Post by YodaBreaker on May 31, 2005 15:24:42 GMT -5
Because we're getting a large influx of visitors, it seems wise to have a thread dedicated to posting etiquette. The rules I'm promoting here will hopefully give some ground rules that will help us out.
1) DON'T SAY THINGS YOU WOULDN'T WANT YOUR MOM TO READ.
Hopefully, this will cover lots of things you might question yourself about posting. If you're tempted to snipe at someone for his or her grammar/spelling/content, think about whether it's necessary to do so and whether your mom would agree with the tone you're planning to take. If you're contemplating posting something risque, imagine if your mom would be embarrassed by seeing it. A few wee guidelines to aid in making Momma proud:
a) Whenever you're going to disagree with someone, use "I think," "I feel," "I believe," or some other "I" statement at the beginning of each relevant sentence to make it clear that it's you who's doing the disagreeing, not the whole world.
b) Remember that people's political and religious views (like views about the best operating system to use and so forth) often derive from basic assumptions that can't be challenged by rational (or irrational) arguments. Hence, conversations about them will likely only end up in destructive flame wars, rather than constructive discussions.
c) Use emoticons to soften up what might be construed as a harsh post otherwise. Sarcasm often doesn't come through well in the electronic word without them.
2) ASSUME GOOD FAITH.
Sometimes, you might read something that seems totally out of left field. You might think it insulting. You might think it stupid. You might think it bizarre. However, the vast majority of people who post here do not do so to be insulting, out of stupidity, or in the throes of psychosis. They are likely just wanting to share a joke, a thought, or something they just need to get of their chest. Simply put, they're likely posting in good faith, though it may not seem like it in the moment. Again, a few wee guidelines to help clarify the good faith we assume in posts:
a) If you think something is insulting, ask a poster in a non-defensive way if something was meant to be insulting. Be specific about precisely what you found insulting and why you found it insulting. This is likely best done through private messages instead of in original threads, as it lets the discussion stay between two people rather than the whole board. If you're asked if you meant to be insulting, assume that the person messaging you is genuinely hurt but would like to resolve it. Do your best to explain what you meant instead of insult - after all, we're posting in good faith, right?
b) If you think something is stupid or bad, don't make global value judgments about it, like "That's dumb" or "That's bad." Rather, make specific inquiries about what the poster actually meant, like "Did you mean to say X instead of Y?" or "I'm unclear as to what you meant by Y; could you explain more?" Or offer specific critiques: "I think that the way you drew that character's head wasn't in proportion with its body" or "There were so many misspellings and grammatical errors in your story that it was hard to follow."
c) If you think something is bizarre, just ignore it. Yes, it's tempting to pop off with a snarky comment, but remember how that violates the assumption of good faith. Besides, it may just give a spoiling poster the attention that will fuel further bad behavior, rather than let it wither on the proverbial vine. A maximally beneficial course of action is to let a moderator know about the odd postings - s/he'll deal with them promptly.
3) USE PROPER SPELLING AND GRAMMAR.
If you can't be bothered to spell properly in your posts and use correct grammar, don't expect your fellow posters to bother to decipher your posts. Out of consideration for the time of your fellow board members and for the English language, please use your best linguistic skills here. Your every post need not be a model of literary brilliance, but every post should at least be sensible and thought out. The Preview button underneath the post text window may help you avoid some infelicities in your language, should you be the sort who doesn't write perfect first drafts.
4) MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION WITH EACH POST.
Make sure that each post of yours counts and that it's something worth other people taking the time to read. For example, if something makes you laugh out loud, don't just make a simple "lol" post. Say something about what, in particular, was funny, so as to keep the discussion alive. Even tell a joke of your own, if appropriate. And if you need to add to one of your existing posts, use the "Modify" button at the top right corner of your post to add to it. Don't use another post just to update us about the same subject as your last post.
5) REPETITION IS UNNECESSARY.
