Gotmead Members:
Here are the rules for the Gotmead Forum (I think I'm pretty laid back as forum owners go...):
NOTE: Gotmead is not a public forum. It is *my* forum, owned, maintained and paid for by me. That means I make and enforce the rules. Anyone that doesn't want to live under them is free to post elsewhere. I keep a clean, spam-free site. I reserve the right to refuse posting and access rights to anyone for any reason.
THE RULES:
1. Your mead-making/brewing methods are *your* methods. A lot of newbies visit here, and they come looking for help. Start telling them that *your* method(s) are the *only* or the *best* methods is a sure way to piss me off. Mead making is an inexact science driven by personal taste and regional and cultural preferences. I expect you to *always* qualify your statements about your homebrewing adventures with 'what I did was' or 'what works for *me* is'. That also means you should not bash someone elses' methods just because they don't agree with yours. If they ask for advice, feel free to give it, but qualify the advice as your method, 'a common method' or some other thing that indicates there are other choices. Start pushing your methods or the methods of a particular person or book as 'only' or 'best', and I'll stomp you. Keep it up, I'll ban you.
In addition, if you claim some sort of historical basis, produce references. If you have no references, you are required to state that you have no formal basis, that this is theory or conjecture.
2. No socio-political rants that bash or broadly tar any one group/affiliation/side of the aisle. You'll piss off *someone*. You are free to say 'I believe that this or that action is wrong', but say 'I think all green aliens are bad people who don't raise their kids right', you get stomped. Go blaming the state of the country or whatever on any social or political group and I'll stomp you. Keep it up, I'll ban you.
3. No spam. Period. Spamming skips right over stomping to banning of your email, your account, your IP and anything else of yours I can find, plus gets you reported to your ISP and dumped if I can manage it. Don't do it. If you wish to advertise your business, then put it in your sig file, and contribute to the forums. We'll see it. If you're honing to sell your homebrewing related product on Gotmead, contact me and we'll talk. I'm always looking for nifty new toys to tell our readers about.
4. Sexually explicit content - I have no problem with it if it is a) not spam related and b) has EXPLICIT in the thread title so that those who wish to avoid it may do so. If I see enough of it, I may create a board just for that and move your post there. Post spam-like sexual content, and see rule #3.
5. Unsolicited email - that is spam. See rule #3.
6. Private battles/arguments or conversations are *not* to be aired in public on this forum. If you do, you will be asked to publicly apologize, and the thread will be locked. Continue to do it, and you will be banned.
7. Rabble-rousing is forbidden. You want to start a fight, do it elsewhere. It is not allowed here. Keep your posts civil. Start insulting others, for *any* reason, and you will be warned. Keep it up, you will be banned.
8. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! This site got started because I was doing my research on meadmaking and created a web page to give me a place to keep my research. The search tool for the forum is located here, and the rest of the site has lots of articles, tips and info, read it first before asking a question that may have been asked dozens of times before.
Don't expect us to do your homework for you. You came here to learn, so study and learn! We're not here to hold your hand, I'm not your mother, and the mead world doesn't owe you instant answers because you don't care to do a search. I spend hours every day searching tech-support forums to learn more about the dozens of tools that run this site, and I don't expect someone to hold my hand, and neither should you.
9. Advertising is not allowed in the forum. If you wish to put a single link your signature, you may. However, Gotmead is supported in part by advertising funds, and if you wish to advertise, please buy a banner which will rotate throughout the forum. You can purchase banner advertising by emailing me at gotmead@gotmead.com.
10. User Names in ALL CAPS ARE NOT PERMITTED. If you register your user name with ALL CAPS it will be deleted and a message will be sent to you indicating that you need to re-register with a different version of that user name. Effective 04/04/2008.
_________________________________________________
These rules are pretty easy, and pretty straightforward. If you have questions, wish to argue with me about it, or want to rant, email me. I may or may not choose to argue back.
