Respect for Others

kioskea's online bulletin board brings together people from different walks of life, who share a common goal: Helping one another in the field of information technology. Everybody who contributes toward this goal is a volunteer with positive aims.

Politeness

Therefore, users should treat one another with mutual respect. Every new message should ideally be accompanied by a polite introduction.

Here's an example of what not to type:

GIVE ME DRIVERS FOR MY AGFA1230/XP

The following is a much better way to ask:

Hello,
I am looking for drivers for my AGFA1230 scanner that will work in Windows XP.
Thanks in advance for your answer!
Steven L.

Thanking Users

By the same token, in order to encourage uses to contribute, it is generally a good idea to thank people who help you. If you manage to find a solution to your problem some other way, feel free to post it in the thread: It might be of use to someone else!

Humility

Sometimes, users might send messages which don't directly address the question, or suggest solutions which don't seem appropriate to you. If this happens, it is wise to give your opinion on the matter, without rebuking those users for their replies. In general, it is recommended that forum-goers act with courtesy.

Before starting a new thread, it is recommended to use the search engine to see if a similar problem has already been discussed. If it has been, and the thread only answers part of your question, choose an appropriate forum to start your own topic. When users reply to your message, you can reply in the same thread to continue the discussion. You can even respond to your own message after several hours to "bump" it to the top of the list again.

However, don't demand an immediate response from other users; remember that people on the site are volunteers, not employees, and they might not have the solution to your problem

Also, for the sake of both the users who are looking for answers on a forum and those who want to help solve whatever problems you've encountered, it is recommended:

• to not post your message several times in one forum. The contributors will do their best to answer your messages within a reasonable length of time. However, if 24 hours have gone by without an answer, you can "bump" your initial thread to the top of the recent threads list by responding to your own message.
• to not disrupt someone else's ongoing discussion, such as by saying "Help me, I have the same problem but nobody's answering."