Section I - Forum Rules
[1] Respect the Forum Staff
All of the forum staff are volunteers and offer their free time to keep the forum running smoothly. Any decision made by an administrator or moderator is final and should be respected.
Do not argue with Staff directly in a topic; if you wish to discuss an issue, contact us through e-mail or PM (Private Message).
[2] Do not be Offensive or Abusive
This includes usernames, signatures, avatars, PMs, and posts.
Any offensive material, such as swear words or derogatory terms, is prohibited. Hate speech, as defined as an attack on religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or any other self-identifiable group, is not tolerated.
Adult content, including obscenity, pornography, and erotic material is not allowed.
Censoring a swear word by substituting a letter with an asterisk symbol "*", or using acronyms that contain a swear word is considered swearing.
Messages that personally attack or call people names are considered abuse. These are sometimes referred to as "flame" posts.
Messages that contain sensitive religious or political topics may be removed on the basis of inciting far too emotional and personal debate.
[3] No SPAM or Advertisements
This includes posts, in a signature, or with the personal website field.
Spammer accounts will be deleted. SPAM accounts are made "for the sole purpose of providing information about and/or links to commercial websites or other advertisements".
Do not use Addicted2tech Forums to blatantly promote other projects
Do not respond to spam, report it and allow it to be dealt with.
Exception: Addicted2tech's partners may link to their websites in their signatures and/or profiles.
[4] No Illegal Material
Any requests for help pertaining to illicit computer activities is prohibited and will not be supported (i.e., piracy, malicious hacking). Requesting, distributing, or linking illegal material is forbidden.
[5a] Do not Troll
Trolling consists of messages that contain an apparent foolish contradiction of common knowledge, being deliberately sarcastic to the user(s) of the forum, or a broad request for trivial follow-up messages. It serves no purpose other than the enjoyment of the troll.
[5b] No Dangerous Commands
Suggesting commands that could harm or destroy another user's system, even in jest, is strictly off-limits.
Section II - Technical Guidelines
[1] Search Before Posting
Search the forums and Google for questions before posting.
As the forum search function is minimal, you should consider searching the Addicted2tech forum site with Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, or your favorite search engine by entering site:forums.addictedtotech.net with your search query.
[2] New Questions Deserve New Topics
Do not add new questions to existing topics, start your own instead! This will make it easier for other members to provide support. This includes hijacking, do not ask unrelated questions in a user's existing support topic.
Do not resurrect support topics older than 6 months, outdated information can cause issues with newer releases.
[3] Consider Which Forum Section To Post
Posting to specific sections can make it easier for others to provide assistance and for future searches. For example, if you are having a specific episode issue, post to the "Raspberry Pi Series" section instead of "Newbie Questions".
[4] Use Informative Titles
Use a title that is specific. Do not use titles such as, "HELP ME!!!", make titles that define the problem in a clear and concise manner. A clear title will attract more views to the topic.
[5] Details! Details! Details!
Include the episode or blog post title to the tutorial you are following.
When posting commands use the "Code" tags if it is more than 2 or 3 lines long - this makes it more readable.
[6] Use Default Font Size and Colors
Using bold and italic can help convey meaning in a post - but use them sparingly and with cause.
Please don't use colored text.
Refrain from using <CAPS> lock on posts - it gives one the impression the user is shouting.
Avoid jargon and slang, and speak in plain English language.
Please don't use excessive punctuation - one "?" or "!" is always enough.
[7] Use Images Sparingly
Images may help explain something more clearly or indicate a problem you are experiencing better - but use them sparingly and with cause.
Please use the [rimg] tag instead of the [img] tag for large images, which will create a thumbnail automatically.
Remember that not everyone has the same bandwidth, so use thumbnails.
[8] Do Not Cross-Post
Do not create identical topics across multiple forum sections. Cross-posting creates unnecessary work for community users by separating potential answers and solutions - do not do it.
[9] Indicate Solved Topics
When an issue has been resolved for you, please edit the original post to include <SOLVED> in the title. This provides a good indicator for users with a similar problem to check out the topic. Please make sure the solution that worked for you is clearly indicated, especially if more than one solution has been proposed. If your solution came from outside the forum then describe it or post a link to it. Following these simple instructions will help other users find success in solving similar problems.
[10] Bumping
Posting one word to bump a topic is generally discouraged. Try to research the problem and be patient while waiting for a solution. If nobody has responded within 48 hours, you may bump the topic to promote attention.
To bump a topic, scroll to the bottom of the topic and click Bump topic, by Board index, Subscribe topic, and Bookmark topic (the Bump topic link will appear 48 hours after the last response).
[11] Report Bad Posts
The forum staff cannot moderate every single post and message, it is inevitable that some inappropriate posts are missed. If you see a post in violation of the Addicted2tech Rules, please report it. Topics can be reported by clicking the exclamation mark "!" on the option buttons of a post.
[12] We've All Been There
We have all been a newbie. Some users are harder to help than others but remain respectful.
Assume a user is a newbie unless otherwise certain. Provide detailed instructions and avoid technical jargon, slang, and procedures we take for granted.
If you are unsure of your instructions, or the instructions carry a risk - tell the user this.
[13] Private Message (PM)
Do not PM or e-mail forum members for support questions without prior consent. Those who help do so in their free time, and prefer to respond to topics of choice rather than being singled out.
[14] Posting links
Do not post bare links. All links should include an explanation or excerpt unless its meaning is clear from the context.
No affiliate links or backlinks are allowed.
Addicted2tech Team
[1] Banning
All users in direct violation of the General Rules will be given warnings where necessary. In extreme cases, such as messages containing hate speech or pornography, the user may be banned without [/anchor]further notice.
[2] Dealing with Spam
A user account will be deleted if demonstrably created for the sole purpose of posting spam message(s). These accounts show links to commercial websites in the signature and/or personal website field, with little or nonsensical forum participation.
If you have a question concerning what is acceptable, ask a Staff member.
When an active forum member adds a commercial website link (charges a fee for services or sells a product), it is considered spam. In a case like this, the member is sent a PM requesting the link be removed. If it is not removed within a reasonable time, the forum Administrator will globally edit the member's signature and remove the link. Only if the member persists in replacing the spam link after all of this will he or she be banned.
[3] Editing / Removing Posts
Posts in violation of the Forum Rules can be edited at a moderator's discretion. Whether posts are edited or removed, a warning will be issued if considered necessary. If posts are removed, a copy shall be held in the Staff archive. Persistent non-compliance with the Forum Rules will lead to a ban.
[4] Locking / Removing Topics
If a topic develops where those involved become too personally involved, in cases of heated and stirred debate, trolling, etc - the topic may be locked without further notice at a moderator's discretion. Warnings will be given when appropriate. When topics are removed, a copy shall be placed in the Staff archive.
Cross-posting identical topics in different forum sections will result in the deletion of the copied topics, or the topics being merged.
[5] Moving Topics / Splitting Topics
Topics may be moved to more appropriate sections when necessary, do not be offended!
Posts may be split from a topic and given their own place where applicable.
By using our forum you agree to be bound by the terms of our Forum Rules, Guidelines, and Policy. We reserve the right to change these terms at any time.