Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

This is in no way endorsed by the club or committee it is just some information I gathered regarding forum etiquette that could assist you to be a valuable forum member on this forum and other forums that you might participate on. Corné PERSONAL DISPUTES Please do not use these forums for personal disputes, heated debates, flame wars etc. You are expected to treat each other with respect in the forums and take any personal disputes to a private mode of discussion off the forums. If you should find that your discussion is becoming too heated or someone is becoming far too passionate about their argument, please take the discussion to private message or email. PERSONAL TOPICS Personal topics are threads that, whilst posted in public forum, are intended for a discussion between only a few members. These kinds of topics are frowned on and could be locked/removed as soon as they are discovered. Public posts should be open and inviting to all members. Personal discussions among a select group of users should take place in private message. RESPECT OTHER USERS Sometimes people can write something that you may find offensive. Before launching into a public condemnation though, please consider that the person may not have intended to cause offense. It is very easy to misinterpret a post on forums. There is absolutely no need to resort to insults. Respect others' views even if you disagree with them. NO TROLLING What is a troll? It's a person who posts something which is bound to stir people up and then sits back and watches as dozens of people jump in and start arguing. Sometimes trolls get their friends to join in or post under different names. Generally they will do anything it takes to get attention. If you see a message like this, please try and refrain from replying to it - it may well be locked/deleted anyway. Trolls are generally deceitful and may use ambivalence as a method of covertly insulting, intimidating, or inciting a person or persons for their own sadistic pleasure. They often pick their words very carefully and are therefore able to defend their masked attempts at creating unrest, often redirecting the blame onto the community and its failure to understand them properly. Trolling is further considered one of two things; Either running a topic into the ground incessantly, or dragging up old arguments against a specific user/group/etc. long after the original discussion gas been put to rest and then targeting them/it specifically and needlessly. Trolling is the first step toward outright harassment of other members. This is the single biggest no-no in the community. Letting every argument drop isn't always a possibility, but learning when to let things go is a valuable tool, and not just in this community. BE CIVIL No personal attacks. Do not feel compelled to defend your honor in public. STAY ON TOPIC Most of online forums are high-traffic and read by busy people, so please pay attention to the topic of your messages, and check that it still relates to the charter of the forum to which you are posting. Off-topic discussion not taken to private email. BE KIND TO NEWCOMERS Newcomers may be annoying. They ask the wrong questions, including ones that seem obvious (or whose answers seem easy to find). But lots of valued contributors started out this way, and treating newcomers kindly makes them more likely to turn into the valuable community members we all know and love (and cut some slack when they mess up). So while you don't have to humour them or suffer them gladly, and it's fine to point out when they make mistakes, point newcomers in the right direction in addition to turning them away from the wrong ones, and be kind to them in the process of correcting their transgressions. LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE It's tempting to revisit controversial decisions you disagree with, but it's rarely productive to do so, since it almost always results in the same heated, lengthy, and time/energy draining discussions leading to the same conclusion that was reached in the last round. Therefore, for issues already raised, discussed, and decided upon, reopen the discussion only if you have significant new information that would reasonably prompt reconsideration of the original decision. THREAD HIJACKING Thread hijacking is the process of replying to an existing thread with a different topic. This is tolerated but discouraged. It is better to start a new thread if you have a problem that is related to an existing posted issue but clearly different. On the other hand, it is better to respond to the existing thread with additional information if you have what appears to be the same problem. Posts that hijack a serious thread with off-topic discussion are strongly discouraged and will often be deleted or edited by forum moderators. IGNORE SPAMMERS Spam is a blight upon the face of the net. Nobody likes it. However, it is hard to avoid. Despite our best efforts, you will very occasionally see spam on the forums. Complaining about spam in public increases noise, but not signal. It may make you feel better, but it doesn't help. PM a moderator and they will review it for removal. Repetitive posts by one user, or posting a new thread when one is already easily accessible can be considered spam. It's hard enough to let community members easily track this forum as days go on, they don't need to wade through two dozen threads about the same thing every day. Try searching first. DO NOT FLAME Flaming, in the most common sense definition, is saying something negative in an attempt to get a more negative response. This is completely and totally unacceptable. It will not be tolerated, and in most cases will be punished severely. Never resort to personal insults, never extend a debate beyond the topic on hand needlessly, and try to avoid patronizing language.