I took this from Wikipedia, which surprisingly, is quite accurate as it relates to our forum:

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Community:

a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household. The word can also refer to the national community or international community

The word "community" is derived from the Old French communité which is derived from the Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"), a broad term for fellowship or organized society.
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We are a group that is dispersed thruout the world. Some of us are experts at mechanics and design, some of us are complete novices, most of us are in between. But we all have at least one thing in common: A shared interest in Factory Five and their products.

In coming up with the charter for this site, there were a few key words that drove our thinking. Community, and respect. At TheFactoryFiveForum.com, one cannot exist without the other. We cannot act condescending toward those of us who are less experienced, at the same time, we must respect the fact that there are those here with more experience than ourselves. If the experts don't respect the newbies for their desire to learn something new, they are no better than those who lash out because they feel belittled. It's the same if you are new to the world of mechanics and design; you have to realize that your questions can be quite basic, and every once in a while someone gets tired of basic questions. However, that is not an excuse for not treating each other with MUTUAL respect. We cannnot grow as a community if MUTUAL respect isn't one of the pillars the community is based on. We have to understand that mentorship is not the same thing as patronization, and that as a community, the teachers cannot survive without the students, and vice-versa.

We must INSIST that you treat each other with respect. The 818 forum has been lacking in this since it's inception, and it MUST change. In the interest of promoting community and mutual respect, we will dole out infractions as needed going forward, and if we feel that the community is better served without certain members due to either passive aggressive or condescending attitudes, we will make the hard decisions in the interest of the community and move forward.

Thanks for reading,

TheFactoryFiveForum.com moderators