Make sure to read this post carefully before you create a post or ask a question on the forum. Forum rules help everyone get the most out of this communication tool. All contributors should diligently abide by the following guidelines.
Be respectful
Let us accept that nobody is perfect and that is all right. Make a conscious effort to be a nice human being first and foremost, then show your smarts.
Please watch your tone. As a rule of thumb avoid words that might be understood as deprecation ("dumb", "stupid"). Also, try not to be extreme ("always", "never", "nothing") and do not use sarcasm.
There will be many opinions in the same space. When you disagree with something, ask for clarification before shooting it down - "I do not think I see your point yet, can you please explain?" Only after hearing someone out are you allowed to give your counter argument - "I think I am looking at this in a different way. What do you think about...?" It goes without saying that when someone asks nicely for an explanation, offer it.
Computer Science is a very vast subject. It is impossible to know everything. Even an experienced teacher might not have all the answers straight away. In these instances we should remain humble - "I am not sure, but let me look it up..." - and be appreciative - "that would be great, thanks!"
Stay on topic
Be concise and make sure that what you are saying is necessary to make your point across and for the others to understand.
Long winded discussions are not very effective. If an online discussion is going off on a tangent, then it is probably a good idea to take it offline.
Plan questions and replies
Questions are part of learning, hopefully you will have many and this is what the forum is for. However, take the first steps by supplementing your questions here with research and reference your replies. Keep it short and simple. Do not forget to proof-read before hitting that button.
How to ask a good question
1. Write a title that summarises a specific problem
Good Example: I am getting Null Pointer Exception after initialising Car object
Bad Example: This error is driving me crazy, please help
2. Give a small introduction before posting code snippets
3. Explain how your problem can be reproduced
4. Most likely somebody else has the same problem, so use helpful #hashtags
How to leave a good reply
1. You do not need to reply with "I don't know" to a question on the forum, however you can increase traffic by stating "I am interested in this question also. Does somebody else have an idea?"
2. Supplement any code snippets with an explanation in English
3. Try to back up your claims
Properly structure ideas
Have an idea and you would like to share? Is there an interesting topic that you would like to discuss? That is great! We have a few tips for you:
1. Write a title that summarises the topic
2. Have a mixture of short paragraphs and bullet points
3. Include interesting images and media related to the topic
4. Try to keep it short, a new topic should be read in less than a minute
5. Give credit where it is due
Trolls and spammers are not welcome
Need we say more?
A good laugh is healthy for everybody
There is always room for a little clean humour. Just make sure that all the guidelines are met and know when to stop!