Forum Guidelines - Please Read

[Paul]

Forum Guidelines

This forum serves two purposes. The first is as a way for enthusiasts to chat and learn together and the second is to serve as a reference for both regular visitors and newcomers alike. In order to make this work and to help everyone, please aim for the following:


1. No personal attacks

2. Check the website for information first

3. Search the forum before posting.

4. Don't use pictures in your signatures

5. No chat in information sections

6. Post in the most relevant section

7. Avoid multiple short posts

8. Write a concise but descriptive title

9. Try not to hijack a thread

10. Preserve documentary and illustrative pictures

11. Keep purchase requests to Private Messages and ONLY if that member has something advertised in the classifieds section.

12. Edit original posts if there are mistakes instead of posting new ones.

13. Ask a mod to move your thread if it's in the wrong place rather than creating another one.



1. No personal attacks

We have a good debate and sometimes things get heated but we all maintain a healthy level of respect for each other. The snail community is good like this, a badge of honour in light of other things on the net so I'm sure you will help us maintain this.

If someone is doing something wrong regarding care etc., then they need to be told but it should be done in an academic and objective way. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. There is simply no need. If you think someone is doing it to you, alert a moderator or take the disagreement away from the forum.



2. Check the Website for information first

If you are looking for a particular piece of information check the website first as I try to populate it with information from this forum. If you're a newcomer, the chances are your information likes there. The website has a search engine, and categorised sections. It saves you a lot of time trawling through all the threads and it stops information being repeated ad nauseum. To visit the website click the picture below:




3. Search the forum before posting.

If you can't find it on the website, try searching the forum. There is a very good chance you will find a thread that answers your questions or that you can add to. I can't move posts from thread to thread so this will help a lot. It doesn't really matter, but things that are repeated will be deleted when during housekeeping.


4. Don't use pictures in your signatures.

To ensure readability and to allow us space for features the forum may require in the future we have agreed not to have pictures in signatures. Any found will be removed.


5. No chat in information sections

It is important to keep the information sections clear of clutter so people can locate the information they need so please don't chat in these sections. Any chat will be deleted. We encourage chatting but please do it in the relevant sections.


6. Post in the most relevant section

Just pick the one that you think is most relevant. We're not dictators or anything like that but it saves the moderators a lot of time. When I am aiming to clean up a thread I will delete any non-relevant posts. This doesn't mean I don't wish for people to do this, because I enjoy the spontaneity of the board but don't be upset when posts disappear. I'm just maintaining the integrity of the topic for people looking for something. I tend to only clean up inactive threads anyway.


7. Avoid multiple short posts

If you can combine posts do so. It makes for better reading and less housekeeping work for us. It's not pretty trawling through lots of 3 words posts by the same person all in a row.


8. Write a concise but descriptive title

This is VERY important. Once a title is set, changing it doesn't actually change it properly and the search engine seems to use the old title so it is difficult for me to alter the title to something meaningful when I clean up. With so many threads building up, it is vital that you are descriptive but concise with your title so people can find the information they want more easily.


9. Try not to hijack a thread (something I do too often - whoops! .

Instead, start a new thread and include the URL of the old thread in the first post. Then you can post the URL of the new thread you just created into the original thread to show the two relate. This is a great way to cross-reference anything of relevance.


10. Preserve documentary and illustrative pictures.

Please preserve any pictures you use to illustrate a particular topic because there is no image upload facility. I'm talking about research things here like identification, health problems etc. If you need to delete them let me know so I can choose to host them to preserve the thread.


11. Keep purchase requests to Private Messages and ONLY if that member has something advertised in the classifieds section.

This applies to a lot of personal messages that need not be publically aired. Please use your discretion. In the case of requests for snails, please only do this with members who are actually advertising in the classifieds section. If it isn't being advertised then it isn't for sale and requests will only annoy that person. and likely, lower your chances of getting some should they ever become available.


12. Edit original posts if there are mistakes instead of posting new ones.

This keeps threads much less cluttered.


13. Ask a mod to move your thread if it's in the wrong place rather than creating another one.

This also keeps the forum in order and makes it a more useful resource for everyone.


Some Extras


Leave markers alone.

From time to time if you may see a post of yours edited by a mod. If you then click modify, you may see a marker added by me. Please leave these in place, they are a way for my website to find relevant posts about a particular topic.


