Silver Stackers FAQ

Discussion in 'Questions & Comments' started by goldpelican, Dec 3, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    This thread contains some handy how-to guides for different features of the forum, and will be added to over time.
     
  2. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Profiles

    There's more to your profile than just your user name. Spend some time reviewing it.

    Essentials
    * Set your timezone, and if applicable, daylight savings settings (i.e. if daylight savings is in effect, tick the checkbox).
    * Set your time and date formats to suit your locale and preferences (e.g. dd-mm vs mm-dd).

    Personal
    * Real name - really not required! Many members value their privacy, so this field is not required, but feel free to use your first name if comfortable.
    * Title - this is determined by the forum, and cannot be changed.
    * Location - this is auto-populated when registering on the forum, using a "best guess" based on your internet connection. Please review this field, as it is visible alongside each of your posts. Note that a location IS required, but can be as general as a country or continent.
    * Website - you can place a link to a personal or business website here, once you have been a member of the forum for more than 14 days.

    Personality
    * Avatars - a 60px by 60px image (GIF, JPG or PNG) less than 10kb can be uploaded as your personal avatar to appear alongside your posts. Images MUST be family-friendly, and must comply with the general forum rules for tolerance etc.
    * Signatures - text only - no images or URLs permitted. Signatures must also comply with forum rules for tolerance etc. Links to personal or business websites in signatures are not permitted on the forum due to past abuse of this feature. Signatures containing URLs will be deleted.

    Display & Feedback
    * Viewing posts - if you're on a slow connection, or prefer an "uncluttered" forum, you can disable seeing smilies, avatars, images or even signatures when browsing.
    * Pagination - control how many topics and posts you wish to see on each page if you don't want to use the forum defaults.
    * Trading feedback - this is DISABLED by default, and is an OPT-IN system. See the separate post on Trading Feedback for further information.

    Privacy
    * Email options - here you can choose to show your email address (not recommended), hide it but allow users to reach you via a contact form, or opt out of receiving emails from other members (except the Administrator) altogether. Note that you cannot opt out of the Private Messaging system on the forum itself.
    * Subscriptions - if you would like to subscribe to threads, you can choose to receive a text copy of the latest post with each email, or automatically subscribe to every thread you post in.

    Spot Chart Preferences
    * You can choose which charts you would like to see appear next to the advertisements at the top of each page. The default charts are the silver prices in USD and AUD, however you can replace these with gold and silver charts in your local currency, or even currency charts.
     
    Shivers likes this.
  3. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Trading Feedback

    Trading Feedback can be given to individual members on the forum. These guidelines cover the basics.

    OPT-OUT

    Participating in the forum trading feedback is optional - however it is enabled by default. In order to stop receiving or leaving feedback, you can disabled this feature under the "Display and Feedback" section of your profile. If you choose not to enable feedback, you will not be able to receive feedback for trades you participate in on Silver Stackers, however you will still be able to see feedback left for others.

    You may elect to opt-in and opt-out of feedback on an ongoing basis. Opting out and then back in does not reset your previously left or received feedback.

    New members must wait for the 14 day probationary membership period to expire before they can participate in trading feedback. (Note - this is not currently enforced, but will be in future).

    Viewing Feedback

    To read a member's feedback, click the Trades link under their name next to a post in the Buy, Sell & Swap forums. You will be able to see the names of the members who left feedback, the date, and whether it was positive or negative.

    Correct Usage

    Trading feedback is NOT a "member rating". It is to be used solely for leaving feedback directly related to a transaction that was initiated via a post in the Buy, Sell & Swap forums on Silver Stackers. Trading feedback mechanism is not to be used for:
    * leaving feedback about a member in general, positive or otherwise
    * leaving feedback about purchases made via online shopping or online auctions (e.g. online bullion dealer or eBay)

    Leaving Feedback

    Feedback can be left by clicking the + or - icons next to the Trades link under a member's mini-profile next to posts in the Trading forum.

    Be aware that members may not want a permanent record of the type or value of items being left as part of their feedback, so exercise some discretion rather than referring to the items or value.

