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Welcome to Chiff & Fipple! Think of this forum like your favorite pub session: everyone’s welcome, the talk is lively, and respect keeps the tunes flowing.

1. Be Excellent to Each Other

  • Respect everyone, even when you disagree.
  • Critique ideas, not people.
  • The Pepsi Rule (from founder Dale Wisely): “I prefer Coke because Pepsi tastes sharp” is fine. “Pepsi is garbage and anyone who drinks it is a fool” is not.
  • Zero tolerance for hate, harassment, or cutting each other down.

2. New Members

  • Say hello, share a tune, or post a photo of your instrument.
  • Our search works great - use it before starting a new thread. Longtime users: link good past discussions to help newcomers.
  • Beginners’ questions are welcome; treat them kindly.

3. Politics and Religion

We don’t host those debates here. Use the Poststructural Pub forum for off-topic fun (Still no P&R).

4. Buying & Selling (Instruments Exchange)

  • All For Sale (FS) and Want to Buy (WTB) posts belong in the Instruments Exchange, not in discussion forums.
  • Listings are not shown on the Latest feed to keep the home page clean.
  • No cross-posting. One listing, one place.
  • No bumping. Update only with real changes (price drop, new photos, status).
  • Listings expire after 30 days; repost if needed.
  • Don’t share your email address publicly - use PMs.
  • Transactions are private deals. Moderators don’t mediate disputes.

5. Commercial Posts (CP)

  • CP: required - titles must start with “CP:”.
  • To post a CP you must:
    • Be a member 30+ days.
    • Have at least 10 thoughtful, non self-promotional comments or posts spread over the last 30 days (maintained monthly).
  • Limit: one CP thread every 30 days. Add updates in the same thread.
  • Post only in relevant forums (not the Instruments Exchange).

6. Price Policing

  • No price policing. Members set their own prices.
  • Discussion of pricing on other sites (e.g. eBay) is fine.

7. Editing, Deleting, and PMs

  • You can delete your own posts within 24 hours. After that, they stay.
  • You can edit your posts anytime.
  • For PMs:
    • Archive to tidy your inbox (recommended).
    • Leave to remove from view.

8. Keep It Tidy

  • Post in the right category; don’t duplicate across forums.
  • Use the Like button instead of “+1.”
  • Rather than taking an existing topic in a radically different direction, use Reply as a Linked Topic.
  • Write clearly. Avoid gimmicky styling - like all-caps or rainbow fonts.

9. Copyright and Fair Use

  • Only post what you created or have permission to share.
  • Short quotes or images are fine under fair use, with clear attribution.
  • Respect international copyright law - when in doubt, link instead of copying.

10. Reporting and Moderation

  • If you see a problem, flag the post or PM a moderator.
  • Always include a link to the offending post when PMing.
  • Moderators may remove posts, lock threads, or suspend accounts to keep the space welcoming.

11. Multiple Accounts

One account per person. If you accidentally create more, ask a moderator to merge them.

12. Age Requirement

You must be 13 or older in the U.S., and up to 16 in some countries, to have an account. If you’re underage where you live, wait a bit - the tunes will still be here when you’re older.

13. Final Note

Membership is a privilege, not a right. Moderators are here to keep the session lively, fair, and welcoming.

Sláinte - now pull up a chair and join the tunes!