- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

davecov

If I may, I would like to give you an analogy which is not meant to patronise forum members but to help you understand how these forums work and more importantly help you to enjoy the forums more. These notes are really aimed at the newcomers to forum and the more experienced members can ignore them. Right, here goes.

Think of the forum section as a library with lots of bookshelves. It has no librarian but it does have a search facility in it's place (government cuts again).

This library has groups of people sitting around discussing certain subjects. Everything that has ever been discussed by them in the past can be found in the books. Each group also has a notice board for people to pin a postcard on which contains their questions.

Now, say you want to find out something about "painting". What do you do? Well, what you do not do is interrupt any conversations already going on. Instead, you go to the section of the library where the books on "painting" are. You then look through those books and find what you want.

Unfortunately, it is not always that easy. Say, you cannot see what you want on the shelf, what then? In a normal library you would go to the librarian. On this site you have to use the search facility instead (http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/search.php). Do a search on "painting" and you will find a list of every discussion which included the word "painting". It will then be a case of going through the list to find the answer you want. You can make the list shorter and shorter by adding extra words such as "camouflage", "tank" etc.

In the unlikely event that nothing crops up in the shelves, or in the search (librarian), only then do you write out a postcard with your question on and put it on the appropriate notice board. You do not barge in on a group of people already having a conversation and thrust your postcard under their nose. If you did, you will find out very quickly that help will not be forthcoming, especially if your question is not on the same topic.

With your postcard posted on the notice board, you just have to sit back and wait. You will almost certainly get a quick, correct reply and more than a few tips. That is as long as you ask the right group and you don't run from group to group without waiting for a reply! Even if you do not get a response immediately, you do NOT post the same thing again. You should not follow up your original post asking why no-one has responded either!

So, to recap, the correct order to find your information is:
a. look through the bookshelves (forums),
b. ask the librarian (search) for assistance,
c. use the noticeboard (new post in correct forum).

Of course, if a subject is already being discussed and you want to take part, then go ahead and join in. You will be more than welcome.

I hope this will be of help to you in understanding these things called forums. Happy modelling! [;)]
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DaveCov - Site Founder, The Airfix Tribute Forum