Mactalk.com.au - Australia's favourite Apple forum, blog and podcast.

MACTALK FORUM GOLDEN RULES

Keep these in mind when compiling your insightful, informative and educational post on the MacTalk forums:

Now read on to get some more specifics on what you should do and what you shouldn't do on the forums.

THINGS TO DO WHEN POSTING ON MACTALK

Do make your thread topic as clear and to the point as possible. A title of "please help" or "iphone" is not a good topic. A topic more along the lines of "How do I plug my MacBook into a projector" or "iPhone Apps Not Loading" makes more sense and because people know what's going on, there's a better chance of high quality replies to your thread.

Do keep images under 800 pixels at the longest side. Big images make everything all stretched.

Do use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. Sure, we can get the messge wen u type lyke dis but if u use da englysh lang props it be much easy to udderstand. See how using things like punctuation, spelling and grammar make text easier to read? Not only will you look smarter, people don't have to battle to read what you want to say and will be more inclined to reply to your thread.

Do talk to the admins and moderators if you have a question. We are here not just to be forum janitors but to also assist you. We like it when you ask before doing something if you are unsure.

Do read all the posts in a thread before replying. Everyone hates it when you ask a question that's already been answered.

Do search the forums before you post about something unless you're certain it hasn't been posted before. If a thread already exists about something you want to talk about - add to it instead of starting your own.

Do check your facts before you post. We are pretty tolerant of being incorrect as we all make mistakes, but it's better to be correct in the first place and not look stupid.

Do report posts you see that you think break the rules, are duplicates or just something you think we should know about. It's MUCH better to report the post than to publicly alert everyone to it. Click the report post button on the offending post and a forum leader will get this message and act upon it. You can report your own threads too if there's an issue about it or you want to highlight it to us.

Do edit your posts instead of posting twice in a row. Click the big EDIT button on your post to add more to your post instead of posting twice in a row. You can also use the edit button to fix up typos and to add in links/images.

Do have fun! MacTalk is a light hearted place - it's not all serious business.

THINGS NOT TO DO ON THE MACTALK FORUMS

Don't make multiple accounts. If you forgot your password, it can be retrieved. If you were banned, well, we don't want you back - you're banned remember! Trying to evade a ban will result in us complaining to your ISP.

Don't be abusive, rude, inflammatory or personally attack people, no matter how stupid or wrong they seem to you. It's just the Internet man, calm down.

Don't make pointless "me too", "+1" or "lol" posts. Unless you're contributing to the discussion, just enjoy reading it. Post whoring to get your count up to get access to the trading forum or some sense of importance via your post count is not tolerated either. Grow up or go to eBay.

Don't make two threads about the same thing. That really annoys us and makes you look ungrateful - it may even be interpreted that you're a spammer. Spammers do this. Don't do it.

Don't post porn. Don't be a racist. Don't be derogatory. Common sense here, but it has to be said.

Don't post on MacTalk simply to advertise, sell or promote anything of any kind. If you want to promote something you're involved in on MacTalk, contact us first and we decide whether will allow it.

Don't try and sell anything outside of the trading forums. This includes going "Hey I just got a new Mac, anyone want my old one?" - Don't do that. If you've got something to sell, post in the trading forum. Don't have access to the trading forum? Go to eBay or wait until you do have access. Posts in this nature will be deleted immediately.

Don't talk about software piracy. Don't ask for serial numbers. Don't ask for cracks or links to download software. That's illegal silly. This includes Hackintosh/OSX86 discussion. Buy a proper Mac you cheapskate.

Don't go around posting a person's personal information or business details without permission. Imagine if I went on the forums and put your details asking people to contact you. Not nice is it? Posts in this nature will be deleted immediately.

Last of all - do what we say. If a moderator or admin asks you to stop posting all those pics of giant phalluses, or flaming the new guy cause he thought the iPhone would cook his breakfast and then rub his feed, well, damn you, we mean it! We're tolerable and human and doing a job. We don't do things just to spite you (well, only sometimes if we REALLY hate you). If you have any issues with how you've been treated on MacTalk, feel free to contact us via email or PM and we can explain to you in detail, or even change our minds if you convince us we were wrong. Don't go posting on the forum whinging - we hate that the most.

TRADING FORUM RULES

The purpose of the trading forums is so active members of the MacTalk community can buy, sell and swap their unwanted or unneeded gear with each other, just as you might do so between mates, or mates of mates. Importantly, the MacTalk forums are primarily for discussion of Apple related topics with an Australian perspective. In the long list of priorities to running this site, the trading forum is somewhere at the bottom of the list. If it gets too out of hand, we may be forced to close it. The trading forum is "as is". It is a privilege - an added bonus - to the current forums. Please try to treat it like the precious flower that it is by respecting the guidelines set out clearly upon entry to the area. MacTalk is NOT responsible for any deals that occur on the trading forum. They are all between you and the seller/buyer. MacTalk has NO personal information of those who sign up and there is VERY LITTLE we can do. If a deal goes pear shaped, please sort it out amongst yourselves. If you decide to contact the police over it, MacTalk is more than happy to co-operate to get you sweet, sweet justice.

