Forum Rules

The following Rules were originally written by onetwentyeight from SFFixed.com, repurposed by the fine folks at ChiFG, and have been repurposed yet again by me. Even though they’re repurposed squared, they still count. Please follow them.

Before You Post
Please use the search feature. Chances are, the new thread or question that you were going to post after you just joined has already been covered.

Posting
1) Please post in the appropriate category. Here are the categories:
Rides & Routes
Bikes & Gear
City Cycling
Commuting
Social Classifieds
Training & Racing
Bike Policy
Other
Site Feedback

If the admin sees something in the wrong place, it will either be deleted it or moved to where it belongs. If you make an error, the site code of the chainlink gives you 15 minutes to edit your post and it’s pretty easy to do.

2) Please do not spam the forum. This is obvious. If it is something related to the community here, we'll let it slide. If you’re worried that promoting your business/projects might be considered spam, send an email to moderator@thechainlink.org and we’ll let you know what the deal is.

3) Try to make a descriptive subject for your thread that matches the subject of your post. For example, "A Couple Questions" is a BAD thread title, whereas "How do I get from the South Loop to Wheaton?" is better. Essentially, just state the main keywords of your post. It usually helps to compose your post first, and then derive a subject.

4) The Forum is for discussions. Rides, events, clinics, workshops, parties and anything with a start date and time belongs on the calendar. You can start a discussion about a ride or a party, but make sure it's also listed on the calendar. Anyone can post on the Calendar and it's pretty easy.


Forum Behavior

1) Please attempt to use decent English. These are forums and you have plenty of time to post, plus once you post you have 15 minutes to edit and correct your comments. Posts which contain a vast ammount of abbreviations, leet speak, etc, may be moderated for ease of reading, and repeat offenders' posts may be outright deleted (not to mention appropriate warnings/actions made). If no one can understand what you're saying, what's the point?

1a) There are some accepted abbreviations which are commonly used, and expected. If someone can’t figure it out, and asks, politely clue them in to the "lingo”.

2) Be courteous. We have forum members from many different backgrounds, and not all will have the same moral, ethical, spiritual, or political values as you. Be respectful of their beliefs.Treat them the same way you want to be treated, if not better.

3) Try to avoid double posting. If you are not familiar with double posting, it looks like this:
User (at 5:01:20): Badger badger badger
User (at 5:01:40): Oh yeah, llama llama llama

There is an edit feature for a reason, and you can delete your posts. We do understand sometimes your connection will have a hiccup and you will accidentally post the same thing twice. If this happens, just delete the extra post.

4) Do not post just for the sake of bumping. If your thread did not get any replies the first time, chances are people don't know the answer and therefore won't be able to answer it the second time. If you really feel your thread got unfairly missed and dropped off the first page, sure, a bump is okay (no drug reference intended), but if I notice an excessive trend of it, you'll be warned.

5) Do not resurrect the same topics over and over again. We all have different opinions on fixed gear bikes, brakes, helmets, headphones, hipsters, and countless other things. That doesn't mean that every thread needs to devolve into a debate about these things. If someone asks a question about tires, it should not lead to a debate on the morality of skidding.

6) We don't promote hate here. Racism, homophobia, personal attacks against other forum members (specific or in general) and the like will not be tolerated.

7) Do not link to porn or other adult material on the Forum, whether it's in your user avatar or this appendix-bustingly hi-LAR-ious forward you got that makes ASCII cartoon people do the horizontal pants boogie if you scroll through fast enough. The majority of Chainlink members are 18 or over, but there are also quite a few younger members. Plus, many people are on the Forum during work, as they should be ;) If you think something might be not work safe, err on the side of caution, and provide a text link, and a warning.

8) Don't discuss illegal stuff on here. Duh!

9) As much as possible, please keep discussions related to bike stuff. Not that we all don’t have other interests and want to talk about other things, but this is a bike forum and let’s keep it that way. If you want to talk with other Chainlink members about that episode of “Lost” or how wasted you were the other night, use the ‘send a message’ feature or add a comment to someone’s page. Similarly, keep threads on-topic.


Moderators

1) The moderators’ job is to enforce board policy by editing/removing posts, moving/closing/deleting threads, settling disputes, encouraging good behavior, issuing warnings, helping with problems and instituting temporary and permanent bans.

2) The moderators will do their best to be respectful and polite towards posters; but by the same token, please be respectful to them.

3) The moderators will do their best to be fair and patient; please do your best to follow the judgment calls of the moderators.

4) And finally, three strikes you're out. A strike is any time a moderator takes action as a result of your behavior. On the third strike you're out, no exceptions.