With very few exceptions, if something's already been said, there's no need to say it again, whether that be within a single thread or in another thread on the board. There are multiple sticky threads that have been created to keep track of the best threads on a number of different common topics. Post on these existing threads, rather than starting your own thread. This will keep the boards lean and easily read.
6) POST SELECTIVELY.
Though we tend to generate a lot of interesting threads, please exercise restraint in posting. At the absolute maximum, let your name be on the Last Post column only on the threads on the first page. Better still, do your best to limit yourself to being the last person to post on half of the threads on the first page. This way, those who aren't online all the time won't have to wade through an ocean of posts just to see if anything in which they're interested has been posted.
7) LET OTHERS HAVE THEIR TURN...AND TIME TO READ OTHERS' POSTS.
While it can be fun to throw up a flurry of posts to respond to others, don't flood up a ton of posts, particularly if others are online. If you do, it basically turns the boards into a typing speed contest, weeding out of the conversation those whose fingers don't fly as quickly as others. Hence, even if you've got a good discussion going, wait at least 2 (and maybe even 5) minutes to pass between posts that you make to a given thread. That'll at least give those online some time to respond to the conversation.
8) DON'T SOLICIT PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN VARIOUS SCHEMES.
Yes, you may think you've found the greatest way since sliced bread to get something valuable (e.g., the newest video game system, store gift cards) for free or nearly so through some sort of mechanism. Yes, you may say that your friend has gotten one already through this mechanism. Yes, you may say that this mechanism has been verified through some sort of external mechanism (e.g., news channel, Internet report). No, you're not allowed to use this forum as a way to solicit people to participate in this pyramid, matrix, or other such scheme. By the geometric way these schemes operate, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to receive the promised good by the time you learn about it, and it's exponentially less likely that those who sign up for it through you will get anything, either. Threads of this nature will be deleted on sight, as they have much greater promise to annoy people and turn the forums into spam warehouses than to give anyone the promised good.
I hope this helps give us some common ground on which to communicate constructively and entertainingly. We're all here to have fun, not to eviscerate each other. Unless, of course, your only idea of fun is eviscerating others; in that case, this board ain't for you.
And lastly, for a humorous summary of things not to do, read Emily Postnews. It'll make you feel better.
1) DON'T SAY THINGS YOU WOULDN'T WANT YOUR MOM TO READ.
Hopefully, this will cover lots of things you might question yourself about posting. If you're tempted to snipe at someone for his or her grammar/spelling/content, think about whether it's necessary to do so and whether your mom would agree with the tone you're planning to take. If you're contemplating posting something risque, imagine if your mom would be embarrassed by seeing it. A few wee guidelines to aid in making Momma proud:
a) Whenever you're going to disagree with someone, use "I think," "I feel," "I believe," or some other "I" statement at the beginning of each relevant sentence to make it clear that it's you who's doing the disagreeing, not the whole world.
b) Remember that people's political and religious views (like views about the best operating system to use and so forth) often derive from basic assumptions that can't be challenged by rational (or irrational) arguments. Hence, conversations about them will likely only end up in destructive flame wars, rather than constructive discussions.
c) Use emoticons to soften up what might be construed as a harsh post otherwise. Sarcasm often doesn't come through well in the electronic word without them.
2) ASSUME GOOD FAITH.
Sometimes, you might read something that seems totally out of left field. You might think it insulting. You might think it stupid. You might think it bizarre. However, the vast majority of people who post here do not do so to be insulting, out of stupidity, or in the throes of psychosis. They are likely just wanting to share a joke, a thought, or something they just need to get of their chest. Simply put, they're likely posting in good faith, though it may not seem like it in the moment. Again, a few wee guidelines to help clarify the good faith we assume in posts:
a) If you think something is insulting, ask a poster in a non-defensive way if something was meant to be insulting. Be specific about precisely what you found insulting and why you found it insulting. This is likely best done through private messages instead of in original threads, as it lets the discussion stay between two people rather than the whole board. If you're asked if you meant to be insulting, assume that the person messaging you is genuinely hurt but would like to resolve it. Do your best to explain what you meant instead of insult - after all, we're posting in good faith, right?
