Dinosaur David B 19 June 2008

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this site all about and who runs it? Dinosaur Rock Guitar is a place for old-school hard rock and heavy metal guitarists. We refer to ourselves as Dinosaurs, and this site is our community watering hole. Who we are is here: About Us. Top

Who are the forum members? Our forum members are mostly rock/heavy metal guitarists, predominantly male, and mostly between the ages of 35-55. Our time didn't begin with Nirvana, it ended with them. Top

Do I have to be a guitarist or a musician to enjoy this place? No, you don't. We are mostly players here, but if you're into this kind of music and do not play, you will still find news, CD reviews, concert reviews and some discussion topics of interest. This IS a guitar site, but we're fans too, and a good chunk of our topics are fan-related material. Top

Is there a code of conduct on the website? Yes. This is a moderated site and forum. We run a friendly site here, and we're serious about keeping it that way. I don't care if you swear — I certainly swear all the time, but for some reason, people say inflammatory things in web forums that they wouldn't say (or get away with) to friends and casual acquaintances in a friendly social gathering. Sorry, not here.

The Forum is also not a place for discussion of politics, religion, or other "hot button" issues. Hot button issues are determined solely by me and my site moderators. Top

What kind of behavior will get me banned?

In general:

Abrasive, antagonistic, or inciteful behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, personal attacks on other members, flaming, and shit-stirring to incite other members.
Being an asshole. Defined by me or my moderators as contributing nothing of value to the forum, and yet, causing problems. Contribute in a positive way to the forum, or take a hike. We don't need assholes here.
The Jack Ass rule. Similar to the above. Sometimes a member doesn't really break any rules or even intend to cause trouble, but their personality just rubs the other members the wrong way (intentionally or not). There's an old adage, If one person tells you you're an ass, ignore them. If 10 people tell you you're an ass, it's time to buy a saddle. In that spirit, if at any time the complaints from many members reach a crescendo about one particular member, that member may be asked to leave DRG.
Discrimination. The basics of every professional environment apply here: we do not discriminate against or tolerate derogatory comments based on race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation etc. Try that shit at your job and you'll probably get fired, and it's not acceptable here either. Beyond that, as I have friends in all of those categories, I find such comments offensive, personally.

When you are in the Dinosaur Rock Guitar Forum, pretend that you are a guest in my house, among my friends (the other forum members) who are also my guests. As the host, I'm not gonna let you insult, or piss off my guests, and ruin my party. If you go up to someone at a party and insult their woman, you're probably gonna get a negative reaction or a punch in the mouth. Similarly, no one likes to be made to feel that something they value — be it a band/player they like, or a piece of gear that they use — has no value.

I certainly don't expect everyone to agree on everything, but keep the tone civil.

Most of our forum members have learned they can disagree without making a negative value judgment (i.e. "I don't care for your gear/favorite player," rather than "your gear/favorite player sucks"). When that fails, go back to the old adage: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Expressing an opinion on every subject is not required. As Dinos, we have a lot more in common than differences, so please try to respect each other!

You get one warning

If you're breaking these rules or just being an asshole, I'll ask you to stop. If you don't stop, I'll show you the door. This isn't a democracy. My house, my rules. I don't enjoy banning people from the forum, but I have a short fuse. You get ONE warning. If you back off, great. If you come back, guns blazing at me or someone else, your gone. Top

What is the WolfKingAxe Rule? The WolfKingAxe rule refers to a former forum member who couldn't engage those he disagreed with without using insults and name calling. He was warned. But I mistakenly let him stick around far too long because he cleaned up his act just enough so that he wasn't technically breaking the rules. But he frequently, and purposely broke them indirectly before he eventually went out in a blaze of glory. The forum suffered from my inaction, and I learned my lesson. So beware of the WolfKingAxe Rule, which states:

Once you've been warned about bad behavior, subsequent indirect or subtle violations — in an attempt to skirt the rules — will be considered as actionable as blantant, overt attacks. You will be banned. The point is don't violate the spirit of the rules either. Top

If I am new to the website, is there anything else I should know before I post in the Forum? Yes. We are only interested in people who are here to contribute to discussion in a positive way. If your first posts are spam, or if you're only here to promote your project, your posts will be deleted and you will be booted off the site. Once you've been here a while contributing in good faith, the community will be far more receptive to hearing about your personal projects.

It's not required, but it is often a good idea to browse the forum and the main site before posting. Read some old threads; see what we're about. When you're ready to jump in, a good place to start is the Introduction Area. Introduce yourself to the forum. Tell us who you are and how you found the place. If you are young, it is a good idea to post your age in your profile, so us old farts understand that your posts are coming from a younger member. Top

Can I post gear for sale in the forum? Yes you can, but you'll do much better selling on eBay. In over 10 years of DRG, very little gear has been sold here. If you must try, post it in "Dino's Bar and Grill." ALL I ASK regarding this is the following: Sell in good faith. Be honest and fair to your Dino brothers when you sell stuff HERE. If you're simply trying to unload something something that malfunctions or that you feel is a horrid piece of crap, either be honest about it, or do that kind of sale elsewhere. The following should be obvious, but I'll state it anyway: "BUYER BEWARE" STILL APPLIES. I WILL NOT MEDIATE SALE TRANSACTIONS OR BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ISSUES THAT ARISE DUE TO THEM. Top

How can I contribute to the site? Dinosaur Rock Guitar is meant to be an interactive site. Obviously, the forum is the where and how most people contribute. But if you have other ideas for articles or content of lasting value; if you want to write an article; if you personally know some player we might want to interview, by all means, let us know. We're open to ideas. Several forum members have become regular contributors. Top

Is so-and-so a Dinosaur? If I could get a buck everytime this gets asked, we'd be funded indefinitely. My general guidelines are here. Top

Will you be doing an Alchemy profile on so-and-so? We are no longer doing Alchemy Profiles. There will be member-written Honorable Mention profles and other kinds of new site content. Top

Dave, what the hell is a 4 point layover? Some people refer to these licks as "ascending or descending in 4s." I was taught that these things were called layovers, but other than the guy who taught me, I'm the only one I know who calls them that. Also popular are 2 and 3 point layovers. 3s are the most common. Top