Topics Covered
Prohibited Messages
Poorly Written Subject Lines
External Links in Messages
Sellers of Photography Equipment
Those Who Seek Photo Equipment, Camera Parts, etc.
Unanswered MessagesIs this your first visit? Please read The FAQ before posting to ACE Index Photography Forum. Certain questions are asked repeatedly and have already been answered.
Here is the criteria we use for messages. This criteria has been developed from reading almost 20,000 photography questions and answers posted in the ACE Photo Forum. There is a valid reason for every rule. This document is a work in progress and is subject to revision.
Messages which gratuitously or repeatedly promote any business or service.
Messages promoting chain letters, internet fraud scams, get rich quick schemes, etc.
Messages containing offers which sound-too-good-to-be-true.
Messages containing profanity or obscenities, racist insults, etc.
Anonymous messages which impugn the integrity of a company, an individual or a product.
Messages containing confidential, proprietary or patent protected information.
Messages seeking old high school yearbooks or annuals.
Messages seeking camera equipment appraisals. Free appraisals are worth what you pay for them.
Messages thanking someone for their answer. We pay for message storage. Thank them by e-mail.
Messages linking to specific online auctions. These links eventually expire and require manual removal.
Messages with subject lines using all caps, multiple question marks or multiple exclamation points.
Messages which have nothing to do with photography or are chit-chat."Me Too" messages will also be removed. In a "me too" message, someone else posts a question, and you simply duplicate their message with your name and email, adding nothing to the conversation. Here's an example of a "me too" message:
Peter posts the following message:
Canon EOS 1000f camera manual
"Where can I download an instruction manual for my secondhand Canon EOS 1000F?" (This message would probably have never been posted if Peter had bothered to read the FAQ.)
John wants the same thing. He enters his name and email address into the form, types nothing in the "comments" section of the message and clicks on submit. This message adds NOTHING to the dialog of message board, except we know John is lazy and wants the same thing as Peter. It also duplicates Peter's original message, increases our bandwidth and causes search engine problems.
The subject line becomes the page title for your message and the text link to your message on the contents page. It is very important! Use about six well chosen words to indicate the subject of your message. Do NOT write your entire message in the subject line.
Be specific! If the message relates to a specific camera or lens, include this in the subject line.
Good examples:
Canon A-1 camera repair
Minolta X-700 shutter stuck
What lenses fit my Pentax K1000?Bad Examples
Minolta autofocus (not enough information, inadequate subject line)
Help me !!!!!! (useless subject line, wastes the time of others.)
my camera done broke (what specific camera are we talking about here?)
photography (so what about photography?)
great!!! (another useless subject line, wastes the time of others.)
F80 (F80 what? needs brand name)Bad
need instruction manualMuch Better
Krasnogorsk K3 instruction manualBad
F80Much Better
Nikon F80 camera problems
Readers, if you encounter a question with a poorly worded subject line, please edit the subject line when answering so others will know what the thread is about. This will help rescue a message from being deleted.
Be careful about spelling in the subject line. If you misspell your camera brand, i.e. Cannon instead of Canon, Nikkon instead of Nikon, Pantex instead of Pentax, etc. your message will be improperly archived by web search engines. (Some people will think you are semi-illiterate.)
Do not use the name of your company or web address in the subject line. Your message will be removed.
Do not use the word "Help" in the subject line. It is rude. This wastes the time of others who must read your message to see what you need. People tend to ignore "help" messages. Your message may be removed. If you are answering such a message, edit the subject line for the rest of us.
Do not use multiple question marks or exclamation points. Do not type the subject line or body of your message entirely in caps.
We carefully scrutinize all external links in forum messages. Please do not link to commercial web sites, except when it clearly relates to a question or answer you have posted. No guerrilla marketing whatsover.
You may not use our Forum to promote your business or auction. All messages violating this prohibition will be removed immediately. No pitches for photography workshops, photography schools, seminars etc.
No links to specific camera auctions on eBay or elsewhere. (We don't have the time to remove these links later when they expire.) Give the auction home page only and tell the person what to search for.
If the only time you ever post answers in the forum is to recommend the same business repeatedly, we will remove all your responses.
Do not link to an external image you do not own. We would prefer you not link to external images because it increases our bandwidth load and the bandwidth for the server delivering the image. External images eventually disappear, creating a broken page link.
Absolutely no references or links are permitted to any web site which contains pornography or sexual content. Messages violating this prohibition will be removed immediately. If you find such a message, please bring it to our attention.
Private parties only. Messages removed after 30 days. No links to online auctions. If you are selling photo equipment, you MUST post your email address. Do not carry on conversations about buying and selling in the forum. Contact the buyer or seller directly by e-mail.
Buyers of Photo Equipment, camera parts, etc.
Private parties only. Messages removed after 30 days. If you seek to buy specific photo equipment, you MUST post your email address. Do not carry on conversations about buying and selling in the forum. Contact the buyer or seller directly by e-mail.
Most questions get responses within a few days. If a question remains unanswered for 90 days, there's little likelihood anyone will respond. Unanswered questions are generally removed when messages are archived.
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Revised March 27, 2003