Author Topic: Forum Rules (updated 9/7/2020)  (Read 1689 times)

September 07, 2020, 12:53:59 PM
Read 1689 times


  • Michael Fichtenmayer
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FichtenFooForum Rules

1: Be respectful of others.
Don't cause drama, don't bully others into your point of view, and be civil. Most of us are adults so please try to act like one.

2: Post constructively.5
Fluff isn't appreciated by the maker or those having to sift through it to get to the meat of a thread. See "constructive criticism" section below.

3: Learn, Share, and Grow.
Learn from others and do your best to post in a way that lets others learn from you. Put your best foot forward and others will be inspired to do the same.

4: Read the image posting guidelines information thread. (needs updated!!!
This thread contains guidelines for posting any image on this forum. Avatars, Sigs, posts, and more.

5: Use the tagging system
Tagging your new topics with keywords will help others find what they're looking for later. Not a bannable rule, but it would be really helpful. Thanks!

If there is something wrong with a post, sig, avatar, etc, you probably won't get a PM but will instead see a "modedit" attached to the post or avatar briefly explaining edit. Running a large forum takes time and to PM people for every oddity that comes up takes time away that's frankly better spent modeling. Modedits are generally minor things that are a quick mod fix and not worth the hassle of a PM.

Stuff that's typically considered bad forum ettiquite:
Not searching before asking4
Spamming the board with multiple help threads instead of consolidating into one.3
Bad English (This ONLY applies to native English speakers)1
Non-descriptive topic titles2
Asking for color scheme ideas (not thinking for yourself)7
Extreme thread bumping10
Super-long or non-descriptive links6
In-Progress Threads WITHOUT Images8
Vigilante Moderating9
Being annoyed about a legitimate "modedit" (see above)
Pointless/huge sig images (see image posting guidelines)

Stuff that will get you banned:
Being blatantly disrespectful/insulting to FFF admin, staff and other members.
Posting private correspondence in order to attack another person.11
Repeated rules violations.

Expansion of above points:

1: Please post in as proper English as you can.
This means use capital letters (but not all caps Smiley), no internet shorthand (U, thx, kk), correct spacing, etc... otherwise it makes your post harder to read and less likely to be answered. No one wants to waste their time translating a message.

We understand that there are members from non-English speaking countries so things may get lost in the translation and that's acceptable. However "laziness", shorthand and such will not be tolerated. Especially as it makes it more difficult for non-English speakers to translate into their language. We're here as a resource for EVERYONE.

Acronyms for common used terms are fine still, "LOL" is okay, FFA= Future Floor Acrylic, etc... The goal is to make your post as readable as possible.

2: In threads, please make your subject descriptive as to your post/question.
There is no reason to post vague, unspecific subjects/titles.  Please be as specific with your subjects as possible.  If you are posting about a specific person, place, or thing, then please try to put that specific noun in the topic subject itself.  This will save everyone time when browsing the forums, and make searching archived posts a lot easier.

3: Don't spam the help forum with 20 questions each in their own post.
This means post all of your questions in one post as to save space. There's no need to post multiple questions in multiple new threads.

4: Search BEFORE you post.
Seriously! Search the forum first, then Google it. If you don't find your answer, then post either in an existing topic on the same subject or if one does not exist, then start a new topic.

5: Constructive Criticism
Constructive criticism is an important part of contributing to the discussions here at FFF.  <b>Think of constructive criticism as a critique with the goal of improvement.</b>  So, rather than reviewing another modeler's work and commenting on aspects you like and dislike, you should support your statements.  Why don't you like it?  How can it be improved?  Simply stating negatives can be seen as mean-spirited, trolling, or flaming and sometimes it is. Let's be supportive and make cool stuff!

Constructive criticism doesn't mean sugar coating anything.  It is important to be honest.  However, supporting your statements does give a more positive and helpful perspective.  It also gives you more credibility as a fellow artist/modeler.

