The following are site-wide posting guidelines for all members participating on CMF, especially if you're new.

1) Do not cross post your question in multiple forum categories- When posting, there is no excuse to post the same question in multiple categories in hopes of getting a quicker response. This is called spamming, and can get you banned. Choose one category that best accommodates your question, and post it there, once. If you're following up on a question, reply to the original thread, not start a new one! Everyone here is volunteering their time to help out others. The least you can do is make their jobs easier and less confusing.

2) Type in a subject that summarizes your question- A great way to turn off other members wanting to help you is to type an incomplete or silly subject for your post. Examples of poor subject titles include:

- "Help!"
- "I'm a newbie...be gentle"
- "How can I..."
- "Urgent...deadline tomorrow!"

The above subjects either have absolutely nothing to do with the question itself, or are grossly incomplete (ie: "How can I..."). When asking for help, enter a subject that summarizes your question, period! Don't use silly, incomplete, or "bait" subjects. Some examples of good titles are:

- "How do I round a number to 2 decimal places using JavaScript?"
- "What's the difference between require() and include() in PHP?"
- "Can someone suggest a good, free HTML editor?"

3) Be descriptive and articulate when asking your question- When posting, understand that you're trying to convince others to help you. Be articulate and have respect for the English language! Some important guidelines on this:

- Always do a quick check for spelling/grammar mistakes, both in your subject and post itself.
- Format your question and code in an easily legible manner. Use the preview button often.
- Be concise and articulate as much as possible.

Some of you post in a manner that would have made your English teachers cringe, with spelling and grammar mistakes abound. Please make a conscious effort to change that!

4) Be appreciative and follow up when getting a response. Everyone here is volunteering their time to help out others. Please be appreciative and follow up when getting a helpful response. If you've solved your problem, let people know so they don't continue spending time on your question. Saying a little "thank you" goes a long way.

5) Do not bump your thread repeatedly when you don't get a response. Sometimes when you post for help, you may not get a response in a timely matter, if at all. Forums aren't wishing wells, and some questions will fall through the cracks. That's a fact of life. It's ok to occasionally bump a thread, but only when done after an ample amount of time (ie: 2-3 days) have passed without a response, and never more than once, . Your thread is no more important than another member's when it comes to the amount of attention it should receive.

Finally, don't forget the Rules