Topic: Suggested Forum Etiquette (New Posters, Please Read)

[X-Kal]

(Moderators, administrators, Aussies, feel free to move this thread to where you think it's appropriate)

These are just a few suggestions that should make your forum experiences more pleasant. Every forum has its own unwritten rules and customs, so I thought I would write some of them down so they are written and you can benefit from them. Hopefully, this'll help you get acclimated before you even post.

Now, if you're new, you should probably at least skim through the forum stickies. They have lots of helpful information and frequently asked questions. In addition, if you have a game question, you should use the "Search" function to see if it has been asked before.

Now, on to the suggestions:

1) The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to respect each other. If someone makes a mistake or does not understand something, be helpful and encouraging.

2) Avoid double-posting. Double-posting is where you make two or more consecutive posts in the same thread. People get mad about it, and I don't always know why. Post count? Who knows... Either way, it's easier to read if you just use the edit button.

3) Try not to post in super-old threads. If nobody has replied to it in several months, it's probably a dead topic. However, if you have a genuine interest in a general discussion in the thread and want to see some current contributions, by all means, revive one.

4) Post in normal-colored text only. Not everyone can read text like this: It's super small! I don't want to have to get my glasses out.

5) Proper spelling and grammar helps. Use complete sentences and such... but we won't bite if you have typos in your post. Jus tri not 2 post lyke dis (Just try not to post like this).

6) Try to stay on-topic. If a thread is about gems, relate your post to that and make contributions to the conversation.

7) If a post makes you angry, count to 10 and think BEFORE you hit reply. Say it out loud and make sure it sounds right.

8 ) Be nice.

9) Post more helpful suggestions in this thread!

And a note for experience members: be patient with new members of the forums who may not be following all the understood rules. It takes a while to become acclimated, and being rude to them does not help. If possible, refer them to this thread and give courteous, constructive advice.



P.S: Thanks for the edits, Furion!

[kickme]

3) Try not to post in super-old threads. If nobody has replied to it in several months, it's probably a dead topic.

In my opinion, this could sometimes be a bad thing. Would you prefer to have multiple threads about the almost same thing (should never be the same, because that's what search is for), or someone posting in an old topic with a similar problem/question to the original one?

[X-Kal]

To some extent, I agree. It's also sometimes better if they can respond to the issue at hand so they get the whole context going on. However... there are cases where someone posts a bug that happened back in March 2006. It's march 2007 and it's fixed now, but it confuses everyone since it looks new.

I'm not really sure about how to word that to say that it's sometimes good to revive old threads, while other times it's better to start a new thread.

[Skriker]

I have to agree. Yes, once in a while reviving some of the old threads will actually stir conversation that has lain dormant.

Perhaps people hadn't looked that far back and it is a topic they would enjoy contributing to now.

Reviving an old thread simply to begin to generate a post count is stupid. Don't do it.

As X-Kal points out, if it is a thread discussing a bug that has not had any current posts in it, there isn't a need to comment. There just isn't. If it has been a year or six months, it has undoubtedly been fixed.

However, if you have a genuine interest in a general discussion in the thread and want to see some current contributions, by all means, revive one. Especially in the Social Out of Character board. There are quite a few topics there that are of interest to many people and could use some life stirred back into them.

[Lauri]

Skriker is very right! I'm going to take what I liked most from X-Kal's post and show you all here. I'd appreciate comments, it's good to have this discussion since we are all part of the community here we should all contribute to the discussion.

1. The most important thing is respect. Patience for newcomers too please. People make mistakes, and manners are free. You won't always agree with the opinions of others. If something makes you angry, stop, calm down, and then re-read it and see if it could be taken a different way. Text can create misunderstandings.

2. We appreciate spelling and grammar. None of us are perfect, we just appreciate it if you try to make your words into sentences we can understand. AOL speak l1k3 h0w R U 2D4y? grates like nails on a blackboard.

3. We try to respect the thread starter by staying on topic. If we think of some other idea as we read, it's a good idea to start another thread.

4. Extremely pale coloured text for normal chatting makes our brains hurt. If you're posting a spoiler, then it's fine and encouraged. Otherwise, if you like to express yourself in colour, please choose something bright =)

5. You may have noticed that most people have a flavour name under their nicknames. Those are the ranks. Most boards have them set to things that show off a heirarchy, like junior, ensign, lieutenant, mayor, god etc. But these are based on how many times you have posted in these boards, and they encourage people to spam (talk about rubbish or make lame useless comments) and the rest of us find that a bit annoying. For that reason we made the ranks not more special the further you go. So feel free to post an opinion, but "HAHAHAHA!" is probably not a very good reply on its own - make sure you have something to say!

[Shiqra]

AMEN!! 'Bout time someone posted this!

And I have been wondering myself about the old threads thing. Sometimes it IS good to get a old conversation rolling again - especially if it was an interesting one. Good to know it's not forbidden. But yes - spamming just for the sake of hearing your own voice gets old fast.

Thanks X - and Lauri and Skriker for adding the admin opinions.

[X-Kal]

However, if you have a genuine interest in a general discussion in the thread and want to see some current contributions, by all means, revive one.

I love this here - it is pure gold. That's a brilliant way to decide if you should be posting or not. If you are posting because you have a genuine interest in the thread, then I say go for it. If it's all about the post count... I won't be the one who comes up and posts the "this is a dead thread" post, but I'll certainly roll my eyes at my screen and move onto a more interesting thread. (Well... unless it's a bug-related thread - then I'd want to make a post to help clarify that the bug's been fixed already)

In short, if someone posts because there's interest, super. If it's just for the post count, no matter how recent the thread, that's just not cool.