Post by MonsterX on Feb 7, 2008 16:45:57 GMT -5
This will be common knowledge to most, but I ask that you please review it and see if any of the points made apply to your personal posting style. The following is basically stolen from here, www.associatedcontent.com/article/160559/proper_internet_forum_and_message_board.html although I’ve rewritten most of it and made some modifications so that it better reflects our little community.
When posting here, I ask that you please take these points into consideration in order to help facilitate the best environment possible for everyone.
1. Review the Forums to Avoid Duplicate Posts. Look back a couple pages before posting a new topic to see is it’s already been done. Particularly in MST3K General Chat, many of the same topics come up over and over again. While this is a good practice, don’t go so far back that you are posting in a “dead” thread that hasn’t been active for an extended period of time. (Often referred to as “thread necromancy”.)
A good rule of thumb is to look three months back. If no one's posted a thread similar to yours in that amount of time than it’s a good bet that even if they had, people might have something new to add to the discussion by now and you can safely start a new thread. Otherwise, consider bumping the old thread instead of starting a new one.
2. Never Use ALL CAPS. When people type in all caps on a message board it’s very much akin to YELLING. It can be rude and annoying. Please be polite to your fellow posters by not typing out your messages in this manner.
3. Use Correct Spelling and Punctuation. You are not being graded on your spelling or punctuation here, but proper grammar makes your post easier to read. On our message board we encourage proper spelling and punctuation. Expect to be called out by the board staff if you fail to do so.
4. Ask Before You Attack. (No flaming) In many cases, a seemingly offensive post is not meant the way it sounds due to the lapses in communication on the Internet. Also, a lot of what is said on this board is just good natured ribbing and not meant to be taken personally. Before allowing yourself to become offended, please ask the person who posted the offensive comment to clarify their statement, and let them know that you took it to be offensive in tone.
If you think that someone posted something inappropriate for this message board, please PM a mod or admin. A few choice words have been known to start wars, like the Sarcasm Wars of 1999.
5. Ignore Spamming. If an advertiser spams our board (“ChEaaP ViAgrA hEar!”) please do not post in the thread they made as it will only draw attention to their post which is what they want. Instead, please report the thread to a mod or admin.
6. Don't Include All Previous Posts. (When Quoting) When engaged in a discussion it is sometimes useful to quote the portion of the post you are responding to. When doing this, please consider editing the post you are quoting to make it shorter. This makes it easier for other people to read the thread.
7. Use Topic-Specific Titles. The title of your topic should accurately reflect the content of your original post in the thread. For example, if I was to post a topic titled “Are you a cat person or a dog person?” then the first post should be about whether or not I was a dog or cat person, and not about say, the Russian Revolution. These rules hold little bearing in the mad house that is Sloan however.
8. Take Personal Issues Off the Forums. Internet forums and message boards are for public discussions which bear relevance to more than a few people. If you have a personal issue with someone else, take it off the forums by utilizing the PM function.
9. Avoid Power Posting. The only place this should ever occur is in the lawless realm of Sloan. In all other parts of the board you should stay on topic and avoid posting nonsensical comments that don’t add anything to the conversation. Occasionally going off topic or injecting a bit of irrelevant humor into a discussion is fine, spamming up a thread with multiple posts is not.
10. Avoid Trolling. We have a zero tolerance policy for trolling on this forum. If you are trolling you will be warned once and then banned. If you think someone is trolling do not encourage them by responding to them. Notify a mod or admin and they will investigate the problem ASAP.
11. Don't Flame the Staff. Actually, you shouldn’t flame anyone. Expect to be quickly banned if you choose to flame the staff however.
12. Post under the Proper Categories. Before posting a new topic, please stop and think to yourself, “In which section of the forum will this topic best fit?” Use common sense.
13. Avoid Hijacking a Thread. Hijacking involves posting a new idea or topic on someone else's thread. Sometimes if the topic is related this is okay, but try to post new threads if you need to start a different discussion. People who are interested in your topic can go to your thread and you won't offend anyone else this way.
14. Do Not Comment on Moderated Threads. If an Admin or a Mod “regulates” someone by telling them to behave more appropriate manner, its bad form to then post something along the lines of “HA HA you got PWNED”. This is no better than flaming and it will be dealt with accordingly. If you disagree with the way a staff member handled an issue or you just wish to comment on it please feel free to contact one of the other staff members via a PM.
15. If you’re new, lurk for a while before posting. To “lurk” on a message board basically means to hang around for a bit, reading posts but not posting. This is to give you time to get a feel for the community before jumping into the water head first, potentially hitting your head on a metaphorical rock.
