FAQ [Solved] A guide to using the Blog and Forum

Welcome to the Radios-TV VRAT Community.

Thanks for joining us. We're always happy to meet people who feel the same way about our hobby. We want everyone to get the most out of their time spent here, so we ask that you please read and follow these guidelines. And enjoy your visit.

We remind by registering, you agree to our rules and should have read them, They are relatively simple rules, so please take the time to reread them.

In addition to the 10 rules, please read the following advice on conducting yourself on the forum, again it is designed to help you not hinder you.

Section 1. Make Yourself Heard

Spend some time browsing the site, familiarise yourself with the menu system above and what is available. Do a few searches for keywords related to your topic: it could be someone has already started a discussion about it. If you don't search, you won't find. When you're sure you're ready to start a discussion, please keep the following points in mind:

1. Give your thread a good title! You'll get the best results if your title makes it clear what you want to talk about. Also, you will help others in the future to find info about certain items or topics.
2. Choose the right tag(s). This will increase the likelihood your post will be read and answered promptly.
3. Don’t post repeatedly about the same topic, as doing so will tend to have the opposite effect.
4. This is a UK site so post English only. We can't help if we can't read you!
5. Remember, you don't need to sign your posts. We've got your profile to let us know who you are.
6. Please make the effort to help us keep things organised.

Section 2. Make Your Reply Count

You're taking the time to participate in a discussion, in the hope that others will read your ideas and take them into consideration. So why not make the effort to make your reply worth reading?

1. Don't reply to a title. Take some time to read the original post, and at least scan the rest of the conversation first.
2. Ask yourself if your reply adds to the discussion. If it doesn't, give it some more thought before posting.
3. Avoid making one-word posts just to agree with someone; you can use the "like" link for that 
4. Avoid making multiple posts in a row when one would suffice. This is a forum, not Facebook.
5. If your reply is likely to divert the course of the discussion, consider starting your own discussion instead. The quickest way to annoy Folk is by thread "hi-jacking".
6. If you just want to post a bit of fun or nonsense, please do so in the private coffee lounge, not in the main public forums.
7. Make sure your replies provide constructive feedback and support to allow for an inclusive community.
8. No one's going to complain about the occasional joke or smart remark. We like to keep the mood light – but, we like to keep things productive, as well, so we ask that you try to avoid derailing a discussion altogether.

Section 3. Above All, Be Polite, and Professional

We're all here to talk about the things that matter to us relating to vintage electronics, and to work together toward making it an even better experience. Criticising ideas (by means of reasonable arguments, of course) is an important part of that. But let's not get carried away and devolve into personal attacks, because negativity only gets in the way. We also ask that you avoid the following:

1. Offensive or abusive language, as well as any kind of hate speech
2. Posts intended to harass, impersonate, or defame others
3. Attempts to abuse or expose the private information of others
4. Obscene or sexually explicit content
5. Spam, phishing posts, and any actions intended to deface this site
6. Discussion of religion, politics, software piracy and similar topics are areas you should avoid.
7. All the above are areas that will invite moderator action. If you have an issue with another member, we ask that you please don't confront them yourself. Please just use the Report command on the post in question, then leave it up to the admin/mod to deal with the situation.

Our moderators may edit or delete any content that is offensive or disruptive to the flow of communication. Serious or repeated offences will lead to suspension of the offending user's account. Which leads on to our final statement.

Section 4. User Disciplinary Procedure

We expect our rules and guidance above to be adhered to without question, they form part of the contract of joining our group when you registered. However sometimes disruptive forces join and believe themselves to be above the rules, that they do not apply to them. In such circumstances when the rules are breached or conduct is unbecoming, the following procedure will be applied. 

Note: In very few and exceptional circumstances, the procedure may not be followed sequentially. For example, an act might be deemed to warrant instant dismissal, we point out these are very rare and exceptional cases.

1. A moderator will pin a polite and public note to user's post advising them. The member should take heed of the note and act accordingly.
2. If a note is deemed inadequate on its own or inappropriate to be public, a private message will be sent to the member from a moderator. Again, the member should comply with the moderator's advice.
3. If the first two warnings are ignored, the user will be transferred to the forum “On moderation” group. This means all the user's posts will be withheld until a moderator approves them for public viewing. The moderation team will decide how long this will last and notify the member via private message.
4. When conduct or rule breach dictates stronger action to be taken, or a member has ignored repeated requests from stages 1,2 and 3, it may be decided a timed ban/suspension is called for. A timed suspension prevents the user from being able to log in to the forum until the suspension duration has expired. A cooling-off period as such. An e-mail will be generated, and the member should follow its advice.
5. Full Ban. Expulsion from the forum, when all prior options have been explored and failed, or the admin deems members behaviour warrants instant dismissal.

So, you know, be polite, and professional. Courtesy costs you nothing to give and receive, so let's all be mindful of that, please.

Finally

The FAQ section is here to help, it makes sense to use it.

https://www.radios-tv.co.uk/community/faq-members-only/