Forum etiquette

[AtomicA]

I'm pretty darn new at this whole message board thing... where would I go about finding general rules on how to post, when to start a new topic, what I can respond to and all that etiquette stuff that I'm sure will be usefull to know? anyone wanna give a newbie the shakedown(

[Queen Tokelove]

I'm pretty darn new at this whole message board thing... where would I go about finding general rules on how to post, when to start a new topic, what I can respond to and all that etiquette stuff that I'm sure will be usefull to know? anyone wanna give a newbie the shakedown(

Well here's what I know.

1. You can usually hit the reply button to post. If you want you can even use the quote button which will copy whatever someone said in a new box. I like to use the quote option a lot because sometimes reading so many posts, I forget who said what.

2. You can start a new topic at the beginning of a thread. If there is another way to do it, I'm sure someone will tell you. Depending on what your question is you can start a new topic anywhere. For instance if you wanna talk about a tv show or something you would post in Off Topic...If it was a question about nutrition for poz people then it would be Nutrition&HIV... You get the drift, right?

3. Even though you are new your knowledge is valued. I'm sure you have an experience you might want to share or notice you might have something in common with others here. There is no such thing as a stupid question, the only stupid question is the one left unasked. So feel free to comment or vent even. Keep in mind other people's feelings when making a reply, sometimes re-reading a post may help.

That is my 2 cents for ya. I'm sure a moderator will pop up and direct you where to go for the formal rules.
Welcome to the Forums.

[DanielMark]

Hi AtomicA,

Anytime you join a new organization, start a new school, or begin a new job, you expect to spend some time working out the culture of your new place, and cyberspace is no different. It has it's own myths, it's own set of rules, it's own history, that's all part of the fascination.

And just like everywhere else, on the net good manners and consideration for other make for a more pleasant time for all. As a newbie it is up to you to work out the rules. Luckily there are many guides, like this one, on becoming a good netizen of cyberspace.

Despite what you might hear about the net being anarchic, in fact there are rules. The rules are simply guidelines to make net life more pleasant for everyone. They attempt to take into account the fact that everyone uses the net in different ways and for different purposes, and that in order to accommodate the millions of people who use the net regularly, some guidance for acceptable use is necessary.

from: Netiquette - Using the Internet

Daniel

[poet]

Welcome to the forums, Atomic.  If you click onto a content heading, you have the option of creating a new topic under that heading.  I admit to only reading and posting in 'living with hiv' and 'off topic.'  I admit, as someone who is also, relatively new, that when someone newer starts a topic which we have recently covered, I may reply that she/he might take a look at what we have recently said. It's not a criticism of the topic being repeated, but a way of she/he catching up.  If a moderator feels that you post a topic in the wrong content area, you may find it moved by her/him.  There is a core group of people you will usually find posting comments but I suspect that everyone is grateful each time new people post: the more voices we have commenting, the more useful the forums.  And I hope that you will find, as I am, that as you read the same posters over and over (or go to her/his profile and read through a series of posts) the more she/he becomes less an anonymous poster and more a real person talking across a table.  Again, welcome! Win

[allopathicholistic]

I'm pretty darn new at this whole message board thing... where would I go about finding general rules on how to post

What everyone said above! Also, the intro link found in "Living With" is helpful too. Click here: WELCOME to the Living With HIV Forum!  ... The "skinny" is this: Jump right in and don't be shy