Ceroc Scotland Forum FAQ

There are people here of every level, from novice to multiple competition winner, but all dancers - there is a vast depth of knowledge and experience. They were all beginners once, and they are always eager to help with advice and explanations.

With the vast range of people from every walk of life, you will also find discussion on philosophy, books, ethics, hobbies, holidays, gardening... you may find you not only share dancing, but other interests with fellow forumites.

Don't feel shy about posting; no-one should criticise or extract the urine... at least, not until they get to know you :)

Threads are a form of conversation, and as with normal conversation, deviating from the main title of the thread is common. Moderators try and keep on top of it by splitting threads when they deviate from the title too much. Generally it is considered good netiquette to only post a reply in a thread if...

• you have something constructive to add to a thread
• you strongly agree with something said
• you disagree with something (if so, explain what you disagree with and why - a post just saying "no that's wrong" is not much use without a reason)

There are a lot of threads here, and most common topics have been discussed in detail before - some come round every couple of months, others raise their heads when new members discover old posts they find interesting. If you think on a question, it is perhaps worth searching the forum for a similar post before posting: you can always add on to the end of an existing thread if you have questions or want to bring the thread up to the top of the list.

Please don't post personal details like phone numbers or home addresses - there are some bad people out there: Think on this as a magazine with a global publication - anything you post could be read by anyone anywhere.

A note of warning: the forum has an area (“Outside”) where you get sent if your posts start heading towards personal attacks, abuse or slander/libel). If your post was considered too abusive, it will be removed from the forum. Please consider twice before actually naming anyone or throwing insults about.

Anything.
OK, so this is a dance forum, but you don't need to limit yourself to dance related topics; there is a thriving area of non-dance topics (that is getting bigger than the dance side of things :what: )

To repeat a point made above - abusive posts will not be tolerated, neither will direct marketing, or advertising.

When writing posts, it may be useful to follow a couple of guidelines:

• Keep it short.
  If you have to post a lot of information, break it down into bite-size, digestible chunks.
• Not that short.
  Don't be monosyllabic - if you agree/disagree, say to which bits and why. If posting questions, perhaps give a bit more detail about the context it should be taken in. If you agree/disagree but have nothing really to add to the post, consider using the rep system instead of posting.
• Avoid personal references.
  Unless you are directly responding or quoting someone, try not to post hearsay or gossip - it is likely that the person involved will hear about it, if not read it themselves.
• Try to keep it on-topic.
  If something said in one post sparks a question or idea not relevant to the current discussion, it's better to create a new thread to discuss it: It keeps things tidy and you may attract folk to read it that were not involved on the source thread.
• Don't try sarcasm or dry witted humour.
  At least until you are known on the forum. Or if you do, please point it out - not everyone will share your sense of humour.

The forum is divided into four main areas:

• Ceroc / dance technical discussions - Posts that are to do with the dance we dance or music we dance to
• Discussion Lounge - Social posts and discussion; the 'lounge' area that everything non-dance is discussed, including an "Outside" area where all the bad posters go, and an “Upstairs” area where all the, ahem, “bad” posters go :wink:
• Fun & games - Posts that will waste time and provide some distraction.
• Testing testing - Posts about the forum itself, a little test area to try out posting and some features.

Each of these is sub-divided, but if you get the general idea of what you want to post, it should fall into one of the above areas. If you post in completely the wrong area, PM a moderator and ask them to move it.

It can be disheartening: you think of a great idea for a discussion, you post a thread... then no-one responds to it, and your idea slowly sinks into obscurity. Don't worry about it - it's not a personal insult or intentional disrespect. Here are some tips that may help:

• Put your thread in the right area (see Where should I post?)
• Make the title relevant, put a summary of the main idea in the post, and use a smilie to categorise the post
• At the start of the text, give the post a context (for example, "this post was prompted by...", "I had this happen to me and...", "Someone mentioned in another thread...", etc)
• Phrase your post in the form of a question, but don't answer it fully (yet)
• Don't make the question or answer too complex; most folk will only be able to put together a sentence or two response - not a whole thesis.
• Don't try and go into too much detail; if curious, people will ask and it will stimulate discussion.
• Don't respond to every post in your thread within seconds of people posting; give others a chance to comment and see where it leads. You may find that you kill you own thread by saying all there is to say in a short period of time.
• Don't check on your thread every five minutes; a watched thread never rises. Sometimes people would like to respond, but don't have the time to create a decent answer - by the time they do, the window is lost and the post has sunk.