The Ant Farm's and Myrmecology's Message Board is a "cyberplace" for ant enthusiasts ranging from biologists to interested children. Here you can share your experiences with ants, pose questions, post digital images and even give previews or summaries of new scientific findings. There is even an OT (off-topic) forum for discussion of non-ant matters with other forum acquaintances. Rules and norms help the forums remain a safe place for honest discussion of ants, so please review these and take them to heart .
NOTE: The long version of the rules can be found here:
alpha.zimage.com/~ant/ant...rules.html
Here's the short, common-sense version, with some explanation of each:
Basic respect for others is expected from all participants and toward all participants. Respectful behavior includes not using vulgar or insulting language, not engaging in personal attacks, nor engaging in "flame wars".
The language of the forum is standard written English, including correct spelling and grammar. Some variation occurs among speakers, especially those for whom English is not a native language. These variations are tolerated. Text messaging lingo, excessive slang and vulgarity are not tolerated. British spelling is also considered correct. Please try to spellcheck to correct your spelling if you find it hard to proofread your own work. Once in a while is OK for errors, but if it happens a lot then your posts can be ignored or people will complain about them.
Do a little homework before posting. The FAQ is a good place to start: ants.pbwiki.com ... Many topics that newcomers are likely to ask are already covered there. Browsing old threads is also a good way to avoid excessive repetition of questions. There are also not just one, but two search engines you can use to find specific topics, these linked at the top of each forum.
Post in the correct forum. Read the descriptions of each forum and make sure your question or observation belongs there. It is also important to provide a good, descriptive title for your post.
Be respectful of the moderators/soldiers and "docs". The moderators and professional ant biologists who participate here are busy people who donate their time and knowledge freely. Docs' statements about ants are based on years of careful study. Non-docs should not post unfounded statements about ants as authoritative facts. If a statement is wrong or questionable in the eyes of the docs, you will be challenged as to the source of the statement.
Persistent violation of these rules will result in warnings and possibly being banned. Use warnings as an opportunity to learn and to become a more valued participant at the message board. The moderators cannot be everywhere and read every post as it arrives, but we keep a pretty careful watch on things and will do our best to maintain a courteous, intelligent, high-quality forum a true internet community. We request no less from all our participants at the The Ant Farm's and Myrmecology's Message Board.
[updated information] --antdude
NOTE: The long version of the rules can be found here:
alpha.zimage.com/~ant/ant...rules.html
Here's the short, common-sense version, with some explanation of each:
Basic respect for others is expected from all participants and toward all participants. Respectful behavior includes not using vulgar or insulting language, not engaging in personal attacks, nor engaging in "flame wars".
The language of the forum is standard written English, including correct spelling and grammar. Some variation occurs among speakers, especially those for whom English is not a native language. These variations are tolerated. Text messaging lingo, excessive slang and vulgarity are not tolerated. British spelling is also considered correct. Please try to spellcheck to correct your spelling if you find it hard to proofread your own work. Once in a while is OK for errors, but if it happens a lot then your posts can be ignored or people will complain about them.
Do a little homework before posting. The FAQ is a good place to start: ants.pbwiki.com ... Many topics that newcomers are likely to ask are already covered there. Browsing old threads is also a good way to avoid excessive repetition of questions. There are also not just one, but two search engines you can use to find specific topics, these linked at the top of each forum.
Post in the correct forum. Read the descriptions of each forum and make sure your question or observation belongs there. It is also important to provide a good, descriptive title for your post.
Be respectful of the moderators/soldiers and "docs". The moderators and professional ant biologists who participate here are busy people who donate their time and knowledge freely. Docs' statements about ants are based on years of careful study. Non-docs should not post unfounded statements about ants as authoritative facts. If a statement is wrong or questionable in the eyes of the docs, you will be challenged as to the source of the statement.
Persistent violation of these rules will result in warnings and possibly being banned. Use warnings as an opportunity to learn and to become a more valued participant at the message board. The moderators cannot be everywhere and read every post as it arrives, but we keep a pretty careful watch on things and will do our best to maintain a courteous, intelligent, high-quality forum a true internet community. We request no less from all our participants at the The Ant Farm's and Myrmecology's Message Board.
[updated information] --antdude
