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The global online discussion & collaboration forum for
the dental professional, the dental student, & the dental industry.
rxDentistry.com
Guidelines for Posting:
This document describes the rxDentistry.com culture and customs that have developed over the last decade. All new users should read this document to acclimate themselves to the rxDentistry.com forums. (Old users could read it, too, to refresh their memories.) In addition, make sure that you understand the 'Participation Rules' before posting.
It is the people participating in rxDentistry.com that make it worth the effort to read and maintain; for rxDentistry.com to function properly those people must be able to interact in productive ways. This document is intended as a guide to using the rxDentistry.com system in ways that will be pleasant and productive for everyone.
Never Forget that the Person on the Other Side is Human.
Because your interaction with the network is through a computer it is easy to forget that there are people "out there." Situations arise where emotions erupt into a verbal free-for-all that can lead to hurt feelings.
Please remember that people all over the world are reading your words. Do not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your presentation of the facts. Screaming, cursing, and abusing others will not only get you banned from the rxDentistry.com system, but also only serves to make people think less of you and less willing to help you when you need it.
If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a chance to calm down and think about it. A cup of (decaf!) coffee or a good night's sleep works wonders on your perspective. Hasty words create more problems than they solve. Try not to say anything to others you would not say to them in person in a room full of people.
Be Careful What You Say About Others.
Please remember -- you read rxDentistry.com; so do as many as 10,000 other people. This group quite possibly includes your associates, your friend's office manager, your boy friend's sister's best friend and one of your father's golf buddies. Information posted on rxDentistry.com can come back to haunt you or the person you are talking about. There are specific rules that describe what is allowed and not allowed when posting about others - but suffice to say that polite and respectful interaction is required.
Be Brief.
Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer. Say it succinctly and it will have a greater impact. Remember that the longer you make your post, the fewer people will bother to read it.
Your Postings Reflect Upon You -- Be Proud of Them.
Most people on the rxDentistry.com forums will know you only by what you say and how well you say it. They may someday be your associates or friends. Take some time to make sure each posting is something that will not embarrass you later. Minimize your spelling errors and make sure that the post is easy to read and understand. Writing is an art and to do it well requires practice. Since much of how people judge you on the rxDentistry.com forums is based on your writing, such time is well spent.
Use Descriptive Titles.
The subject line of an article is there to enable a person with a limited amount of time to decide whether or not to read your article. Tell people what the article is about before they read it. A title like "images" does not help as much as "Endo on 36 - 3 year follow-up images" Don't expect people to read your post to find out what it is about because many of them won't bother. Keep your subjects short and to the point, but sufficiently descriptive.
Think About Your Audience.
When you submit a post, think about the people you are trying to
reach. Asking endo questions on the ortho list will not reach as many
of the people you want to reach as if you asked them on the more appropriate forum. Try to get the most appropriate audience for your message, not the widest.
It is considered bad form to post to multiple forums unless there is an appropriate reason. Be familiar with the forum you are posting to before you post! You shouldn't post to forums you do not read, or post to groups you've only read a few articles from -- you may not be familiar with the on-going conventions and themes of the group. One normally does not join a conversation by just walking up and talking. Instead, you listen first and then join in if you have something pertinent to contribute.
Be Careful with Humor and Sarcasm.
Without the voice inflections and body language of personal communications, it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be
misinterpreted. Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to make
sure that people realize you are trying to be funny. The net has
developed a symbol called the smiley face. It looks like ":-)" and points out sections of articles with humorous intent. No matter how broad the humor or satire, it is safer to remind people that you are being funny. But also be aware that quite frequently satire is posted without any explicit indications. If an article outrages you strongly, you should ask yourself if it just may have been unmarked satire.
Only Post a Message Once.
Avoid posting messages to more than one newsgroup unless you are sure it is appropriate. If you do post to multiple newsgroups, do not post to each group separately. Instead, specify all the groups on a single copy of the message. This reduces network overhead and lets people who subscribe to more than one of those groups see the message once instead of having to wade through each copy.
Never Post Messages with Questionable Content.
Posting messages with questionable content is never allowed. The 'Participation Rules' clearly explain that posting questionable content is a great way to get yourself banned from the rxDentistry.com system. All posts should be on-topic for the forum that they are posted to, and should never contain any content that might be deemed inappropriate or questionable by other members. If you're questioning whether the content that you're about to post might be considered 'inappropriate' by other members - it probably is.
Summarize What You are Following Up.
When you are following up someone's post, please summarize the parts of the post to which you are responding. This allows readers to appreciate your comments rather than trying to remember what the original post said. It is also possible for your response to get to some sites before the original post.
Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from the original post. Do not include the entire post since it will irritate the people who have already seen it. Even if you are responding to the entire article, summarize only the major points you are discussing.
When Summarizing, Summarize!
When you request information from the forums, it is common courtesy to report your findings so that others can benefit as well. The best way of doing this is to take all the responses that you received and edit them into a single post to the place(s) where you originally posted your question. Take the time to strip headers, combine duplicate information, and write a short summary. Try to credit the information to the people that sent it to you, where possible.
