RADICONS GUIDELINES/ETIQUETTE
Welcome to the Radicons. We’re continually dedicating ourselves to creating a higher standard for having a community and a place conducive for artists posting customs (whether they be Transformers or not,) and learning new tips and tricks to expand their skills and knowledge. Based on this desire, we as the Radicons staff have collectively compiled a list of guidelines of etiquette for posting and behaving on our forums. If after reading this list, you still have any unanswered questions, please try reading our
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), and if you still have a question, feel free to contact any of us on the Radicons staff (
plowking, REDLINE, Superquad7, ALPHAMAGNUS, autobotx23, or Nemesis Predaking).
FYI – These Guidelines are in addition to the rules of the
TFW2005.com board’s rules.
Posting an entry (thread) or replying to an existing entry anywhere in the Radicons is proof of your consent to these guidelines. 1. All project-related images HAVE to be attached for archival purposes. The whole reason the Radicons is set up where only attached images can show up in the first post is so that when a thread gets old, the images will still be visible, allowing other Radicons to still reference the thread if they’re needing to see how you did a particular modification to aid in a project of their own. [IMG] tags DO work in replies, but are to only be used in project threads by non thread-starters only, so that other Radicons can help you tackle any problems that may arise in your project.
2. Constructive Criticism is not only welcomed, but encouraged. That being said, replying to a project thread with a simple negative like “that sucks” will not be tolerated, as it is out-right flaming and will not be allowed here. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Constructive means “promoting improvement or development <constructive criticism>”1 Constructive criticism would be along the lines of “I think you did a good job of ___, however, I think that your custom would benefit from trying to ___”. Constructive criticism allows all of us to grow as artists, to push our envelopes and become better at what we do, and also does not needlessly, or pointlessly insult each other. Likewise, please accept the fact that your customs might not always meet everybody's aesthetic taste. Be a sport.
3. If you are Unsure of where to post a thread in the Radicons board, there are two places in which you can find a nice run-down of what goes where, forum-by-forum. The first place is directly on our front page, at the bottom. The second would be in our
FAQ page.
4. Self Promotion is not cool. This site is not a platform to get your customs' business launched or promoted. By all means provide a link to your website or ebay store in the proper places (such as the TFW2005.com
"Transformers on ebay" forum) or let us know if you have custom heads or parts for sale [we have a section now in Radicons for "Reproductions and Stickers"] . But keep in mind we are here to participate in the exchange of ideas, share our craft, make friends, and show off sweet customs. Only posting when you have something for sale is lame, and we won’t allow it to continue. Customs auctions are already displayed underneath the forum links in the sidebar anyway, and besides that, we have forums here for selling your stuff too, under the Marketplace heading in the forum listing.
5. Adding your username to the title of your threads is uncool, and redundant. As such, this practice will not be tolerated. Doing so not only is redundant, but it comes across as being arrogant and pompous, as if you’re special, because it’s not just “such-n-such” custom, but it’s SO-N-SO’S “such-n-such” custom!
6. Artistic Integrity Is Highly Important. While posting a custom or even showing how you did some modification instead of a complete project makes that information public domain, the idea is still your own if you are the first person to do it. With this in mind, all Radicons are expected to cite their sources of inspiration as much as is possible. How would YOU feel to see someone copy something you had come up with and not credit you as their source?? On another note, it should be said that copying someone else without giving them due credit is known as Plagiarism, and
Plagiarism is actually an ILLEGAL practice, and you CAN be sued! Plagiarism is not only illegal, but it also makes you look ignorant in addition to making the artist you’ve not credited feel slighted. With all of this in mind, Plagiarism will not be tolerated here.
7. Sharing of knowledge is strongly encouraged. By posting customs recipes you must understand that such knowledge becomes public domain. While some degree of artistic integrity applies (see above), recipes are free to be used by any who care to try. Furthermore, Radicons will strive, when possible, to answer any questions posted by others trying said recipes. In addition to recipe information, Radicons are encouraged to share knowledge of techniques and styles in the same manner, as can be seen by our Tutorials section. If you wish to submit a how-to/tutorial/follow-along, simply post it in the Radicons General Discussion forum, and a staff member will move it if it is deemed informative, insightful, and coherent enough.
8. PLEASE use the Search tool before you post a question, especially for something you know to be a basic question, such as: What kinds of paint to use? How do I clear-coat a custom? Etc, etc… These questions get asked quite frequently by all the incoming newer members of the Radicons, so it’s very likely your questions have already been answered.
It’s also highly advised that you check out the Tutorials section, as it more than likely already contains the answers you seek as well!
9. It’s OK to link to your private site if it’s merely a place that you have galleries of your personal customs. TFW2005’s board rules state that you cannot link to another
TF-related site other than in your signature, but we’re slightly more lax on this subject in the Radicons. Since there IS a maximum limit on how many images can be attached to a project thread, it’s ok for you to post a link to your private site or photobucket account so that other members may see the rest of the images you’ve taken of your project
if the number of pictures exceeds the maximum limit allowed to be attached to a thread.
10. Create separate threads for each project you do. This goes for ALL of Radicons. Nobody wants to have to trawl through a really long thread to find the newest pieces you've done (this goes for both fan art and customs areas!!) Besides, this allows you to attach more images of each project anyways
