This is an Island on the Internet
Each post that you read here was created by someone who committed time and resources to join us. As a result, this forum has turned into something very special.
Please help us keep it that way.
Please treat this discussion forum with the same respect you would a public park. We, too, are a shared community resource — a place to share skills, knowledge and interests through ongoing conversation.
These are not hard and fast rules, just aids to the human judgment of our community. Use these guidelines to keep this a clean, well-lighted place for civilized discourse.
Improve the Discussion
Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. We have small ways of saying thank you - each day, we each have just a few “likes” (the heart under a post) to give away. If someone likes your post, that’s a small way they can tell you.
We also have big ways of saying thank you: each day, we each have just a few hours in our life. If someone takes the time to reply to something you post, it’s an act of generosity and giving of their scarcest resource, and it means they appreciate you being here.
Be careful not to state opinions as facts. For example, imagine that we posted we were moving Glowforge world headquarters to Antarctica. “I think they said they’re moving to Alaska” is an OK (if incorrect) post, assuming that’s what you thought you heard. “Glowforge said they’re moving to Antarctica, but I don’t believe it”, is also OK. However, “Glowforge is moving to Arkansas” is a post that will need to be flagged and edited, since it states something as a fact which is either a mistake, or speculation disguised as fact.
Be Agreeable, Even When You Disagree
You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But, remember to criticize ideas, not people. Please avoid:
- Name-calling.
- Ad hominem attacks.
- Responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content.
- Knee-jerk contradiction.
Instead, provide reasoned thoughts and explanations that improve the conversation.
Also, this is, for some of us, our place of work. Please use the same level of decorum that you would at a workplace. For others, it’s a place we visit with our children. Please use the same language and care that you would if young ones are present. We’ve found that when we do that, what’s left is far more respectful and helpful.
This has become a place where many members have made friends and shared interests. Off-topic posts that share topics of mutual interest are welcome. The participants here are very good at finding important questions and answering them, even if other members have made some jokes or tangential observations in the interim.
Your Participation Counts
The team behind Glowforge loves to read the forums for knowledge and ideas. Sharing your personal stories and experiences, projects and goals, is invaluable, and we re-share those all around our company. Your opinion will make a difference in the way we continue to develop our product, and we will read your opinion.
If you have questions, please post those as new topics in Problems and Support. Replies can get overlooked, but new topics with unanswered questions will be addressed by knowledgeable forum regulars (please thank them!) and, eventually, a staff member.
This software is provided by a separate company, Discourse, that we pay to provide us with this forum. Discourse offers tools that enable the community to collectively identify the best (and worst) contributions: favorites, bookmarks, likes, flags, replies, edits, and so forth. Use these tools to improve your own experience, and everyone else’s, too. Bear in mind that Glowforge staff can view all communications on the site. And please create only one account for yourself, since the software features work best when each person is represented once on the site.
If You See a Problem, Flag It
When you see bad behavior, don’t reply. It encourages the bad behavior by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. Just flag it. If enough flags accrue, action will be taken, either automatically or by a stafff member.
In order to maintain our community, moderators reserve the right to remove any content and any user account for any reason at any time. Moderators do not preview new posts in any way; the moderators and site operators take no responsibility for any content posted by the community.
Sharing Your Stuff (and only your stuff)
Don’t post information about other people - even if it’s public. Each person here has a right to decide what information about themselves goes on the forum here.
You may not post pictures of creative works unless you have the right to do so, for example a print that you created that does not infringe someone else’s intellectual property. You may not post digital designs that belong to someone else without their permission. If you want to share something you find online, by all means link to it - but don’t download and post it, since it deprives readers of context and the owner loses control. Of course, don’t post descriptions of, links to, or methods for stealing someone’s intellectual property (software, video, audio, images), or for breaking any other law.
If someone shares a print that they’ve made, please respect their sharing and do not ask for the source design or artwork. Designs take work and have value, and when you ask someone to give you that value for free, you undermine their work.
If you decide that you want to gift your designs to the world, you can post them in the Free Laser Designs section of the forum. If you post designs anywhere in the forum, other users can use them in accordance with these details: https://community.glowforge.com/t/about-the-free-laser-designs-category/.
This is an act of great generosity! Thank you, and please express your gratitude to the people who choose to do this.
Safety First - Stay with the Manual
Your Glowforge is a powerful tool that could cause serious damage. We advise you to follow the instructions in the manual and the Glowforge app to ensure you use it safely. If you have questions about safe use, post in Problems and Support and you will get an answer from a staff member.
If you would like information on operation beyond what is covered by the manual, you may discuss it in the “Beyond the Manual” section, and only in that section. Note that that section of the forum may contain information that is incorrect and may violate your warranty, damage your Glowforge, and cause injury or death. That is the only place for discussion of topics like:
- Manual settings for materials
- Modifying your Glowforge unit
- Third party add-ons
Terms of Service
Yes, legalese is boring, but this protects us – and by extension, you and your data – against unfriendly folks. We have a Terms of Service describing your (and our) behavior and rights related to content, privacy, and laws. To use this service, you must agree to abide by those terms. Should there be any conflict between this document or any other post on the site and the Terms of Service, the Terms of Service prevail.
Thank you
We love the product we’ve created, but we love the community that has blossomed around it even more. Thank you for the time you’ve spent to learn and share. We hope you love your Glowforge.