With the Badger and Blade community growing and expanding, we wanted to provide everyone with a guide to keeping B&B just as its always been -- a friendly, gentlemanly place to relax and discuss manly hobbies and indulgences amongst a community of supportive individuals. Sometimes we get asked questions about these standards.

• From members: How is B&B different? How can I ensure that my posts fit the tone here? Should I live in fear of a ban? (Spoiler alert: Absolutely not! Jump right in!)
• From other internet discussion sites: How do you keep the discussion on your site positive, supportive, and flame-free?
• From those who've received a mild rebuke from a moderator: Could you elaborate a bit on what you mean by "gentlemanly conduct"?

Folks who've been around B&B for a while know that the formula to the successful and supportive tone here is, well, complex. Still, the moderator team thought we'd take a crack at providing some guidance. So, without further ado, the B&B forum etiquette. Not more rules -- simply a code of conduct that we are all agreeing to when we step in the Badger and Blade universe.

Each forum will always have different level of individuals frequenting the place. Most can behave properly in public and some cannot. If this can help those who are having issues behaving in public, than this will be a gain for the community. Please take a few minutes to read what is expected of yourself. The Moderators and Ambassadors are here to help. Those guidelines are mainly referring to someone's common sense. When visiting someone, how are you expected to act? In other words... You are expected to act like a gentleman (or a lady), when using Badger & Blade.

1. Read the rules of the forum before posting (also known as TOU - Terms of usage). Make sure that you understand them. If you have any questions, please send a PM (Private Message) to a moderator. Some of the moderators are college professors. They get cranky when it's clear that you haven't done the reading assignment.
2. Be civilized. If you are having an issue with an individual, contact them via Private Message. Do not try to solve your conflict in a public thread. Keep in mind that those are published publicly. You can disagree with another person without being disrespectful or rude online.
3. Use polite and clean language on the forum. Swearing and foul language is not tolerated at all. Imagine yourself typing with your sweet dear old grandmother peering over your shoulder, and the readers of your posts enjoying B&B with their beloved three year old children in their laps ("Daddy, what's a lilac vegetal?").
4. You don't have body language, tone of voice, or anything other than the printed (on the screen) word to convey your message. So be extra careful what you say and how you say it. Of course, you DO have Smilies at your disposal, which can really change the tone of the message if used well. Or confuse folks. They can do that, too.
5. If you are having an issue that requires a moderator, contact a Moderator (via private message) or use the "Contact Us" form. The moderator team is happy to help but also need your help to make this work effectively. This means that you need to be clear when contacting a moderator in explaining the situation in detail, and not send a cryptic message. Moderators are not paid according to their response speed. In fact, they're not paid at all. Please be forgiving if our all-volunteer mod corps doesn't respond as quickly as you'd like. They're probably eating tacos.
6. Stay on topic in a thread, where appropriate. Sometimes thread discussions will twist and turn in different directions, and that can be helpful or positive, but it's disrespectful to derail a thread on purpose in a manner that is inconsiderate to the original poster (the "OP"). If you need to go a bit off topic because it enhances the discussion, show consideration to the OP, and help bring the discussion back where and when appropriate.
7. Do not double post or cross post the same message over and over. This clutters the site, and your thread will be merged or deleted. And a kitten will stub its toe.
8. If you start or end your message with "If this is against the rules...", "if I'm not allowed...", etc. then do not post it, check with a moderator or steward before posting. They will advise you on what you should do in this situation. "Better to ask forgiveness than permission" isn't much of a gentleman's move, now is it?
9. Consider what you are writing, posts may be read by people from a variety of backgrounds and ages, and we should strive to ensure that all feel welcome here. Except spammers. And trolls. And spamster trolls.
10. Contribute to the best of your knowledge to the conversation. Seriously, your life experiences are all the expertise you need -- please share it often! You can disagree, and there will be times that some will disagree with you, but keep it friendly and respectful, and steer clear of personal attacks.
11. B&B is a very generous site. Seek to have a balance participating in B&B's generosity. One example of poor etiquette in this regards would be to constantly apply for PIF's or asking for one and never contribute back or to try to sell items received freely (PIF, contests) at a later date.
12. Most forum etiquette would ask the membership to be nice with the staff running and maintaining the forum. Here, we are asking that everyone be nice with everyone. If you just cannot get along with someone no matter how hard you try, there is a feature on the site that gives you the ability to ignore specific users. Good etiquette: Ignore a member if you feel you must. Poor etiquette: Posting in a thread that you are ignoring a member.
13. Keep it family friendly. Keep in mind this is about wetshaving! And watches, and pens, and outdoor pursuits, and clothes, and... -- well, nothing life or death, as it turns out.

And sincerely, thanks for reading. You're part of what makes B&B great. We like to think that the men who find their way to B&B share a certain appreciation for life's finer experiences. Thanks for sharing yours with us.

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