About TarBoard
Welcome to the Tarboard FAQ Page
Q. What is Tarboard?
A. Tarboard (The Arthur Ransome Board) is forum set up primarily for the discussion of the works and life of Arthur Ransome. However, it does allow discussions of other topics, especially if a link to Arthur Ransome can be established.
Q. When was Tarboard founded?
A. Ian Edmondson-Noble started up Tarboard on April 4th 1996; he operated it alone until November 2008 when the operation was transferred to the current operators. It is in large part due to Ian's efforts and gentle management that Tarboard has evolved into a worldwide community of on-line Ransome lovers that has been a source of much enjoyment and information to many hundreds of users.
Q. Who runs Tarboard now?
A. When Ian Edmondson-Noble decided to close the original Tarboard in October 2008, a small group of devoted Tarboard users decided that rather than let a valuable and enjoyable site die, they would take over the operation. Ian was very cooperative in this endeavour, prolonging the original Tarboard site's life until the replacement was up and running.
Q. Who can post?
A. To post you must be a registered user and use your username and password. People are encouraged to use their own names and can post their email addresses, though this is not compulsory. More details about the conditions of use can be found on the registration page. Since registration has been implemented there have been very few problems and no spammers etc. have managed to gain access to the site or have been removed immediately.
Q. Is Tarboard moderated?
A. Tarboard has used the principle of self-moderation in that we expect the users to be respectful of others and the spirit of friendship found in Ransome's works. There is no moderation of posts before they appear. There are a few administrators who will remove offensive or blatantly off-topic posts without comment and, as a rule, no discussion will be entered into. They may also ban offending IP addresses, domains and users from this service.
Q. Is Tarboard part of TARS (The Arthur Ransome Society)?
A. No, Tarboard is a completely separate endeavour and not connected in any way to TARS. However, a good number of the organizers and posters on the board are active members of TARS and support TARS' objectives. Tarboard is intended for anyone interested in Ransome no matter where in the world they live or whether or not they are TARS members. If after discussing Ransome here you want to join TARS, then we will be very pleased, especially if you tell them you decided to join after being part of Tarboard.
Q. So who really are the people behind Tarboard?
A.
- Adam Quinan, Canada, communications and administrator;
- Andrew Goltz, Poland, driving force;
- Dave Thewlis, USA, guiding hand;
- Ian Edmondson-Noble, UK, inspiration
- Luke Doman, USA, administrator;
- Owen Roberts, UK, administrator;
- Woll Newall, UK, server provider and website maintenance;
Q. How can the TarBoard Team be contacted?
A. Use the contact us page.