then it may proceed. Many topics are very long. Join where the conversation is at the time, by reading back several posts. Posting something from pages back, or clear back to the original thought, is rude and disruptive. Think of it as walking into someone’s home and seeing a group of people talking. You would not walk over to them, make them stop, and bring you up to speed. Since these topics are conversations, it is helpful to post more than a one word or symbol reply to someone’ post. It’s on everyone’s shoulders to keep the conversation going.
Don’t step into an ongoing conversation with ‘whassup’ or ‘someone pay attention to me’. If you have specific questions, start a topic of your own. AND WAIT. Not everyone is on all the time to answer your questions.
Do not step into a topic merely to take issue with the topic or posters. If you do not agree with what is being said, the better avenue might be to avoid rather than confront. Not everyone on this or any site will all like the same things. No one deserves to be berated for this.
WE DO NOT USE CHATSPEAK on this site. The odd abbreviation or slang is fine, but the compact chatspeak is hard to read. Using a combination of upper and lower case is also hard to read. It is common in Net chat that all caps is shouting, so make sure that is what you really mean to do before using. Most of us prefer good old-fashioned English.
NO FLAMING. This goes back to manners. If you disagree with or even dislike a person, you do not have the right to attack under any circumstances. If you have a serious issue with a person, take it up in PM, or take it to a mod of that board.
There are language filters in place that will alter offensive words you type in. However, we are all clever enough to find ways around saying the words outright. This is not encouraged, no matter how strongly you feel on a subject. You can make your point without being offensive. Mods may alter or delete posts they find offensive and repeated action may cause your membership to be deleted. We are all here to be friends and we do not welcome prejudice in any form.
At the bottom of the homepage it shows who is on the site at the time. If you wish to send anyone a PM (personal message), simply click on the person’s name anywhere on the site, including in the members listing. Again, keep in mind that not everyone is on all the time and your answer may be a while in coming. At the top right corner of the page it says, “Hey, [your name], you have 0 messages, 0 are new” with the date and time. Click on your own name to open your messages. The message screens are fairly clear, but again, if you are having a problem, ask for help and wait for the answer.
