One of the strongest aspects of the Etsy community is its willingness to lend a helping hand to an Etsian in need. Questions on our Site Help forum are almost always followed by a rush to deliver the right answer, and it warms our hearts as Admin to see so many people wanting to be so helpful!  

For new members of the Etsy community, we know that the Site Help forum is one of the most appealing places to go for answers to your questions.  Fellow Etsy community members are present at every hour of the day (often from all over the world!), and so it's a good place to get a quick answer.  There are two things to keep in mind when trying to make a successful query.  First, check out the rules to make sure it's okay to ask!  Site/site policy questions that involve specific situations or specific members can, for instance, lead to calling out, which isn't allowed on Etsy. Check out the rules and remember that the more general your question is, the safer it is to pose on the Forums.  Second, give your thread a descriptive title!  If you can fit your question (or most of it) into the title of the thread, you'll have more people apt to give you good answers.  They'll know most of what you're asking before ever even looking into the thread, and that's always helpful! 

What if you're looking to help out those who are posing questions in Site Help?  We have plenty of resources on-site that you can consult and link to in order to get the right answers out there!  We have several FAQs for buyers and sellers, Dos and Don'ts for site policy matters and Help Guides for in-depth tutorials on some basic site functions.  All of these are at your fingertips if you're digging for an answer to a particular question, or if you just want to give the person posing the question somewhere to go for conclusive answers.

Don't worry if you're not seeing a question that you feel like you can answer!  Dozens of questions are asked in Site Help every day. If you're looking to help out, it's really only a matter of time until a question you'll feel confident in answering comes your way.  That's one of the things we love about Etsy; there's always room for more helpful people! 

Last but definitely not least, if you've got a question and you think that telling the story behind it might violate Etsy policy, send an email to support@etsy.com and let the good people there help you out privately.  

In the Forum Decorum series, Lauren (stellaloella) and RobWhite of the Community team explain some of the finer points of cultural etiquette in Etsy's community spaces. When something is an official site rule, we'll be sure to link you up to the DOs and DON'Ts or Terms of Use. Simply consider these as tips for avoiding a forum faux pas.