@SteveH posted:

recently discovered this forum, and its friendly and knowledgeable members...

Welcome aboard!

Just keep moving and don't make any eye contact !

That Vertical Video one is a pet peeve of mine coming from an amateur photography background.

Jerry

UHOH!   Etiquette

Welcome to the O-Gauge forum, a wealth of knowledge and great place to make friends.  The fact that you actually read the terms of service puts you one up on a lot of the new members.  Most members here are pretty easy going , but there are a few who get their feathers ruffled easily. They usually mean well so I don’t let it bother me.

I think the most important rule is to post in the correct sub-forum. The most important unwritten rule is to post photos and video horizontally, not vertically. Since you already mentioned these in your original post, I would say you are in good shape.

@baltimoretrainworks posted:

Welcome aboard! Just keep moving and don't make any eye contact ! That Vertical Video one is a pet peeve of mine coming from an amateur photography background.

Jerry

Fixed it Jerry: I see you are top row-center, next to Robert and Mitch <g>

@SteveH posted:

Hi, I'm a relatively new forum member currently working on my next 9' x 19.5' conventional control 3 rail O-Gauge layout with my daughter. I have been model railroading on and off for a little over 40 years and recently discovered this forum, and its friendly and knowledgeable members.

Would it be possible to extract the pertinent information from these unwritten rules and condense them into one easy to find place on the site and also be sent to new members when they join? And If so, how would be the best way to compile this information in a way that would be useful to the moderators?

hmmm, I DO remember a quote from some group, long time ago, may I Respectfully insert it here: 'Great Idea, You are in charge".

Someone with a better background on such matter will help, I am sure. I am but a lowly 4x8-er comic-relief-minion. <s>

Uh Oh!  More rules.     And what, there are now  "unwritten rules"?

I see "Double Secret Probation" in my future!

(And, I have lost track.  Are we at war with Europia or Eurasia today?)

Mannyrock

Is this like the salad fork thing?

I’m guilty of misspelling words and using the occasional comma splice. It’s probably due to a combination of declining vision and use of an iPad.

We don't need no stinkin' rules!

@baltimoretrainworks posted:

...Vertical Video one is a pet peeve of mine coming from an amateur photography background.

AMEN!

Have you  seen this?

Unfortunately this #short thing on YouTube seems to be popularizing vertical videos.

Landscape / horizontal always preferred. Just saying.

Who are those hippies with guns?

To be honest I think everyone does a good job policing the forum and if something goes sideways Alan or the moderators are here to slap your hand and help get thing back on track! Like the old saying don't fix what isn't broken.

But if they are going to fix something maybe when one does a search they can show results in order of date posted! LOL Just sayin!

Another vote against vertical videos here, and not wishing to derail the OP's very laudable proposal.  But is there a technical reason for vertical videos?  Does it have something to do with smartphones?

The main reason people unintentionally end up with vertical videos taken with smart phones is that they hold the phone upright instead of horizontally when they start recording.  There may also be settings in the phone (depending on the OS) that interfere with this typically automatic orientation based on the phone's position at the time they start recording the video.

@West Side Joe posted:

Another vote against vertical videos here, and not wishing to derail the OP's very laudable proposal.  But is there a technical reason for vertical videos?  Does it have something to do with smartphones?

Try watching an episode of AFV tonite. With the pandemic, nearly every video is sent in from a smartphone and nearly every video is vertical. The show is almost unwatchable.

After you do it once you would "think"the average person could figure it out...but...

I have no idea what the controversy about vertical videos is about, "So for that reason, . . . I am out."

Mannyrock

Thanks for your welcome to the forum and suggestions.  To be clear, I'm not looking to establish new rules nor get anyone in "trouble".  I'm hoping for a condensed consensus of existing Suggestions that are easy to find and understand /hard to miss for anyone wishing to "play nice with others."  If you consider yourself a rebel, I respect that too.

So, the determining question may be for the Moderators to answer first:

Is this notion of a concise list of Suggestions doable and if so, what might I do to help?

