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[This entire post is a quote of a recent post by John, I have added the quotes, and this note, to make it clear. I'm not sure of the posters intent, mod Tim]

"Greetings all,

I wanted to make a brief post about some attitudes in the forums. Most often this shows up as a harsh post or two directed at a new or less experienced user when they ask a commonly-asked question without searching or request an app with a license that makes it legally impossible for us to package. Sometimes it shows up as some negative comments directed towards someone you disagree with when you're frustrated from having to deal with the former type of user. Other times it's just plain old "having a bad day and posting when you shouldn't".

I'm not looking to name any names as it's happened to quite a few of us over the years. I know I've certainly been guilty of all three in the past. But there were some incidents a couple months ago that made me want to at least say something about it publicly.

For anyone that's been on the receiving end of any of these posts or attitudes from anyone else here, especially me on a bad day, I'd like to offer my sincere apology. It's not fair and it's not something you should have experienced while on this site.

On a positive note, these types of posts and interactions have been far fewer and further between within the last couple months. I know I've been making a concerted effort to never "post angry", and it seems others have been as well. Some of our new moderators have also been doing an excellent job of helping keep the peace even when there's some tension in viewpoints. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them again for their continued hard work.

So, in closing, I'd like to remind everyone to:

1. Be helpful to new users... even if the question has been asked 100 times. Offer up the answer, include a link to the solution on the app homepage, support page, FAQ or forums. And close with a polite suggestion to search ("And a quick suggestion for next time: you may find your answer more quickly if you use the handy search feature in the top right of the page. Many times, your question has already been asked and answered by another member of the site. So, if you do a search, you'll get your answer right away." or something along those lines.) Saying "SEARCH FIRST" is simply not acceptable.
2. Always assume ignorance over malice. If someone's post could be taken one way or the other, give them the benefit of the doubt. 90% of communication is non-verbal, so we lose a lot in something like a forum.
3. Never post angry. If a post upsets or annoys you, do not post until you've gotten over that anger/annoyance. If you can't help but be angry or annoyed at a certain post, please avoid responding to it entirely.

I'm sure there are some other suggestions that can be offered. And I'd love to hear from others on ideas for ensuring that all users, new and old, can feel welcome here at PortableApps.com and will want to stick around and contribute as we grow.

Thanks for reading.

Kind regards,
John"

[End of posters quote, Tim]