b) If you think something is stupid or bad, don't make global value judgments about it, like "That's dumb" or "That's bad." Rather, make specific inquiries about what the poster actually meant, like "Did you mean to say X instead of Y?" or "I'm unclear as to what you meant by Y; could you explain more?" Or offer specific critiques: "I think that the way you drew that character's head wasn't in proportion with its body" or "There were so many misspellings and grammatical errors in your story that it was hard to follow."
c) If you think something is bizarre, just ignore it. Yes, it's tempting to pop off with a snarky comment, but remember how that violates the assumption of good faith. Besides, it may just give a spoiling poster the attention that will fuel further bad behavior, rather than let it wither on the proverbial vine. A maximally beneficial course of action is to let a moderator know about the odd postings - s/he'll deal with them promptly.
3) USE PROPER SPELLING AND GRAMMAR.
If you can't be bothered to spell properly in your posts and use correct grammar, don't expect your fellow posters to bother to decipher your posts. Out of consideration for the time of your fellow board members and for the English language, please use your best linguistic skills here. Your every post need not be a model of literary brilliance, but every post should at least be sensible and thought out. The Preview button underneath the post text window may help you avoid some infelicities in your language, should you be the sort who doesn't write perfect first drafts.
4) MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION WITH EACH POST.
Make sure that each post of yours counts and that it's something worth other people taking the time to read. For example, if something makes you laugh out loud, don't just make a simple "lol" post. Say something about what, in particular, was funny, so as to keep the discussion alive. Even tell a joke of your own, if appropriate. And if you need to add to one of your existing posts, use the "Modify" button at the top right corner of your post to add to it. Don't use another post just to update us about the same subject as your last post.
5) REPETITION IS UNNECESSARY.
With very few exceptions, if something's already been said, there's no need to say it again, whether that be within a single thread or in another thread on the board. There are multiple sticky threads that have been created to keep track of the best threads on a number of different common topics. Post on these existing threads, rather than starting your own thread. This will keep the boards lean and easily read.
6) POST SELECTIVELY.
Though we tend to generate a lot of interesting threads, please exercise restraint in posting. At the absolute maximum, let your name be on the Last Post column only on the threads on the first page. Better still, do your best to limit yourself to being the last person to post on half of the threads on the first page. This way, those who aren't online all the time won't have to wade through an ocean of posts just to see if anything in which they're interested has been posted.
7) LET OTHERS HAVE THEIR TURN...AND TIME TO READ OTHERS' POSTS.
While it can be fun to throw up a flurry of posts to respond to others, don't flood up a ton of posts, particularly if others are online. If you do, it basically turns the boards into a typing speed contest, weeding out of the conversation those whose fingers don't fly as quickly as others. Hence, even if you've got a good discussion going, wait at least 2 (and maybe even 5) minutes to pass between posts that you make to a given thread. That'll at least give those online some time to respond to the conversation.
8) DON'T SOLICIT PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN VARIOUS SCHEMES.
Yes, you may think you've found the greatest way since sliced bread to get something valuable (e.g., the newest video game system, store gift cards) for free or nearly so through some sort of mechanism. Yes, you may say that your friend has gotten one already through this mechanism. Yes, you may say that this mechanism has been verified through some sort of external mechanism (e.g., news channel, Internet report). No, you're not allowed to use this forum as a way to solicit people to participate in this pyramid, matrix, or other such scheme. By the geometric way these schemes operate, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to receive the promised good by the time you learn about it, and it's exponentially less likely that those who sign up for it through you will get anything, either. Threads of this nature will be deleted on sight, as they have much greater promise to annoy people and turn the forums into spam warehouses than to give anyone the promised good.
I hope this helps give us some common ground on which to communicate constructively and entertainingly. We're all here to have fun, not to eviscerate each other. Unless, of course, your only idea of fun is eviscerating others; in that case, this board ain't for you.
And lastly, for a humorous summary of things not to do, read Emily Postnews. It'll make you feel better.