This topic is about the best way to get your point across, have it received well, and get the answers you seek. If you're only on these forums to attack or flame, look elsewhere, please!
David Bott, our AVS Forum host for all this, has expressed to me that what he intends for all his forums is a coffeehouse atmosphere, where we all get together to discuss features, tricks, and problems with the high-tech toy of our interest in a relaxed, safe environment. Let's try to behave like civilized people would act when gathered in such a public place, even though we can't see each other. Disagreements and differences of opinions are of course welcome, but personal attacks, vindictive remarks, strong profanity, and other insulting behaviors are not welcome. Otherwise, you will drive off many of the people who could help you the most, or cause them to turn a deaf "ear" to your posts.
A suggestion from TiVolutionary: "By the way, the type of phrasing for a question we get asked that we respond best to is: 'So THIS is what I'm seeing, and This is why it bothers me. Has anyone else seen it? Is it me or is this a flaw?' Use that type of phrasing, and I promise you will get great results from your colleagues here."
By default this title is based solely on the number of posts you've made in any of the TiVo forums here (except for moderators and administrators). It will update automatically as your post number increases. Here is the breakdown:
From sw10025, posted 8-21-2000:
"OK, here are my suggestions for the Tivo Forum Ten Commandments, which we obviously need in light of some posts that have been made here:
Many more can be found at: http://bovis.gyuvet.ch/3dict/390ainet.htm or http://atc.utmb.edu/abbreviations.htm
From JAB: "Newbie tip: Please, please, please don't post the same question more than once within 24 hours. Especially don't start a new topic for your question if an existing topic will do. And, if you do start a new topic, please, please, please, don't also post the question in another thread. It isn't necessary. Trust me."
Entering the same question in multiple forums (such as the Help Center and the Tivo Happy Hour) is considered cross-posting another netiquette no-no. If you do happen to post a question in the wrong catagory ask a moderator to move it for you rather than opening a separate thread.
Also, don't press the Submit button more than once. It may not appear to do anything right away, but if you hit it multiple times, you will have duplicate posts entered.
Many posts have a severely broken-up appearance on larger screens. Some lines are long, others are short, in a seemingly random pattern. It make the posts harder to read, and, frankly, we often skip over them for that reason! Although it looks the same in the tiny posting window, when expanded out the CRs inserted break up paragraphs in annoying ways.
Typing in all caps is called SHOUTING on-line. It is harder to read, and detracts from the message you're trying to convey.
You can correct typos in your own post without adding another. In the top, right corner of your post, you'll see two icons. The first is to edit your post. (Only you or a moderator can edit your posts.)
Once you choose edit, you also have the option of deleting your post. The exception to this is if you started the thread. This is because deleting the first post in a thread will delete the entire thread. If you need to delete the entire thread, you can ask a moderator.
The quote icon at the top right of each post lets you reply to another person's post. Keep the QUOTE/B stuff that's in square brackets, but edit the stuff inside down to just the points to which you wish to respond. (It is annoying when people leave the entire lengthy post in there - we don't need to read it all again!). Then, add your replies after the last /QUOTE stuff. P.S. Either leave all the QUOTE, B, /B, /QUOTE alone, or delete it all. It is annoying to see pieces of codes (these are call vBcodes) lying around in your replies.
This forum no longer allows access to forum members email addresses. This is due to programs that scan web pages for spam. However, you can send a "private message" through the forum. The button to send a PM is the second icon at the top of the post. Depending on the user's preferences, this may alert them with an email. However, not all members will enable or check private messages.
However, please do not send questions of general interest directly to participants. Especially, do not send the question privately and then post it. The first deprives the community of the benefit of your question and its answer. The second is simply a waste of the email recipient's time. --JAB
From Jim West: "It is recommended that forum users do a search before posting a new thread. Chances are good that your problem has been discussed in a previous thread. Another good use for the search feature is to review your own prior posts. If your memory is no better than mine, you will use the search feature a great deal."
The search button is available in the row of gray navigation button buttons in the upper right part of the screen. It is the second one from the right. Search can also be chosen for the drop down menu to choose forums near the bottom of most pages. Within each forum, there is a quick search box that will search that forum only for that keyword.
You can search by keywords or username (partial or exact). Keywords must be at least 3 letters long. Searches can then be restriced to one forum or all open forums. You can also restrict searches to titles only or by date.
In the past accounts were deleted if they were not used for several months. That is not currently the case.
After many request, David has found a way to get this done! Note that the correct spelling is TiVo.
Click on UserCP -> Edit
Options -> Change Photo. You need to
supply a photo that is less than 65 x 65 pixels and smaller
than 6000 bytes. If you dont have a friend proficient with Photoshop,
you can crop and resize the photo in MS Paint. You can see the current
size by looking at File Properties. Animated gifs may not be
used.
In the past people have tried to influence stock prices either by talking a company down and shorting it or pushing it. This seemed to be their sole purpose at the forum.
Philosophy and Otto comment on the ban here.
No, people aren't replying without even reading the thread. The thread view count isn't updated on-the-fly in order to keep the system resource utilization in check. So sometimes it may appear that a thread has more replies than views.
"The [spoiler] tag allows you to place text in your message that is unreadable, unless someone highlites it. This makes viewing the text a deliberate effort. This is for posting messages about movies or other things where you might not wish to give away plot points to those that haven't seen it yet.
[spoiler]This is the information you do not want to give to people who do not care to read it.[/spoiler]"
--That and other useful vB code info can be found here.
There are several TiVo employee who are assigned to answer questions in the forum and several others who post occasionally.
TiVoPony (Bob) works for TiVo, and is the primary spokesperson for the company here on the AVS TiVo Forums.
TiVoBill posts mainly in the Help and DirecTivo forums. Outside the forum, he creates the documentation used by Tivo Customer Support, works with beta programs and creates the support documentation on the website.
TiVoDataGuy is Marcel or "He who knows all about Tribune's data, and then some." He has been a valued employee of TiVo and liaison with Tribune for some time and helps push through corrections to the program schedules that TiVo depends on.
TiVoOpsMgr is the Director of Service Operations at TiVo.
TiVoStore posts news about the Tivo Store
TiVoShanan writes the "TiVo News You Can Use" email, and is involved with TV related special promotions.
TivoKatya is the product manager for "manage my account"
TiVo is hosts and provides the bandwidth for tivocommunity.com. TiVo's own website links to www.tivocommunity.com referencing it as a place where peer-to-peer help can be obtained. As such it is more importent than ever to display a certain level of helpfulness and decorum. However, TiVo has no editorial control over the content of the AVS Forum. In fact, no TiVo employee, has permission to edit or alter any posts on the Forum besides their own. Only the AVS Administrator, David Bott, or a forum section moderator, appointed by the Administrator, has these rights. None of the moderators work for TiVo - they are all volunteers. TiVo does not own or control AVS Forum or the TiVo Community sites.