A Newbie's Guide to the Steel Guitar Forum

• Read the Forum Rules and Policies.  They are located at http://www.steelguitarforum.com/agree.html .

• If you want to help financially support the Forum, go to The Forum Catalog and order some of the products listed there.
  

• Learn how the Forum is organized.  Go to the main Forum menu using the main entry point:  http://www.steelguitarforum.com and clicking on the link that says 'Click Here to Enter'.  The Forum has several areas that allow you to home in on categories of topics that pertain to the steel guitar.  READ THE MAIN FORUM MENU CAREFULLY.  There is a link for each area and a description of the types of topics that are appropriate for that area.  b0b has divided the areas into categories, including NEWS, STEEL GUITAR TOPICS, and OTHER TOPICS.  Take a moment and read what type of info each area is intended to include.

• Post new topics in the appropriate area.  There are moderators for each area and they will move topics that you post in the wrong area.  These moderators are volunteers and they would prefer that you get it right the first time.

• Many of your questions have already been answered -- often MANY, MANY TIMES.  Learn to look before you ask.  You may still want  to ask again, but you may find exactly what you're looking for without rehashing an old, tired subject.  The following are ways to research a question before you ask:
  
• Learn to use the SEARCH function.  At the main menu and each of the Forum areas, there is a link near the top of the page that says 'Search'.  When you click on that link, you will see a search dialog.  Enter any word or combination of words or phrases in the 'Search Words' box to select posts you are interested in learning more about. Select a Forum area or Archive to be searched using the pull-down menu.  You may search entire message contents or subjects by choosing the appropriate entry labeled 'Search In'.  Searching the entire message contents may take longer than searching the subjects.  You may also search within a date range by using the 'Search by Date' option.  If you want to search for posts that were initiated or contributed to by a certain Forum member, you may enter a user name in the 'Search by User Name' box.  You may also specify whether to search for an EXACT User Name or a PARTIAL name.  The SEARCH function is a very powerful way to research a topic related to the steel guitar.  Practice using SEARCH and you will open the door to a wealth of information that is not available anywhere else.
• Learn where other steel guitar related information is located.  There are links at the top of  all Forum pages that lead to valuable information.  For example:
• b0b.com is the 'sister site' of the Forum, also maintained by Bobby Lee.  Click on that link to find information on tunings and pedal changes used by established players, as well as some interesting articles on various topics.  There is a link to http://www.b0b.com at the top of each Forum page.
• LINKS includes personal websites, and sites maintained by manufacturers and distributors of steel guitar equipment and supplies.
• Last, but not least, the Forum Catalog is a great place to purchase CD's, videos, strings, and instructional material.  Any profit from sales of these items helps support the expenses incurred by b0b in hosting the Forum.

• RESPECT EACH OTHER AND THE FORUM MODERATORS.   Our online community includes diverse personalities.  Each is entitled to an opinion.
• This is not an 'adults only' website.  Children or others who might be offended by off-color language and subject matter may read the Forum .
• Do not verbally attack other Forum members.  Even if you strongly disagree with something someone has said, respect their right to speak their mind and avoid insulting remarks.  Feel free to disagree with someone's statement or opinion, but refrain from personal attacks.  Keep it civilized and remember that respect is a two-way street.
• Remember that your posting privileges may be revoked by the moderators at any time for violation of the Forum Rules and Policies.  Membership in the Forum is a PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT.

• Private conversations should be carried out by EMail.  "Hey, Joe, how's the wife and kids?"  "You going quail huntin' with me next week?"  Stuff like that -- of a personal nature, not really related to the steel guitar OR any sensitive opinions expressed among friends should be done via personal EMail.  In each post or reply, there are several links on the top line, next to the date, that can be used to find out more about the poster.  'profile' shows whatever the poster chose to include in his/her profile (see below) -- occupation, personal interests, website address, and EMail address.  For convenience, the 'send email' link will allow you to see the EMail address and click to send mail to this member.  The third link is 'edit' -- also described below.

• Use your Profile to tell folks about yourself.  Your profile consists of your
• EMail Address
• Password
• Homepage (if you have your own website)
• Occupation
• Location (city, state, country)
• Interests
• ICQ Number (if you participate in Internet chat)
• Signature (which you may edit to include at the bottom of your posts - whatever you type in that box will appear if you check 'Show Signature' at the bottom of a post)

• Editing your posts -  Requires your username and password.  It is not necessary or appropriate to add a new reply to say 'oops, I misspelled something in my last post'.  You may fix spelling or grammar, add to or edit anything you typed in a post or response.  The Forum software will add a comment at the bottom indicating that the post has been edited.  If you edit several times and don't want a bunch of 'This post was edited by . . .' messages at the bottom, you can delete them when you edit a post.  If you DO NOT delete the entire 'This post was edited by . . .' section, it may come out looking strange.  Use with caution if you don't understand what you're doing.

• Abbreviations - Sometimes, Forum members will use a 'shorthand' or abbreviation of common phrases that have become popular on the Internet.  Below is a table of some commonly used acronyms or abbreviations.