ADISC Primer for New Members

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ADISC

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This guide gives a comprehensive overview of ADISC. It is designed to give new members a summary of everything they need to know about the site and its culture.




Part I: Intro to ADISC and Signing Up​




The ADISC Culture


What's so special about ADISC anyway? How is it different than any other AB/DL site?

ADISC fills a very different niche than other AB/DL sites. Our model is that of a support community rather than that of a place for sexually-explicit material, or dating.

We're a site that offers adults a place to discuss AB/DL-related issues in a mature way. We discuss everything surrounding life in the AB/DL world in a PG-13 way that encourages high-quality discussions which everyone can enjoy.


What are the rules?

The site is moderated with regards to the rules available here. We're not the strictest of forums by any stretch, but we do have somewhat higher standards for discussion than most of the internet. We do ask every member to read the rules. Some of them are obvious, some aren't, but they are all important. We would not make them rules otherwise.



ADISC is not a dating site!


But... why?

By keeping ADISC free of personal ads, we maintain our culture of being a place for thoughtful, mature discussion and the forming of genuine friendships.


So if I'm looking for a relationship, I shouldn't join?

If that's all you're really interested in, then we're probably just not going to be a good fit for you. There are other sites that will much better fill that niche for you.

If, however, you can put aside your search for a relationship, we'd be perfectly happy to have you as a member participating in our discussions – we just ask that you save your soul-mate searching for other corners of the internet.


Do ADISC members ever meet each other in real life?

Certainly – just not via public requests for dating or one-on-one meets.

There have been occasional, large group meets arranged by and reserved for established members. These amount to casual group get-togethers among friends. They are strictly 18+ and are non-sexual in nature.

Established members have been known to meet up with other members who they've privately communicated with – but in public places without the intent of a sexual encounter. We're a site where one expects to make friends rather than to date. There is a general air of maturity and modesty around ADISC which tends to attract reasonable people, and reasonable people tend to be careful and cautious about meeting people they only know over the internet.



Signing Up, Choosing a Username, and Choosing an Avatar



I'm a bit nervous about signing up...

For a lot of members, joining an AB/DL site is a major step. Many people are understandably anxious about leaving any AB/DL footprint on the internet whatsoever, ADISC membership included. Just signing up is often both a leap of faith and an act of self-acceptance combined.

Luckily, signing up is easy and you are free to keep your life as private as you feel necessary. We only require two pieces of private information – your real date of birth and a valid email address, both of which are necessary to maintain your account, and kept absolutely private.


Is it such a big deal that I give my real date of birth?

Yes.

This is an absolute requirement, and we ban people (a lot of people!) for lying about their date of birth. Having accurate DOBs is essential, as it helps us prevent people from pretending to be someone they're not. Preventing this is key to keeping ADISC a safe and supportive environment. It also encourages a culture of honesty which is beneficial for all.

Yes, DOBs are personal information. We respect that, and we treat them as such.


About that email...

Basically, all forums need an email address for account activation (which is primarily an anti-spammer countermeasure).

It should be noted that Yahoo email addresses sometimes do not work because Yahoo often blocks legitimate email. Disposable email addresses also won't work, because we need to know an address we can contact you at, and disposable email providers don't provide this.

Occasionally, we may send an ADISC newsletter to your email account. You can choose whether or not to get this by editing your account settings. Similarly, most other kinds of emails (with some exceptions such as "forgot password" emails) can be turned on/off in your account settings.


Any advice on choosing a username?

Your username is the single most visible representation of your identity, so it's important to choose wisely. Only you can come up with a username that fits you. Many members choose to name themselves after characters they especially admire, or attributes about themselves. Others like to pick silly names.

There are a few things, however, that you really ought to avoid when choosing a username:

-Do NOT choose your real name or a username that you use in other parts of your life. Basically, you want to keep this part of your life private, and if someone has any reason to Google your username, they'll get results which will include ADISC. We're a popular forum, and we end up high on search engine results.

-AVOID using AB/DL words like "diaper", "baby", "toddler", "mommy", or "daddy" in your username. This is generally frowned upon on ADISC. We already know that you have an AB/DL interest simply because you're here, and we'd like to think that you'd want to be a unique part of our community. It comes across as creepy when you're so focused on your AB/DL interest that you choose a generic AB/DL username rather than something more interesting.


Can I change my username?

Yes.

If you want to change your username after you sign up, go to your profile settings and look under "Username Change - optional."


How do I choose an avatar?

After you've signed up, you can, as with most internet forums, choose an image to be your avatar which appears under your username in posts.

To choose an avatar, go to edit avatar in your profile settings. From here, you can either choose an image on the internet or uploaded from your computer to be your avatar.

Your avatar cannot be larger than 150 X 150 pixels or 39KB. We do not allow animated avatars.

Use common sense and follow the rules when choosing an avatar. Pictures of yourself are a privacy risk and we recommend against using them. We also have an explicit rule against "crotch-shots" of diapers, which are images showing just one's diaper.



Posting an Introduction


Why should I post an introduction?