    Negative Feedback

    Occasions will arise when members are not satisfied with the conduct or outcome of a transaction, and may feel the need to leave negative feedback about another member.

    Negative feedback may be left only if an agreement to undertake a transaction was made - i.e. negative feedback cannot be left if you had a disagreement prior to agreeing to conduct a transaction. Having an online argument in a trading thread without any agreement being made to conduct a trade is not a reason to leave negative feedback.

    If an agreement is made to participate in a transaction, and the transaction does not go ahead, negative feedback may be left if either party feels it is warranted - i.e. a member agrees to buy or sell at price X, and later decides to cancel because spot price has risen or fallen without making that a "condition of sale", then negative feedback would be acceptable if no amicable resolution could be reached.

    Keep feedback concise - abusive or defamatory feedback will not be tolerated. You may be held liable for your written comments on the internet about an individual. Keep any negative feedback concise and factual, and do not "lace" it with opinion. Better to post feedback such as "Unhappy with user cancelling trade because the spot price rose - could not reach a resolution" rather than "This user is a lying thief!".

    Discussion of negative feedback left for a member is not to be conducted on the open forum.

    Feedback Disputes

    In the event of negative feedback being left, a member may choose to dispute the feedback. Negative feedback will only be removed in the following circumstances:

    1. Negative feedback is mutually agreed to be retracted by both parties.
    2. Feedback left was abusive, or in the opinion of the Administrator, defamatory. Negative feedback should be concise and factual.
    3. Feedback as a seller was left in the absence of any trading posts being posted by the alleged seller.
    4. Feedback as a seller was left in the presence of a trading post, and the seller submits a Statutory Declaration that they were not party to a canceled or completed trade with the member that feedback was left by.
    5. Feedback as a buyer was left, and the buyer submits a Statutory Declaration that they were not party to a canceled or completed trade that feedback was left for.
    6. A member submits a Statutory Declaration that the negative feedback left is factually incorrect.
    7. Administrator is personally aware of circumstances that contradict the feedback left.

    Should negative feedback be removed as a result of any of the above circumstances, it may not be resubmitted.

    The Administrator reserves the right to remove feedback under any other circumstances as seen fit. The Administrator will not attempt to adjudicate on the circumstances that resulted in negative feedback being left, or act as a mediator in such matters. Trading disputes are a matter between the interested parties to the transaction.
     
    Shivers likes this.
  4. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Uploading Images

    Images can be uploaded onto the forum for display in posts. These guidelines cover the basics.

    Uploading

    There is an Upload Image option in the forum menu. This will take you to an upload page. Images MUST be less than 1MB in size, or the upload will "hang" or time out - the web server cannot cope with larger images than this. Most digital cameras now produce images with file sizes larger than this, so please be sure to resize them BEFORE attempting to upload.

    The upload facility will work with JPG, JPEG, PNG and GIF files - not other file types. Video cannot be uploaded (use the YouTube embedding feature for that). You can only upload files from your local PC - not from other websites.

    Once uploaded, you will see a screen with a thumbnail of your uploaded image, and two fields with some "bbCode" markup code - one for a thumbnail ("Thumb"), one for the full size image ("Image"). Clicking the mouse in one of these fields will automatically highlight the required code - you can now copy and paste the code into a new post. Make sure you upload your image(s) BEFORE starting a new post - many people try to upload an image half way through a post. You will need to upload your image in a new browser tab or window if you decide to upload an image half way through a post.

    Thumbnails

    The code for thumbnail images open the full size image in a "lightbox" - a type of popup overlaid on the browser. The code for this looks like:

    Code:
    [imgz=http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/5_logo_copy.png][img]http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/thumbs/5_logo_copy.png[/img][/imgz]
    Alternatively, you can use a "url" tag instead of an "imgz" tag, and the thumbnail will open the larger image in a new browser tab instead.

