London,
The Community Guide
The Community Guide is broken down into the following sections:- About message boards
- Netiquette pointers
- Acronyms
- Who uses Thisislondon.co.uk?
- What is a host?
- And finally!
1. All about message boards
Top of page- What is a message board?
- What makes a good post?
- What are the Community Guidelines?
- What is 'moderation'?
- What happens if your post contravenes the Community Guidelines?
- What if you have more questions?
What is a message board?
A message board is the online equivalent of a notice board. You can leave a message for other members to read and respond to in their own time. You can then return to read all
the messages and respond to them if and when you like.
Message boards allow members more time to compose their thoughts constructively and digest the thoughts of others. By paying frequent visits to the message boards you can see how the conversation is developing. We have a wide range of boards - you're sure to find something that interests you!
What makes a good post?
A good post is one that provides other members with an opportunity to carry on from it - one that stimulates debate and one that shows some warmth. The length of your post is
not important. It is important, however, that your post is relevant to the message board theme itself.
What are the Community Guidelines?
The Community Guidelines are a set of rules that will help ensure the Thisislondon.co.uk community remains a safe and welcoming community for everyone who participates. They
outline what is deemed unacceptable behavior and it is important to read over them carefully. It is also important that you feel free at all times to reinforce these standards
to other members whenever you feel the need arises.
What is 'moderation'?
Some message boards here at Thisislondon.co.uk are 'moderated' - that is, your posts will be read and approved by a moderator before they appear on these message boards. Once
you have demonstrated that you can post to these boards without contravening the Community Guidelines, you will be given Quick Post access to post live to these boards. All
other message boards are available for you to post to immediately.
What happens if your post contravenes the Community Guidelines?
Members who contravene the Community Guidelines may have their posts edited or removed from the board and may face an account suspension or, in extreme cases, a permanent ban.
If you read a post which you feel contravenes these guidelines, please click on the 'Report this post to moderator' link next to the post in question. Abuse should not be
reported on the boards.
What if you have more questions?
If you need other message board assistance, you can access 'Boards help' in the navigation menu to the left of this page. You may also post queries to
the Feedback message board in the
London Lounge section, which are usually replied to by a member of the Community Team.
2. Netiquette pointer
Top of page'Netiquette' is the term given to recommended social behaviour (etiquette) on the Internet. Respecting netiquette means that you will establish a positive identity within the community. A few netiquette pointers:
- Be kind and always be courteous!
- Be sure to speak your mind freely, but please be sensitive to the feelings and opinions of others.
- Attack the argument and never the author. Respect other member's opinions. If you disagree, do so politely.
- Capitalising whole words is generally interpreted as SHOUTING and is difficult to read. Capitalise words only when you want to highlight an important point. *Asterisks* surrounding a word can be used to make a stronger point.
- Be careful when using sarcasm and humour. It can be easily misconstrued as criticism, without face-to-face communication. When being humorous, try to include smilies in your messages to express such humour.
- Personal contact details should remain personal.
- Always give a warm welcome to new 'faces'.
- Before sending an angry message, stop and take a break. Consider whether a milder message would be more effective.
3. Acronyms
Top of pageThere is a set of commonly used acronyms that are used in place of frequently used sentences. The following is a list of those which you are most likely to come across!
| Acronym | What it means |
| AKA | Also known as... |
| AFK | Away from keyboard |
| BAK | Back at keyboard |
| BRB | Be right back... |
| BTW | By the way... |
| CU | See you |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions |
| FWIW | For what it's worth |
| FYI | For your information |
| IMO | In my opinion |
| IMHO | In my humble opinion |
| LOL | Laugh out loud |
| OTOH | On the other hand... |
| ROFL | Rollling on the floor laughing |
| TTFN | Ta ta for now |
Don't forget that you can also insert smilies into your posts.
4. Who uses Thisislondon.co.uk?
Top of pageAnyone and everyone! We ask that everyone who participates in our community respect the sprit and tone of our community and above all, the Community Guidelines.
We recommend that our members are above the age of 18, although this is not mandatory.
5. What is a host?
Top of pageOur hosts are regular members, old and new alike, who have volunteered to help us look after our message boards, chat rooms and those who frequent here. Being a host is an unpaid role and they are entirely independent of Thisislondon.co.uk.
However, our hosts know our message boards and chat rooms inside out and have volunteered to welcome new users, help existing members find their way around the site and help ensure our boards are the most vibrant and engaging on the Internet. They are also able to edit and remove posts which contravene our community guidelines.
Hosts are chosen because of their knowledge of our community, ability to communicate and an empathy with Thisislondon.co.uk's community and members. Each of our hosts spends a different amount of time on our boards every week but if you've ever got a question about our community, there's usually a handful around to help!
If you are interested in becoming a host for Thisislondon.co.uk, please email community@thisislondon.co.uk telling us a little bit about yourself and why you think you'd make a great host. We're always on the lookout for new friendly faces, but we do require that applicants are extremely familiar with our community and that they have been posting for at least 6 months.
You may also see usernames which end with _london in your travels. This means the message has been posted by one of Thisislondon.co.uk's full-time staff - it could be a writer, a member of our technical team or design team.
6. And finally!
Top of pageWelcome to the Thisislondon.co.uk community!
If there's anything we can do to help you settle down, then please let us know by emailing community@thisislondon.co.uk or by leaving a message for one of the Community Team on the Feedback message board.
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