ArtBistro

Welcome to ArtBistro. Read, heed, relax and enjoy our forums.

This user guideline for the ArtBistro.com discussion forums in general is meant as not only words of welcome, but also as a baseline for what is expected of you as guests in this online community. Most of this is common sense, but all of it is still worth saying. Remember that these are open forums, so PERSEC and OPSEC must be observed at all times (PERSEC is personal security / OPSEC is operational security). Unless you are comfortable with it; do not give names, addresses or locations of self or others, and keep your personal info to a minimum. You never know who is reading.

Welcome aboard! This post was created with the purpose of giving you some advice and guidance before you jump into the world of the ArtBistro.com discussion forums. This is a pretty long post, but be patient and read it through – it will help you avoid embarrassment and give you some very helpful background information. STARTING OUT

- READ the Terms of Use / User Agreement. Let me say that again: READ THE TOU. When you are on the ArtBistro.com website, you will find a number of blue, underlined links at the very bottom of every page. The “Terms of Use” is among them.

- Read the boards. Don’t just jump right in and start a new thread or subject, because it may already exist. Visit other threads, view the opinions expressed, and get a feel for the flow of discussion that goes on around here.

- Introduce yourself – tell us a little about who you are and what you’re all about. You don’t have to put anything out that you don’t want, just give us some background.

- Your Profile – it’s not mandatory that you put personal information in your profile, but anonymous posters tend to be less trusted than those who are honest in their profile.

HOW TO BEHAVE – Do’s and Don’ts

- Argue all you want, but be respectful. This forum is provided to you for free, and is a public forum, but that does not give you the right to be disrespectful.

- Don’t rant and rave –Try to use reasoned debate, logic, credible sources, etc. In time you will be listened to with respect and you’ll enjoy your time here.

- Keep a thick skin and a sense of humor. You are in amongst a number of folks who may or may not be ‘PC’. Understand that most of it is in fun.

- Agree to disagree – don’t keep hammering away with a point that another member refuses to acknowledge. Just agree to have a different viewpoint; otherwise resentment builds.

-Name Calling is discouraged. Resorting to name calling generally results in disruptive posts by all parties involved, and will lead to suspension of posting privileges.

-“Calling Out” of a member is not allowed because it disrupts the normal flow of debate on these forums. These are discussion forums. Not a place to air personal grudges.

-Posting “Incendiary” Threads. Members who post extremely controversial thread topics for the sole purpose of aggravating large “groups” of members will have their threads moved and will face disciplinary action by the Moderators.

-Respect the Moderators. The Moderators are those individuals who monitor the forums, assist the members, and ensure that the TOU are adhered to. On this site, the Mods are the all-knowing, all-powerful gods of your little universe. If they give you a warning, HEED IT – the next warning will be your banishment. Moderators enjoy some flexibility in applying discipline on these Forums. Members, who calm down, and comply with Moderator warnings will fair better than those who do not.

-Checking profiles: Look at a member’s profile before you respond to them. Simply click on their screen name and you can find out more about the poster. This is very useful, and will keep you from making mistakes like: referring to a woman as “he”, etc.

There you go – a bit of wisdom to get you started. Read, heed, and Welcome Aboard!