POSTING IN THE UKFR FORUM - A GUIDE
Whether you are an established member or have just joined us, please take a few minutes to read this post. It will guide you towards better use of this forum and explain how we moderate it
FORUM RULES
To start with you should have a look at the forum rules. These state the basics of what is and is not acceptable here. It is a condition of use that you accept these rules and you are then bound by them:
Forum rules
POSTING GUIDE
Here are some useful points to bear in mind when posting:
- Post in the correct forum. The forum is split into sections, post in the one appropriate for the subject. Don't post non-fireworks chat in the main fireworks forum, for example.
- Keep threads ON TOPIC. If you want to post about something unrelated to an established discussion, please start a new thread in the relevant forum. This helps to keep things organised and discussions on track.
- Keep your posts constructive. In other words think before you post. Does your post add anything to the discussion? Is it constructive? If not, don't post.
- Post in English, and no "one-liners". Please make an effort to type out your post properly, don't use excessive abbreviations, and don't post meaningless one word or one line messages. We want everyone to be able to read and understand the discussions here.
- Check your spelling and grammar. Posting late at night and had a few glasses of wine? Do us all a favour and double check your post before adding it.
- No flames. Please do not use these forums to flame a member or post insulting or sarcastic remarks. See below for how to report posts.
- No excessive quoting. Quoting a post duplicates content and uses bandwidth and storage space. So do you REALLY need to quote an entire post? Especially if you are just making a quick comment immediately after the post you are quoting? Use quoting sparingly and make sure it is relevant.
- No "You have a PM" messages please. Private messages are exactly that, private. Posting to tell a user you have sent them a private message is utterly pointless. In addition it comes across to some members that you are publicly stating you have contacted someone about a private matter you are unwilling to share with anyone else. This creates cliques, so don't do it.
- No video clips showing unsafe fireworks use. Had a back garden display and filmed it? We'd love to see it, but not if your video shows unsafe or illegal fireworks use. Remember not to self-incriminate yourself. THINK!
- No links to third party (eg. YouTube) clips showing intentionally unsafe fireworks use. Classic example being the rocket fired from the arse - we really don't want this sort of unsafe fireworks use glorified here. More info.
- Trying to post in the Pro forum? If you are a professional firer or in the trade, see the pinned post in the main pro forum which has full instructions on how to get access there. More info.
- Don't post personal details. The forum is both public and spidered by search engines. Bear in mind anything you post will be readable by anyone. For your safety and security, the admin/moderators reserve the right to remove or obscure any details we feel shouldn't be shown in an open forum.
- Posting photos of your fireworks stash? Please ensure the photo shows safe practices with the handling and storage of fireworks. Again, these guidelines are not just for common sense, they are to help prevent people from posting self incriminating photos. More info.
Illegal fireworks, white van sales etc.
Post about illegal fireworks - including asking where to get them, or stating that you have some (or know of a source of them) - are neither welcomed nor allowed in this forum. Such posts will be deleted and if made by a new member their account will be closed. Illegal fireworks include bangers, airbombs, anything sold from the back of a van or other unlicenced premises.
Illegal fireworks in this context means fireworks deemed as illegal and which are being sourced with the intention of letting them off. It does not include collectable items; discussion about firework nostalgia and the collecting of old fireworks is always warmly welcomed here on UKFR.
Fusing by nonprofessionals
This is now welcomed in the forum, however any discussion of fusing (adding additional fuse, linking fireworks or the use of firing systems) by nonprofessionals must comply with the following:
- The fusing is done ON SITE at the place of the intended display. It is assumed this is the case unless otherwise stated, but discussions which explicitly state the fusing is done somewhere else may be edited or removed. Any photos posted by members (such as stash shots) must also respect this.
- The fusing is done with the intention of improving firework safety: Increasing fuse time, safely linking multiple fireworks (to prevent having to manually light a number of items in close physical proximity) or the use of firing systems to allow remote firing.
Please note: As demonstrated in
this thread, the UKFR community could
not reach a consensus on the legalities of fusing by nonprofessionals. We should therefore caution readers that whilst we consider there is sufficient scope to allow
discussion of these activities, particularly where the motive is the safer use of fireworks and such activities are carried out on site, this should in no way be considered as a definitive statement that these activities are without risk, either legal or otherwise. Readers are urged, if in doubt, to take legal advice, the advice of their insurance company, the HSE, or other professional body (which UKFR is
not) before undertaking such activities.
Spam, testimonials, plugs and recommendations
Genuine discussion about suggested suppliers or retailers is permitted between members of good standing whether those retailers are sponsors or not. "Good standing" means that you must build up your credibility here - through your own conduct - so we can trust that any posts you make are genuine. If you have a commercial connection to a company you are recommending (a conflict of interest) this must be declared. If this is found out later you could do great harm to your business because your posts will be seen as false endorsements.
For firework retailers and those in the trade:
The posting of unsolicited plugs by any fireworks company, product or services is neither allowed or welcome in this forum. Firework companies who wish to promote their services should contact UKFR regarding advertising. This provides a cost effective way to promote your services on UKFR and show forum members you support this site.
