Community FAQ

This page provides answers to frequent questions about the Community section. This is a new martial arts social network where members can submit questions, discuss techniques & katas, post videos and much more. We hope this community will help martial artists and martial arts enthusiasts to share ideas, learn different techniques and make new friends.

How do I join and create a community account?

In order to join the community, you need to click on the "Join" or "Create Account" buttons.

You can easily log-in via your existing Facebook account. This is the most painless option as you skip the initial verification email.

If you do not have a Facebook account or don't want to use your Facebook account, you can also create a separate "community" account. You will receive a verification email address (to prove that you actually requested membership versus a some spammer). Please click on the verification link in the email in order to get started. If you do not see the verification email, please check your junk/spam folder.

Can I log in to the community with my existing wiki account information?

No. You need to join by creating a separate account or logging in with your existing Facebook account. This community does not use the main wiki login system as we want this section to be more accessible to all martial arts enthusiasts. In contrast (to the community), the wiki membership process will remain more selective as we are looking for people who can add and improve the knowledge base on the wiki.

What are the main rules for this community?

Be civil, respect other martial arts styles and no spam! Basically, treat others how you would like to be treated. You can disagree with a statement but do not attack the intelligence of the poster, etc. Violators will be banned. FYI - Angry, belligerent posts are a quick way to get yourself banned.

We want to maintain a martial arts community where people can learn from each other in a fun & good-natured environment. Actions that harm a member's ability to ask questions and/or disrupt the open & friendly community atmosphere will not be tolerated.

and its community section are focused on traditional martial arts training. Any advocacy for firearms, illegal weapons, violent behavior, etc. is not permitted.

Please also don't copy material from other websites. Internet etiquette allows you to copy one or two sentences to illustrate a point but you must also add a link to the website where you found the material. Copying several paragraphs is seen as copy infringement.

Posting Delays - Why isn't my post up yet?

If you post a new topic, it needs to be approved by a moderator. Therefore, there can be delays before it is posted "live" on the community. Generally, we approve things pretty quickly. However, things can be delayed in the middle of the day (as we have day jobs) or at night (when we are asleep). The approval process is to prevent someone spamming the community.

Why wasn't my post published?

All posts must be approved by the wiki administrators and its moderators. There are two possibilities - either it has not been reviewed yet (and will be published once it is reviewed) or the administrators/moderators did not feel it was appropriate for the community.

On your personal blog or website, you can post whatever you like. On our wiki and community, we decide what can or can not be posted. In addition, "marketing" posts (i.e. promoting your new self-defense class or a link to your blog) are not likely to be approved. See below for more details.

What name can I use for my community profile?

You can use your own name, nickname or a pseudonym (i.e. Karate Joe). However, please do not use anything that includes , wiki community, etc. Having a misleading profile name will get new members banned.

How do I change the frequency of the email notifications?

If you add a new post (an original "lead" message - not a reply to a message), you will get email notifications when someone replies to your message. This is to inform that there is a reply to your message and give you the opportunity to respond if you desire.

You can change your email notifications (i.e. frequency) in the "Setting" section of your account (top right button on site).

How do I receive community "points" and become one of the top community posters?

If you look at your member profile, you will see a "points" section. This shows your community "score". It is based on the number of original posts (not your comments/replies to an original post), the number of comments/replies that your post receives and the number of likes/dislikes that your posts & comments receive. We will use this score as part of our contributors reward system (i.e. a chance to win kicking paddles, martial arts books, etc.). It will help with the "quantity" factor for judging a top community contributor. Of course, well written and informative posts will count towards the more subjective "quality" factor. For more information, please visit the Rewards for Best Wiki Contributors section.

Why can I vote an article up or down?

This allows members to promote a great article or video. The best articles & videos are thus voted by the community onto the "Top Rated" section. Inaccurate and/or low quality articles & videos should be voted down. This will help us to identify and eliminate inappropriate messages or spam.

How do I get people to read my posts?

First, you should add a detailed and informative headline/title to your post. For example, "How do you do a spinning hook kick?" is much better than "kick question". Then you should put detailed information in the post so readers will understand your question or subject matter. A post with little text or information is unlikely to be commented on or voted higher by readers. If you can, please try to add "martial arts" or your style (i.e. Karate) in the title so martial artists on the internet can find it (i.e. "What is your favorite martial arts movie?" or "How do you do a Shotokan Karate kihon?").

