2006-05-01 20:45:57

Forum guidelines for The Business of Software

Over on Joel Spolsky's forum site, Bob Walsh and I serve as moderators for a discussion board called The Business of Software.  Below, we have described a few guidelines for the users of that forum.

 

In an effort to keep the quality of discussion high, this forum is moderated.  Stuff gets deleted for all kind of reasons.  If you want your post to live a long and healthy life, following these guidelines:

1. Don't spam.  This is not the place to try to advertise or sell anything.  Most of the messages deleted by the moderators are just blatant spam.
   
   
2. This forum software allows you to be anonymous, but that doesn't mean we encourage it.  Use your name or a nickname.  Own your words.  Unsigned posts are almost always deleted.
   
   
3. Use descriptive titles.  Don't make us click on your message to see its topic.
   
   
4. Stay civil and be kind.  Attacks against another person are inappropriate.
   
   
5. Read before you write.  If you're new here, we suggest that you read the forum for a while before you start posting stuff.
   
   
6. Contribute before you take.  We don't mind people asking for advice or help, but when people come in and ask for help without contributing to the forum in any other way, we just can't resist the temptation to delete.
   
   
7. More specifically: This is a community for people involved in the operation of a software business.  Website reviews are a part of that, but don't post a link to your site just to get feedback or build awareness of your business.
   
   
8. Don't talk about the forum on the forum.  Don't ask why a post was deleted.  Don't suggest features for the forum software.  All that stuff is boring.
   
   
9. Don't post job openings.  See the left sidebar for a list of other groups.
   
   
10. Stay on topic.  Sometimes we delete something simply because it's not even remotely related to the Business of Software.
    
    

Thanks,

Bob Walsh and Eric Sink