📋 Community Guidelines

🌟 Our Core Values

GardenForum is built on respect, helpfulness, and a shared love of gardening. We expect all members to uphold these values in their interactions.

✅ Do's

• Be respectful and kind - Treat others as you'd like to be treated
• Stay on topic - Keep discussions relevant to gardening and plants
• Provide helpful answers - Share your knowledge and experience
• Search before asking - Your question might already be answered
• Use clear titles - Help others understand your question quickly
• Give credit - Acknowledge sources and other members' contributions
• Accept different approaches - There are many ways to garden successfully
• Report issues - Help moderators by flagging inappropriate content

❌ Don'ts

• No harassment or hate speech - Zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior
• No spam or self-promotion - Don't use the forum solely to advertise
• No plagiarism - Don't copy content without attribution
• No trolling or baiting - Don't post to provoke negative reactions
• No misinformation - Avoid spreading unverified or harmful advice
• No personal attacks - Critique ideas, not people
• No off-topic discussions - Keep conversations gardening-related
• No duplicate accounts - One account per person

🎯 Asking Good Questions

• Use descriptive, specific titles
• Provide context (location, climate zone, growing conditions)
• Include photos when relevant
• Mention what you've already tried
• Tag your question appropriately
• Follow up with results to help future readers

💬 Providing Good Answers

• Read the question carefully before answering
• Provide clear, actionable advice
• Share your experience and expertise
• Link to reliable sources when appropriate
• Be patient with beginners
• Update answers if new information emerges

⚖️ Moderation & Consequences

Our moderators work to keep GardenForum safe and helpful. Violations may result in:

• First offense: Warning
• Repeated violations: Temporary suspension
• Severe or continued violations: Permanent ban