Member Guide and FAQs

Welcome!

This user guide is designed to help you make the most out of your MineralRightsForum experience. Here you will find information that will help you utilize all that we have to offer.

Be sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of this page for. 

Privacy Policy

Before you participate on MineralRightsForum, be sure to read through the Privacy Policy. By default, your profile information can be viewed by anyone on MineralRightsForum. To adjust this and other privacy settings, go here.  Understand that any and everything posted to this site is subject to editing and or removal by the site administrators.

 

User Profile

This page is where you tell others about yourself. The profile page is important because it helps us maintain our high standards of quality. It enables us to separate valuable members from spammers.  Unless you go to My Profile, My Privacy Settings and edit your privacy settings, MineralRightsForum.com allows search engines such as Google to index its contents.  This means that any information submitted to your User Profile is subject to public view.

Also, adding simple information such as a profile picture helps contribute to the welcoming, relaxed community atmosphere here at MineralRightsForum and encourages more participation and discussion between users. We encourage you to add your photo.

 

Discussion Forums

The Forums are the place where members go to conduct discussions on questions or topics relating to Mineral Rights.

 

COMMERCIAL SOLICITATION IS IS SPECIFICALLY BANNED.  IF FOUND, THIS TYPE CONTENT AND IT'S AUTHORS WILL BE BANNED FROM THIS SITE.  CONTACT US IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADVERTISE YOUR SERVICES. 

 

To subscribe by email to receive the latest forum activity, click here. Below, you may review some general suggestions designed to maximize positive feedback to any forum post you make:

 

• Please make sure all posts are placed in the appropriate category. Review post categories prior to posting.  Most questions that are location specific SHOULD contain the county name and state name in the title, in order to attract a meaningful answer.
• Proofread your post to make sure it is clearly understandable. It is also recommended that you do not type messages in all capital letters, as this is considered shouting in the internet community.
• Avoid “double posting” wherever possible. It is not against the rules, however it is frowned upon. A double post is where you make more than one post without another user commenting in between. It is acceptable to respond to more than one person in a single post. The customary means of doing this is to create a new paragraph, and then begin it by addressing the member according to their username (Example: “John,….”) .  After you make your initial post, you have fifteen minutes to review the discussion and edit your post.
• If you are the creator of the discussion, clearly state your intentions for the discussion in your initial post. It is a good idea to make sure your Discussion Title is as self-explanatory as possible, as this will help draw the appropriate response from forum viewers. Discussion titles are subject to editing if MineralRightsForum staff believes they can be improved; however our staff is limited, and as such unable to supervise every thread originated here.
• Any post dedicated to the advertisement or promotion of other companies or products will be subject to deletion. If you have a positive experience with some product or company and you would like to share that, avoid making your post sound like an advertisement of some product, as this can provoke disciplinary responses from forum moderators. Use of any copyrighted material within posts or blogs is strictly prohibited. Violators of this rule will be subject to prosecution and subject material will be removed from the site.
• Any member who makes a post deemed to be offensive will be subject to disciplinary action. As a general rule, racial slurs, profanity, explicit content, spam, or any form of “flaming” which is designed to provoke other members is unacceptable. If you have an issue concerning our services, policies, or staff, please use a personal contact method such as a private message or email to a staff member. All moderators, administrators, and support staff are highlighted in the active members list. We take serious complaints to heart and will do our best to address them.
• Any post that does meet the MineralRightsForum’s standards of quality will be subject to revision or deletion.  Examples:  get rich quick schemes, "sure thing" drilling deals, etc.

 

Blog Section

The word “blog” is a shortened form of the phrase “web log”. The Blog area of the site is where members may provide quality insight into Mineral Rights-related topics that will assist other site members. If you have a unique experience, which you believe will aid and inform our members, or if you have expertise in a Mineral Rights-related field, this is where you share complete thoughts on those topics. Blogs will by definition be subject to a higher level of scrutiny from our moderators.

Any blog submission is subject to administrative review. MineralRightsForum staff may, from time to time, ask you to revise and resubmit your blog. Generally this means we value your submission but think it needs revision for grammar errors. If you do not respond to our request for revision, MineralRightsForum staff reserves the right to resubmit your blog, with revisions, with proper credit to you.

 

Video Collection

Here you can view videos that others have added and add your own. MineralRightsForum.com allows you to paste YouTube videos as well as your videos from your own computer into our Video Collection. All the videos can be linked to or embedded into your personal blogs or other sites. You can also view the latest videos posted by other members (and yourself) on the home page.

 

Educational Articles

This section of the site is where you will find informational articles on a variety of Mineral Rights-related topics at another quality website, MineralWeb.com. You will find information on leasing, interpreting division orders, understanding royalty statements, royalty tax, and more under this section.

 

Member Section

The member section is where you discover more about other MineralRightsForum users. Highlighting the “Members” section of the navigation bar at the top of your screen will give you nifty options to filter members according to their status, location, or occupation.

