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TarBoard FAQs

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 on April 4th 1996; he operated it alone until November 2008 when the operation was transferred to an ad hoc group which has become a more formal organization, a non-profit association called All Things Ransome as it combines the operation of with the All Things Ransome website. 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. As many of the group were already involved with the All Things Ransome website, the activities were combined and the association formalised as All Things Ransome.

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. Can we discuss TARS matters on TarBoard?

A. TarBoard is open to everyone, so internal discussions by TARS members of TARS matters may be boring or inappropriate. However, you are very welcome to advertise an open TARS function or meeting or put a note on TarBoard suggesting that people look at the TARS forum to discuss an issue.

Can I advertise on TarBoard?

Generally, we do not allow advertising for products or services with no (or very little) connection to Arthur Ransome. So a posting advertising a shop that sells bully beef would not be acceptable.

The second general rule is that the posting should not be by someone who will directly benefit from the advertisement. For example, an owner or agency using TarBoard to advertise holiday accommodation in a Ransome location would not be acceptable. However, if a TarBoard participant enjoyed a holiday at Bank Ground Farm (Holly Howe), we would not object to them saying so and writing about it or even linking to their website.

Similarly someone who owns a shop selling red knitted caps would not be allowed to advertise them on TarBoard but if you wrote about finding this wonderful shop which sold red caps, then we would accept that.

One exception from the general rule that "the original poster should not be a beneficiary of the posting", is for creative works. So if you have written the definitive book "Fish in Arthur Ransome's Works", TarBoard will let you tell us a bit about it, just don't take liberties and post about it every week.

Q. So who really are the people behind Tarboard?

A. All Things Ransome is a formal not for profit association registered in California which operates the TarBoard and All Things Ransome websites. The following are the people involved. All are volunteers and receive no payment for their efforts.

Q. How is TarBoard funded?

A. Initially TarBoard was funded by some of the volunteer members of All Things Ransome. However, in February 2011, it was decided to make an appeal for funds on TarBoard and All Things Ransome. The quick response from users was very gratifying and the appeal was able to raise all the funds required to cover our annual operational costs within a couple of days. We plan to make further appeals only on an "as required" basis to cover the on-going expenses of hosting the sites and keep TarBoard and All Things Ransome up and running smoothly.

Q. How can the TarBoard Team be contacted?

A. Use the contact us page.