The purpose of the Discussion Forum is for constructive, sensible discussion of relevant topics.

Please remember that the messages can be read by anybody and consequently Lochard will take action to remove any messages that it considers offensive or otherwise harmful. Discussions in the Forums are expected to be conducted in a constructive and responsible manner.

Within these forums, you will be conversing with real people. Please be considerate and polite, just as you would be if you were talking face to face with another person.

Quoting vs Over-Quoting

The threaded nature of the Discussion Forum reduces the need to repeat verbatim the content of the original posting that you are replying to. The "Reply-with-Quote" option allows the original posting to be copied into your reply. Quoting is good. Quoting more than is needed is bad. If you are only responding to a portion of someone's posting, cut the rest out.

"Me too" Posts

A "Me too" post is the kind when someone says something that a lot of people agree with. people tend to quote the person (often over-quoting), with "me too" tacked on the end. There is nothing wrong with adding your support to someone else's postings, but try to add something to the discussion while doing so. And once a dozen or so people have done so, it is likely anything else is going to be superfluous.

Opinions

As the saying goes, "Opinions are like [insert a smelly body part here]. Everyone has one and they all stink." Opinions are a touchy concept, so there are a few things to keep in mind. Respect the opinion of others. If someone posts an opinion you disagree with, first stop and think about whether or not you really need to counter it by posting your own. Just because someone posts something you disagree with does not necessarily mean you have to post a counter-opinion.

Flames and Insults

We are all emotional creatures, and it often becomes easy to react to a posting with insults or a condescending attitude. This is simply not acceptable. Discussion should remain civil, otherwise the administrator or moderator may need to step in to take appropriate action.

When Forums Go Bad

The forum has guidelines, and when those guidelines are broken the moderator or administrator may step in to take care of the matter. This does not mean that the administrator will bring their wrath to every little infraction of the guidelines, or to threads that start to wander off topic. The administrator believes - to some degree - in the concept of a Self-Policing, Self-Correcting forum, and will unlikely step into things immediately, unless it is obviously called for.

Profanity

Foul language and profanity are not allowed.

The purpose of the Discussion Forum is for constructive, sensible discussion of topics relevant to Lochard’s product offering. Any potentially libellous or offensive postings will be removed.