READ FIRST: Welcome to the Dallas Makerspace

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:

  1. All members are required to “Be excellent to each other”.
  2. 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.
  3. All members are expected to maintain a safe and clean environment at all times.
  4. All members are expected to follow all posted notices.
  5. 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…

  • 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.

  • 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)

News 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 your forum works. Whether accidentally, or intentionally, new users can cause problems in your 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 yours.

Users at Trust Level 0 cannot…

  • Send private 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 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
  • have all new user restrictions removed

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 (“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 “Green Dot” medallion on the bottom right of our avatar. Member accessing these sections require:

  • Be logged into Talk
  • Granting access requires manual intervention.Request your “Green Dot” by filling out a new thread in the category, following the guideline in the template, and a volunteer will get it done ASAP

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 you through many of Discourse’s primary functions. You will have received a PM from Discobot which you can use to kick off this training.

19 Likes
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William V Harris Jr 2-10-19
Smithey 06/07/19
Gibson 06/10/2019
Perkins 6/9/2019
Gonzalez 6/5/19
Philibert 03 June 2019
Garcia 5-13_2019
Pickens 05-09-2019
Telecky, May 8th 2019
Allen 05/01/2019
Williams 12/09/18
Greisch 12/10/2018
Chanthorn 12/10/18
Otey 2018-12-16
Metteer - 12/11/18
Bentley 2018-12-19
Fletcher 01/27/19
Pierpont 1/27/2019
Cecala 12/26/2018
Pawula 2018 Dec 31
TALK is the official site for online discussion of the Dallas Makerspace
Fernandez 01-05-19
Gutierrez 1/30/19
King 03/22/2019
Merchen 01/06/2019
MKing 03/22/2019 (family add-on)
Re: [Public Relations] Only Three Tables Left for Makermade Tables at DMS!
Peters 11/27/18
Williams 11/30/2018
Hilke 12/2/2018
Barroso_3/26/2019
Soto April 6, 2019
Cooper 04/2/2019
New Member Onboarding 03.01.24
About the Member Access (Green Dot) category
Powermatic table saw pinching
Old talk threads
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Getting a copy of Lightburn
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What's the best free CAD program for 3D printing?
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Thanks to Coffeebean
Sartain 08/08/2020
Needing auto lift cert/lesson
Morgan McLaughlin 7/14/19
M. Neeper green dot 6.29.19
N. Neeper 6/29/2019
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Stephen Thompson 6/16/2019
Jasso 06/25/2019
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