First things first, the software running this forum (AKA “Talk”) is Discourse. Many of the features you will read about next are part of that architecture.
This is the official site for online discussion of the Dallas Makerspace. You’ll find topics on projects, events, classes, governance of the organization and more. Please be sure to follow our Code of Conduct:
- All members are required to “Be excellent to each other”.
- Don’t catch on fire or set others on fire or set anything else on fire which has not been designated or designed to be on fire.
- All members are expected to maintain a safe and clean environment at all times.
- All members are expected to follow all posted notices.
- It is the responsibility of each member to enforce the Code of Conduct. Failing that, a Grievance or Complaint may be filed.
For the full list of Dallas Makerspace Rules, please see the Source (confluence) page:
https://source.dallasmakerspace.org/display/RULES/Rules+and+Policies
We also have a set of Bylaws, which dictate the overall structure of our organization:
https://source.dallasmakerspace.org/display/RULES/Bylaws
Before posting, please…
- Check out the TOP page the to see the most discussed topics in the last year / month / week.
- Visit the CATEGORIES page page to get a broad overview of what’s going on here.
- Please search before opening a new topic, as someone might have already created the topic.
- Read through the guidelines for this forum
- Read about Trust Levels, and how they affect your access to various functions on this site.
Thank you for being an important part of this community!
Trust Levels
Trust levels are a way of…
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Sandboxing those who are new to our community so that they cannot accidentally (or intentionally!) hurt themselves, the forum, or others while they are learning what to do.
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Granting more rights for the experienced, so that they can help maintain and moderate the community to which they generously contribute so much of their time.
There are 5 Trust Levels, and promotion happens automatically based on your participation.
Click to Expand Explanation of Trust Levels
New (Level 0)
New users are not quite trusted yet by Discourse, as they are visitors who just created an account and are still learning the community norms and the way our forum works. Whether accidentally, or intentionally, new users can cause problems in our community.
We also reserve so-called “advanced” functionality for more experienced users to make the UI less confusing while we practice.
Thus, new users’ abilities are restricted for safety – both theirs and ours.
Users at Trust Level 0 can NOT…
- Send personal messages to other users
- “Reply as new topic” via Link button (UI removed)
- Flag posts
- Post more than 1 image
- Post any attachments
- Post more than 2 hyperlinks in a post
- Have actual links in the ‘about me’ field of their profile (will be silently and temporarily converted to plain text)
- Mention more than 2 users in a post
Basic (Level 1)
Basics become trusted by Discourse for sticking around long enough to read a bit.
We can get to Trust Level 1 by…
- viewing at least 5 topics
- reading at least 30 posts
- spend a total of 10 minutes reading posts
Users at Trust Level 1 have all New User restrictions removed, and can…
- use all core Discourse functions
- Start new topics via e-mail (sent to [email protected])
- Upload images and attachments
- Edit wiki posts
- Flag posts
Regular (Level 3)
Regulars are the most active readers and reliable contributors over long periods of time.
We can get to Trust Level 3 by…
This is time and activity based, unlike the previous levels. In the last 100 days…
- must have visited at least 50% of days
- must have replied to at least 10 different topics
- of topics created in the last 100 days, must have viewed 25%
- of posts created in the last 100 days, must have read 25%
- must have received 20 likes, and given 30 likes.
- must not have received more than 5 spam or offensive flags (with unique posts and unique users for each, confirmed by a moderator)
- must not have been suspended
- These likes must be across a minimum number of different users (1/5 the number), across a minimum number of different days (1/4 the number). Likes cannot be from PMs.
All of these must be true.
Unlike other trust levels, trust level 3 status can be lost. Dipping below these requirements, whether from flagging or the passage of time, causes automatic demotion to Trust Level 1 (Basic) . However, in order to avoid flapping promotion/demotion situations, there is a 2-week grace period immediately after gaining Trust Level 3 during which demotion does not happen.
Users at Trust Level 3 can…
- recategorize and rename topics
- spam flags cast on Trust Level 0 posts immediately reach the action threshold
Leader (Level 4)
Leaders are Regulars who have been around forever and seen everything. They set a positive example for the community through their actions and their posts. If you need advice, these are the folks you turn to first.
We can get to Trust Level 4 by manual promotion only.
Users at Trust Level 4 can…
- edit all posts
- pin/unpin topic
- close topic
- archive topic
- make topic unlisted
- Split and merge topics
DMS Member Profile (“FKA Green Dot”)
Certain parts of Talk (this forum) are accessible only to DMS Members. This group membership is in addition to any other privileges, and is visually indicated by the “DMS Member” medallion on the bottom right of our avatar
Members accessing these sections require:
- Being logged into Talk
- Granting access requires manual action. Manage your profile at the Member Profile System page: https://members.dallasmakerspace.org/
- See more information at this Talk post: Green Dot - Process Change - 9/20/2024 - Enacted - Member Profile System is Now Required
Discourse New User Guide
For more information, “from the horse’s mouth”, check out the excellent Discourse New User Guide on the Discourse.org forums: Discourse New User Guide
Discobot
One of the fastest ways to learn to use Discourse (and earn Trust Levels!) is to interact with discobot which will walk us through many of Discourse’s primary functions. Discobot sends new accounts a PM, which we can use to kick off this training. Just follow its lead!