Anyone intending to post for the first time should read the Posting Guidelines of this forum (follow the link). However, here is an excerpt:

What are the real No-No's on the Expat Forum - or How to upset the Webmaster

Things that irk the Webmaster and lead to deletion of your posting or suspension of your profile (in extreme cases) ...
  • obviously inflammatory postings which will start up threads full of offensive postings,
  • hate postings of any kind attacking people for their race, creed, marital choice, eating habits, dating preferences, stereotypes, religious beliefs, etc.,
  • offensive swearing and/or name calling,
  • posting the same message in multiple channels,
  • including links to mature subject matter websites in your posting,
  • subject lines or words in subject lines of postings in ALL CAPS* ... a cardinal rule of netiquette ... don't do it!
  • excessively long NT postings,
  • posting a URL in a subject line,
  • purposefully using asterisks or plus signs or other symbols in the subject line to make your post stand out,
  • use of bad words in the subject line (resulting in asterisks ... or camouflaging words that resulted in asterisks), and
  • abuse by businesses who use the Expat Forum to try to get visitors to buy products or services through multiple or repeated postings. Businesses should limit commercial postings to one a month and only in ONE appropriate channel! If you want to approach the expatriate community through this site on a regular basis, consider becoming a sponsor.
  • threats made against the webmaster and members of the committee who organize this website.
  • setting up profiles with a nic that is obviously intended to mimic/copy/impersonate another member
If you are not sure if your posting is welcome ... contact the webmaster and we'll let you know!
* By all caps we mean words in capital letters(huruf besar) in the subject line .. like “LOOK AT MY POSTING, SCREAM ... PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!” Or ... Great Boxing Gear FOR SALE ... Get my drift?


Is this forum censored?


We don't condone the spread of hatred, pornography or ridicule of individuals for any reason. These postings serve no positive purpose for the expat community or the larger community in which we live.
The committee that runs this site (and volunteers hundreds of hours each year) have long since decided that the purpose of this forum is to assist expats moving to Indonesia with questions they have ... that may not already be answered in the articles we have written.
While acknowledging that not all portions of the expat experience in Indonesia will be positive ... we see our role as helping to make the experience as positive as possible for all concerned ... and to assist in a SUCCESSFUL transition to living in Indonesia. To this end we maintain this forum!
Anyone with questions on how this web site is run is contact us ... we'll be happy to answer your questions.

Do we allow companies to advertise their services and products on the Expat Forum?

The Expat Forum is meant to be for community discussion. We understand that there are many companies that would like to sell their products and services to the expatriates, yet we all get upset if we see a flood of ads messing up interesting discussion threads. Advertising is NOT THE FOCUS of the Expat Forum. Thus, we allow one commercial posting per month from companies. If a company is interested in a more permanent presence, they should consider becoming a sponsor. Contact us for more information.



Can companies use the Private Message or Email system to send out commercial messages?

No ... !!! Let me repeat .. NO !! The Private message system and email system built into the living in Indonesia Expat Forum are NOT to be used by members of the forum to send commercial postings to other members. If you receive a PM from another member that you would like to complain about, please forward that PM to Atlantis, WM or Paman (or all of us is even better) and we will ban that member from the Forum.



Don't Jump on newcomers ... there are NO stupid questions!

This forum was created to answer practical questions about the daily life and concerns of expatriates in Indonesia for: people who are planning and preparing for their move to Indonesia, those newly arrived, as well as seasoned veterans. Therefore, please don't jump on anyone, but especially not on newcomers, for asking what you may feel are stupid questions. That is the purpose of this forum ... to have someone to turn to when you need to find answers. There are no stupid questions!