I think there may already be something here that fills the bill.

It's called the Terms of Service, and it's always available at the "TOS" link in the blue menu bar at the top of the screen.

Rich, thank you for your replies.  You are correct to point out the TOS, which I also referenced in the original post.  What I'm proposing would be in addition to the existing TOS Guidelines.

I'm genuinely confused now.  I believe the forum runs pretty smoothly the way it is now, what is the drive to impose more rules?  Truthfully, I don't know about any "unwritten" rules, and I hope they never get written down!

My take on interacting on the forums is to keep what you're posting to what you would say to in person.  I think for the most part here on OGR, that is what happens.  

Please: Don't fix stuff that ain't broke!

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm genuinely confused now.  I believe the forum runs pretty smoothly the way it is now, what is the drive to impose more rules?  Truthfully, I don't know about any "unwritten" rules, and I hope they never get written down!

My take on interacting on the forums is to keep what you're posting to what you would say to in person.  I think for the most part here on OGR, that is what happens. 

Please: Don't fix stuff that ain't broke!

Man, do I agree with that!!!!      Otherwise, we would have, "If it ain't broke,,,,,,,,,,,,work on it until it is!".

after a while here, you learn to live with the various personalities of the members without taking offense.

John, sorry if you think I'm implying something is broken, I'm not.  This forum is great!  I'm simply looking to condense many of the great suggestions for its usage.  Using the example "My train broke how do I fix it" type of post lacking any meaningful detail about which you started a topic called "Clairvoyance and Problem Solving".  I think there are some great Suggestions in that thread.  There are other posts with great suggestions too which also aren't in the TOS Guidelines and may not be easy to discover for new members.

So just like our layouts, that aren't broke, we still keep working on them to make improvements.  That what I'm proposing, a compilation of Suggestions, not more rules.

SteveH - One other thing that's very helpful to the 'experts' on the Forum (ie. people that really are technically saavy) when Posters are looking for advice to resolve a technical issue is - whenever possible - including the manufacturer's product number either in the Heading or the first or second sentence of the original Post.

@SteveH posted:

John, sorry if you think I'm implying something is broken, I'm not.  This forum is great!  I'm simply looking to condense many of the great suggestions for its usage.  Using the example "My train broke how do I fix it" type of post lacking any meaningful detail about which you started a topic called "Clairvoyance and Problem Solving".  I think there are some great Suggestions in that thread.  There are other posts with great suggestions too which also aren't in the TOS Guidelines and may not be easy to discover for new members.

So just like our layouts, that aren't broke, we still keep working on them to make improvements.  That what I'm proposing, a compilation of Suggestions, not more rules.

FWIW, these suggestions have been posted countless times, I don't think posting them one more time is going to make a significant difference.  I don't think many new people wade through the mountains of sticky threads in every forum now, adding one to the list isn't going to make that happen, at least IMO.

I'm not saying you don't have a point, but I seriously doubt a posting about it is going to change anything.  I've moderated forums for many years, and I've had very limited success in a "magic" posting that clears up all the clouds and makes every posting clear as day.

Steve - with respect, I don't see the need for a more elaborate and detailed set of published rules, as you might with engineering, to figure out the forum. It's just an online place like millions of others, but nice. Cruise along as you have been, read the posts, reply as you see fit. That's all there is to it. On the other hand, I never read any of the rules already in place so a few more won't bother me. But why? I was on a jury once in New York City and the guy confessed to the crime. He wasn't browbeaten or coerced or anything, he just blurted out exactly what happened. Much to the dismay of his lawyer, naturally. When we, the jury, began deliberations, one juror said, well, I have a problem with this, he might not be guilty. The rest of us were like, huh? So that's how your post strikes me: huh? why?

@Mannyrock posted:

I have no idea what the controversy about vertical videos is about,

Jerry

@wb47 posted:

after a while here, you learn to live with the various personalities of the members without taking offense.

