As written in the current
Rabbits Only Magazine...
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On My Way to the Forum[/align]
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What's a Fourm?[/align]
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It's Like Group Therapy[/align]
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for the Rabbit Lover...[/align]
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In ourlast issue we talked about making friends, and we suggested that if youare looking for like-minded individuals, ourRabbits Only forumcould be just the place for you! Back in June a bunchof our members got together for a day at the beach. For the first timethese people who know one another under their fictitious user names gotto see one another face to face.[/align]
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Almost all of us know someone who has datedsomeone--and perhaps even married someone they met online. The internethas opened up a whole new world for us in the relationshiparena.[/align]
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A littlehistory...Rabbits Only started itsforum back in 1995, and within just a few months our web hostingservice told us we had to go somewhere else. We required too muchbandwidth for their facility (and they were one of the leading hostingvenues in our area). It was obvious that RO was ontosomething.[/align]
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We then went to a free forum service.Unfortunately, in exchange for that free service, they unabashedlyadvertised to our readers. Eventually that company decided to chargefor their services, locking the RO administrators out of the "controlroom" for the forum. We lost all control over banning foul language,banning members who misbehaved, etc.[/align]
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After much searching and tryouts and purchases ofseveral packages, this March we finally got our own new forum software,where we maintain all control over our forum. Our first few weeks werestrange. A number of members of the old forum refused to become membersof the new forum. We couldn't quite figure out why you would pledgeallegiance to a forum where no new members could join (since wediscontinued our link). It's like going down with a sinking ship. Butin a few months that has all changed. As of this writing, we have 1130different topics posted, some 400 members and some 13,500messages.[/align]
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When to come to theforum... Any time of day or night (mysleepless nights can attest to that) you will find someone on theboard. But it doesn't matter whether you're alone or not. With thenumber of different topics, you could spend several sleepless nightsreading up on anything...[/align]
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When you have a question, concern or something youwish to share: either you can post your question, or you can go throughthe topics to see if what you're looking for has already been covered.There is a great "search" option that will return all posts that coverthe subject you're interested in.[/align]
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We do have a moderator, so you can feel safesending your children to do research on the board. We forbid foullanguage, as well as unfriendly behavior.[/align]
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When you're feeling lousy and want an understandingear to listen. Or-when you actually want some advice.[/align]
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When you want to know what kind of breed is my rabbit? Or at least what mix...[/align]
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When you're going through RO withdrawal waiting for the next issue to post.[/align]
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How totalk...Our moderator has put togethera list of abbreviations used on the forum, which may give you an ideaof the tone of the forum.[/align]
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APS: As per usual
BOL: Bursting (or Busting) out laughing
BRB: Be right back
BUMPING UP A POST: Bringing an old post back into current circulation for those that you think haven't read it.
FYI: For your information
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IP: Internet Provider, also referred to ISP: Internet Service Provider.Every 'IP' assigns a numerical address whenever you post.
J/K or
JK: Just kidding
JMHO: Just my humble opinion
JMO: Just my opinion
JMPO: Just my personal opinion
KMR: Kitten Milk Replacer
LMBO: Laughing my butt off
LOL: Lots of Laughs/Laughs Out Loud
O/T: Off Topic
PEEPS: People
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
THREAD: The conversation within a post.[/align]
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Some terms you'll see in the rabbit world:
4-H CLUB: An organization that teaches children how to care for and exhibit livestock.
ARBA: American Rabbit Breeders Association
Binky: Expression of happiness by a rabbit. "When a rabbitbinkies, it jumps into the air and twists its head and body in oppositedirections (sometimes twice) before falling back to the ground."
Buck: Male rabbit
Broken: A variety that has a color in conjunction with white
Culling: Removal of undesirable rabbits from the herd
Dam: The mother of a rabbit
Dewlap: A fold of loose skin which hangs from the throat, common in does
Doe: Female Rabbit
Flat Coat: Fur lying to closely to the body. Lacks spring orbody as noted by touch. Usually a fine coat coupled with a lack ofdensity.
Fly Back: When the fur returns quickly to its normal position after being stroked toward the head of the rabbit.
Gestation: The time between mating and kindling of a doe, usually about 31 days.
Hock: The portion of the food that carries the weight of the rabbit
HRS: House Rabbit Society
Juniors: A rabbit under 6 months old
Kindling: Giving birth
Kits: Baby rabbits
Litter: Young rabbits being raised by a doe
Luster: Brilliance/brightness of fur
Moult/Molt: The process of shedding fur
Nest: A whole in straw or hay, which a doe lines with fur, preparing for the litter to be born.
Nutri-Cal: A high calorie dietary energizer for animals who won't eat.
Open Coat: Fur that doesn't return to normal position when stroked backwards.
Peanut: A kit that is born with a dwarfing gene from eachparent. With such a genetic make-up, they usually die within a few daysof birth as they are unable to grow.
PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Runt: Smallest kit of the litter, but able to grow as big as their siblings.
Rollback: Fur that gently falls back into position when stroked backwards.
Sexing: Determining the sex of the rabbit
Weaning: The separation of young from the doe. Ending the lactating and nursing period.
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[align=left]So next time you have five minutes to spare or a questionthat needs a answer right now, logon to the forum. With our 400 membersyou have a resource pool of very knowledgeable and resourceful people,plus, it can be an awful lot of fun![/align]