    Images

    The code for full size images just displays the full size image directly in your post. The code for this looks like:

    Code:
    [img]http://forums.silverstackers.com/uploads/5_logo_copy.png[/img]
    This can slow down page loading speeds for users on slow internet connections, so don't use more than one or two large images in a post - if you have a series of photos to upload, use the thumbnail feature instead so that the page can finish loading faster, before users click on the thumbnails to view the images.

    Problems?

    Uploading should only take a few seconds depending on your network connection - if it takes longer than 30 seconds, it's failed and is timing out. This is usually caused by large image sizes - use some image editing software to make a smaller file size, and try again.

    Some users have difficulty uploading images with spaces in the filename. Try renaming the file to remove any spaces and reattempt the upload.

    Copyright

    Do not upload images that you do not own the copyright to, or have permission to reproduce! This includes random images from Google Image search, or other coin dealers websites.

    If you upload a personal image to Silver Stackers, you retain ownership of the copyright. Other members should request your permission before reusing the image for their own posts or purposes. Be aware that Silver Stackers cannot prevent other members or guests from reusing your images if uploaded here - some members have reported in the past that their images have ended up being used on YouTube or eBay auctions without their permission - you will need to contact the person responsible for reusing your image to deal with such breaches.
     
    Shivers likes this.
  5. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Reporting Posts

    Every post on Silver Stackers has a small menu of options in the bottom right hand corner. One of these options is the "Report" function.

    Reporting a post sends an alert to an administrator that there is a specific post that requires attention. The member who makes the original post is unaware of a report being made, and reports are confidential between the reporter and the administrators. You must state a reason why you are reporting a post.

    Spam

    If you see a spam post on Silver Stackers (e.g. a post from a brand new user linking to a commercial website), please report it. Do not reply to spam posts, as sometimes they are placed at the end of an exising legitimate thread, and it creates more cleanup work after the original spam is removed.

    So if you see spam, just click "Report", type "spam" as the reason, and it will soon be removed.

    Trading threads

    If you have posted a trading thread, you can request early closure or removal of the thread at any time. Just report your initial post in the thread, with a request for the thread to be either closed or removed.

    Posts violating forum rules

    If you see posts in violation of the forum rules (e.g. racist, flaming, advertising links etc) please report them for attention by an administrator for action.

    When NOT to use the Report feature

    Occasionally members have disagreements online. It's the nature of the internet. We are generally all bonded with a common interest to precious metals, but that doesn't always translate into harmonious discussion.

    Robust discussion between members is NOT a reason to "report" other members - if you have a difference of opinion with someone, reporting them won't automatically get the thread closed or the member banned because you disagree with them. Malicious flaming however, or other conduct not conducive to maintaining the generally friendly culture of Silver Stackers will not be tolerated.
     
    Shivers likes this.
  6. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Private Messages

    This forum has a private messaging function for contacting other members. This is a permanently enabled feature for every member. Note that private messages have limits on the overall number of messages, and are deleted every 30 days (unless you move them to a folder).

    Usage

    You can send a private message to another member in three ways:

    1. By clicking the "PM" link under their profile
    2. By going to the Messages page of the website, clicking the Send new message link and typing the members name in directly.
    3. Replying to a received private message.

    You cannot send a private message to multiple recipients - only type one name into the "Send to" field.

    New Messages

    If you receive a new message, an alert will display on the forum until you have read the message:

    [​IMG]

    You can elect to receive (or disable) email notifications of new messages from your inbox:

    [​IMG]

    Formatting

    Unfortunately there is no preview function for a private message, but you can use the same code for image links, smilies etc in a private message just as if you were making a post on the forum.

    Limits and Deletions

    Regular members of Silver Stackers are limited to a total of 500 private messages - this is a combination of your inbox, sent messages and any folders you may have created.

    As each private message results in two messages being kept in the database (one in your sent folder, and one in the recipient's inbox), deleting a message does not remove it entirely unless both the sender and receiver delete a copy. This can result in cases where confidential information (e.g. bank account details, trade details etc) is "quoted" in a reply, and sits indefinitely in the senders sent folder. This leads to security issues, and as a result, private messages are automatically purged once they reach 30 days of age*. You can keep selected private messages however by moving them to a new folder.