This also goes for posting "fluff" or "great job bud!" posts. If that's all you have to say, then it's better to just say nothing. While it's nice to get compliments, it's tiring for the modeler and thread readers to sift through 20 fluff posts with no useful substance. To make this clear: If you're just posting "looks great" or "that's awesome", you will be getting a Private Message from one of the Moderators regarding spamming.

Please take the time to make constructive replies on the Forums. If you like a link (or model), take the time to write down what impressed you about it. No one is going to criticize your writing if it is well thought out and it's obvious you took a minute or two to write it out.

Basically we are all here to improve.  With constructive criticism we can all learn from one another and in the process, those with more experience can share.

6: Posting links to other websites.
Post them up! We love to see links to cool stuff. However, if the link is long enough to make the page scroll left to right and break past the newspaper design on the right of the screen, then please use the URL tags to display your link in a shorter form.

Also please do not start a new topic and merely post "check this out" and just supply a link. Give a short description of what your link is to. No one wants to feel phished.

(this is an old one, but I'm keeping it here.) It's your kit so color it how you want. No one can decide that for you. Please check out these links to other threads where this was asked:

Stickied Thread on Color Scheme ideas in the HELP forum
Another thread where this was asked

8: No In-Progress Threads WITHOUT Images!
Honestly... why post up a bunch of text about a model you're going to do without at least a picture of the scheme or in-progress shots... something! Otherwise, in all honesty, most people aren't going to read or reply except to ask why you posted without pics.

9: Vigilante Moderating
Though there are a good number of mods here, and all of us are frequent posters, sometimes we aren't always around when we are needed.  If you notice something happening that shouldn't be happening - images in sigs, huge images being posted, spamming of threads, etc. - here's what you can do.  First, please message a mod, and let any of us know about it.  Second, you can reply to the offending poster, and in a civil manner you can point out their mistake, and help them learn the rules of the forum by pointing them to the relevant thread.  This being said, we will not tolerate vigilante moderating by people who show no respect to those who have made the mistakes.

10: Thread bumping!
We know how it is sometimes - you're intently watching the progress of a certain project, but the person working on that project hasn't updated in a while.  DO NOT bump the thread, with a 'Any updates?' post.  Personal Message the person directly, and ask him if there are updates - but check a few things first - is he still visiting this forum and posting?  If he is, then he probably doesn't have anything to update.  If he isn't, then maybe he's forgotten to update here, and a Personal Message would be more appropriate.  This also applies to question threads - DO NOT bump your own thread, because people haven't responded to it (especially if it's less than a day).  Check to see how many people have actually viewed the thread - remember, there are over 600 users that visit this forum, and not all of them will have the answer to your question, so please be patient.  If your question isn't answered within two days, you can bump your thread, but not with just a 'Bump!' response - prove to users that you've spent the time and effort to try and find the answer yourself ('I've done a google search for -blah- and all it turned up were links to porno').  This helps others understand what you've tried looking for, and can possibly help guide your search if they don't know the specific answer themselves...

11: Absolutely No Posting Private Correspondence received from others at this or ANY forum.
Posting ones PRIVATE messages is not only tacky it is in the worst of tastes. By doing so you are betraying the confidence someone has placed in you. Posting someones private emails, PM,s or IMs will not be tolerated and is a bannable offense. The only exceptions are if you have permission to do so (we'll need proof) or if for some odd reason your life is in danger.  :unsure:

12: General Bad Posting and Unwritten Rules.
There are certain unwritten rules that I would assume were common sense that others apparently would not. These will be addressed on an offense by offense basis and added to the rules. Just because it's not written here, doesn't mean it can't be. These also do not necessarily need to be here before a ban takes place. In general, use common courtesy when posting. If you think it may be annoying and or offensive, it probably is.
« Last Edit: September 07, 2020, 01:55:47 PM by FichtenFoo »