I signed up for the community but I didn’t get the email verification. Where is it?

Check your junk/spam email folder because our email verification might have been misdirected by your email provider.

What happens if I do not post but just want to read the commentary?

Anyone can read the commentary on the Community. We want everyone to learn from the conversations taking place on this martial arts social network. However, if you want to post a question or leave a response to a message, you need to be a community member. However, if you are a new member and do not post at least occasionally, you are liable to have your account deleted for inactivity after a couple of months.

How do I delete my account?

If you want to delete your account, please sign into your community account. Click on the top right button on the community (that is showing your community name). Go to "Settings" and click on “Delete Account’.

How do I post a comment or video?

Click on the “Post Something” button (top right of community page) in order to post a message or video. To comment on a message or video, please enter a message in the “Post Comment” box found at the bottom of the message or video.

Can I edit my replies?

You have 30 minutes to make a change to one of your replies (i.e. correct a spelling error) to a main message/question. Look for the "edit" link at the bottom of your reply.

If you post a main message/question with the "Post Something" button, you can edit it up to 24 hours later (after which you can not make any changes)

Why can’t I post a picture?

At the moment, in order to avoid the posting of copyright protected photos, we are not enabling these types of posts.

What do I click on in order to read a community article?

Click on either the title of the article/video or the comments links.

How can I add a picture to my community profile?

Click on the top right button with membership name. You will see a list of options. Click on “Setting” and you will be taken to a page where you can add a profile picture, website link, “About Me” description, etc.

Can I invite a friend to join the Community?

If you think any of your real and/or online friends would enjoy this site, we hope that you will contact them and ask them to join. You can either use your own email system, the social buttons on the site (i.e. Facebook & Twitter buttons) or try the "invite friends" function (on the top right button with your profile name). You can even post the invite on your Facebook page. If you send a "traditional" email, don't forget to send them the address (URL) - http://community.blackbeltwiki.com

How do I address a response to specific member (esp. if the question was buried under several other replies)?

If you want to target a particular member (i.e. respond to a question that is a few levels down), you can place an @ sign in front of their name (i.e. @andy). This will bring up a link to their profile and your reply will automatically generate an email notification that you added a message targeted to this particular member.

Can I post a link to my school or to a new course offered at my school?

On the main community pages, please do not post articles about a new program offered at your school or links to your school. These will be deleted as spam. Repeated violations will cause you to be banned.

However, in your member profile, you can post the name of your school and a link back to your school website. You can also post additional information (i.e. school description, details about the upcoming launch of your new martial arts book, etc.) in the "Additional Information" section of your profile. All that we ask is that new members do not abuse these sections and post spam, obscenities, affiliate links, etc. Remember the "community rules" that govern this site in order to avoid any problems. This is a stopgap measure until our software company upgrades the member profile section. However, it should help you to promote your blogs and/or martial arts schools. Every time that you post on the community, people are likely to check out your member profile and thus learn about your blog/school, etc.

This community is geared towards martial arts discussions & the sharing of ideas… not promoting the programs of a single school. Nevertheless, you can add information about your school in your member profile (click on the settings option in the top right button of the community) or contact us to add your school and/or blog to the main wiki school directory or blog directory (see those sections for listing options & requirements).

FYI - It is a much effective use of your time (and ours) to announce new classes or schedule changes on your own website or Facebook account.

Can I post links to my blog?

In your member profile, you can add information about your blog and a link to your blog. FYI - People like to read the profiles of active members… and thus they will learn about your blog.

In addition, we will add information about the blogs of active members to the wiki's martial arts blog directory.

However, please do not post numerous links to your blog articles on the main discussion & reply threads (as this is seen as spamming the wiki community). These links will be deleted. Repeated violations will cause you to be banned.

What are "categories"? How do I add a post to a category?

You can add your post to a specific category (i.e. Karate or Taekwondo) in order to help readers find your message. When you post a message or video, you will find a category option at the bottom of the posting system. Pick the one that best fits your message/video "theme".