Talk with the NEARA Community

The NEARA Forum is a place for current NEARA members to share information, research, and ideas about the origin and function of American lithic features and sites.

HOW TO JOIN THE NEARA FORUM

The forum is an opt-in group. If you choose to join, forum members will be able to see your name and email address.

• Make sure your NEARA membership is up to date.
• Agree to abide by the Forum Community Guidelines, listed below.
• Send an email to forum+managers@neara.org and ask to be added as a forum member.
• Once you and your email address are verified as a NEARA member, a forum moderator will add you to the forum. If you are a new member, it may take some time before the moderators learn about you.
• Forum moderators reserve the right to refuse to reinstate members who have previously been removed from forum membership for violating NEARA Forum Guidelines.

HOW THE NEARA FORUM WORKS

The forum is basically a mailing list that consists of email “threads” about specific topics. As a forum member, you will be able to send and receive emails from other forum members, using your email account.

The forum also remembers all topics and posts so you can read them at groups.google.com if your email address is also a Google account. This allows you to read old topics, including those that were posted before you joined the group. If you want a Google account but want to keep your current email address, you can do that: Create a Google account with your non-Gmail email address.

NEARA is an antiquities research association. Forum subject matter should be relevant to the goals and objectives of the NEARA organization. Discussions should be informative and promote education and research. Forum members should be ready to back up their assertions with facts and/or relevant research. Moderators may move or take down posts that do not meet NEARA's guidelines.

Sending and responding to messages

Use the email address you used to sign up for the forum; if you use another email address, your email will be rejected. Non-members cannot read or write to the forum; this helps to cut down on spam and preserves some privacy. Any valid email address, once a member of the forum, can receive forum posts or send messages to the forum.

Only forum members logged in with their Google account can read or respond to the message threads at groups.google.com. This lets you read, reply, and search for posts, including those from before you joined.

When you send an email to forum@neara.org, you can start a new topic or respond to an existing topic.

Starting a new topic

• Compose an email.
• Make sure the topic of your question or announcement is in the subject line of your email.
• Send your email to forum@neara.org.
• Keep your email to a reasonable length.
• The subject of your topic MUST BE RELEVANT to NEARA.
• If you have a Google account, upload photos or videos to our shared Google Drive and include email links to those files -- don't attach photos or videos to your email message.

Responding to an existing topic

• Reply to the forum@neara.org email you receive in your Inbox.
• Your email response MUST BE RELEVANT to the topic in the subject of the email.
• If you find that your email isn’t relevant to the topic thread, start a new topic instead of replying.

Moderators

• The forum is moderated by volunteers who will review all posts.
• Forum moderators reserve the right to remove any posts that violate community guidelines
• Forum members who do not follow community guidelines may have their posts reviewed prior to posting.
• Forum Members who violate community guidelines may have their forum membership revoked.

Additional Help

• Create and respond to messages
• Manage your subscription
• Create a Google account with your non-Gmail email address
• Upload files to Google Drive

HOW TO LEAVE THE NEARA FORUM

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving any emails from it, send an email to forum+unsubscribe@neara.org. Such a link is also at the bottom of each email message.

If you want to keep informed about forum discussions but do not want to receive email immediately whenever anyone posts, you can change your forum email subscription. In "Digest" mode you receive a single email each day with up to 25 forum posts combined into a single message. Or in "No email" mode you won't get any email but can read the messages online at groups.google.com when you want. The Manage your subscription help page shows how you can change your subscription mode.

NEARA FORUM COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Acceptable topics

Acceptable forum topics include research, information, and ideas relevant to the origin and function of American lithic features and sites in their cultural context, as interpreted through relevant disciplines.

Guidelines

Respect Others

Treat fellow community members with respect, kindness, and empathy. Try to understand forum members whose research, background, and ideas differ from yours. Remember that behind every username is a real person with feelings.

No Hate Speech or Discrimination

Hate speech, discrimination, or any form of harassment will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism.

Stay on Topic

Keep discussions relevant to our community's theme or purpose. Replies must pertain to the topic post's subject. Off-topic posts may be moved or removed by moderators.

Follow the Facts

Whenever making a claim, bolster it with links to supporting evidence. If you do not, others can ask you to do it.

Be Constructive

When providing feedback or engaging in debates, focus on constructive criticism and thoughtful discussion. Avoid personal attacks or inflammatory remarks. Add meaningful thoughts in each message. Don't just say "I agree" or "I disagree" without adding new information -- it wastes everyone's time.

No Spam or Self-Promotion

Avoid self-promotion or spamming of links/products. If you want to share something relevant, ensure it adds value to the community and isn't promotional.

Respect Privacy

Respect the privacy of fellow community members. Don't share personal information about yourself, others, or site locations, with or without consent.

Use Clear and Appropriate Language

Communicate clearly and use language that is appropriate for all ages. Refrain from using profanity or offensive language. Refrain from posting obscene and/or graphic images.

Limit Photos and Attachments

Remember that your attachments may overload someone's Inbox. If you are sending photos, limit them to one or two good photos, not everything you took at a site. Do not attach video files. Even better, if you have a Google account, you can upload photos to the forum's shared Google Drive, and then send a link to the photos or videos in your email.

Report Issues

If you encounter any violations of the community guidelines or notice inappropriate behavior, report it to the forum moderators at forum+managers@neara.org instead of engaging further behavior.

No Illegal Activities

Do not engage in or promote illegal activities. This includes sharing copyrighted material without permission or discussing ways to engage in illegal behavior.

Be Patient and Understanding

Remember that not everyone may share your opinions or perspectives. Be open-minded and willing to listen to different viewpoints.

Keep it Friendly

Foster a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable participating. Help new members feel welcome and encourage a sense of community.