    * Not currently implemented - messages are not being purged.

    Folders

    You can create folders to sort and keep your private messages. Any private message moved to a folder will NOT be deleted after 30 days. To use folders, follow these instructions:

    1. Click on the Messages tab
    2. Scroll to the bottom of the page - there is a Manage folders link in the footer on the left
    3. Add a new folder. This can be called anything - "Archive" for example. You can create up to 10 folders.
    4. Go back to the main Inbox view
    5. Scroll to the bottom of the page - there should now be a Move multiple messages link in the footer on the left (ONLY visible after you create a folder)
    6. Select the checkboxes next to the messages you want to keep, and click the Move button
    7. A new page appears - select the folder you want to move the messages to, and click the Move button again

    You cannot move messages from your sent folder - if you want to keep a copy of sent messages, copy the contents and either resend them to yourself, or save them in a document on your computer.

    Privacy

    The Administrator of the Silver Stackers forum cannot access the contents of private messages exchanged between members. The subject and contents of private messages are encrypted in the database, however private messages via the Silver Stackers forum should not be considered a secure means of communication - in the event of the forum database being hacked or otherwise accessed, these messages would potentially be available for decrypting and reading by a malicious user, or by investigative authorities. Deleting a private message only deletes your copy of the message - the original sender or recipient will still retain a copy, and there is no "recall" function to prevent a sent message from being read. Please be mindful of sharing personal information in a private message.

    Regular backups of the forum software and forum database are maintained for continuity purposes. These are not retained permanently, however may result in deleted private messages being retained offline for several days after deletion on the forum.
     
    Shivers likes this.
  7. goldpelican

    goldpelican Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2009
    Messages:
    17,648
    Likes Received:
    580
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Apparently these weren't migrated when the forum software changed. Posted for reference.

    Silver Stackers® is a privately owned forum.


    Forum Etiquette:

    1. Silver Stackers is a precious metals and numismatic discussion forum. Any posts or topics not conforming to the general culture of the forum may be deleted at the discretion of the Administrator.

    2. Be respectful to fellow forum members in your postings. Silver Stackers is an online community - not a flaming forum. Hateful, racist, vilifying, discriminatory, threatening, inflammatory, malicious, defamatory or libelous posts will be deleted, and the account of the forum member responsible may at the discretion of the Administrator be suspended or terminated. KEEP IT CLEAN!

    3. Multiple accounts are not permitted. Any member found creating multiple accounts will have all accounts banned from the forum, and will be banned indefinitely.

    4. Unscrupulous activity, malicious behaviour or any other action that would result in a member not being considered "in good standing" will not be tolerated, and the account of the forum member responsible may at the discretion of the Administrator be suspended or terminated.

    5. When copying articles from elsewhere on the web, members are requested to include a source link back to the original material, and limit the cut & paste to a few paragraphs. Wholesale cut & paste of entire articles should only be done with the original copyright holder's permission. Obvious copyright violations may be edited or removed at the discretion of the Administrator.

    6. Do your own due diligence. Views posted in this forum do not constitute financial advice. Before making an investment, please seek financial advice from a qualified professional.

    Dealers and Industry Representatives:

    1. Dealers and members of the precious metal and numismatic industry are welcome on Silver Stackers, with disclosure of your relationship to the industry. In the interests of integrity, all members must disclose any affiliation or employment in the precious metal and numismatic industry.

    2. If you are joining the forum in an "official" capacity, please contact the Administrator by private message or email on joining, and your status will be updated to reflect your representative role.

    3. If you are joining the forum in an "unofficial" capacity, please ensure that your signature contains a disclosure worded similar to the following:
    Disclosure: I work for (Company XYZ). My posts on this forum are in a personal capacity and are not endorsed by (Company XYZ).

    4. User accounts that appear to have been created for the sole purpose of promoting or marketing particular products or companies, without the user disclosing their relationship, are not permitted.