Classifieds

We, the site admins and moderators, accept no responsibilty or liability for the condition or suitability of any item purchased through our classifieds section. Use the section as you wish but frankly, it's strictly between buyer and seller.



We swear a little and there is banter, but it never goes out of control because we are mindful that a large percentage of snail owners are kids and we don't wish to prevent this from being an educational resource. There has never been anything grotesque or excessive so far and I don't like censorshop at all so I mention it only as a formality.

I hope you enjoy your stay...

[Paul]

Update

I want to make clear a few points about etiquette and unacceptable behavior on this forum. If your reading this for the first time, please don't be scared off by the fact that there is such a post. I'm intending to set the record straight now so everyone can enjoy the forum.

We don't mind people having differing opinions and expressing them, debate is the key not arguing.

If a thread gets removed it is for a good reason. The moderators generally know what is acceptable and we dislike threads being removed unnecessarily. So, it is only gonna happen when things need cooling down and a particular point has been made for long enough and threatens to get ugly. The moderators were chosen because they post knowledgeable and useful posts that I think are of a good quality. That doesn't mean I or the forum as a collective necessarily endorse their personal opinions, everyone is an individual and they know this. If a post gets removed and you are annoyed, pm me and I will sort it out from there.

In cases of arguments that persist everyone needs to learn to agree to disagree. Put your two-penneth worth in for the record and walk away. That gets your point across to people who may be influenced by what you say, bickering over pages and pages does the opposite. I suggest you do not be drawn into unnecessary bickering, have faith that people can decide for themselves. If you think something has gone too far, contact the moderators who can stop it continuing.

This forum is for discussion about snails and is not aligned with any particular viewpoint. If you wish to argue at length over what amounts to simply a difference of ethical opinion in general then choose one of the many other forums devoted to this kind of thing. If someone who dissects snails for a living came on this forum to help us, I wouldn't boot them off because I don't like the idea unless of course they were being cruel. They would undoubtedly have valuable information to share and that is the point of this forum and that information helps people who do care. We educate for the sake of the animals and it seems to me that people on here are clued up about care.

The forum is here to provide a needed service. When it comes to emotive subjects you're not gonna change people's points of view. As a casual observer I'd give this site a wide birth if I saw constant picking and that is counterproductive from the point of view of people who are concerned over an issue. It simply scares people away who may need our help, advice and knowledge and as a result snails may suffer. It is a more wholesome way to allow your opposites so-to-speak to have their say without getting upset. I will allow argument that is clinically made. And remember, people judge the validity of posts by who said them and what they have said before. Anyone jumping on people will only get a bad reputation and be ignored I imagine.

Most if not all people on here care about their snails, either from a personal and anthropomorphological point of view or from an academic point of view. In either case, it is counterproductive to care badly for your animals and I really don't think a bad owner would waste their time on an enthusiasts website. So we don't want to hear any sarcasm or criticism that isn't done in a friendly or constructive way.

I won't boot people off for having an opinion but from this point forward, if I think anyones posts are antagonistic and if it keeps happening I will do so, to save the forum. I don't relish this, I despise being the one who has to decide what action to take but I am, so I have to. I personally treat this forum as an academic tool that gives people an opportunity to teach and learn because we all take something different from it. In real terms, the snail community is absolutely tiny. We either tolerate each other and respect each others interest in the subject for the subject's sake or forget the whole thing.

On the other hand, it also upsets me that people can be so sensitive, at the end of the day I really do think people have a right to say whatever they wish, to whomever they wish; anything less is not freedom of speech and I'd support a no holds barred forum if it was intended for that. But the fact of the matter is, it isn't.

The point is, that I have been forced to assert that this forum is here for snail information and points of interest, it has nothing to do with anything else. If the users are suffering because it is hijacked by sarcasm and ridicule then that has to go elsewhere, somewhere intended purely for expression and not information.

I want everyone to bear this in mind. And if everyone does, we can all have a pleasant experience using this forum.

[deadmansfinger]

can I just remind everyone to please remember to stick to the rules above, making a special mention of points 5 and 11.

Everyday I am deleting irrelevant posts from the information section and also still see people posting all over the forum whenever anyone posts a picture, no matter what section it is in, asking if those slugs/snails are for sale, so please make an effort to stop chat in information sections and keep classifieds requests to the relevant area.

Thanks for your help with this,

Brian.