Hi there, everyone! This is just an announcement about the use and recommendation of the PM function on the forum.
PMs to Moderators
Recently, we've seen people telling new members to "PM the mods" if they have questions about hamster care or about how the forum works. While we appreciate the effort to help newbies learn about the forum, this isn't necessarily the best way to go about things.
Simply put, this is not what the moderators are for. This is what the Hamster Hideout forum is for. 
These things need to be posted in the forum itself, not PM'd to the mods. Think of it this way: The forum serves as an online encyclopedia of searchable information and reference. By posting your question on the forum, it can help others who might have the same problem or question. 
This is something that a private message would lack. Also, posting on the forum will result in faster answers and more opinions and viewpoints.
These things need to be posted in the forum itself, not PM'd to the mods. Think of it this way: The forum serves as an online encyclopedia of searchable information and reference. By posting your question on the forum, it can help others who might have the same problem or question. This is something that a private message would lack. Also, posting on the forum will result in faster answers and more opinions and viewpoints. The other side of this coin is that...well, mods are real people, believe it or not. 
As much as we like helping out, we don't have the time to be personal guides / helpers to every single member. We have real lives, we have moderator duties, and we also want to be able to participate on the forum as members! And that's really hard to do when we're getting absolutely flooded with PMs about things that should be asked about on the forum.
As much as we like helping out, we don't have the time to be personal guides / helpers to every single member. We have real lives, we have moderator duties, and we also want to be able to participate on the forum as members! And that's really hard to do when we're getting absolutely flooded with PMs about things that should be asked about on the forum.That's not to say that you can never PM moderators. If you have a concern about something that's going on on the forum or have a question about a particular rule, please feel free to ask!
As a side note, we do encourage reporting over PMing (especially simple things like requests to lock/move/edit threads). The reason is that with a PM, only 1 mod is aware of the request. If that mod cannot log on that day, the request will not be fulfilled. If you report something, all mods will be made aware of it, and it will be dealt with a lot faster.
PMs just to chit-chat are left at the discretion of the individual moderator. Please do not feel badly if you receive a short reply back or if your message is put on hold for a couple of days. Don't take it personally and understand that mod duties and real life take top priority over fun chatting.
PMs to Members
On a very similar note, we've seen a lot of comments in the Ham-Ha forum by members saying things like "PM me if you have any questions." We understand and realize that this is being done in an effort to be helpful and welcoming, and we very much appreciate that. 
However, this is kind of becoming a problem.
However, this is kind of becoming a problem. First of all, it negates the point of the forum. If everyone is just PMing questions around, what's the point of even having a forum? Using PMs for hamster care issues instead of posting on the forum has an overall negative effect on the community, because it does not foster open discussion.
Second, it's an issue of keeping information in check. The great thing about this forum is that we're all watching out for each other, and making sure that the best information is given at all times. 
This is only possible when multiple members offer their opinions and viewpoints. This can't be done via PM.
This is only possible when multiple members offer their opinions and viewpoints. This can't be done via PM. Finally, the best way for newbies to get used to the forum and make friends is to actually post! PMing does not help them get a feel of the community and become part of it.
We're not saying that members can never PM each other, so please do not think that. We would just like to encourage new members to become part of the community, instead of just PMing back and forth with a few people. Please do not tell new members to PM you with questions--instead, encourage them to post on the forums so that we can all contribute!
:veryhappy:YES! Whats the whole point if you PM the mods for hamster care, isn't that what the hideout is here for?
