New Mods

[Bob Hubbard]

Because we are getting more and more traffic, I am adding 2 Moderators to help me keep things friendly.

Please give a warm round of applause to Cthulhu and Renegade.

Their basic job is to monitor things, make sure no flame wars break out, and help keep posts on topic and in the right forums. They can not delete posts, but if they see one thats "questionable" it will probably me moved until we make a ruling on it.

To help ease things, I've set up a "Support" forum. Please use this to post any board suppotr issues like "How do I..." and "Where did my post go?", etc.

If you have any questions, or feel that there is an issue with a mod, please contact me directly, and I will look into it for you.

Now, lets all get back to having fun here.

:asian:

 

[Kirk]

Kaith,
In another forum, they had a post "IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS
FORUM, PLEASE READ THIS" and it was a pretty cool layout.
This way you can possibly avoid rule breakers, since they know
the rules up front. Just a suggestion, take it or leave it

It's verbatim, so I'll give credit to where it's due, it's copied
directly from :

http://swordforum.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=jsa

Most of us are here for one very important reason: we enjoy interacting with others who like swords and swordsmanship. We should all be grateful to one another for taking the time out of our busy lives to contribute detailed answers to questions. There are several things we can all do to help make this Forum even better:

1. Please click on your name and fill in your Personal Profile. This will help everyone understand a little more about who you are, where you are, and what your background is regarding swords. Inexperience is nothing to be ashamed of; deceit is.

2. If you are new to Swordforum International, please take some time to read through the Main Forum Directory to see which one is most appropriate for your questions.

3. Before you post, browse old posts or use the search function on Swordforum to see if your topic has just been discussed--our answers tend to get shorter and testier after we've fielded the same question 20 times previously! Common topics include:

Dismantling/oiling your sword, what kind of oil--lots of posts on this!

Shirasaya mounts--storage box for the blade, NOT traditional or safe for practice, despite what the merchants claim

Edge vs. flat vs. mune parry--pick a side!

Ninja-to origin--Japan by way of Hollywood

Making your own sword--LOTS of info on this already archived

Chen blades--ditto!

Extra-long tsuka--double ditto!

Reverse curve swords, blades on inside--Fantasy site, please

How to learn swordwork--get an instructor, please

To use the "Search" function, just click on "Search" (left-hand side menu), type in a key word (such as shirasaya, oil, ninja-to), specify how far back you want to search, then hit "Enter." I recommend searching all the Fora, since there is some overlap with General, Nihonto, JSA and Beginners.

4. If you need to find a school of Japanese Swordsmanship in your area, several good dojo finders for Iaido, Kendo, Aiki-ken and Kenjutsu are at the following sites:

www.kendo-usa.org
www.shinkendo.com
www.koryu.com
www.aikiweb.com

No luck? Post your location and interest on the Sparring Partners Wanted Forum.

5. If you do post, please give as much background info and details as possible, so that we can answer with some degree of competency.

6. Be very careful differentiating what is fact versus what is your opinion. If it is a fact, you should be able to direct us to references to substantiate the statement. If it is your opinion, say so in your post. Believe me, your opinions are highly valued!

7. This is a biggie: Do not take anything personally. No one here is scolding, insulting, punishing or bothering you intentionally. Sometimes, the words chosen may give you the wrong impression. Or, they may push your buttons because similar words in the past have been used to irritate you. As a Trekkie, I try to use my "Spock filter" when I read a post--that is, I take it at surface value, and assume the writer is logical, with no hidden agendas. Second-guessing gets everyone in trouble. Be assured that if someone takes the time to respond to a post, s/he is trying to help.

In sangha,
Diane Mirro

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Of course it'd have to be reworded some, but it conveys an intent
on how you'd like to see the site evolve.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I like it. Will have to develop one for us here, but this fits nicely (plus gives me another forum to go check out.)

You've given me a very good idea, and head start on developing it.

Thank you.
:asian: