Mediaeval Sword Reader's Forum: An interactive feature allowing you to post sword-related inquires and to respond to the inquiries of others. In order not to add more clutter and confusion to the web, I would recommend that this particular forum's use tend to be limited to postings concerning actual antique medieval European edged weapons, as there are already several excellent well established forums serving most other sword related topics, which are listed here.
Requests, Recommendations & Rules: 1. Most submissions can be directly and immediately posted onto the Reader's Forum using the installed WWWBoard script by filling in the forms at the bottom of the appropriate page (the main page to start a new thread or the page of a post to reply and join its thread). If you desire to post a page that is too complex for the WWWBoard script, for example, one using multiple photographs, you may send it as an attachment by e-mail to forum@vikingsword.com for incorporation into the forum (or better, in the case of our example, post it with one photograph and then e-mail the others or the URL for the others for manual inclusion).
2. Completing the form:
a. You may use your actual name or a screen name of your choice.
b. If you do not want to disclose your e-mail address, leave that entry blank.
c. Please be descriptive in the subject heading so that readers know what the post is about and can find it again if they wish to refer back to it.
d. The message or comments block is for the body of your post. You can use HTML tags here if you are conversant in that language, but be warned, botched attempts may glitch your post.
e. If you find a great page you want to share or want to promote your own, you can place a link to it under optional link URL (remember to include the http:// prefix). Be sure to specify a link title for the link, or it will be omitted.
f. Photographs are an important feature and their use is encouraged, especially if you are wanting opinions on an item you have. The optional image URL box allows you to specify the address (again, remember to include the http:// prefix) a photograph in jpeg or gif format placed on you own server. Consider including a full length shot as well as close-ups when possible and potentially useful. Post the first photo and e-mail the additional photograph URLs or photograph files to the address above. I'll add them to your post.
If you lack server space, you may e-mail the photograph as above and it will be placed on the web and an e-mail returned to you specifying the URL, which you can then specify in your posting. I can convert most other file formats to jpeg if this is required.
No scanner or digital camera? - no problem: if you require a snail mail address to send physical prints to, please advise; they will be scanned in and your originals returned, although although no guarantee or insurance against the possibility of their loss or damage can be made.
g. Click the Post Message or Submit Follow-up button as is applicable to place your post on the forum. Click only once. If you do not see your post when you return to the forum page, click the reload or refresh button on your browser.
h. I regard your post as your copyrighted work and your action of posting it to constitute a non-exclusive license for its display here. If you need an edit made on a post you have made or desire the post to be removed, you may e-mail the request to the above address. Please realize there is a potential for a significant time delay in completion of such requests.
3. An attempt will be made to leave posts accessible through the main forum page or an archive page as long as their content is pertinent. Posts of a more ephemeral nature will, of necessity, be cleared away on a regular basis.
4. Please be considerate when posting photographs from third party sites and secure permission from the source site first. Failure to do so raises both copyright and theft of service concerns. An alternative is to post a link to the page containing the photograph of interest.
5. Please consider that youngsters may read these pages and limit your language and topics of discussion to those appropriate considering their potential presence. Understand that for liability reasons I must remove posts failing in this regard and may whine to your ISP if a post is especially offensive (I won't ever know who you are, but your ISP can compare my log extract with their IP address assignment records and know exactly whose account originated the problem.)