Here's some general "rules" for forum posting. These are not aimed at any specific individual.
1) Stick to the topic at hand. The last thing the OP (Original Poster - the person who started the thread) - needs is people going off on unrelated tangents
2) Some forums are "serious" technical forums. Refrain from posting jokes or unrelated banter in those forums. We have the Greasy Spoon for useless blather about unrelated topics.
3) Remain civil at all times. Some forums allow people to be abusive at times. This is not one of those forums. We ban people who do that.
4) Especially in technical forums, keep your answers laser-focused on the topic.
5) Refrain from the temptation to post just to be posting. If you can't add something useful to the discussion, don't add anything at all.
6) Respect your elders. Every post shows how many times a person has posted. Folks with lots of posts have been here a long time and contributed a great deal. Respect that.
7) Respect the moderators. Everyone on Stovebolt is a volunteer. If you have a beef with the site, if you think something isn't right, if you think we could improve, email me at
geek@stovebolt.com.
8) Remember, every member who posts on our forums is giving you their knowledge free of charge. If I charged for my services, this forum wouldn't even exist because the owners couldn't afford it.
9) If you're not an expert on a subject, don't pretend to be. Bad advice is worse than no advice at all.
10) Don't take anything personally. People often get offended on the internet because the nuances of facial expressions and tonal voice qualities are missing. Be the adult in the conversation.
). There's also a sticky post with a list of acronyms, that's helpful for people who aren't familiar with them.