Posting Guidelines on CodingForums.com

The following are site-wide posting guidelines for all members participating on CodingForums.com, especially if you're new. 

1) Do not cross post your question in multiple forum categories- When posting, there is no excuse to post the same question in multiple categories in hopes of getting a quicker response. This is called spamming, and can get you banned. Choose one category that best accommodates your question, and post it there, once. If you're following up on a question, reply to the original thread, not start a new one! Everyone here is volunteering their time to help out others. The least you can do is make their jobs easier and less confusing.

2) Type in a subject that summarizes your question- A great way to turn off other members wanting to help you is to type an incomplete or silly subject for your post. Examples of poor subject titles include:

- "Help!"
- "I'm a newbie...be gentle"
- "How can I..."
- "Urgent...deadline tomorrow!"

The above subjects either have absolutely nothing to do with the question itself, or are grossly incomplete (ie: "How can I..."). When asking for help, enter a subject that summarizes your question, period! Don't use silly, incomplete, or "bait" subjects. Some examples of good titles are:

- "How do I round a number to 2 decimal places using JavaScript?"
- "What's the difference between require() and include() in PHP?"
- "Can someone suggest a good, free HTML editor?"

3) Be descriptive and articulate when asking your question- When posting, understand that you're trying to convince others to help you. Be articulate and have respect for the English language! Some important guidelines on this:

- Always do a quick check for spelling/grammar mistakes, both in your subject and post itself.
- Format your question and code in an easily legible manner. Use the preview button often.
- Be concise and articulate as much as possible.

Some of you currently post in a manner that would have made your English teachers cringe, with spelling and grammar mistakes abound. Please make a conscious effort to change that!

4) Be appreciative and follow up when getting a response. Everyone here is volunteering their time to help out others. Please be appreciative and follow up when getting a helpful response. If you've solved your problem, let people know so they don't continue spending time on your question. Saying a little "thank you" goes a long way.

5) Do not bump your thread repeatedly when  you don't get a response. Sometimes when you post for help, you may not get a response in a timely matter, if at all. Forums aren't wishing wells, and some questions will fall through the cracks. That's a fact of life. It's ok to occasionally bump a thread, but only when done after an ample amount of time (ie: 2-3 days) have passed without a response, and never more than once, . Your thread is no more important than another member's when it comes to the amount of attention it should receive.

6) Thread prefixes usage. In some forums, you can select from a list a prefix to add to your thread's title, for example, a prefix of "resolved" once you've received a satisfactory answer to your question. To add a prefix after your thread has been initially posted, click on the "Edit" button under the first post of the thread, then the "Go Advanced" button. You have 14 days to update your thread's title.

Finally, don't forget the Posting Rules listed here (no advertising, no flaming etc. The common sense list).

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