FAQ: Forum Policies, Guidelines and Rules
Q: Why do you have a work friendly/family friendly policy?
A: Our audience is worldwide. We like to offer our members and visitors a safe and enjoyable place to visit. Beyond that, our traffic primarily peaks during business hours, so we realize that members often visit us during their workday. Seeing that there are many content rating sites out there, which some server administrators use to classify Web sites on the Internet, we do not want to trigger any category or keyword that might have our sites placed on any sort of blacklist.
Q: Why can't we discuss politics, religion or other topics?
A: These are two topics that historically cause severe issues on every discussion board on the Internet. It not only upsets of inflames fellow members, it also produces an overwhelming amount of work for the moderation staff to keep it in check. There are other venues to discuss these topics. Our forums are not the place for them.
Q: Why will you not let us embed certain images in our posts?
A: All images on the Internet are copyrighted, and this copyright needs to be respected. "Fair use" does not and cannot apply in these situations--posting without paying for use of their images is a copyright violation. In addition, many of the stock image hosting companies are very aggressive in enforcing copyright, and can name everyone from the site owner to the staff and the member posting the images in any potential demands for payment or lawsuits. We don't need to go there. If you are unsure, don't post it. Instead, post a link to the page containing the photo if you would like to share it. Keep in mind, also, that images can not only be searched in the popular search engines, many photos use an invisible watermark embedded into the image (like Digimarc) that they can search for using a proprietary search engine. We do allow images in our Music Lounge area, which is available to members in good standing.
Q: I just joined. Why are some of my posts going into moderation?
A: We do this to combat spammers, trolls and other bad actors from participating in the forum. We have certain thresholds and restrictions depending on content posted. All posts containing links from new members, especially, will be reviewed before being posted or rejected. These thresholds are privileged information and for obvious reasons, we cannot make these thresholds public knowledge to keep our system effective.
Q: Why was my first post to the forum deleted?
A: Most of the first posts we reject contain advertising. Whether it's clearly an ad selling something, or a post mentioning a band or music we've never heard of, when it is in your first post we are highly suspect and treat these as spam. In very rare cases we may allow a mention in a first post by a new member, but this requires prior approval of the staff and site owner. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Q: What exactly is "thread crapping?"
A: Thread crapping is the practice of posting a contrary opinion in a thread in order to disrupt a discussion. Example: If everyone has been discussing the latest release by Johnny Rockstar, a thread crap is posting something like "Johnny Rockstar is an overrated slacker with no talent" or "There are dozens of artists better than Johnny Rockstar out there; don't waste your money on this crap." Our policy is this--if you must post a contrary opinion, start your own thread. Keep in mind, though, that forum members have grown wary of negativity, and an overly negative thread can be closed and/or removed without notice.
Q: Why the crackdown on negativity? Can't we have an opposite opinion from others?
A: You certainly can have an alternate opinion, and we welcome those. But it's how you present your opinion that matters. Constructive criticism and intelligent debate are more than welcome. On the other hand, creating a thread to bash an artist, poke fun at them, insult them or make other rude comments goes nowhere. Saying something like this is constructive: "Johnny Rockstar's limited talents really do him no favors--he seems to fumble around on his guitar, and has trouble staying on key when singing. His songwriting is also somewhat derivative." Whereas, saying something like this is negative: "Johnny sucks!! He can't play his way out of a paper bag and his songwriting is dumb as rocks! And what's with that hair?? And did you hear the nonsense he was spewing on the music awards broadcast? What an idiot!!"
Q: Why are you so against "versus" threads?
A: We find that many versus threads only promote negativity. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but it is how that opinion is presented that matters. In addition, we also see ridiculous versus threads that pit one artist or band against a completely unrelated artist or band. It is better to avoid it.
Q: Why can't I give my true thoughts in an R.I.P. thread? I don't really like the person who passed.
A: Think about the last time you attended a funeral. Did you tell the family of the deceased that he or she was a despicable person? Did you insult the family with bad jokes about the deceased, or leave nasty notes for them in the guestbook you signed? Of course not. We allow R.I.P. threads since they are a way to pay respect to the deceased. They are not the place to air dislikes and grievances.
Q: Why can't we criticize a manufacturer or eBay/Amazon seller here?
A: This is not a place to air grievances or try to force the hand of others by airing your issues here. Take it up with them directly. It puts the forums in a difficult spot if we allow members to call out and "bash" individuals or companies.
Q: Why can't I post my funny GIF images, memes, or video as a reply?