It used to be a lot worse. There were a few who while thankfully they seem to have fallen by the wayside could be counted on to throw out a comment that would just send the topic off on a dark path and get it locked or deleted. If someone posts pics of say zombies on their layout and you're not a fan of say zombies or fantasy things on a layout just ignore it and move on, no need to bash what they have done like some seem want to do (side note, my layout did have zombies in one corner and Minions and Batman and the Lost In Space robot B9 and a Tardis et al,  never got around to putting in a Stargate but there's still time!). And as for politics and religion just STEER A WIDE PATH AROUND THEM !

Jerry

John, I think you're right in pointing out that there is no such thing as a "magic" POST that would clear-up all issues.  Maybe there's another way besides a post, but without knowing the possible limitations of the forum framework, I don't know what exactly to suggest.

Trrentschler, again not rules, suggestions.  The difference: if you break rules there may be consequences.  Ignoring suggestions mostly results in annoying people who think the suggestion's recipient lacks common sense or social skills.  I'm not asking what I should do here on the forum, I'm trying to make it easier for those who might be interested in knowing what is generally accepted.

@baltimoretrainworks posted:

Welcome aboard!

Just keep moving and don't make any eye contact !

That Vertical Video one is a pet peeve of mine coming from an amateur photography background.

Jerry

I'm fourth cousins with one of those guys,, Jesse Woodson James

@SteveH posted:

lacks common sense or social skills.

You ain't been to York yet have you?

P.S. York is one of those trigger words here ! I've seen "My first time going to York what can I expect?" kind of posts just disintegrate into a bar argument.

Jerry

If I ever go to that unmentionable Y place, I'll be sure to stay away from the bars.

I appreciate and applaud all those that make and operate a layout, regardless of how simple or elaborate that it may be. Sharing an image or plan is really a nice thing for this forum. One’s choice of accessories, pattern, lighting, and etc is just the little extra that makes image that much more special. I for one am not going to critique ones choice of superheroes or long forgotten auto brands in the background. Put it out there and let’s all enjoy this fun. And let’s all just be nice,

@WRW posted:

Is this like the salad fork thing?

I’m guilty of misspelling words and using the occasional comma splice. It’s probably due to a combination of declining vision and use of an iPad.

oh man, now i gotta look THAT up. "hey Alexa, whats a comma splice"?. A comma splice, also called a run-on, occurs when a writer has connected two main clauses with a comma alone."

"Hey Alexa, what's a main clause?"

Gosh  SteveH,  you are one persistent guy!   :-)

Why the hard push for these "Suggestions"?    I think a large majority of folks have taken the position that they don't want them.

Mannyrock

I think a lot of it has been posted before and I didn't even know Emily Post was interested in trains.

Please do the following when asking for help with a problem (sage advice posted earlier by the late Marty Fitzhenry) | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

Your intentions are good, but you're over-thinking this. The bottom line (which my first reading of this full thread makes clear ) is the answer is basically "no." Stuff happens, and it works itself out in the natural order. No lists, no suggestions, no rules, other than the aforementioned TOS.

Btw, welcome to the forum.

Manny, thanks for your observations and question.  If the forum consensus truly is that the majority doesn't want these suggestions to be more than a bunch of old posts that few pay no attention to, then I will gladly drop it.

To answer your question: what you refer to as a hard push, I consider to be simply trying to answer the questions raised about this topic as they are asked.  My original reasons for making the suggestion are based on observations that many of the long time members have grown frustrated (based on their Posts, replies and/or lack thereof) with other posters who don't follow the generally accepted expectations, and that these expectations may not become clear to new members for a long time after joining the forum, if at all.  I've also noticed that at least half of the requests for help, rarely have enough useful information in the original post for someone else to actually help the requestor without asking a bunch of questions that are very similar from one instance to the next.

I don't care for heavy handed rules, I'm just hoping for a easy to find resource which concisely outlines some of the generally accepted expectations for posting.  If there are no further questions or interest, I will allow this Topic to fade away.