Rules

1 - Thou shalt post constructively.
Make your posts have a positive point. Posting just to complain without an effort to turn something positive or posting just to say 'is that so?' is a waste of reading space.

2 - Thou shalt not use thy forum to troll.
This is not the place to bitch and moan about proper nouns (i.e. People or companies). That doesn't mean that you can't debate, question or raise a valid point. It means that I don't want to see threads about how x sucks. See this article on constructively trolling to complain in a constructive way.

3 - Thou shalt Private Message if thy post is for one person.
Posts like 'hey sally, give me a buzz' is like texting 10,000 people in hopes that one of them will be the person you are trying to talk to. If your message is for 1 person, PM it. If its for more, post it!

4 - Thou shalt post in the correct forum
Posting about 'how do I get a cool picture next to my name' does not belong in the Nail Art forum because it has jack all to do with nail art. Posting in the wrong forum is a fast way to get no responses whilst irritating the moderators as they then have to then move it.

5 - Reply to others how you would like them to reply to you.
This is possibly THE most important of all commandments here. I have a low tolerance for members who show disrespect to others (even if the disrespect is somehow warranted). Rude and thoughtless posts are the fastest way to make you look like a right ass in front of the world. Its also a quick way to find yourself on the wrong side of a ban with a shed load of negative reputation points. If you can't say it nicely, don't say it at all.

6 - Thou shalt not peddle thy wares
Advertising is allowed on the site via banners and auto-linking but not through posting. Threads, posts, pms, blogs or Social Group Posts designed to bait and hook or advertise a service or product for your financial gain is a sure fire way to get your post deleted and possibly get banned. I no longer allow threads, posts, blogs, or social group posts to be made offering 'special deals' or 'special deals for geeks only'.

If another member is asking about your product or service, or if your products or services are relevant to the topic at hand you may respond without wording that would consider the post to be an advertisement. Once again, I would encourage you to ask a moderator if in doubt about this rule to avoid deletion of posts, an angry mob of geeks and a potential ban.

7 - Thou shalt search for thy answers
Have a burning question? So have thousands of others (where do you think the 500,000 posts have come from?). Try a search to find your answer. If you cant find it or you are not fulfilled with the results feel free to post away!

8 - Thou shalt not make threads bitching about reputation points
This is a serious bug bear of mine and its also the fastest way to get more bad reputation points (en mass)!

9 - Thou shalt use the spell checker
As long as you are using Internet Explorer, there is a spell checker built into all message editors in the upper right corner (the ABC with a tick). Poor spelling makes you and the site look bad. Google and the site indexes the misspellings and makes it more difficult to find answers and portray the site as the epicentre of professionalism.

10 - Thou shalt THINK about the title of thou thread
The fastest way to get your thread ignored is by using titles like 'Help!!!??!?', 'Read this!', 'What do I do now?', etc... They are too vague and most geeks ignore them because the title doesn't say what the thread is about.
While I'm at it, titles like 'Wot products u use 4 this?' is a great way to come across as a 14 year old trying to get your Sally Hansen bottle of nail enamel open. Most professionals will avoid threads with titles like this.

11 - Edit thy mistakes!
There is a fancy facility on the site here that actually allows you to edit your post. Its called the edit button. Use it if you spot typos or mistakes in your post.

12 - Thou shalt post at least 1 thought provoking thread per week
The best threads are those that stir up discussion and constructive debate. We all have different tastes and we don't always agree with one another. A thought provoking post should encourage our differences and champion our individuality without making someone feel bad because you do not agree with them.

13 - Thou shalt link to www.salongeek.com whenever possible
I don't mean 'go spam other sites' or link to it in your posts here. Other sites with links to this one encourages more users and also increases page ranking on Google.

14 - Thou shalt not libel or make racist comments Libel is 'written slander' or defamation. Writing lib
ellous comments about people is a sure way to get yourself sued and/or banned from the site

15 - Though shall not give pseudo-professional advice
In the forums where you are not a professional (i.e. the Hair Geek forum if you are not a professional hair messer) you may not give advice. This is a forum for professionals and the only way to keep it that way is to make sure that you are very careful in your comments that you make in forums where you hold no qualifications. It is fine to chime in with opinion as long as it does not lead readers to construe that the information you have given is a professional recommendation. On that note, please do NOT recommend OTC (Over the counter) products and services. These are not professional.