Forum "Rules Of The Road" - New Members Please Read

[v8volvo]

This thread will be an attempt to make a short set of guidelines for interacting on this forum. For most folks, these are all obvious common-sense ideas, but it is worthwhile to spell them out to give all of us a reminder of what this discussion group is all about. We all want to help it continue to be a fun and useful place to meet others with a common interest, and to find or share helpful information.

To New Members on the forum: Welcome! We are pleased you are here and look forward to helping you find the information you need --- and hopefully learning from you as well. Review these guidelines so that you know what the expectations are as you start interacting with the group.

1) Be friendly, and always assume the best about everyone you meet here. Manners go a long way to helping you get a positive result from your conversations. If someone helps you, thank them. If you are a new member, please introduce yourself so that we know who and where you are, what you are working on, a little bit of your background, etc. If someone asks you questions in response to your question, rather than simply "answering", assume it is NOT because they are trying to challenge you or are being difficult. Rather, it is probably because they need some more information in order to be able to help you properly. We all want to see each other get good outcomes and keep this forum active and healthy so unfriendly interactions are not welcome. No hazing of new members will ever occur here, folks just want to help. Take that mentality into every discussion, and give all comments the benefit of the doubt if you are not sure.

2) Try to make your questions clearly written, so that others can more easily help you. If you put a little effort into making sure your post is organized and easy to read, it will make it more likely that folks will be able to digest what you are saying and offer a useful response.

3) Stay on topic. We are here to discuss old diesel Volvos and related subjects. Personal discussion and tangents are fine too, as far as they are relevant in some way and as long as they are 100% friendly. But no political comments or completely off-topic discussions should occur here -- particularly nothing that someone might find offensive or distracting from the main subjects that the forum is intended for. Personal attacks will NEVER be tolerated. If you want to engage in off-topic conversations with a particular member, please take it offline via PM or other direct communication method.

4) This is a GIVE AND TAKE community, not "take only". This is an important one. Conversations on a forum like this work best when they are a two-way street. We want folks, particularly new members, to always feel free to come here and ask questions -- any question. BUT, if you ask a question and want someone to generously share their time and knowledge in response, you need to plan on participating in the conversation AT LEAST as much as they are. Here are the key expectations on this:

>> a) Be ready to put in some time answering questions in response to your questions, so that others can understand your situation enough to offer helpful input. Many questions can be simple to ask, but complicated to answer. For example: "Why won't my car run??" Well, there can be many different reasons, and you probably won't get a simple two-sentence response that lets you figure it out in 3 minutes. To start narrowing it down, those trying to help will probably need more info and background from YOU. Plan on that when you ask your question, provide as much info as you can up front, and don't be surprised if it requires some back-and-forth discussion before we find the right track together. It may even require you to do some technical homework and report back here, such as testing components using a specific procedure or taking some pictures or videos to share. Keep in mind that this is intended to help you and it would not be suggested if it were not necessary. A recommended procedure may mean nothing to you, but others with experience may know it is helpful -- take their advice and do exactly what is suggested, in the exact order or method that is suggested, if they say it will help. In short, don't waste the time of the people whose help you have asked for. If folks see that the help they are providing is being ignored, or that you aren't serious about taking the advice you have requested, then they will probably stop trying to help you.

>> b) Stay involved with any discussion you begin, from start to finish. Be in charge of your topic, offer as much detail as you can, acknowledge others' comments, keep the thread updated with your progress. That will give you the best chance of getting all the help you are looking for. Again, if you are asking others to put in time on the conversation, be prepared to put in at least that much time yourself.

>> c) Close out the discussion by circling back and reporting the outcome. This is how you return the favor after having received help -- the "give" in the give-and-take. It's the part that allows your conversation to be useful not just to you, but also to others who may encounter it later, perhaps as they are working on an issue similar to yours. Did you find a solution to the problem or the answer to your question? Let us know what it is. Did you end up giving up on it? That's OK too, but share the story of what you tried and what the outcomes were. We don't like to see threads "left hanging" with no resolution, because then they do not add as much to the body of knowledge usable by others in the future.

>> d) Help someone else after you have climbed the learning curve. All of us who are here originally knew nothing about the subjects discussed on the board. If you are a new member with your first diesel Volvo or LT or Pinz project and trying to wrap your head around this interesting engine with two timing belts and a backwards-spinning injection pump? We were all there at one point too. But as you gain knowledge and experience, you also will have your own valuable info and findings to offer to the group. Check back here from time to time even if you don't have any burning questions yourself, and if there is a new member with a question that YOU can help, jump in, give them a friendly welcome, and share what you can.