Code of Conduct

By using this site, you agree to the terms outlined in our Code of Conduct. Some of the terms of the Code of Conduct are repeated or rephrased below. In the event of an inconsistency between the Code of Conduct and the guidelines below, the Code of Conduct is given precedence.

This is a Civilized Place for Public Discussion

Please treat this Forum with the same respect you would a public park. This Forum is a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.

These are not hard and fast rules, merely guidelines to aid the human judgment of our community and keep this a clean and well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.

Improve the Discussion

The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with what is being said.

One way to improve the discussion is by discovering ones that are already happening. Spend time browsing the topics here before replying or starting your own, and you’ll have a better chance of meeting others who share your interests.

Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree

You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:

  • Name-calling
  • Ad hominem attacks
  • Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content
  • Knee-jerk contradiction

Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.

Your Participation Counts

The conversations we have here set the tone for every new arrival. Help us influence the future of this community by choosing to engage in discussions that make this forum an interesting place to be.

This Forum provides tools that enable the community to collectively identify the best (and worst) contributions: bookmarks, likes, flags, replies, edits, and so forth. Use these tools to improve your own experience, and everyone else’s, too.

If You See a Problem, Flag It

When you see content or behavior that you believe violates our Code of Conduct, flag it for our attention. Avoid replying to or confronting bad actors. Instead, appeal to Forum staff and moderators for help through the flagging process.

Be Civil

Each of your posts is as an opportunity to be positive, kind, and constructive. Build a reputation for yourself in this Forum as a civil and respectful contributor.

  • Don’t post anything that a reasonable person would consider offensive, abusive, or hate speech.
  • Don’t post anything obscene or sexually explicit.
  • Don’t harass anyone, impersonate people, or expose their private information.
  • Don’t post spam or otherwise vandalize the forum.

Keep It Tidy

Make the effort to put things in the right place, so that we can spend more time discussing and less cleaning up.

  • Don’t knowingly start a topic in the wrong category. If you’re unsure of a category, use General.
  • Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.
  • Don’t post empty replies.
  • Don’t merely “bump” a post. Reply when you have new and relevant information to share.
  • Don’t sign your posts — every post has your profile information attached to it.

Rather than posting “+1” or “Agreed”, use the Like button. Rather than taking an existing topic in a radically different direction, use Reply as a Linked Topic.

Post Only Your Own Stuff

You may not post anything digital that belongs to someone else without permission. You may not post descriptions of, links to, or methods for stealing someone’s intellectual property (software, video, audio, images), or for breaking any other law.

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This site is operated by your friendly local staff and you, the community. If you have questions about how something works here, open a new topic in the General category. If there’s a critical or urgent issue that can’t be handled by a meta topic or flag, contact us via the staff page.

Terms of Service

Yes, legalese is boring, but we must protect ourselves – and by extension, you and your data – against unfriendly folks. We have a Terms of Service describing your (and our) behavior and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To use this service, you must agree to abide by our TOS.