The only thing required for registration is a valid, working e-mail address (please no free/disposable/temporary email addresses such as gmail, hotmail or yahoo addresses). The forums will use this address to send you notifications.
"What if I don't want to give out my private e-mail address?"
You don't have to use your very private email address but free email services are abused quite a bit by spammers, hackers and scammers. If you've ever looked in your spam folder I'm sure you've seen get rich quick, lose fat fast and worst of all "love" spam from Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo addresses for example. As a result free/temporary/disposable email addresses/domains are not allowed. I use Gmail myself but for the forums I use an email on one of my domains. Most ISPs allow at least one email, some more. Our suggestion here is use the free Microsoft Outlook.com mail service.
I enabled the use of Gmail for about an hour thinking they'd gotten a handle on the abuse and NOPE. In that hour there were 5 obvious spammer registrations within that period using Gmail addresses. Another thing to consider is many spammers simply steal other people's email addresses. I can't count how many times a forum notification met with an angry "STOP SPAMMING ME!" response because someone used a stolen email address to register.
Due to spammer abuse new policies are now in effect. Accounts are now Admin created and approved. Accounts with zero posts after 24 hours will be considered abandoned and automatically pruned by the system. There has been a rash of spammers creating accounts and waiting some time before spamming the forums. It stands to reason those intending to post will post right away.
You needn't register to browse the forums. If you choose to register, that's great! Meet the gang.
If you would like to register just contact us using the following link and in the Subject enter "Forum Account"
In the Body of the message enter the name/handle you want to use and a temporary password which you can change once your account has been created and activated.
Leaving any of this out means we can't create an account for you. The email address, name/handle and temporary password will be used VERBATIM so please be sure of them when you contact us. I apologize if this seems a bit convoluted but if you had to deal with all the spammers trying to poison these forums you'd understand.
Contact us to request an account HERE.
We use IPQS to eliminate and ban temporary/disposable email addresses/domains. If you're not sure if it is allowed you can verify your email domain at IPQS Domain Reputation Test and you're allowed a few free lookups per month without registering.
Here is an example of a disallowed email domain.
Check your spam/junk folders and be sure to mark mail from the forums as "Not Spam" so you won't have to dig through the bulk/junk folder for your forum notices (set in your preferences and when you post to topics).
Remember, you have 24 hours to post before the system thinks you are AWOL and poofs your account.
Guidelines...
I've been told I've managed with a "heavy hand", probably too heavy. Okay, I'll take it to heart. All of the revised guidelines will be based on courtesy and respect, and the responsibility left up you. That doesn't mean myself or the moderators will not do their job when circumstances dictate.
There are a few golden rules that will remain golden.
No flaming. personal attacks, or name-calling - My temper is as bad as the next guy's. I'll do my best to keep it at bay. I ask you do the same.
No "For Sale" - It was a noble idea, and at first worked out quite well. But, as all good things go, the crooks and shady characters swooped in like vultures, and before long members here were getting scammed left and right. To avoid any of this, there's no "for sale" here. There is a "Wanted" forum, and all I ask is that any transactions coming out of posts there are the responsibility of the people involved. Neither myself nor the site can help you if you become a victim. If you're concerned or unsure about something you've been contacted about, by all means post about it in your thread! Crooks and scammers despise their schemes being brought out into the light. Links to commercial sites or online stores would fall under this rule as well.
If you've something you're wanting to sell, my suggestion would be list it on eBay. There's an "eBay" forum here you can post in regarding your listing. On eBay much more is out in the open than private transactions here, and eBay offers more protection than the site ever could for all concerned.
No profanity - Nothing stronger than what you would hear on WB television (family television). We come from all walks of life, all professions, all beliefs, and preferences. There are many ways to say something, and profanity shows little respect for others and lack of creativity. There are bikers posting right alongside clergy, and it works here. Please, don't alter spelling or use creative methods to get past the filters. This shows little respect for this simple request.
No hotlinking - Hotlinking means using the Img or Url tags (buttons) to point to an image on a server you do not have permission to link to. This includes eBay images. When a domain owner notices hotlinks from these forums I sometimes get a nasty letter, and I really don't like getting them.
I will work on ways of implementing both links to ImageShack as well as a tutorial to help those unfamiliar with it. Photobucket is another favorite. I'll add links and tutorials when I have time and they'll appear here under the "Message Board Info" forum when they're available.
If you're stumped, simply ask how to post images in your thread and there are a number of folks here that are quite willing to walk you through it so don't be surprised when you receive several private messages offering to help. Don't be shy, everyone started somewhere.
Posting images and URLs...
The format of the forums will be changing shortly to allow for larger image sizes in all the categories. The "Member's Treasures" category was set up not only to show off your treasures and talk about them, but also to allow those of you who choose to link to larger images to do so without worry.
All I ask is that when posting images elsewhere here in the forums please be considerate of those visitors who are not fortunate enough for cable, isdn, dsl, or other broadband and stuck with modems and dialup. People with older monitors sometimes have a tough time with large images. 640 pixels is a nice size, and larger really isn't necessary.
The "Member's Treasures" is a different story, so have at it there, but don't take that as an invitation to get crazy.
Long URLs (you know, the ones that go on for days) often tend to make threads hard to read (srcolling left and right). The forums are set up to take the raw http url and convert it to (Click Here). If you're posting a really long URL just paste it in or use the URL button when posting and enter some descriptive text when prompted, e.g. "What model is this guitar?". If you're not sure, ask and someone is sure to help.
In short...
Simply show respect and courtesy and all will be fine. After all, we're here for our passion in these guitars, right?
Thanks for reading, and Welcome!
ForumAdmin