please read these simple rules

[paul]

the rules are simple.
1. do not curse and treat all members with respect.
2. use the search function for topic you are looking for and add to that thread and if nothing found start a new thread
3. if someone has a question answer it with a link if already covered. a response of use the search is not needed. most likely the person couldn't find it. its all about helping each other
4. no spamming
5. most important is to have fun and share with others
6. the forum is about motorized bicycles so lets try to keep things about them. i do not want politics and religion as part of the forum

[BarelyAWake]

As forums go, this 'un is about as chill and laid back as you're gonna get. We've but a few rules, but what we do have - we really do need to "enforce" in the interest of keeping this place fun and informative for all.

The vast majority of the time this is simple and we don't do any more than a little cleaning up here and there, a quick post, or sending someone a Private Message. We don't usually tend to be as formal as official Infractions to your profile, we've even a few Moderators who've never even banned anyone. We like it mellow if you know what I mean.

Yet this doesn't mean we won't step in if necessary, we do need to keep an eye on things and do what it takes to keep things going smooth. While each and every staff member is more than willing to listen and will do their best to be as fair as possible - it's our call in the end.

To help with that we've come up with a bit of clarification to the above rules. Don't worry - they haven't changed nor will we be changing how we go about them, we just thought it'd be helpful to show you how we view those rules when we do decide to intervene.

1. Do not curse and treat all members with respect.

By far the most important - this is the one rule we really enforce. The "no cussin'" part is automatic, the forum software auto-censors expletives as you may have already noticed. Yet this goes hand-in-hand with the more general "respect" part of this rule - despite the auto-censor, should a post consist of nothing more than simple flaming or it's obvious the poster is completely disregarding this rule by "clever" respellings to insult another - it'll be edited/deleted without warning.

Respect... well, that's a pretty broad and general term. There's no real way for us to specifically state what does and does not constitute "respect" to satisfy rule mongers. Still, it's pretty easy for us to tell when someone's going overboard and such decisions are up to the staff's discretion. Should you disagree with a staff member's decision - kindly show the respect that we're trying to promote and please feel free to Private Message any of us at any time, we're more than willing to help work things out. Continued public strife and arguing rudely with another member or staff will also be deleted. Should repeated warnings be ignored - that's when bans happen. We really don't like banning people, please don't force our hand with public displays.

2. Use the search function for topic you are looking for and add to that thread. If nothing is found, then start a new thread.

3. If someone has a question answer it with a link if already covered. A response of "use the search" is not needed. Most likely the person couldn't find it. Its all about helping each other.

These two rules are not only pretty simple, I think it's pretty obvious by now they're only loosely enforced. It's actually really basic forum etiquette to search for whatever questions/answers you may have before starting a new thread - we've thousands of members who've gone out of their way to provide as comprehensive a breakdown of even the simplest of problems, even creating extensive tutorials complete with pictures and sometimes even videos. You're only doing yourself a disservice by not looking for them first.

We completely understand that not all are familiar with forum use, we know that search engines can be problematic - even yielding too much information to be useful. We don't mind if you feel it necessary to start a new thread... but know that you'll most likely get far better answers a LOT faster if you simply look for them first. In fact people make it more difficult for others to search for stuff if there's a hundred threads asking what their oil mix should be, remember you can always "bump" an old thread with a relevant question - by doing this you're helping that thread be more useful instead of just burying it with more of the same.

That holds true of looking for a thread to link to in order to answer such a question - not only will it provide far more than you probably feel like typing, it keeps the well written, more comprehensive and informative threads alive - encouraging others to go through the fuss and bother of writing such helpful tutorials. It feels like a "thank you" each time a thread like that is linked.

4. No spamming

This one does bear some additional explanation despite it's apparent simplicity. While the primary focus is on the blatant and unrelated advertising "spam" so common on the internet - such posts get immediately deleted and the poster permanently banned without warning by the way, this also includes obvious self-promotion in the interest of selling any product - even motorized bicycle related. The exception to this would be our Swap And Shop subforum.

Should you have a product to promote or something to sell, that's the place for it - even if you're not a "official" dealer or vendor. We don't mind helpful tips and links to products you think superior, in fact even encourage it -but it's often obvious someone is simply soliciting. What constitutes excessive marketing and/or promotion is at the staff's discretion and may be moved/edited/deleted as necessary, forum sponsor or not - this holds true for all.

In truth - you may be far better off posting such things in 'Swap and Shop' - it is after all where people look when they wish to buy something, so don't get offended if you find a thread moved there. If you find a post edited or deleted - again, Private Message any staff member to clarify before getting irate about it, we are after all doing our very best to make this a fun and helpful place for everyone including working with you to ascertain what the problem was.

5. Most important is to have fun and share with others

This is indeed by far the most important thing of all and why we do what we do. ALL staff intervention is undertaken with this basic rule in mind, so if you find yourself the subject of such intervention - it's probably this rule we're enforcing.




The long and short of it is, while this is a free country and everyone entitled to their say - this is actually a privately owned forum started with the sole interest of babbling about motorized bicycles - helping others with theirs and seeking help when it's needed, even just sharing your pride and joy with others that would appreciate it. Any deviation from that, even in The Tavern may be subject to review by staff as per the administration's wishes. There's been a lot of work put into this forum and it's a never ending project, discuss what you wish in the Tavern or anywhere you think appropriate - but don't get upset if the "homeowner" feels it needful to clean house once in a while, there are some discussions and debates that are simply inappropriate here. The 'net is a big place and I'm sure you'll find the right place for such topics, motorbicycling.com is of course primarily about motorized bicycles.

In summery, although we really wish to just sit back and enjoy the hobby - it falls on staff to do whatever we think necessary to make this an enjoyable place for all. If by chance you run afoul of one of the above rules and find you've been reprimanded/edited/deleted/moved or whatever please do us the the favor of just talking to us about it directly - odds are it's a little thing so why not keep it that way. In the same spirit of respect and courtesy - if you see something that offends you, rise above it and clarify politely - or simply report it. It's our job to wade into the thick of things as unpleasant as it may be, counter-flaming a poster you find obnoxious just makes more work for us.


What we all really want, member and staff alike - the universal goal if you will is pretty simple. So simple as to be summed up with a single "smiley" even;


Ride on man, ride on FTW

[Dave31]

Members:

Please! NO SOLICITING for donations are allowed on the forum. This includes any Charity organization or any personal problems you are asking for help. This includes any Blogs or web sites.

We do make exception if you ask permission first and that we can determine if it is legit, but most likely we cannot so don't bother.

Thank You for understanding, this is for the protection of the members here at Motorbicycling.com