Read All Follow-ups and Don't Repeat What Has Already Been Said.
Before you submit a follow-up to a message, read the rest of the messages in the forum to see whether someone has already said what you want to say. If someone has, don't repeat it.
Check your return e-mail address and expect responses.
When you submit a post, make sure that the return e-mail address in its From: or Reply-To: headers is correct, since it is considered inappropriate to post an article to which people are unable to respond by e-mail. If you are unable to configure your software to include a valid return address in your article header, you should include your address in a signature at the bottom of your message.
When you post an article, you are engaging in a dialogue, and others may choose to continue that dialogue by responding via e-mail. It is not courteous to post if you are unwilling to receive e-mail in response.
Be Careful About Copyrights and Licenses.
Before posting to rxDentistry.com or reproducing something that has been posted to rxDentistry.com, make sure you read the accompanying posting "Copyright Myths FAQ: 10 big myths about copyright explained". At the very least, note that by posting to rxDentistry.com, you are requesting that a copy of your document be automatically distributed to computers all over the world and stored on various disks for a long time (forever on some archive media).
Further, some people will quote parts of your article without permission or forward it to other people or use it in other ways that you might not know about. If this bothers you, put an explicit copyright notice on your posting. On the flip side, even if you are sure of the legality of reproducing something from or on rxDentistry.com, it would be courteous to ask for permission before doing so.
Cite Appropriate References.
If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from. Don't take someone else's ideas and use them as your own. You don't want someone pretending that your ideas are theirs; show them the same respect.
Technique Flames Considered Harmful.
Every few months a plague descends on an rxDentistry.com forum called the 'Technique Flame'. It starts out when someone submits a (normally overly harsh) post correcting or critiquing the technique/product/process that another member has demonstrated in a previous post. The immediate result seems to be for everyone on the forum to turn into a technique critic who evangelizes their particular views and picks apart other's postings for a few weeks. This is not productive and tends to cause people who used to be friends to get angry with each other.
It is important to remember that we all have our own backgrounds and education, and that there are many different members with different views. Techniques/products/processes vary somewhat by geography, style, educational background, philosophy, etc.
One of (if not THE) main reasons for the existence of rxDentistry.com is for the discussion and comparison of the various techniques/products/processes available to dentists today. However, unproductive criticism does not help to create an effective environment for discussion.
Don't Overdo Signatures.
Signatures are nice, and many people have a signature added to their postings automatically. Don't overdo it. Signatures can tell the world something about you, but keep them short. A signature that is longer than the message itself is considered to be in bad taste. The main purpose of a signature is to help people locate you, not to tell your life story.
Do not use forums as an advertising medium.
rxDentistry.com is proud to be associated with the most progressive and influential manufacturers and supplies of products and services to the dental industry, and we welcome their involvement in the rxDentistry.com community. However, advertisements on rxDentistry.com forums are rarely appreciated. In general, the louder or more inappropriate the ad is, the more antagonism it will stir up.
Avoid posting to multiple forums.
Few things annoy rxDentistry.com readers as much as multiple copies of a posting appearing in multiple forums. (called 'spamming' for historical reasons) A posting that is cross-posted (i.e lists multiple newsgroups on the Newsgroups: header line) to a few appropriate newsgroups is fine, but even with cross-posts, restraint is advised. For a cross-post, you may want to set the Followup-To: header line to the most suitable group for the rest of the discussion.
Don't Blame Forum Administrators or Support for Members' Behavior.
Sometimes, you may find it necessary to write to a forum administrator or to support about something concerning an rxDentistry.com message, function, or service. Maybe it is a case of the software not working, or a control message escaped, or maybe one of the users at a site has done something you feel requires comment. No matter how steamed you may be, be polite to the Admin -- he or she may not have any idea of what you are going to say, and may not have any part in the incidents involved. By being civil and temperate, you are more likely to obtain their courteous attention and assistance.
Never assume that a person is speaking for their organization.
Many people who post to rxDentistry.com do so from machines at their office or school. Despite that, never assume that the person is speaking for the organization that they are posting their articles from (unless the person explicitly says so). Some people put explicit disclaimers to this effect in their messages, but this is a good general rule. If you find an article offensive, consider taking it up with the person directly, or ignoring it. Learn about "filters" in your email client or newsreader, and other techniques for ignoring people whose postings you find offensive.
Summary of Things to Remember:
Never forget that the person on the other side is human.
Be careful what you say about others.
Be brief.
Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them.
Use descriptive titles
Think about your audience.
Be careful with humor and sarcasm.
Only post a message once.
Summarize what you are following up.
Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already been said.
Check your return e-mail address and expect responses.
Be careful about copyrights and licenses.
Cite appropriate references.
When summarizing, summarize.
Technique flames considered harmful.
Don't overdo signatures.
Do not use forums as an advertising medium.
Avoid posting to multiple forums.
Don't blame Forum Administrators for their users' behavior.
Never assume that a person is speaking for their organization.
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