Forum Rules

[France in Focus]

Netiquette

This is a short guide to how members and visitors to the Forum are expected to behave.

Our key principles

1. This is a Francophile Forum. It’s for people who have an appreciation for France and things French. If you are a resident, lucky you! But the Forum isn’t just for residents, it brings together Francophiles from all over the world to ask questions or share their interests in any France related topic, from travel to wine, from buying property to running a small-holding. So if you don’t really like France or the French this isn’t the place for you.

2. This is a friendly place and we aim to keep it that way. We welcome and encourage courtesy and appreciation of other people’s point of view. If you are looking for heated debate and the chance to argue your corner to the death you should probably look elsewhere, because sooner or later those ambitions will cause an unwanted problem and you may be asked to leave anyway.

3. Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. This is defined as 'behaviour likely to cause harassment or distress to other members' and includes such things as: bullying, harassment, humiliation, ridicule, threats, incitement, trolling, personal insults, and reference to personal information, name-calling, accusations and public allegations.

4. Postings containing racist, sexist, libellous, pornographic or offensive remarks or contents are not permitted. We will determine what we deem to be a breach of these rules and in doing so we will do our best to represent the broad range of views and sensitivities of all members.

5. “Naming and shaming” is not permitted. In order to protect you and us from potential libel actions we have a zero tolerance policy to the naming of individuals or companies whether by way of recommendation or in relation to complaints you may have against them. This can have potentially serious legal implications.

6. Courtesy always win the day on this Forum. When posting, please be courteous, objective and respectful of the views of others, no matter how much they may vary from yours. Hostile or offensive language will be removed and the member may be suspended.

7. Avoid arguments. Discussions can lead to arguments or confrontations, so please remember that it takes two to argue. The best strategy is to turn a blind eye to something about which you feel you cannot disagree without becoming emotionally involved. Or to simply walk away from reading or contributing to offensive discussions, and report them instead.

8. Leave your baggage at the door. Discussions about the running of other forums or their members are not permitted.

Some Practical Advice

1. FAQ. If you are not familiar with the workings of a Discussion Forum or want to understand all the features please read our FAQ.

2. Report this post. If you genuinely believe a post has broken the rules you may click the Report this Post icon (a small exclamation mark above the post, which you will only see if you are logged in). The Moderators will review the post and take any necessary action. Only use this option if you are really sure that there has been an infringement.

3. Tangential Discussion: If the thread sparks a suggestion that could take it off in a different direction, please consider starting a 'New Topic' and discussing it there. This will make it MUCH easier for visitors to find information directly relevant to specific keywords and subjects.

4. Quoting: Please exercise care with the 'Quote' facility, by first editing out the irrelevant part of the post, or posts, you wish to quote from. Without this, some posts amount to no more than a few words referring to a quote of a quote of a quote of a quote of a quote of a quote of a ... which can make the thread very frustrating to read.

5. Please help others: If you see an unanswered post, with which you cannot assist, please take a moment to consider whether you know anyone who MAY know the answer. Often, a quick email, asking a friend to take a look at a post, can produce the answer the newcomer needs.

6. Avatars (images that go with your user name): Do try to choose an image that conveys a friendly message. Remember, this will be your “face” on the Forum and creates an impression of you and the things you say.

7. Privacy and confidentiality: Please respect the privacy of others and keep personal details and personal communication private. Only share the names and contact information of people publicly if agreed with them beforehand. You must not publish Private Messages or emails received by or from other members, Moderators or Administrators in any form without permission.

[Blaze]

Big thumbs up from me - thank you Charlotte

[France in Focus]

Thanks Blaze

I was worried that it was a bit 'wordy'.

[Blaze]

Not at all ! It's sad that that some members need to be reminded to be polite and considerate.
But I reckon you'll spot them quickly

[Doug]

Big thumbs up from me - thank you Charlotte

Same here Charlotte, must be hard, don't envy you.
You'r a star.

[Chappers51]

I think it’s sensible to have clarity from the beginning and appreciate your post. Thank you.

[Naylor's Ark]

It may be 'wordy', but it's good to have. Even if only to quote in any future disagreement.

[Spardo]

Thank you Charlotte, I do agree with what you have said, with perhaps just 2 reservations which you might like to consider.

No.5 in the Key principles. This is very restrictive and taken literally would mean that warning others of, provable not hearsay, problems with bad service and/or poor or dangerous products will not be possible. In another place the other day some comparisons were being made in a discussion about windows. I related a bad experience of poor service with a company which I named after spending a considerable sum on buying and installing heavy duty patio doors. Immediately someone else agreed having had a similar experience with that company. As the OP was asking advice in order to avoid such problems, if this rule was in place there, their plea would, necessarily, have fallen on deaf ears.

No.3 in Practical Advice. Thread drift can be irritating but also very informative and it is sometimes difficult to know exactly when a useful discussion can be ruined.

Nevertheless, those points apart, I agree wholeheartedly with what you say and will, of course, abide by all of them.

[demi]

Thanks, Charlotte.

I am just wondering which of your two forums people are going to use?

I find it quite hard remembering which one I have posted on or which one there is a discussion I'm interested in!!

[Blaze]

I related a bad experience of poor service with a company which I named after spending a considerable sum on buying and installing heavy duty patio doors.

Rather than mentioning the name publicly and risking defamation, you could suggest people PM you for the company name.