HF members,

Hammock Forums has always taken pride in its helpfulness, friendliness, innovation, and overall positive attitude...but a few recent events have called these values into question. As stewards of this incredible community, the HF mods would like to address some of these issues directly. We don't pretend to speak for the entire hammocking community, but we do speak for this forum and we ask your help in ensuring that we maintain the community spirit we value so much.

First, we treat each other with respect. This is not negotiable. It's often easy to get frustrated over someone's post and type a quick reply to "set them straight." If the original post is out of line and the follow-up is calm and respectful, then it is appropriate for well-established members to help newbies learn our norms. However, some recent threads have started to show a lack of respect for each other. Disagreement is fine; disrespectful behavior is not. Please make it easier on the community and police your own posts. As one long-time member advised, "take no offense where none is intended." Since intent is hard to gauge on the internet, please start by giving the benefit of the doubt if the post is not clearly offensive.

Second, we treat other sites with respect. Politely referring folks to the best source of hammocking info on the net is absolutely encouraged. Using Hammock Forums to foster a spam campaign against another site is not. Doing it in the name of Hammock Forums is entirely inappropriate and misrepresents what this community stands for...which brings me to the last point.

No one speaks for Hammock Forums but the HF staff. The members here have created a valuable source of information and comaraderie. As such, many folks get passionate about the site and the community...and even protective of our hobby. We appreciate that. However, taking direct action on behalf of HF, without first discussing it with the HF staff, is neither required nor appreciated. This includes attempts to profit from HF's material as well as representing the forum on other sites.

The common thread in all of this is a breakdown in respect. For the forum, for each other, and for the outdoors communty in general. This is acceptable on most other internet sites - but the fact that it's not acceptable here is what makes our corner of the community so special. Please, when discussing Hammock Forums on other sites in the future, consider our own standards of behavior. If a post or comment would not be acceptable here, then please do not cite this forum when you make that post elsewhere.

As I said, we do not pretend to speak for the entire hammocking community and we're not attempting to regulate your behavior on other sites. But we are stewards of the Hammock Forums community and we're asking for your help in restoring and maintaining the good-natured atmosphere on this site and the good reputation we have on the internet. We plan to protect that.

Thank you,

The Hammock Forums Staff
Just Jeff, slowhike, angrysparrow, headchange4u, Cannibal, NCPatrick