A: Because it derails and distracts from the discussion, it annoys many of our members, and it also eats up bandwidth for those who may be on metered connections (including mobile devices). Too many of these on a page will bog down the loading speed for most visitors--not everyone visiting us uses the latest and greatest computers, tablets or smartphones. There is a time and place for those sorts of posts, and our forums are not one of them. If we have specific off-topic threads going for these sorts of things, they are welcome there.
Q: Why do you censor me? Free speech! I demand to be heard!
A: The forums are a privately run enterprise and as such, "free speech" is not a concept that applies. We have policies in place governing our content and expected behavior of members. Staff also reserves the right to modify or remove any content that does not follow our policies, without prior notice.
Q: I posted an email (or postal letter) sent to me by another individual. Why was my post deleted?
A: Email is a privileged communication medium, and unless we have written consent of all parties in the email, we do not allow them to be posted in the forum for privacy reasons. In addition, these communications often contain names, addresses and telephone numbers of these individuals, which they likely do not want made public.
Q: Why can't I tell others about my bad experience at another forum?
A: We won't participate in this practice. Other forums are their own unique established communities, and there will be differences. And despite the differences, many members can enjoy more than one forum, as each one brings different value to them. We also communicate with some of them, and consider them "forum friends," sometimes helping each other out. We are not all competitors or enemies. If one of us does well, we all do well.
Q: Why are you strict on our location?
A: We have found members abusing our Location data by entering fake locations, wordplay or witticisms. The Location field is there for a reason--members and staffers want to know where you are. It helps us all reply to each other better. As one example, a person who may not appear to be a good writer could turn out to be someone who lives in a country where English is not their primary language. Without a location, how can we know this? As another example, a member might ask where to purchase a product. After several members reply to say that the item can be found just about anywhere, we then find out the member lives in a country where the product is not available. A location would have prevented clutter in his or her thread, and also not have wasted the time of the other members who replied. A proper location prevents this. Staff reserves the right to remove a member's location if it does not abide by this policy.
Q: I don't want to give my location--I want my privacy! What if someone shows up at my front door?
A: Give us as much of a location as you are comfortable with. Many members like to give a city and state/province/territory. Others might be more comfortable with just the state/province/territory, where others might prefer just to give a country. This is fine! Just as long as members have an idea of where you are located. Our forum now lets you choose from valid locations. If you have more than one location (such as a vacation home, or a location you regularly work from), feel free to use whichever you are comfortable with. Or, change it as often as you'd like. As long as we have an idea of the area you're from, that helps all of us.
Q: Why did you edit my thread title? (Or, why are you so strict on thread titles?)
A: We frown on "clickbait" titles that use half a sentence, such as, "Wait until you hear about...". Also, "Check this out!" is just as useless. Abbreviations or acronyms are also not acceptable, even if members feel they are common and that "everyone should know them." (Sorry, not everyone does.) It is not only a courtesy to other members (especially those who are not familiar with acronyms), the bigger reason is that a clear and accurate thread title makes it so much easier to search for threads. Since we can search by thread title, having proper keywords in the thread title makes future searches that much easier.
Q: What is an equipment profile, and why do I need one?
A: Because much of our forum discussion revolves around sound quality, it is easier for us to determine what you are hearing when you let us know what type of system you are listening on. Someone hearing "great inner detail" on a cheap Bluetooth speaker is obviously not hearing the same thing as a person listening over a $600,000 high end system. As such, we require a properly filled out equipment file so that you can participate in music and hardware threads where the discussion and critiquing of sound quality is the topic. We have revised our profile information so that you may now enter all of your components for a single system in one field, your primary system being the one that will appear in your "member card" throughout the forum. The secondary systems can be portable systems or even home theater rigs.
Q: I started a thread with an link to an article that I found interesting and thought it would be interesting to others. Why was it removed?
A: Most likely you posted a link to the article and nothing else. The purpose of the forum is to invite conversations and as the "host" of the thread that you started, you should break the ice with your outlook or opinion of the subject that you are referencing and continue dialog with those that participate. Low-effort posting does not promote good discussion.
Q: I am trying to change my email address or join the forum--why is my email address banned?
A: Your specific email address is not banned, but we are blocking entire email domains from free email providers who have a known history of spamming activity. Let us know via our Member Services link below so we can work around this for you.
Q: I tried to create a new account, but had it rejected. Why?
A: We only allow one account per user. If you have an issue with your account like a forgotten password or username, our forum has a password reset feature. If your email address is outdated, please update it, or contact staff to update it for you if you cannot log in. If you were banned from the forums, creating a new account is not permitted to circumvent the ban, and we immediately delete these new accounts without notice.
Q: Did Tachy really go to Coventry?
