I like Will B's suggestion of a shorter, more to the point disclaimer at the top of the forum, and I also like the idea of a button that would expand on the disclaimer, as in the third paragraph of the current version:
Before relying on technical advice received through the forum, published written reference material should be checked in order to confirm the accuracy of the advice. In searching for a timber framer through the forum, as with hiring any subcontractor or professional from any other source, ask for several recent references (including those of other professionals on past timber framed projects, such as the general contractors) and check all references as to the timber framer's apparent skill, punctuality, safe construction practices, ability to stay within budget and general professionalism, as well as whether the job was completed on schedule, whether errors in the framing were made that needed to be corrected and the reference's overall satisfaction with the completed job.
this paragraph is advice for an owner builder... something that would not apply to everyone coming here. Heck, some of us are just coming to share info, not neccessarily even about timberframing all the time. Information such as that above could be part of an expanded disclaimer, not part of the forum title. I'll just paste in Will B's suggestion here to rehash:
"DISCLAIMER:
Ask The Experts is a public forum, open to all, and is not formally monitored by the Guild staff. Therefore, we make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of the information found there.
Membership in the Guild is also open to all. While many members are highly skilled timber framers, membership is not certification of that skill, but rather an expression of a person's interest in the art and craft of timber framing."
only problem for me is that this doesn't actually say "don't rely only on information from this forum to build your timberframe" clearly enough....
