If you are new to this site, welcome to our forum! This is a forum for fans of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and the films based on his books such as the Peter Jackson, Bakshi, and Rankin Bass adaptations. This is also a forum where we encourage members to get to know one another through various off-topic discussions on our non-Tolkien boards.
Over the years we have become a family of sorts, and just as a family takes pride in its name and household, we take alot of pride in this forum, and want it to continue to be a pleasant place to visit.
The following are some suggested guidelines for making posts or topics in a way that is positive and constructive to the overall experience for our members.
When making a post..Take the time to read through all the pages of the topic if you are posting in it for the first time. Make sure you know what the purpose of the topic is.
If the topic is multiple pages long, and you want to reply to a post that's not at the end of the conversation, use the
quote button to show who's post you are replying to. This will help people better understand your reply.
If you make a mistake, use the "Modify Post" button to go back and correct that post. There's no need to make a second post to clear up any mistakes you made.
If you want to make off-topic conversation with another person who is also posting in a particular topic, please use Private Messages. That helps the topic to stay on subject.
Though it's also mentioned in the FAQ, please do not swear. There is a list of censored words for a very good reason. Using fancy symbols or strange spellings to post words that we want censored is STILL swearing, and won't be tolerated on this forum.
Spamming, or REPEATEDLY posting single-word posts, smilie faces, or generally trashing up good topics may not necessarily result in an immediate banning, but will make you very unpopular and cause the sort of disharmony on this forum that we wish to avoid. Spam posts will be deleted and your account will be flagged as troublesome if it continues in spite of warnings.
Text-speak, or "L33t", while somewhat tolerable in small doses, can be very hard to translate when over-used. There's no rush here, and taking the time to spell out the entire word properly will give people a better impression of you. The occasional abbreviation, however, is someting most ppl can live with.
Just like the FAQ says, abusive behaviour, excessive swearing, sexually explicit posts CAN result in banning, so DON'T do it.
Before you CREATE a topic..Please read the description of the board the topic is going on. We have enough boards that ANY topic should have a proper home. If you are not sure, then find a moderator online and ask them. They're here to help.
Look through all the other topics that are already posted on the board you wish to make a topic on. It might just be that the topic you want to discuss has already been made.
When you make a topic, try to make the subject as clear as possible. You will get more responses when people can look at the subject and know right away what the discussion is about.
When reading a topic..If you come across anything that you feel is profane, abusive, or in any way against the forum rules, then use the "Report to Webmaster" button at the lower right of the post to send a message to one of the forum administrators. They will handle the problem quickly. Please don't fuel the fire by engaging in arguements with the abusive member yourself.
(More to be added soon. If you want to contribute to this list, send me a Private Message and I'll update)
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