I want to remind firework companies that UKFR is now a public forum. Should you be caught spamming this forum you could cause huge damage to your reputation and credibility here which will be kept on record through your posts (and our responses) for potential customers to see. So please THINK first
Retailers are strongly discouraged from posting fake customer testimonials and the likes. This is really dishonest conduct. If you are found out, your company could be blacklisted from any future coverage here (even if it is legitimate) or refused advertising services.
If your company is considered to be a continual spammer, either directly or indirectly, we may refuse to accept you as an advertiser and may remove ALL references to your company in this forum in the future, whether genuine or not.
For the purposes of moderation, the posting of company video clips and company blogs (however they are presented) is considered as commercial use of this forum. Members who, over a period of time, are seen to frequently post links to the same company will be deemed to be spamming the forum. This particularly applies to staff members and firers who portray themselves as non-commercial users of this forum or who do not declare their interests but over time keep plugging their company.
The posting of a blog, video or other content for a company you work for but where you are not declaring this to be the case (ie. passing yourself off as a consumer or enthusiast) is strictly forbidden in this forum. You can do great harm to your company's reputation doing this so please, don't do it!!
UKFR members appreciate and respect retailers who are open, transparent and post ethically.
Charitable displays
If you are displaying for charity and wish to publicise your event, you must clear this with me first. UKFR is usually happy to support a charitable event with publicity here regardless of whether the organisers or display teams are site sponsors or not. However, we must obviously be careful this is not abused by companies simply wanting free company publicity.
As a guide, if clearance to publicise your event is given, please:
- Word your post and publicity with the charitable event and good causes in mind.
- Do not use the publicity to plug or promote your own services.
- Please only link to specific web pages on your site if they are created to give further information about the event such as to buy tickets - do not link to your home page.
- Please make it clear what charities and good causes the event is supporting.
Non-posting or "gone away" members
Due to the seasonal nature of this forum and the general fact that interest in any forum can ebb and flow, it is not unusual for once regular members on UKFR to have periods were they appear to have "gone away" or stopped posting. Some people have day jobs which mean they may be unable to post for long periods, others have seasonal jobs. It should also be pointed out that membership and continued posting here is not compulsory, members do come and go, UKFR respects that.
In this case I would ask members to assume their absence is genuine. There have been cases this year (2011) when members have been quite critical towards members who are not posting for one reason or another, assuming this to be because the member is avoiding the site intentionally.
If there is any pressing reason why you feel you need an answer from a particular member and want to bump a thread, please be constructive and respect the fact that unless proven otherwise, an absent member might be away for entirely genuine reasons. Remember, sending them a PM will usually trigger an email to them too, this can be a good way to contact someone. And give them time to respond
Contacting old or gone away members
For privacy reasons, UKFR is not able to divulge members' registered email addresses or other private contact details, nor do I divulge to people whether I am aware if a particular member is still active here or at member meets (since this could be abused as a form of information fishing). A member's forum profile will contain whatever information they have decided to make public and includes a note of when they were last logged in.
Trade prices
Please do
not post trade prices in the forum unless you have permission from the seller to do so. This information can in some cases be considered commercially confidential and it does no favours by highlighting the cost price of individual items. Remember the forum is freely accessible by any member of the public.
In particular, posting trade prices for shells and other Category 4 fireworks can give completely the wrong impression of the value of professional display services since these do not take into account other costs such as insurance, labour, admin, training, vans, tools and so on.
REPORTING A POST
With the best will in the world we cannot monitor every post made in this forum and rely on members to bring problems to our attention. This could be an unacceptable post, swearing, an inappropriate link and so on. Or, you may be concerned by a member's conduct. In all cases please use the "report post" option next to each post. DO NOT FLAME THE MEMBER in the forum or "get involved".
Reporting a post flags up the exact post and member concerned, and gives you a space to fill in why you are reporting it. Then, all moderators are notified so the first one on-line can look at it.
Please note that we do not reply to post reports personally. If you require a reply or clarification of any point please contact me directly after reporting the post.
If you are not a registered member and have a problem with a post, contact me by email:
pete@ukfr.com.
If you would like to discuss wider issues or have a problem and would prefer to discuss this in private, this should ONLY be done directly with me. Send me a PM or email me
pete@ukfr.com - I fully own this site and forum and the buck stops with me. My door is always open, feedback always welcome and treated in confidence.
Libel
A quick word about libel. We should remind readers that libel is subjective. Only the party concerned can decide whether comments posted about them are libellous or not. For this reason it is impossible for us to pro-actively moderate for comments which could constitute libel since we do not know they are possibly libellous until we are notified. In the case of any posts made which you consider libellous, you should use "Report post" if you are a logged in member or email the editor (pete@ukfr.com). You can only report posts which concern
you; we do not accept third party notifications of libel.
We vigorously defend the rights of our members to free speech and to express their opinions or to review products or services. However, we do not condone flames, insults or any inappropriate content.
A FINAL WORD
Both myself and the moderating team have one goal - to moderate as little as possible and for you all to ENJOY this forum and get something out of it! So please, help us to help you by keeping your posts on track and within the forum rules
Pyro Pete, Editor
UKFR Forum Posting Guide
Posting links and plugs - a quick guide