We take the Trading Forum rules extremely seriously as we want it to stay friendly and safe. If we believe a seller has deliberately violated the rules in any way, they will have their access removed and may even be banned from MacTalk altogether.

Selling is only permitted to established members of the community. This requires that you've already made at least 5 quality posts to the forums and have been a member for at least 45 days. We do check your previous posts. People who sign up just to sell something can go elsewhere. Spam-post to get access and your forum access will be removed permanently.

All threads require moderator approval at all times. New threads wont show up until they've been approved. Threads will be approved if they meet the rules. If not, they will be deleted. So make sure your thread meets the requirements before you post it. This make sure for sale threads are clear and no-one gets confused.

Items must be second hand (or unwanted gifts/prizes if new, but please state this in your thread). The trading forums are not a commercial market place. This includes the wanted to buy forum. If someone posts a wanted to buy thread then only reply if your item is second hand or unwanted gifts/prizes.

The item must be yours and in your possession - no selling for friends/customers etc. This is to prevent people being stuffed around if the friend/customer/whoever sells it elsewhere.

Items must be legally sellable. Installed commercial software without the original disks and any serial numbers (eg: Mac OS X, MS Office etc) has no value and is not legal. No things like guns, other weapons, drugs, stolen items and the like. If you have any doubts, contact us.

Items must only be advertised for sale here and not elsewhere at the same time. No links to eBay sales or other forums are permitted. We do check. If selling here doesn't work out, you can always contact us to close your thread and try elsewhere instead - just don't sell here and elsewhere at the same time.

Your post must have a photo of the item. Not a generic one off the, an actual photo you took of what you're selling. If you don't have a camera, too bad - go get one. Don't know how to post a picture? Learn how to. Include if you will allow pick up of the item. If do you allow pickup, please put in the vague area of where you live (Hawthorn, Melbourne for example).

Include your asking/ballpark price. Don't say "make an offer" - put in a price you would like to sell it at so people don't insult you with offers you will not sell at.

Include detailed information about the condition of the item. State if there are any major scratches, damage or failing components, whether you have the original box, manuals and accessories and their condition too.

You are permitted to make not more than one sequential post in a row, per 24 hours, as making a post "bumps" the thread to the top of the For Sale forum. If the last post in the thread currently is one you've made, not until the next day are you permitted to make another post to "bump" the thread. Examples of bump posts are things such as "Bump", "Bid noted", "PM sent", "Price lowered" or replies to buyers.

Comments in For Sale threads from anyone other than interested buyers are strictly forbidden and will be deleted immediately. The Trading Area is not a discussion forum. So no posts like "Oh wow I have one of these and they're awesome!". If you have a comment for the seller (and you're not buying) please send them a private message or email, especially regarding their asking price. You sound pathetic when trying to argue you can get it cheaper elsewhere when you aren't even buying it. It is not anyone's problem but the seller's if they are asking an insane price for something. We occasionally allow helpful comments regarding compatibility and suitability if requested by the seller when they don't know answers themselves. We much prefer people send a private message to the seller, so they can update their original post.

Get the details of who you are dealing with before handing over money! If you can get the phone number, name and address of who you are dealing with (particularly with large sums of money), you can contact them if something goes wrong. It is rare for people to be scammed on MacTalk, most of the time the seller is just lazy and just needs a reminder - phone calls work well. At the end of the day, if you are doing a big deal, I strongly recommend picking it up in person to avoid misunderstandings. You can also use escrow services such as Escrow Australia for added security. Asking for things like receipts and serial numbers helps too.

If something is too good to be true, it is! Please be careful on the trading forums. Even though it is rare and 99.99% of MacTalk forum members are honest, there's always a rotten Apple in the basket. MacTalk hates seeing people be ripped off, but unfortunately, there's not much we can we can do to help and we hate that.

If you have any questions about the trading forum, please contact us.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK US

Where did my post/thread go, it's disappeared?!? To find a post you made, click on your username then click on "Find all posts by this member". We might have moved something, don't take it personally.

Can you do something about the swearing on the forum? There will never be a rule against swearing on this forum. Please don't request one.

How can I change my username? PM decryption really nicely.

Can I be a moderator? No.

How do I get a cool custom title under my username? You have to earn it. Do something really special for MacTalk and you'll get one.

I can't access the trading forum. You don't have permission to access the trading forum. Read the trading forum rules section again. If you meet the criteria, but can still access it, contact decryption.

How do I insert images into a post? Check this thread out, it's all explained.

Can I be on the MacTalk podcast? Maybe. If you've done something cool, we might want to talk to you. Contact decryption.

I have a really cool idea for MacTalk! Cool! Contact decryption.

• General Forum Usage
• User Profile Features
• Reading and Posting Messages