Vicky Rowe
Owner, Webmistress and Management
Here are the rules for the Gotmead Forum (I think I'm pretty laid back as forum owners go...):
NOTE: Gotmead is not a public forum. It is *my* forum, owned, maintained and paid for by me. That means I make and enforce the rules. Anyone that doesn't want to live under them is free to post elsewhere. I keep a clean, spam-free site. I reserve the right to refuse posting and access rights to anyone for any reason.
THE RULES:
1. Your mead-making/brewing methods are *your* methods. A lot of newbies visit here, and they come looking for help. Start telling them that *your* method(s) are the *only* or the *best* methods is a sure way to piss me off. Mead making is an inexact science driven by personal taste and regional and cultural preferences. I expect you to *always* qualify your statements about your homebrewing adventures with 'what I did was' or 'what works for *me* is'. That also means you should not bash someone elses' methods just because they don't agree with yours. If they ask for advice, feel free to give it, but qualify the advice as your method, 'a common method' or some other thing that indicates there are other choices. Start pushing your methods or the methods of a particular person or book as 'only' or 'best', and I'll stomp you. Keep it up, I'll ban you.
In addition, if you claim some sort of historical basis, produce references. If you have no references, you are required to state that you have no formal basis, that this is theory or conjecture.
2. No socio-political rants that bash or broadly tar any one group/affiliation/side of the aisle. You'll piss off *someone*. You are free to say 'I believe that this or that action is wrong', but say 'I think all green aliens are bad people who don't raise their kids right', you get stomped. Go blaming the state of the country or whatever on any social or political group and I'll stomp you. Keep it up, I'll ban you.
3. No spam. Period. Spamming skips right over stomping to banning of your email, your account, your IP and anything else of yours I can find, plus gets you reported to your ISP and dumped if I can manage it. Don't do it. If you wish to advertise your business, then put it in your sig file, and contribute to the forums. We'll see it. If you're honing to sell your homebrewing related product on Gotmead, contact me and we'll talk. I'm always looking for nifty new toys to tell our readers about.
4. Sexually explicit content - I have no problem with it if it is a) not spam related and b) has EXPLICIT in the thread title so that those who wish to avoid it may do so. If I see enough of it, I may create a board just for that and move your post there. Post spam-like sexual content, and see rule #3.
5. Unsolicited email - that is spam. See rule #3.
6. Private battles/arguments or conversations are *not* to be aired in public on this forum. If you do, you will be asked to publicly apologize, and the thread will be locked. Continue to do it, and you will be banned.
7. Rabble-rousing is forbidden. You want to start a fight, do it elsewhere. It is not allowed here. Keep your posts civil. Start insulting others, for *any* reason, and you will be warned. Keep it up, you will be banned.
8. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! This site got started because I was doing my research on meadmaking and created a web page to give me a place to keep my research. The search tool for the forum is located here, and the rest of the site has lots of articles, tips and info, read it first before asking a question that may have been asked dozens of times before.
Don't expect us to do your homework for you. You came here to learn, so study and learn! We're not here to hold your hand, I'm not your mother, and the mead world doesn't owe you instant answers because you don't care to do a search. I spend hours every day searching tech-support forums to learn more about the dozens of tools that run this site, and I don't expect someone to hold my hand, and neither should you.
9. Advertising is not allowed in the forum. If you wish to put a single link your signature, you may. However, Gotmead is supported in part by advertising funds, and if you wish to advertise, please buy a banner which will rotate throughout the forum. You can purchase banner advertising by emailing me at gotmead@gotmead.com.
10. User Names in ALL CAPS ARE NOT PERMITTED. If you register your user name with ALL CAPS it will be deleted and a message will be sent to you indicating that you need to re-register with a different version of that user name. Effective 04/04/2008.
_________________________________________________
These rules are pretty easy, and pretty straightforward. If you have questions, wish to argue with me about it, or want to rant, email me. I may or may not choose to argue back.
Vicky Rowe
Owner, Webmistress and Management
