ADVENTURE CYCLING FORUM ETIQUETTE
Adventure Cycling Association maintains this user-to-user forum for the benefit of all. There are some common-sense rules to follow that help make using the forum a pleasant experience for everyone.
1. Be gentle with newbies.
2. Read before you post.
3. Stay on topic.
4. Be professional; avoid flames or profanity.
5. When answering, quote sparingly.
6. Please don't cross-post.
7. Please don't create multiple threads.
8. Please don't post more than 2 attachments.
9. Posting of pirating information is prohibited.
10. No advertising or solicitation, please.
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1. BE GENTLE WITH NEWBIES!
Remember, everyone was a beginner at one time! We don't want people to feel intimidated. Some may appear on the forum before having read these guidelines, so give people a break if they don't yet know the intricacies of online etiquette.
If you don't have the patience to point them politely toward the posting guidelines, please ignore them and let somebody who does have patience answer them.
If posters get seriously out-of-hand with regard to consideration of the forum community, it will usually get the attention of an Adventure Cycling administrator. The administrator can take appropriate measures for chronically abusive people.
2. READ BEFORE YOU POST
Please make an effort to scan the last few days' posts to see if your question has already been asked and answered. Much of the traffic on the forum consists of the same questions asked frequently. You're very likely to find your answer quickly, and it is a courtesy to others on the forum.
3. STAY ON TOPIC
We don't want to be so stuffy that we frown on every humorous or side comment, but let's try to keep the traffic reasonable.
Adding OT: or Off-topic to the subject is the standard, accepted way of posting side comments. That way people in a hurry may avoid the post if they wish.
It's preferable to avoid perpetuating off-topic threads.
4. BE PROFESSIONAL -- AVOID FLAMES OR PROFANITY.
If you do feel the need to be critical, make it constructive criticism. If you're addressing the behavior in the forum, do address the behavior, not the person. Personal attacks (flame wars) are bad form. Ask yourself: would you say the same thing if you were face-to-face in person?
Avoid profanity: you know what the words are. If most people wouldn't say it in front of their mothers, it doesn't belong in this forum. Even posts which are not flames and which may contain great technical information may be removed because of offensive language.
Remember: you can have a sense of humor, but maintain a professional tone. Your friends may be reading the forum, and there's no sense in giving them the impression you're too temperamental to ride with!
5. WHEN ANSWERING, QUOTE SPARINGLY
When replying to a post, it is often advantageous to quote sections of the original post. However, quoting an entire message can be excessive. Save other people time and bandwidth by quoting only enough to make clear what you are responding to.
6. PLEASE DON'T CROSS-POST
Most people read more than one forum. Please don't make them read your post more than once.
7. PLEASE DON'T CREATE MULIPLE THREADS
Asking the same question in the same forum in a short time can actually work against you. The thread can't be tracked as easily, and some forum members will be so annoyed that they may use their newsreader's filter so they won't see your future posts.
Keep in mind that folks in the forum answer questions out of their own goodwill, so an immediate answer may not be forthcoming.
Urgent technical questions may be directed to Adventure Cycling
8. PLEASE DON'T POST MORE THAN 2 ATTACHMENTS
Please be courteous and do not post attachments unless necessary. Not everyone's browser is equipped to handle attachments, and not everyone has unlimited usage, high-speed internet connections. Some people even have to pay a per-minute connection fee, often for low-bandwidth connections!
If you want people to see your images, it is better to post a URL where others can download them at their leisure. Most ISPs provide a small amount of space for a personal web site, and there are even a few free web hosting sites available.
While you're at it, please try to post in plain test (ASCII) rather than HTML or rich text.
9. POSTING OF PIRATING INFORMATION IS PROHIBITED
Adventure Cycling Association neither condones nor supports copyright infringement. Posts containing copyright information, whether belonging to Adventure Cycling or not, will be removed.
10. NO ADVERTISING OR SOLICITATION PLEASE!
Adventure Cycling Association reserves the right to remove any posts. Posts identified as SPAM will be deleted without notice.