 

Private Messages

If you wish to contact a member privately, you can do so by utilizing the Private Message (PM function). This is the best way to convey information such as telephone number and address to another member securely. You can send a PM multiple ways. If you are viewing a discussion, you can send a message by clicking on the “Send Message” option just below the poster’s username. Another method of sending a private message is from the user’s profile page. Select “Send Message” from the left side of the screen just below the member’s profile picture.

To view any messages in your inbox, simply click the “Inbox” link on the right side of the screen just below the MineralRightsForum banner. If you have any new messages or alerts, any page you visit on MineralRightsForum which has the “Inbox” icon will say something similar to “Inbox (1 New)” or Alerts “(1 New)”.

 

Groups

Groups are yet another tool provided by MineralRightsForum. Groups allow you to network with landowners specific to your area. We utilize both County Groups and Shale Groups.  This helps filter unwanted responses and makes it more likely that your post will receive the type of response you are looking for. If you can’t find a group that fits you, locate a handful of other interested members and create one.

 

About Us

MineralRightsForum was created by mineral rights owners, for mineral rights owners. This site is designed to promote knowledge building by providing a place for owners to network and share their mineral rights knowledge.

Read more about us here.

 

FAQ

F.A.Q. stands for Frequently Asked Questions. The section of the site was created to provide answers to many of the most commonly asked questions about Mineral Rights Forum. The FAQ has information both for the new forum users and the advanced. Learn answers on subjects ranging from how to create a forum post to sending a private message or creating a group here.

 

Suggestions

Here at MineralRightsForum we are committed to maintaining a community with the best user experience possible. As such, we are open to any and all feedback about how to improve our content, layout, or anything else that can make this site better for you.  To give us your suggestion, send a private message to Taylor Dukes.

 

The FAQs is where you will find answers to questions frequently asked about MineralRightsForum.com.

 

Contents

1. Does MineralRightsForum.com protect my privacy?
2. What is the difference between a blog post and a discussion forum post?
3. What is a forum? How does it work?
4. What is networking?
5. What category (topic) do I need to put my post in?
6. Is posting the same message in multiple categories acceptable?
7. Why can’t I see my forum discussion thread?
8. Why does my blog post/forum post have a different title?
9. How do I search MineralRightsForum?
10. How do I submit a blog?
11. How do I submit a forum post?
12. How can I add a photo to my profile?
13. How can I see if new replies to my discussion have been made?
14. How can I view my discussion?
15. Why don’t I see my blog post?
16. How can I contact another member privately?

 

Does MineralRightsForum.com protect my privacy?

MineralRightsForum takes your privacy seriously. We provide multiple privacy settings for our users. To adjust your privacy settings, go here.

We do not sell, share, or exchange personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies. MineralRightsForum does allow Google to index its contents, however. To learn more, read our Privacy Policy.

 

What is the difference between a blog post and a discussion forum post?

The forums section is where you post and receive answers to your questions and/or discuss mineral rights-related topics. The blog section is where users (generally experienced professionals) can provide insight into mineral rights-related topics based on their own personal and informed experience. Forums are for asking questions and receiving answers. Blogs are for qualified, informed analysis and opinion writing.

 

What is a forum? How does it work?

A forum is a place where people communicate online by creating posts for discussion. Forums work by organizing conversations according to topics. USERS SHOULD POST A FORUM DISCUSSION WITHIN ONLY ONE CATEGORY.  Posts made to multiple categories will be subject to deletion.  Within a particular forum, there are multiple discussions, arranged according to date of most recent reply. Each discussion is called a “thread.” When you comment on a thread, you are making what is called a “post.”

When someone sees a discussion thread they find interesting, they may post in it. Then, typically other users will visit and post also. This creates an online conversation.

 

What is networking?

Networking means connecting with other people online. MineralRightsForum is a network for mineral owners.

 

What category (topic) do I need to put my post in?

MineralRightsForum currently provides four broad categories/topics to place your post in. These are:

 

• General Mineral Rights Discussion
• Natural Gas Shale Plays
• Oil and Gas Leasing Help Group
• Landman Discussion Group

If you are unsure of where to post your discussion, always place it in “General Mineral Rights Discussion”.

Is posting the same message in multiple categories acceptable?

No. MineralRightsForum staff views this as spam, and will delete the duplicate. Repeat offenses may result in total removal of the content and the user.

Posting in more than one category lowers discussion quality, and may cause other, quality threads to lose their place on the main forum page.

 

Why can’t I see my forum discussion thread?

There are multiple reasons why you may not see your thread. It may be pushed beyond the first page of posts by more recent posts.

It may also be re-titled. MineralRightsForum staff works to ensure the highest quality of discussion and response of these forums, so we regularly re-title discussions.

The third option is that the discussion thread has been deleted. MineralRightsForum may remove discussions which have off topic or inappropriate remarks.

 

Why does my blog post/forum post have a different title?

MineralRightsForum may edit post titles from time to time to improve their quality.

 

How do I search MineralRightsForum?