A: As per the legendary tale...of course!
A: Our audience is worldwide. We like to offer our members and visitors a safe and enjoyable place to visit. Beyond that, our traffic primarily peaks during business hours, so we realize that members often visit us during their workday. Seeing that there are many content rating sites out there, which some server administrators use to classify Web sites on the Internet, we do not want to trigger any category or keyword that might have our sites placed on any sort of blacklist.
Q: Why can't we discuss politics, religion or other topics?
A: These are two topics that historically cause severe issues on every discussion board on the Internet. It not only upsets of inflames fellow members, it also produces an overwhelming amount of work for the moderation staff to keep it in check. There are other venues to discuss these topics. Our forums are not the place for them.
Q: Why will you not let us embed certain images in our posts?
A: All images on the Internet are copyrighted, and this copyright needs to be respected. "Fair use" does not and cannot apply in these situations--posting without paying for use of their images is a copyright violation. In addition, many of the stock image hosting companies are very aggressive in enforcing copyright, and can name everyone from the site owner to the staff and the member posting the images in any potential demands for payment or lawsuits. We don't need to go there. If you are unsure, don't post it. Instead, post a link to the page containing the photo if you would like to share it. Keep in mind, also, that images can not only be searched in the popular search engines, many photos use an invisible watermark embedded into the image (like Digimarc) that they can search for using a proprietary search engine. We do allow images in our Music Lounge area, which is available to members in good standing.
Q: I just joined. Why are some of my posts going into moderation?
A: We do this to combat spammers, trolls and other bad actors from participating in the forum. We have certain thresholds and restrictions depending on content posted. All posts containing links from new members, especially, will be reviewed before being posted or rejected. These thresholds are privileged information and for obvious reasons, we cannot make these thresholds public knowledge to keep our system effective.
Q: Why was my first post to the forum deleted?
A: Most of the first posts we reject contain advertising. Whether it's clearly an ad selling something, or a post mentioning a band or music we've never heard of, when it is in your first post we are highly suspect and treat these as spam. In very rare cases we may allow a mention in a first post by a new member, but this requires prior approval of the staff and site owner. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Q: What exactly is "thread crapping?"
A: Thread crapping is the practice of posting a contrary opinion in a thread in order to disrupt a discussion. Example: If everyone has been discussing the latest release by Johnny Rockstar, a thread crap is posting something like "Johnny Rockstar is an overrated slacker with no talent" or "There are dozens of artists better than Johnny Rockstar out there; don't waste your money on this crap." Our policy is this--if you must post a contrary opinion, start your own thread. Keep in mind, though, that forum members have grown wary of negativity, and an overly negative thread can be closed and/or removed without notice.
Q: Why the crackdown on negativity? Can't we have an opposite opinion from others?
A: You certainly can have an alternate opinion, and we welcome those. But it's how you present your opinion that matters. Constructive criticism and intelligent debate are more than welcome. On the other hand, creating a thread to bash an artist, poke fun at them, insult them or make other rude comments goes nowhere. Saying something like this is constructive: "Johnny Rockstar's limited talents really do him no favors--he seems to fumble around on his guitar, and has trouble staying on key when singing. His songwriting is also somewhat derivative." Whereas, saying something like this is negative: "Johnny sucks!! He can't play his way out of a paper bag and his songwriting is dumb as rocks! And what's with that hair?? And did you hear the nonsense he was spewing on the music awards broadcast? What an idiot!!"
Q: Why are you so against "versus" threads?
A: We find that many versus threads only promote negativity. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but it is how that opinion is presented that matters. In addition, we also see ridiculous versus threads that pit one artist or band against a completely unrelated artist or band. It is better to avoid it.
Q: Why can't I give my true thoughts in an R.I.P. thread? I don't really like the person who passed.
A: Think about the last time you attended a funeral. Did you tell the family of the deceased that he or she was a despicable person? Did you insult the family with bad jokes about the deceased, or leave nasty notes for them in the guestbook you signed? Of course not. We allow R.I.P. threads since they are a way to pay respect to the deceased. They are not the place to air dislikes and grievances.
Q: Why can't we criticize a manufacturer or eBay/Amazon seller here?
A: This is not a place to air grievances or try to force the hand of others by airing your issues here. Take it up with them directly. It puts the forums in a difficult spot if we allow members to call out and "bash" individuals or companies.
Q: Why can't I post my funny GIF images, memes, or video as a reply?