16. Use Your Words. Finally, I encourage you to "use your words". Did your mother ever tell you that when referring to general etiquette? This means finding better words than cuss words or inappropriate comments. If you can't post without cursing or otherwise being offensive, move on and post on a different thread. Or just dont post at all.
When posting here, I ask that you please take these points into consideration in order to help facilitate the best environment possible for everyone.
1. Review the Forums to Avoid Duplicate Posts. Look back a couple pages before posting a new topic to see is it’s already been done. Particularly in MST3K General Chat, many of the same topics come up over and over again. While this is a good practice, don’t go so far back that you are posting in a “dead” thread that hasn’t been active for an extended period of time. (Often referred to as “thread necromancy”.)
A good rule of thumb is to look three months back. If no one's posted a thread similar to yours in that amount of time than it’s a good bet that even if they had, people might have something new to add to the discussion by now and you can safely start a new thread. Otherwise, consider bumping the old thread instead of starting a new one.
2. Never Use ALL CAPS. When people type in all caps on a message board it’s very much akin to YELLING. It can be rude and annoying. Please be polite to your fellow posters by not typing out your messages in this manner.
3. Use Correct Spelling and Punctuation. You are not being graded on your spelling or punctuation here, but proper grammar makes your post easier to read. On our message board we encourage proper spelling and punctuation. Expect to be called out by the board staff if you fail to do so.
4. Ask Before You Attack. (No flaming) In many cases, a seemingly offensive post is not meant the way it sounds due to the lapses in communication on the Internet. Also, a lot of what is said on this board is just good natured ribbing and not meant to be taken personally. Before allowing yourself to become offended, please ask the person who posted the offensive comment to clarify their statement, and let them know that you took it to be offensive in tone.
If you think that someone posted something inappropriate for this message board, please PM a mod or admin. A few choice words have been known to start wars, like the Sarcasm Wars of 1999.
5. Ignore Spamming. If an advertiser spams our board (“ChEaaP ViAgrA hEar!”) please do not post in the thread they made as it will only draw attention to their post which is what they want. Instead, please report the thread to a mod or admin.
6. Don't Include All Previous Posts. (When Quoting) When engaged in a discussion it is sometimes useful to quote the portion of the post you are responding to. When doing this, please consider editing the post you are quoting to make it shorter. This makes it easier for other people to read the thread.
7. Use Topic-Specific Titles. The title of your topic should accurately reflect the content of your original post in the thread. For example, if I was to post a topic titled “Are you a cat person or a dog person?” then the first post should be about whether or not I was a dog or cat person, and not about say, the Russian Revolution. These rules hold little bearing in the mad house that is Sloan however.
8. Take Personal Issues Off the Forums. Internet forums and message boards are for public discussions which bear relevance to more than a few people. If you have a personal issue with someone else, take it off the forums by utilizing the PM function.
9. Avoid Power Posting. The only place this should ever occur is in the lawless realm of Sloan. In all other parts of the board you should stay on topic and avoid posting nonsensical comments that don’t add anything to the conversation. Occasionally going off topic or injecting a bit of irrelevant humor into a discussion is fine, spamming up a thread with multiple posts is not.
10. Avoid Trolling. We have a zero tolerance policy for trolling on this forum. If you are trolling you will be warned once and then banned. If you think someone is trolling do not encourage them by responding to them. Notify a mod or admin and they will investigate the problem ASAP.
11. Don't Flame the Staff. Actually, you shouldn’t flame anyone. Expect to be quickly banned if you choose to flame the staff however.
12. Post under the Proper Categories. Before posting a new topic, please stop and think to yourself, “In which section of the forum will this topic best fit?” Use common sense.
13. Avoid Hijacking a Thread. Hijacking involves posting a new idea or topic on someone else's thread. Sometimes if the topic is related this is okay, but try to post new threads if you need to start a different discussion. People who are interested in your topic can go to your thread and you won't offend anyone else this way.
14. Do Not Comment on Moderated Threads. If an Admin or a Mod “regulates” someone by telling them to behave more appropriate manner, its bad form to then post something along the lines of “HA HA you got PWNED”. This is no better than flaming and it will be dealt with accordingly. If you disagree with the way a staff member handled an issue or you just wish to comment on it please feel free to contact one of the other staff members via a PM.
15. If you’re new, lurk for a while before posting. To “lurk” on a message board basically means to hang around for a bit, reading posts but not posting. This is to give you time to get a feel for the community before jumping into the water head first, potentially hitting your head on a metaphorical rock.
16. Use Your Words. Finally, I encourage you to "use your words". Did your mother ever tell you that when referring to general etiquette? This means finding better words than cuss words or inappropriate comments. If you can't post without cursing or otherwise being offensive, move on and post on a different thread. Or just dont post at all.