Here are a few tips to ensure quick responses to questions:

Your question has probably been already answered. Before posting a question we recommend that you try checking the documentation, FAQ, checking the Tech Support Greatest Hits Forum, or use the search tool. A link to the search tool can be found underneath the banner ad at the top of the main forums page.


If you find it easier to express yourself en Français, auf Deutsch, en Espanol, in Nederlands, in Italiano, you might want to start out in our Winamp World Domination Forum. You'll find help and pointers in almost every language we can think of.

Regardless of which Forum you post in, be detailed. Include as much pertinent information as possible in your question.

Post in the right forum. Choose a forum which best suits the topic of your question. For example, questions about streaming would best be put in the Shoutcast forum, questions about plug-ins would go in the plug-in tech support forum.

Don't cross-post. Cross-posting (asking the same question in more than one forum) is pretty annoying, so people often ignore cross-posts. Even worse, your question may be deleted by a moderator (mod) or adminstator (admin). Don't worry, most users check most, if not all of the forums, so your question will be answered.
The reason for this policy is that cross-posts put irrelevant information which takes time to comb through. By avoiding redundant posts, the forums are kept 'cleaner', thus, it makes it easier to find, and answer questions.

DON'T WRITE ALL IN CAPS. IT CAN BECOME VERY ANNOYING. CAPS ARE GENERALLY REGARDED AS YELLING, SO IF YOU WRITE ALL IN CAPS, FOLKS WILL THINK YOU ARE YELLING AT THEM, SO THEY WILL AVOID YOU. ALSO, CAPS LOOK ugly, so avoid writing all in caps.

Edit previous posts. It is often better to edit than make a new post. Use your better judgement. At the bottom of each of your posts, you will find several icons. Click on the one that says 'Edit/Delete', and has a picture of an open book in order to edit a post. You may only edit a post you have written, and there is a 15 minute time limit on editions. Here are some general guidelines to follow when editing posts:

-Don't take out anything that may be required to understand the context of later posts
-Edit a previous post rather than make a new one. Use your judgement; sometimes it's necessary to make a new post.
-It's polite to sometimes list what was edited at the bottom of the post. If this ends up being longer than 2 lines, don't bother

No ads. This is pretty self-explanatory. The forums are not a place to advertise your products, so any post that is deemed to be an ad will be deleted, or edited to remove the advertisement. Ads are allowed, however, in Music-O-Rama. They must be specific to Shoutcast stations, or services provided to Shoutcast streamers and radio station owners.

No flame wars (see glossary below). People obviously don't like to be insulted, so they will avoid flame wars. Flamers get a bad reputation, so their questions are more likely to be ignored.

The regulars would really appreciate it if you would acknowledge the helpfulness of their aid. Not only does praise make them love you, it helps them to understand if their help really was helpful. This way, they will know how to respond if they get a similar question again. This way, they can tailor their responses to better suit your needs.

Don't worry, freedom of speech is highly regarded by Nullsoft, so you are free to express your views EXCEPT if they are highly insulting to certain groups or people.

If you have a specific concern about etiquette, feel free to post a thread, or contact the moderators.


GLOSSARY OF USEFUL FORUM TERMS
---------------------------------

Admins- (shortened form of Adminstrator); The ultimate gods of the forums. They make the final decision on who can be banned, and other life-threatening questions.

Banned- This is when you are not allowed to make anymore posts. Your IP address, E-mail address, and user name will prevent you to make anymore posts. This is extreeeeemly rare, and is preceeded by a warning.

FAQ- Frequently asked questions. The best resource for tech support questions.

Flame war- a deliberate exchange of insults between two parties. This usually involves a series of insulting, irrelevant posts in the same thread.

Kill- To delete a post.

LOL- Laughing out loud.

Nuke- To maliciously destroy a thread.

Mike- The beloved mascot of Nullsoft. Mike the llama came from the snowy peaks of the Andes to brighten our lives.

Mod- shortened form of Moderator); A moderator who has been give the power to delete/edit other people's posts. They are there to ensure that discussions are relevant and interesting. Don't worry, they only use their powers very sparingly. They also get a nifty T-shirt

Regular- Someone who lives on the forums. Their diet usually consists of waffles, syrup and Mountain Dew. Reknowned for their general friendliness, regulars are far from being extinct. But please, support their cause by donating generously to the Poor Boy Foundation

ROTFLMAO- Rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off.

Thread- A topic started by one member to which anyone can reply. Discussions should be about the original topic.


An important thing to keep in mind. This is of course, a public space and it behooves you and the health of your computer to take care in clicking on any links/files of unknown origin that someone may post in a thread. Sad as it may seem, there are unsocialized bonenuts out there that get their jollies by causing mayhem. Due to the immediate nature of message boards, we can't insure that a damaging file won't find its way onto the boards, though we'll make every effort to keep things safe by removing them ASAP. Please inform the forum admin or any moderators you see wandering around if you spy something suspicious. Exercise caution and keep your common sense meter turned on and properly calibrated.

We cannot be held responsible for the content posted by other forum users. It may very well happen that something posted, be it text, images, files, or links to any of these thing may be offensive to you. The Winamp moderators will do the best they can to keep the forums clean of offensive posts, but with such a large community, it is impossible to screen every post quickly and efficiently. Also keep in mind that we highly regard free speech, so the protection of that right will be utmost in deeming what is appropriate. If you have any specific complaint about something offensive you have seen, please feel free to contact a moderator or adminstrator. The best prevention is sound judgment.

Remember, being a nice netizen will lead to respect, which leads to prompt answers and much fun. Do your best to be cordial, and you will see what a great thing the Winamp community is.

If you have any questions about any issue brought up by this thread, feel free to ask the moderators, or your fellow forumites. Above all, have a nice day

Many kudos and bows to Radioactive Man for putting together this primer. And to his editors, to whom he owes his very life.