A: Because it derails and distracts from the discussion, it annoys many of our members, and it also eats up bandwidth for those who may be on metered connections (including mobile devices). Too many of these on a page will bog down the loading speed for most visitors--not everyone visiting us uses the latest and greatest computers, tablets or smartphones. There is a time and place for those sorts of posts, and our forums are not one of them. If we have specific off-topic threads going for these sorts of things, they are welcome there.
Q: Why do you censor me? Free speech! I demand to be heard!
A: The forums are a privately run enterprise and as such, "free speech" is not a concept that applies. We have policies in place governing our content and expected behavior of members. Staff also reserves the right to modify or remove any content that does not follow our policies, without prior notice.
Q: I posted an email (or postal letter) sent to me by another individual. Why was my post deleted?
A: Email is a privileged communication medium, and unless we have written consent of all parties in the email, we do not allow them to be posted in the forum for privacy reasons. In addition, these communications often contain names, addresses and telephone numbers of these individuals, which they likely do not want made public.
Q: Why can't I tell others about my bad experience at another forum?
A: We won't participate in this practice. Other forums are their own unique established communities, and there will be differences. And despite the differences, many members can enjoy more than one forum, as each one brings different value to them. We also communicate with some of them, and consider them "forum friends," sometimes helping each other out. We are not all competitors or enemies. If one of us does well, we all do well.
Q: Why are you strict on our location?
A: We have found members abusing our Location data by entering fake locations, wordplay or witticisms. The Location field is there for a reason--members and staffers want to know where you are. It helps us all reply to each other better. As one example, a person who may not appear to be a good writer could turn out to be someone who lives in a country where English is not their primary language. Without a location, how can we know this? As another example, a member might ask where to purchase a product. After several members reply to say that the item can be found just about anywhere, we then find out the member lives in a country where the product is not available. A location would have prevented clutter in his or her thread, and also not have wasted the time of the other members who replied. A proper location prevents this. Staff reserves the right to remove a member's location if it does not abide by this policy.
Q: I don't want to give my location--I want my privacy! What if someone shows up at my front door?
A: Give us as much of a location as you are comfortable with. Many members like to give a city and state/province/territory. Others might be more comfortable with just the state/province/territory, where others might prefer just to give a country. This is fine! Just as long as members have an idea of where you are located. Our forum now lets you choose from valid locations. If you have more than one location (such as a vacation home, or a location you regularly work from), feel free to use whichever you are comfortable with. Or, change it as often as you'd like. As long as we have an idea of the area you're from, that helps all of us.
Q: Why did you edit my thread title? (Or, why are you so strict on thread titles?)
A: We frown on "clickbait" titles that use half a sentence, such as, "Wait until you hear about...". Also, "Check this out!" is just as useless. Abbreviations or acronyms are also not acceptable, even if members feel they are common and that "everyone should know them." (Sorry, not everyone does.) It is not only a courtesy to other members (especially those who are not familiar with acronyms), the bigger reason is that a clear and accurate thread title makes it so much easier to search for threads. Since we can search by thread title, having proper keywords in the thread title makes future searches that much easier.
Q: What is an equipment profile, and why do I need one?
A: Because much of our forum discussion revolves around sound quality, it is easier for us to determine what you are hearing when you let us know what type of system you are listening on. Someone hearing "great inner detail" on a cheap Bluetooth speaker is obviously not hearing the same thing as a person listening over a $600,000 high end system. As such, we require a properly filled out equipment file so that you can participate in music and hardware threads where the discussion and critiquing of sound quality is the topic. We have revised our profile information so that you may now enter all of your components for a single system in one field, your primary system being the one that will appear in your "member card" throughout the forum. The secondary systems can be portable systems or even home theater rigs.
Q: I started a thread with an link to an article that I found interesting and thought it would be interesting to others. Why was it removed?
A: Most likely you posted a link to the article and nothing else. The purpose of the forum is to invite conversations and as the "host" of the thread that you started, you should break the ice with your outlook or opinion of the subject that you are referencing and continue dialog with those that participate. Low-effort posting does not promote good discussion.
Q: I am trying to change my email address or join the forum--why is my email address banned?
A: Your specific email address is not banned, but we are blocking entire email domains from free email providers who have a known history of spamming activity. Let us know via our Member Services link below so we can work around this for you.
Q: I tried to create a new account, but had it rejected. Why?
A: We only allow one account per user. If you have an issue with your account like a forgotten password or username, our forum has a password reset feature. If your email address is outdated, please update it, or contact staff to update it for you if you cannot log in. If you were banned from the forums, creating a new account is not permitted to circumvent the ban, and we immediately delete these new accounts without notice.
Q: Did Tachy really go to Coventry?
A: As per the legendary tale...of course!