We at ADISC care deeply about being a community of reasonable people who can talk about about AB/DLism in a mature fashion, rather than a mob of horny people using the internet to just to gain quick gratification in whatever way possible. When someone is willing to give us an introduction that tells us a little about them other than how much they love diapers, that's a pretty good sign that you're here for reasons that the community won't frown upon.

An introduction also offers members something to reference when you post something interesting to them and they'd like to know from what background whatever nugget of awesome you just posted is coming. People can and do look back on your introduction thread.

Finally, an introduction thread gives you a chance to be welcomed. We're a support site. We're friendly people. Wouldn't you like to be welcomed by friendly people? Generally, the better the introduction you post, the warmer the welcoming you'll receive.


Well, I'm nervous/I'm bad at introductions/I never know what to say for these things...

You're in luck: we've made it really easy. We have a cheat sheet which explains exactly how to write a great introduction.

Generally speaking, while we do want to know what diaper interest brings you here, we're a lot more interested in everything else non-diaper-related about you. We already know that you like diapers; that's why you're here. We want to know instead what makes you a unique individual within our community.




Part II: Navigating ADISC​




Boards / Forums


ADISC has boards covering a variety of topics, a few of which have further sub-forums:

-News – This board is simply where our admin, Moo, posts site-wide announcements. Regular users cannot post to this board; if any announcements warrant discussion, the announcement will include a link to a corresponding discussion thread.

-Greetings / Introductions – This is generally where new users post introduction threads and are greeted by older members. Sometimes, older members who return after a long absence or may simply see fit to make a reintroduction will post a new introduction here.

-Adult Baby – This board is for threads which relate specifically to the adult baby side of AB/DL, and is focused on the lifestyle of an adult AB/DL.

-Diaper Talk – Threads directly related to diapers or being a diaper-lover go in this forum.

-Sub-forum: Incontinence – Not everyone on the site wear diapers for purely for enjoyment of it; some users have to wear diapers because of incontinence. This board hosts discussion for incontinence related matters.

-Babyfur/Diaperfur – This section caters to ADISC's large furry contingent. All furry and babyfur-related threads go in this subforum.

-Sissy/Girls – This board hosts threads related to the sissy and female elements of the AB/DL community.

-Stories in Progress – This section is designed for stories which are currently works in progress. Users often post one or more chapters of a story at a time until the story is complete, and receive feedback as they work.

-Finished Stores – Here, users can post the final versions of their completed stories.

-Mature Topics – Mature topics is a forum for serious, weighty discussion. Things like relationship advice, politics, major news events, or personal issues get posted here.

-Off-Topic – This forum is for anything that doesn't really fit elsewhere. Provided it's still something acceptable to talk about, then any topic at all can be discussed here.

-Sub-forum: Computers and Games – Off-topic threads about computers and games are common enough that they have their own subforum.

-Sub-forum: Fun and Games – Like most forums, ADISC users often engage in low-content forum games. Posts in this subforum do not add to your post count.

-Administrative Stuff – This forum exists for suggestions and discussions about improving ADISC. The constructive role of the community in making changes is part of what makes ADISC special. You must be logged-in to see this forum.

-Requests – This is a special board for making requests of the staff. Members are only able to see threads that they make. The Requests forum is discussed in greater detail in the "Requests Forum" section of this guide. You must be logged-in to see this forum.

-Roleplay – Roleplay is a forum for those who want to undertake roleplaying sessions on the forum, whereby participants act out the role of characters in certain agreed settings. This forum is only accessible to users who have attained "Established Contributor" status or higher.

-Established Contributors' Forum – This forum is only accessible to users who have attained "Established Contributor" status or higher on the forum. Similar to off-topic, this place can also host discussions on issues that other users may not want viewable to Google or new members.

-Distinguished Contributors' Forum – This section is only accessible to users who have attained "Distinguished Contributor" or "Top Contributor" member status on the forum. It is similar to, but more exclusive than the Established Contributors' forum.


Articles


The Articles section contains articles either written directly on a topic or derived from outstanding long posts, which take a detailed look into a topic of interest to the ADISC community. Articles fall under a variety of categories related to AB/DL, as well as topics about ADISC itself.

The Articles System exists as a means for ADISC to codify and highlight the wealth of combined knowledge in the community. It's like an AB/DL library – there are volumes of information here which are more detailed and specific on their topics than what most people individually are aware of or which is necessarily presented in any one forum thread.

Moreover, articles attempt to present this knowledge in a form that is more organized and readable than when the information is scattered throughout a forum threads. Whereas most forum posts are either short, or, even when long, somewhat quickly written without formal organization, articles are written with the intent to be a longer, more significant presentation of information.



Blogs


ADISC has an integrated blog system that allows you to create and write to your own blog. A blog is an online journal in which you can write about anything you want, so long as it's within the rules of the site. It is your own personal space.

Since ADISC is primarily a support site, a blog is a good way to get something off your chest or to have a rant where other members can comment and offer you their opinions and advice to help you out.



Albums


ADISC allows members to upload pictures and attach them to their profiles. These pictures must follow the same rules as the rest of the site.

