Here are some guidelines for using the Hostel Management Forum.
- When replying, quote sparingly
- Be nice
- Please don't crosspost
- Don't spam links
- Learn how to search the site
- Learn the secret to getting into the Members' Chat
- Meet the other members of the forum
- Read the How to Use HostelManagement.com guide
When replying, quote sparingly
When replying to a post and quoting the message, it is best to remove as much of a quoted message as possible so that only the relevant part of the quote is included in your new post. The quote goes above your reply.
Be nice
Self explanatory :)
This website has grown at a rapid pace and literally thousands of people are reading it every week. Be aware that if a company or person is discussed in the forum, that company or person is possibly going to read it.
Please don't crosspost
Please don't post the same post in multiple sections of the forum (it's called crossposting). Many readers read every post and they don't want to read the same post twice. If the same post is posted in several different forums, expect that the duplicate postings will be deleted.
Don't spam links
Please don't post off-topic spam links in the forum or in forum signatures for the purpose of SEO (search engine optimization). One or two on-topic signature links are okay, but signatures that are a long series of off-topic spam links like "cheap airline tickets", "las vegas real estate", and "airline credit cards" will be deleted.
Technical Info on Hyperlinks:
All new links are nofollowed, which means that they do not provide any SEO benefit. Users who regularly contribute useful information to the forum eventually have the nofollow removed. Contributing to the Hostel Management Forum can benefit your own website's search engine rankings.
Learn how to search the site
It is recommended to search the Forum before posting to see if a question has already been asked. To search the Forum, use this page which can be found on the top menu bar of every Forum page. This search box will only search the Forum, but it will include search results from private forums (like Members' Chat) if you have access.
To search the entire website, use this form. This search box will include Forum content also, but only from the public forums that Google can read. (It uses Google search.)
Learn the secret to getting into the Members' Chat
The Members' Chat was originally created to encourage visitors to participate in the forum. After posting 50 times, users were given access to read and post in the Members' Chat.
The purpose of the Members' Chat is still the same: to encourage visitors to participate in the forum. The specific details of how to get access to the Members Chad are still being worked on, but if you participate in the forum discussions by posting useful information, you will be working towards getting into the Members' Chat. (Short posts with little information in them probably won't contribute towards getting into the Members' Chat.)
Meet the other members of the forum
Regularly joining in on forum discussions allows you to make new connections in the hostel scene. Many of the HM Forum users travel often and have met each other.
Here are some ways to connect with other Forum members:
Read the How to Use HostelManagement.com guide
There is a free PDF guide on How to Use Hostelmanagement.com. Is recommended that new users read through it at least once. If you would like to get your hostel staff interested in participating in HostelManagement.com, you might even want to print copies of the PDF for the front desk and back office.
If you have any questions/suggestions/issues with the Website, send me an email and I'll look into it :)
Enjoy the site,
Josh (Hostels)
Webmaster
(This page was inspired by the forum etiquette suggestions over on the Adventure Cycling Forum.)
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