[wp-forums] Proposed draft

[Melanie]

Many apologies if this comes through twice or more. It seems I entered
limbo with this list (it does not like me for some reason, or doesn't like
the smtp server I use at work) yet again... but my messages don't seem to
be coming through.

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Re: "You get ONE post a month. Any more and they will be deleted."

That could probably stand some clarifying. One new thread a month?
Otherwise, it would say that one couldn't respond to a post from someone
seeking paid services (if they don't leave contact info).

And for both sellers and buyers, there should be some rules about contact
info - state that email addresses need to be broken, but that links to
sites are ok.

On both notes, I'd actually propose that all threads on there be one post
only - you get one shot - closed as soon as they start - and any posts
without contact info be removed. On other open source support forums I've
dealt with, there is usually a forum like this "Commercial Help Wanted" or
"Paid Services Wanted and Offered" sorts of areas, and nearly all of them
use this rule. One post, and if they don't have it automatically close the
thread, then all replies are deleted when the mods close it. (Of course,
most of these also have the ability to do PMs within the forum software,
we don't have that here, thus the rule about contact info being
necessary.)
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I second Michael on the deleted vs. moved - for SELLERS. (IMHO, if
someone's selling a service and they can't figure out where to put it,
they're incompetent anyway.) But for buyers... well, that's a little
different. Very likely we'll see users posting for help that they're
willing to pay for, but don't know where to post it exactly. Do we want
the first time help seekers first impression to be their post deleted?
Just a thought.

Maybe split that part into the separate rule definitions -

Sellers: Any posts offering commercial services in any other forum will be
deleted.
Buyers: Posts offering to pay for help will be moved, please consider this
before offering to pay for help.

(I worry about people who offer to pay for help that could be getting free
help if they just don't offer the pay up front... I see threads like that
from time to time, and I'd hate to see someone get ignored or have to pay
when the free help would've done it....)
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And that's it for now. I'll probably have more to say before it's all
over. :)

Mel