SoWal forum rules & general info

[kurt]

Welcome to SoWal.com!

You don't have to be registered to read most of our forums, but you need to be registered to post a reply, or a new topic (thread). Registration is as simple as choosing a username and password.

We recommend you register your real name to help us build a strong community. If you have a facebook account, you can just click the facebook connect button at the top of the forum and you're done!

There are also many features available to registered users that make registering a good idea. You should take a moment to look at the forum FAQ. You'll learn about the easy and fun features of the board.

If you'd like to post a comment or question on the forum, just go to the appropriate subforum and click on the "Post new thread" button, then type a title in the title box and a message in the message box, then click the "submit new thread" button. Then keep an eye on your topic for replies.

Note: [You may need to respond to an automatic email to complete your registration. This helps us prevent spambots from posting spam on the forum. Be sure to enter a valid email address when registering. Once you receive your verification email, click on the link in the email to complete your registration. If you don't receive a verification email, be sure to check any spam folders you may have. If you have problems, contact us.]

Click on the "Settings" link on the menu to change your account options and/or add info about yourself.
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SoWal Forum Rules

• No obscene material or cursing. No nudity or sexual comments that go too far. No posting links to obscene sites, or posting videos with cursing, sexual content, or gore and violence. SoWal.com is a family site. Basically, nothing is allowed that you wouldn't want a kid to see or read. The SoWal staff shall be the sole arbitrator of what does and what does not violate community standards.
• While debating and discussion is encouraged, we will not tolerate rudeness, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposeless inflammatory posts. Our decision is final in these matters.
• No spam - but any legitimate local business is OK in the appropriate forum, along with a local who has a business elsewhere, or a long-time member promoting something.
• No links to commercial sites which compete with SoWal.com unless we have a prior business arrangement with the site in question.
• To learn how to post articles - see this thread.
• Please do not simply post a link to an article or just a link to another site. Tell us what your purpose is, what you think, why you are posting, whether you are trying to spur an action, simply inform, or start a conversation, etc. Otherwise it is considered spam.
• If someone is honestly trying to sell something in the real estate or "for sale" forums, or promoting a business, do not editorialize or post harsh comments about their offering. Start a new thread if you want to editorialize.
• No giving moderators a hard time. They are working for the benefit of the whole community and should be given respect.
• No trolls or trolling. If you do not feed trolls, they vanish.
• No cross posting, which means no starting the same thread in multiple forums.
• Off-topic thread go in the Lounge subforum - politics, jokes, movies, general chatter, etc.
• While these rules cover most common situations, they cannot anticipate everything. We reserve the right to take any actions we deem appropriate to ensure these forums are not disrupted or abused in any way.
• We reserve the right to remove offensive posts without notice.

Regarding negative posts about a local businesses, we get very few of those and our policy is to suspend negative posts that will damage a business until there is corroboration, or at least until the business is able to respond with their side of the story. The important thing to remember is that mistakes are made by all businesses and they should have a chance to handle problems privately. Using SoWal.com to vent anger or to try to "get back" at a business is not allowed. If you're not willing to picket a business, or stand outside with a bullhorn broadcasting your grievance then it probably shouldn't be posted on SoWal.com.

Politics, religion, and other contentious topics are OK in the lounge, as long as you are respectful. Resorting to personal attacks or name calling will not be tolerated.

The SoWal Forum is meant to be a place where folks who love SoWal Beaches can share and bond. It is a place to foster community in a positive manner. No community is perfect and we want to be able to discuss real issues, but without being rude or disrespectful. Short critical posts (drive-by posting) is not allowed. If you don't like something tell us what needs to be done to improve the situation. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

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An excellent guide for the SoWal Forum (and life in general) are the "Four Agreements", written by Don Miguel Ruiz, a Toltec Indian, which is totally appropriate as to what we want our forums to be like and what we expect out of you as a participant.

"Four Agreements"

BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

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The photo gallery is a free online album that you can share with your friends and family. We'd love to see your vacation photos.

Go to the gallery - http://www.sowal.com/bb/gallery, click on the "upload" link at the top, and upload photos one at a time. Your first uploaded photo will create an album under your username.

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You can also send e-postcards from any pic. When you're viewing the pic you want to send, click "Image Tools", then "Send As E-card". You'll also see other options such as "Rate This Image", and "Reply To This Image", etc.

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Rank and posts required:
Beach Crab 0
Beach Comber 25
Beach Dreamer 50
Beach Lover 100
Beach Nut 400
Beach Fanatic 600
Beach Bum 1,000
Beach Native 3,000
Beach Legend 5,000
SoWal Legend 10,000
SoWal Guru 20,000
SoWal Sage 30,000
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Join us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SoWal

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General image TIP - If you'd like to resize your photos on your computer, here is a link to the world's easiest picture resizer by Microsoft. Click on it, then select run, and it will install. Once installed, all you have to do is right click on any pic file on your computer, select "Resize Pictures" and it will give you several size options - it's that easy! (Search google for other browsers)
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ertoySetup.exe