The Forum Rules and Policies

by **alex.almocera** on Sat May 17, 2008 2:50 pm

We prepared a list of policies to ensure a user-friendly discussion environment. Make sure you understand all of them. You can reply to this post for questions and feedbacks.

Updated on 15 June, 2008.

Some Guidelines: The DOs and what we encourage

Do abide by the rules.
Do introduce yourselves, please, so that we can know each other better.
Do behave... show some respect... this is - and should be - a friendly community.
Do remember that whatever you post is public... be careful.
Do ask the right questions. It's good practice to search first; the answer might already be there.
Do post the right topic in the right forum.
Do drop by The Suggestion Box and contribute to future developments of the site. You can even suggest more essential policies.
Do contact us if you have concerns with the site. You can contact the webmasters, or drop by Help Desk.
Do share. This is MMC Forums: a place for mathematical discussions. If you would like to share some examples or applications which may enrich further the knowledge of a topic, or if you have alternative ways to solve a given problem, be our guest. Just remember that we discourage cheating or transmitting entire works for others to copy, especially if it's an exam.
Do react! Have your say on other posts, and make sure they're appropriate enough.
Do include examples, figures, tables, formulas, theorems etc. to make your post more understandable.
Do keep your post clean and organized. Use appropriate styles, and organize your examples, figures, tables, etc. for smooth flow of discussion. You may even group all the theorems, formulas, and definitions together in what we call "Preliminaries"... but that's just one way. The bottom line is to make your post presentable.
Do cite sources in your post! We must respect other authors as well.
Do follow prescribed image sizes. Avatar images can be up to 150x200 pixels; Signature images up to 700x250 pixels. Alternatively, you can use text signatures (you can modify it in the profiles).
Do help in maintaining peace and order. Please report any abusive or inappropriate posts.

Prohibited and not advised: The DON'Ts and what we highly discourage

Don't use offensive words or images (in your posts, or in your usernames, or in whatsoever). Don't Even use alternative characters to circumvent our bad-words filter, which is periodically-updated. We will try to seek out new profanities and include them in the filters.
Don't use ALL UPPERCASE, miXeD CaPs, or l33ts (leets), or shrtkts (shortcuts). Not only are they pointless to do so, but some readers may find that annoying or distracting.
Don't post with generic subjects like "Help" or "Homework". Instead, clearly state a phrase describing the nature of the topic as the post's title. Example: Using (a method) to solve the "Birthday Problem".
Don't post academic topics outside our scope. We do not claim expertise in Engineering, Biology, Physics, etc.; but if your intention is to clarify some difficult math concepts applied in these fields, we may still be glad to be of some assistance.
Don't always depend on us without exerting your own attempts. We're only here to help with your homework, not do the homework for you! Also, Don't Ever explicitly share your homework, or complete solutions for long exams, take-home tests, etc. We highly discourage cheating and absolute copying of work.
Don't spam, Don't advertise, Don't post virus or malware codes, Don't Ever compromise the security of this forum! Those who do will be immediately dealt with!

Special note on advertisement: We are a non-profit student organization; and currently, we are not involved in any profit-making operations, which may require [internet] advertisement.
Don't double-post (you can always edit); repeated posts will be sent to the Recycle Bin
Don't piggy-back posts by posting your question as a reply to another question.
Don't discuss inappropriate things! Remember: This is MMC Forums, the place to talk mathematical stuff... and math-related topics... not nonsense.
Don't gossip non-mathematical stuff! If you have a say for recent MMC events, or you want to talk abour something mathematical, we have a place for those: MMC Speaks (soon to come)! located in the Main Site. We also have Candid Talk - located in the The Lounge - for some math quotes, jokes, mini-games, facts and trivia, and etc. However, everything else having little or no mathematics grounds, including showbiz news, can be done elsewhere.
Don't be too personal! Sure, personal opinions are nice, as long as they are relevant with the topic and are very appropriate.
Don't assault or threaten another member... by any means. This is neither a warzone, nor a place to simply hurt the feelings of other members.
Don't overdecorate! Too much smileys, varied (and/or unnecessary) styles, etc. can be quite an eyesore!
Don't Ever plagiarize! Use of media must conform with the author's license.
Don't be too dishonest... even if others might!

Note: The term “offensive” includes, but not limited to: Pornography, Sex, Homosexuality, Violence, Death, Suicide, Terrorism, Machismo, Political Protests, Malice, Labeling, Personal Assaults, and otherwise Immoral and Indecent. It also includes any sort-of illegal and criminal activities.