At the top of your screen is a blue bar. In the right corner is a white text box that you can use to search with.

 

How do I submit a blog?

To submit a blog, highlight the “Blog” section of the navigation toolbar. Then mouse down to “Submit a Blog” and click. Enter a descriptive title and the text of your blog, and then submit. Your blog post will be submitted to MineralRightsForum.com staff for approval.

 

How do I submit a forum post?

To submit a post in the discussion forum, highlight the forum section in the navigation bar, and select “Add a Discussion” from the dropdown menu. Then, add an explanatory title. The more descriptive the title, the more likely you are to get responses to your discussions. Then select the appropriate category for the post, and enter your discussion and click submit.

 

How can I add a photo to my profile?

To add a profile photo, mouse over “My Page” in the Navigation Toolbar just below the forum banner. Click on “Change Profile Picture” from the dropdown menu. You will then see a screen which enables you to add a picture. Simply click “browse” and choose a picture from your computer.

 

How can I see if new replies to my discussion have been made?

You’ll need to view your discussion. To learn how to view your discussions, see the question below.

 

How can I view my discussion?

To view a discussion you have started, click on the forum section of the navigation toolbar. It will take you to a page displaying the “My Discussions” link just below the navigation bar. Click on this to view all discussions you have created.

 

Why don’t I see my blog post?

Blog posts do not automatically appear. This is due to the high volume of posts that are accidentally submitted as blogs instead of forum posts or comments. Please allow a few days for blog posts to be approved or rejected. MineralRightsForum staff will notify you if your blog post needs revision.

 

How can I contact another member privately?

You can contact another member privately using the private message (PM) function. The “send message” button appears just below the username in any forum discussion. You can also send another user a message by visiting their profile page and clicking the “Send message” button on the left side of the page just below their profile picture.

 

Glossary of Forum Terms and Jargon

This glossary is a guide to language of the internet. You'll find everything you need to know about terms used on this site.

Administrator (Admin) – Manager of the technical aspects of a forum. Administrators can make forum-wide announcements, change the appearance of the forums, and manage the rules of the forums. At MineralRightsForum, Administrators also serve as Moderators.

Ban – A method of enforcing MineralRightsForum rules whereby a user is blocked from participating on the site. Violators of the rules may be, at MineralRightsForum’s discretion, subject to bans.

Board (Topic) – A division of the forums that sorts discussions according to topics. MineralRightsForum.com has four boards:

• General Discussion
• Natural Gas Shale Plays
• Leasing Help Group
• Landman Discussion Group

Bump – When someone comments on a forum discussion for the sole purpose of bringing the thread back to the top of the front page, in order to get more responses.

CAPTCHA – A test used to tell computers and humans apart by distorting the appearance of letters. MineralRightsForum uses a captcha during the registration process to separate spambots and other malicious computer programs from humans.

Disemvoweling – Removing the vowels from a word or phrase. Example:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Th qck brwn fx jmps vr th lz dg
This is considered a form of spam at MineralRightsForum as it makes it difficult for users to read the post. Disemvoweling will result in removal of offending content and, often, banning of said user.

Double Post – When a user makes two back-to-back posts in the same discussion thread, or when a user posts the same message twice. Double posting (multiple posting) is frowned upon at MineralRightsForum. However, MineralRightsForum allows double posts that have different content, since there is only a 15 minute window to edit your initial post. Multiple posts with the same content are subject deletion.

Emoticon – A method of improving interpretation of plain text. Emoticons (Emotion + Icon) are a way of conveying facial expressions. Emoticons may appear in forum posts.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions.

Flood – Posting duplicate content repeatedly. Flooding is a form of spam.

Forum – A forum is a place for online discussion.

HTML – The language used in MineralRightsForum’s code to present information. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.

Moderator (Mod) – Manager of the day-to-day affairs of the forum. Moderators may delete, re-title, or add keywords forum discussions, ban or suspend members, approve or deny blog submissions, and respond to users’ concerns, complaints, and questions about the forum. At MineralRightsForum, Moderator duties go to the Administrators.

PM – See Private Message

Poll – A poll is an inquiry into public opinion.

Post – A general term for user-submitted blog or forum messages. Posts on the forum are contained in threads (discussions), where they appear in boxes, one after another. Posts that follow the thread are meant to continue the discussion about that post, or respond to other replies.

Private Message – A message sent to another member which can only be viewed by the message creator and recipient.

Profile Picture – The picture that appears next your name in a discussion forum or blog post. This is sometimes called an “Avatar.”

Spam – When a user submits posts that are advertisements, unwanted, abusive, or duplicates. Spam can come from users or automatically in the form of spambots. MineralRightsForum protects you from spambots by employing a CAPTCHA during the registration process.

Thread – A collection of posts, displayed from oldest to latest. “Thread” and “discussion” are used interchangeably.

Word Censor – A mechanism MineralRightsForum uses to keep the website clear of inappropriate content. The Word Censor filters profane content on the forums. Bypassing the word censor by using spaces in between letters, etc. will result in a ban.