    5. If you wish to post offers from your company, a paid trader membership is required.

    Posting Links and Images:

    As the Silver Stackers forum grows, so does the number of members wishing to promote their own interests, be it blogs, online shops or other websites. In the interests of maintaining a healthy forum culture, excessive or unnecessary posting of links will be considered a spamming activity, and will not be tolerated. Posting of links is permitted however, within the following guidelines:

    1. Members may post links to other websites that are directly related to topics of discussion, within reason.

    2. Members may not post affiliate links anywhere on the forum, including posts, signatures or profiles.

    3. Members with a minimum 10 posts, who have been a member for more than 30 days, and considered in good standing, may add links to their signature.

    4. Members with a minimum 10 posts, who have been a member for more than 30 days, and considered in good standing, may post personal links to their own websites or external content in posts or signatures, however any personal or financial interest in the linked content must be disclosed in the accompanying post or signature.

    5. New members (less than 10 posts or 30 days membership) who post links promoting their own material will be reviewed for spamming activity, and the account may at the discretion of the Administrator be terminated without notice. If you wish to promote your goods or services via Silver Stackers, please consider purchasing advertising on the forum.

    6. Please minimise "hotlinking" to images hosted on other websites - Silver Stackers has an image upload facility for local image hosting.

    7. When using the image upload facility, only upload an image if you own the copyright, or have permission to reproduce it.

    8. Do not link to or upload adult images.

    9. Members may upload images via their profile for use as an avatar. Avatar images of an adult nature are not acceptable content.

    Trading Guidelines:

    1. Forum members may choose to conduct transactions with other forum members contacted through this forum. Guidelines relating to such transactions are posted in a sticky thread at the top of each trading forum. Please read and adhere to these guidelines.

    2. Forum members conducting business activities through the trading forums are respectfully asked to consider purchasing advertising on the forum. This is not a requirement, but a courtesy in consideration of the free nature of the trading forums, and the costs associated with hosting the forum.

    Privacy Statement:

    Silver Stackers forum collects limited personal information (such as your email address and password) during registration. Your IP address is also captured by the software for anti-spam purposes. No other personal information is required or requested. Please note that anonymity cannot be guaranteed on the internet - email addresses and IP addresses can be used to track the identities of individuals given the appropriate technical resources.

    In principle, Silver Stackers forum will not sell, share or disseminate this information with anyone, unless compelled to by legal means, or under legal advice.

    This forum has a private messaging function. The Administrator of the Silver Stackers forum cannot access the contents of private messages exchanged between members. The subject and contents of private messages are encrypted in the database, however private messages via the Silver Stackers forum should not be considered a secure means of communication - in the event of the forum database being hacked or otherwise accessed, these messages would potentially be available for decrypting and reading by a malicious user, or by investigative authorities. Deleting a private message only deletes your copy of the message - the original sender or recipient will still retain a copy, and there is no "recall" function to prevent a sent message from being read. Please be mindful of sharing personal information in a private message.

    Regular backups of forum software and forum database are maintained for continuity purposes. These are not retained permanently, however may result in deleted forum posts and deleted private messages being retained offline for several days after deletion on the forum.

    Defamation, Libel and Copyright Infringement:

    The Administrator of Silver Stackers is not responsible for the contents of any postings on this forum. Comments made by forum members are those of the individual forum member and in hosting these comments, the Administrator in no way endorses the contents of any of the posts contained within this forum.

    At times the Administrator may deem the contents of a post to be at risk of being defamatory or libelous, and may be required to edit or delete such posts without notice.

    If you feel that your person, organisation or business has been subject to defamatory or libelous claims posted on this website, or your copyright has been infringed, please contact the Administrator via email at admin (at) silverstackers.com in the first instance for assistance in resolving the matter. Generally requests for removal of content considered defamatory or libelous will be reviewed within 7 days on a best effort basis. The Administrator reserves the right to seek legal advice before responding to any request for content removal, or for requests seeking personal details of forum members.
     
    REDBACK, Shivers and Holdfast like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page