Post by klsm54 on Mar 9, 2009 18:49:15 GMT -4
Some of our visitors, or new members, might be newcomers to internet forums in general. The following may help you to understand forums, their purpose, and how they operate.
I hope you find it helpful, and I hope you feel comfortable here. A forum is nothing without it's valued members.
Joining Forums and Forum Etiquette
~ by Frances McColl Stewart
When researching a problem, search engines frequently will list forums as a resource. Take a good look at these forums, not only for answers to your current, and possibly future questions, but as networking opportunities. Where else will we get to meet our peers on the ‘net?
Joining a Forum is easy. Unless you have been a past abuser of the Forum, it is simply a matter of registering and signing-up.
Familiarize yourself with the forum before doing any posting. Read the rules - and abide by them. Good Manners are Good Business.
The major purpose of a forum is sharing knowledge. Do not provide answers to posted questions privately (by email to a poster). Do not reply by email to someone who has given an answer that brings up other questions. This denies the answer, and perhaps more importantly, the development of the answer to other members. It can also be rude to link to other forums in your answer or in your signature as it confuses people as to where they have posted their questions. The information is easily posted to the forum, rather than directing others to a completely different website to read one post.
Many forums have a range of emoticons or Avatars
for the use of their members. This eliminates the need for capitalization to make a point. A message that is delivered in capitals is considered "shouting" or "flaming" on the internet and is considered rude.
While your post to the forum is available to the group as a whole, you should generally use the name of the person to whose comment you are responding for two reasons.
1) It makes a better impression. You are trying to expand your network as well as perfect your skills.
2) It focuses you on the fact that there is a real person on the other end of your message. Too often, we feel an anonymity on the internet and respond in ways that we would not respond person to person. If anything, we need to be kinder on the Internet. It is fast paced. We tend to forget that once it is written - it is always there.
Do not clog the forum with repetition, subjects that are not pertinent, long personal anecdotes, or inappropriate language.
Many forums call for critiques from members on a particular project. This is a wonderful learning tool if handled properly. Remember, this is a learning process. If criticism is too harsh, someone may be dissuaded from presenting his or her project for criticism. If criticism is not honest, no one will learn. Both extremes defeat the purpose of the forum.
If you are being critiqued: Do not take criticism personally. Evaluate it and decide if you can use it. If you can't, then put it totally out of your mind.
If you are critiquing, unless you can offer an improvement or substitution that you feel would benefit the project, do not comment. (Others will.) Never comment on a subject outside of the forum. (example: if the forum deals with website coding, do not comment on the content or the graphics of a website.)
Do not, at any time, post something on a forum that would be embarrassing or personal in nature.
“Give back” to your new community and practice making it look easy.
Forums generally have a constant influx of "newbie" participants. If you have done well in responding to a particular problem - explained the answer clearly and simply - keep the answer, it will be needed again. Better yet, if your Forum has archives - keep a note of the location of your answer and respond with a direction to that archived material.
As it is difficult to know your internet audience in a forum - and in the interest of appearing professional - this is one place where humor is best avoided or 'gentled'.
Most of all, enjoy meeting new people on the net who have the same interests that you do. After all, they will love meeting you – you are SO polite!! (Smile)
I hope you find it helpful, and I hope you feel comfortable here. A forum is nothing without it's valued members.
Joining Forums and Forum Etiquette
~ by Frances McColl Stewart
When researching a problem, search engines frequently will list forums as a resource. Take a good look at these forums, not only for answers to your current, and possibly future questions, but as networking opportunities. Where else will we get to meet our peers on the ‘net?
Joining a Forum is easy. Unless you have been a past abuser of the Forum, it is simply a matter of registering and signing-up.
Familiarize yourself with the forum before doing any posting. Read the rules - and abide by them. Good Manners are Good Business.
The major purpose of a forum is sharing knowledge. Do not provide answers to posted questions privately (by email to a poster). Do not reply by email to someone who has given an answer that brings up other questions. This denies the answer, and perhaps more importantly, the development of the answer to other members. It can also be rude to link to other forums in your answer or in your signature as it confuses people as to where they have posted their questions. The information is easily posted to the forum, rather than directing others to a completely different website to read one post.
Many forums have a range of emoticons or Avatars
for the use of their members. This eliminates the need for capitalization to make a point. A message that is delivered in capitals is considered "shouting" or "flaming" on the internet and is considered rude.
While your post to the forum is available to the group as a whole, you should generally use the name of the person to whose comment you are responding for two reasons.
1) It makes a better impression. You are trying to expand your network as well as perfect your skills.
2) It focuses you on the fact that there is a real person on the other end of your message. Too often, we feel an anonymity on the internet and respond in ways that we would not respond person to person. If anything, we need to be kinder on the Internet. It is fast paced. We tend to forget that once it is written - it is always there.
Do not clog the forum with repetition, subjects that are not pertinent, long personal anecdotes, or inappropriate language.
Many forums call for critiques from members on a particular project. This is a wonderful learning tool if handled properly. Remember, this is a learning process. If criticism is too harsh, someone may be dissuaded from presenting his or her project for criticism. If criticism is not honest, no one will learn. Both extremes defeat the purpose of the forum.
If you are being critiqued: Do not take criticism personally. Evaluate it and decide if you can use it. If you can't, then put it totally out of your mind.
If you are critiquing, unless you can offer an improvement or substitution that you feel would benefit the project, do not comment. (Others will.) Never comment on a subject outside of the forum. (example: if the forum deals with website coding, do not comment on the content or the graphics of a website.)
Do not, at any time, post something on a forum that would be embarrassing or personal in nature.
“Give back” to your new community and practice making it look easy.
Forums generally have a constant influx of "newbie" participants. If you have done well in responding to a particular problem - explained the answer clearly and simply - keep the answer, it will be needed again. Better yet, if your Forum has archives - keep a note of the location of your answer and respond with a direction to that archived material.
As it is difficult to know your internet audience in a forum - and in the interest of appearing professional - this is one place where humor is best avoided or 'gentled'.
Most of all, enjoy meeting new people on the net who have the same interests that you do. After all, they will love meeting you – you are SO polite!! (Smile)