You may have noticed the index is pretty much barren—no forums, no threads, just about nothing.
That's because we use a pretty simple lobby system here. The gist is, this is a semi-public forum. You'll need to give these rules a read, then create a thread in the "Lobby" forum telling us that you did so and agree to respect the rules and keep them in mind. Your thread will show up in our moderation queue, and when we receive it and approve it, we will also add you to the "HSMusicker" group. That means you get full forum access: you can view all forums and threads, and post pretty much anywhere.
Is that pretty clear? Here are the rules, guidelines, and important information, so you can get familiar!
There's a lot of "feelings" talk here, so it might seem unusual compared to other forum or community rules. You don't need to read all the rules at once. You can always come back and give this stuff a closer look later. However, we expect you to learn a basic sense of the important stuff, and to keep bringing that with you. Please take your time and give it a pretty good look-through, before you post in the lobby.
- Please respect the privacy of forum members' posts. It's very easy to gain access to this forum, and everyone and anyone is welcome here, but it is still not a public forum. Please don't share around screenshots or excerpts of posts, or archive threads off-site, without the written (and visible-to-anyone) permission of whoever you are quoting. There is no reasonable way for us to enforce this rule, so we are stating it up front and just asking for this level of respect. It gives the community a safer and sounder space.
- The intent here isn't to close conversations off to "the outside world" nor to conceal or "hide" any subjects discussed here. It's just to ensure that people can be open and self-expressive here, without worrying that stuff they share will be offhandedly or flippantly included/broadcast all around the internet, or into unrelated social spaces.
- Exceptions apply, and you have to judge for yourself what is okay to share, when and where. Sometimes you have concerns you want to work through and need to talk about how another user is acting to a friend off-site, over DMs. Sometimes someone made a joke and it's great and you just have to share it with someone you trust IRL. Just be sensitive about privacy, and your choices will probably be alright.
- Be mindful of your own privacy when posting, also. At the end of the day, it is trivial for a bad actor to join and scrape the forums, publicize anything and everything, target a specific user and browse all of their writings, etc. We can't prevent this, so treat these forums as though they ultimately have the same privacy as any public online space, and consider before you share.
- Please respect the privacy and integrity of all, no matter how private or public they are. This is the community counterpart to the first rule. Like all this stuff, it's a principle more than a rule, so guide yourself by these examples:
- Don't pressure or make insistent demands that other members open up about themselves. If someone asks you a question, you don't need to give them a full or complete answer. Respect what you and others are comfortable and willing to share.
- Be very delicate if you're speculating about the actions or words of people off-site, because you are necessarily having a one-sided conversation: they're not here (or here as you speak), so they can't offer their own part.
- Try to refrain from overthinking and reading too much into anyone's own words, here: if you're unsure or think you might be misreading, just ask for clarification, and see if they're willing to explain what they meant in another way.
- Assume, by default, that everyone is being honest and has good intentions. Every conflict devolves into chaos very quickly if you question "but what if she was lying tho?" or "but what if he didn't actually mean it?". If someone gives you an apology or a compliment, assume that they mean it, and that they're probably giving it to you freely.
- Step away anytime you decide you need to. Online conversations over forums involve delay and you usually don't get answers to your burning questions/suggestions/arguments/insults right away. If you need to clear your head, you can always take a break and come back some other day.
- Don't repeatedly demand that some other user give you their attention. Everyone leads their own lives and has their own availability. If someone's posting in some other thread before they get to you, that doesn't mean they're ignoring you. You don't need to "hide" from them before they respond to your comment, either. Just give them time to cook. They'll return you a better reply, that way!
- We don't close forum threads for inactivity here. It's OK to bump a thread or a specific subject brought up earlier on some thread, but please only do so if you are also being constructive and adding something at the same time. "Necroposting" is generally acceptable here, but be mindful that if you bring new attention to an old thread, it still might be a while before the original poster, or anyone else, adds something else there, too.
- Keep the conversation open and inclusive. That doesn't necessarily mean "accessible" or "simple". We all care about weird nerd shit here. But this is pretty much a public forum, and it brings in people of all ages and from all walks of life.
- Be mindful about adult content. All threads (and all posts) are visible to everyone, and also welcome everyone to post and participate, too. Even if no young person has joined a conversation yet, everyone and anyone is probably still reading. Cool it off or find another place off-site if stuff is getting intense.
- Be mindful about sensitive or triggering subjects. We don't have any rules like "no politics" or "no religion/spirituality" or "no mental health". It's completely acceptable to bring up world events if they are affecting you. Still, please keep in mind this is ultimately a forum. If you talk about a difficult experience then please understand if the only responses are care or compassion, and not constructive commentary. We're sharing together in an open community space, not a private therapy circle.
- Don't force yourself into conversations you don't want to be part of. This is boldface because it's important. You don't need to post on every thread or have something to add in every conversation. Awesome sauce if you are that "everywhere", but pay attention to your own capacity, capabilities, confidence and interest. No one will judge you for sitting a conversation out. (Lurking is totally okay, too.)
Once you have a sense for the rules, you're welcome to let us know, so we can welcome you into the forum proper. Like we described way at the top, make a new thread in the "Lobby" forum letting us know you've read the rules, and agree to respect them and keep them in mind. (I know, I know, that's the same wording as up top, too. You can really word it however you want.) If you don't have an account at all yet, you can make one by clicking "Register", which should be at the top right of pretty much any page. You'll have to verify your email, then you can post in the lobby.
Thanks for giving this whole big outline your time—we hope to get to wave hello to you soon!