In addition, there are special rules which apply to pictures. Check the rules section for more details.



Forum Features


There are a variety of features built into the forum which you can use to better locate content and tweak your experience.


Settings – The user settings section is the hub for all customization to your account. Here is where you control privacy settings, edit your profile, signature, avatar, account password and email. You can also view private messages.


FAQ – The "Frequently Asked Questions'' section is similar to that found on most forums. It is a help-file designed to allow users to browse for solutions to questions and issues to the site software.


New Posts – Clicking on the "New Posts" link will filter out and list the threads that contain new posts made on the forum since your last visit to the website. This allows users to see all new posts in one convenient search rather than check individual forums and threads for new activity.


Search – Search is an extremely powerful tool which quickly allows you to look through years of ADISC content. Search is very intuitive: just type in keywords, authors, or tags that you'd like to search for, and specify either the forums or content types which you'd like to search. Every common topic you could think of has been tackled multiple times over, and simply doing a search can often turn up more results than you'd get if you asked the question in a new thread. Moreover, it's good forum etiquette to search for active threads on your topic before making a new thread about it.


Calendar – The calendar displays upcoming events. Members are able to add new events to the calendar such that one-off dates relevant to the community are listed.


Donate – ADISC is a site of significant size and operating costs – and we do not feel it is consistent with the spirit of our site or goals to allow paid ads of any type in order to meet those costs. We're entirely donation-supported. If you feel that we've done you a worthwhile service, please consider a donation to help us continue. Donations are handled through PayPal, and the minimum donation is $5.



Part III: Bringing Problems to the Staff




Reporting Posts, Threads, and Blogs


What should I do if a post, thread, or blog breaks the rules?

You can report and should report any posts, threads, or blogs which violate the rules of the site. Reporting them will open a thread in the Requests forum (discussed below) which will alert the staff to the problem so that they can take the appropriate moderator action.

To report a post, click the "report post" button underneath the thread. This button is the exclamation point in a yellow triangle icon found below each and every post. After clicking the button, you will be prompted to give a reason for the report. Use this space to explain what rule the post violates.

To report a thread, use the same process as above, reporting the very first post in the thread. When giving the reason for the report, explain why the thread breaks the rules.

To report a blog post, press the report button underneath a blog post. Again, you will be prompted to give a reason for reporting the posting.


I just saw a really awesome post that could make an article. What should I do?

You can report a post to nominate it to become an article. To do this, click the "report post" button, and give the reason for the report as "article nomination". It is recommended that you also explain why you are nominating the post.

An article nomination is a much stronger endorsement than simply giving +rep; it is a statement that the post offers a comprehensive take on a topic relevant to the ADISC community that is so useful and explanatory that it ought to be permanently preserved for the entire community. Very few posts meet this standard, but those that do absolutely deserve your recognition.



Using the Requests Forum


The Requests Forum is a special forum designed to allow members to bring issues forward to the staff. Members can only see the Requests threads which they have opened. The staff are able to see all requests such that they can answer the ones that fall under their areas of responsibility.

How do I make a request?

Once logged in, you should be able to see a forum named "Requests" on our homepage: http://www.adisc.org.
Open it and make a new topic inside it. You will be required to give your request thread one many different "prefixes" with respect to its category.
This helps ensure that your request is routed to the right staff member, and thus, it is looked at as quickly as possible.


What kinds of things should I be making requests threads about?

Anything that needs the staff's attention can be posted here. Some examples:


  • requests for your thread to be moved
  • requests to have certain posts edited or deleted when there is a good justification for doing so
  • requesting account activation
  • asking the staff a direct question
  • reporting posts or threads which break the rules
  • reporting misbehavior in the IRC
  • reporting abusive PMs
  • reporting problems with the site itself
  • reporting pictures in the gallery that break the rules
  • posting an article that you'd like to submit
  • nominating a post for article status
  • requesting account deletion, after following the procedure outlined in the Account Closure Policy


How long does it take for requests to be answered?

Mods will generally answer your requests within a day, depending on how specialized the particular issue is. Common requests, like reported posts, are often handled in hours. Requests which require a very specific staff member, like those that raise technical issues for our only admin (Moo), will take longer because they can only be answered when that particular staff member is logged in and available - and Moo is a very busy guy. Once the request has been answered, the thread will be closed.


What if I'm not satisfied with the answer to my request?

Generally speaking, the staff are largely of the same mindset with respect to the fact that content posted on the site should be within the rules, and aren't likely to come to different conclusions on the same request. There isn't any formalized appeals process, and "Follow moderator instructions," is one of the golden rules of ADISC, so you should consider a fulfilled request as generally being the final decision on an issue.

Occasionally, new information or developments will surface that justify a reversal (e.g. a reported thread that seems like a borderline fake story becomes increasingly fishy and full of holes over time, justifying renewed mod attention). If new information surfaces that requires the decision be reconsidered, feel free to create a new thread, being sure to mention that new information.



Thank you to all the ADISC members who contributed text to the various threads, discussions, and other pages from which this article was drawn, as well as Fruitkitty for rewriting it all together into one comprehensive article.
 
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