Many crafters find help in different ways by using one or more of the multitude of Craft Forums which are on the Net.
Help can be advice with sourcing materials, learning a new technique, sharing ideas, finding a craft fair and much much more. In fact there are so many forums available your problem may be in selecting the right one for you. You can do a Google search or you can ask friends involved in the same craft which ones they use. Once you have found a forum which you feel maybe suitable then:
- Spend some time reading the posts. This will let you know if the forum really is suitable for you.
- Read their rules. Most forums make their rules easy to find and each forum rules will be slightly different. Some allow the posting of links, some won’t. Some allow signatures, others don’t. Some expect you to post within certain time frames, others don’t mind how often you post.
- Post in the correct place. Again most forums will make it clear in which section you should post what questions. If in doubt there should be a “general discussion” area, you can always ask in there.
- You may not be able to do everything at once. Many forums restrict what “Newbies” can do. Such restrictions may include the posting of Personal Messages or links and the viewing of certain areas.
There is a certain etiquette to posting in forums….. its not always clear when you are “joking” and other people may “take you the wrong way”… this is when the smilies come into their own, if you are joking then make it clear with one of these 😆 😉 😀
Forums can be great, fun and supportive, just find the right one (for you) and make sure you follow their rules 😀
Craft Forums.
Authored By: Bob Prentice.
