Hints for New Forumites

[fatty]

Since newbies often come by here and regulars are basically not allowed here, some of us Welcomers are here to give you a few pointers on the best way to go about this.

Here are some of the pointers we usually repeat many many times to new posters who aren't aware of the ways of this forum. Regulars are welcome to contribute to this list and it would be nice if it was stickied =)


1- This forum is close knit and the biggest mistake of New People is to post too much. Whether you post repeatedly in the same thread, lots and lots of pictures, or just in every thread in every forum - this is bad. My personal reccommendation is maybe max 10 a day [spread over forums] for at least the first week or so.

2- Double posting - when you post twice in a row - is not popular. The edit button is a great way of adding in things you missed.

3- Don't quote the person above you, just reply like it's a continuing conversation. This forum does not go fast enough to warrent quoting everything.

4- Tactics like all caps, a lot of smileys, marquee text and leet/internet speak is only appropriate in tiny doses and when being ironic.

5- Avoid quoting pictures unless utterly necessary, and learn to resize large pictures you upload.
EG: [img height=### width=###]http://.....img-url....[/img]

[If you browse the quiki - you'll find a type of "how to post in a forum" article. Be aware that was written by a bunch of regulars for their own amusement and in no way refers to the Questionable Content Forums.]

[qtownstegy]

6- Do not immediately go out into the forums and start creating a lot of new threads. We really look down on that, and we may have just had a thread about that topic within a short time, which leads to rule 7.

7- Use the search function a lot. Not only will you get to read a number of interesting threads that you never would have been exposed to, but you also will see when we last had a thread on a topic. Just like with any search engine, try multiple words that could refer to the same topic and try to narrow it down to a certain forum, for example I Like Fish or Music Talk. This will increase your forum knowledge and save you a lot of negative feedback.

8- This is not a chat room! If you have friends on the forums, that's great but this is not the place to hold long, drawn-out conversations that no one else can get involved with. If you want to talk to your friends, then I suggest you do it over AIM or some other form of instant messenger.   

9- Thread necrophilia is frowned upon here. If a thread is dead, leave it dead, do not try to revive it. It died for a reason, and that reason is because the forum gods willed it to die.

10- Blanket posting is frowned upon unless you actually have something of value to add in every single thread you are responding to. We really want to keep our post quality up, even if that means keeping the post quantity down. Think before you post.

[Dirk Hopeless]

Okay now pay attention to these hints, because they actually reflect quality.


1. We do not care about the intimate details of your life. Unless you are funny about it, stupid bloggy threads about your day are not interesting. Please do not shit up the board with your boring existance.

2. Internet Memes? Passe. There is nothing exciting or new about robots, pirates, ninjas, or all the other bullshit you heard mentioned one time and think is omg fucking hillarrrrrious. Again, it's been done before, and really we don't want to hear your take on the same tired cliche. When was the last time you heard a good cover of "Brown Eyed Girl"? Same principle.

3. Sack up. We are not always going to be all sunshine and fucking puppies to you, just because you are new. Some people who post here, like myself, have very little tolerance for bullshit. The only way you are ever going to get better is if people call you on it when you suck. So if you do something sucky, and someone calls you on it, don't get all butthurt. Just accept the criticism, and move the fuck on.

4. WAckyness. It is boring too. People, especially young teens and those with poor social skills, often try to substitute conversation with going "OH I AM SO RANDOM HAHA TOILET COFFEE IS FUNNY LOLOLOL". That is not good posting. That is not funny, or interesting, and there is no reason to think we care about your lack of ability to relate to other people without a gimmic. Grow Up or Go Away.

5. You can never overuse itallics.

I repeat, You can never overuse itallics

6. Every time, before you post, think to yourself. "Is this retarded, or am I retarded." If the answer is yes, don't post it. the things you find funny, your inside jokes, are not needed on the internet.

That is all.

Kisses everyone!

[heather]

I agree in that this is how NOT to act on a forum but it will serve as a useful example as such. Locking, but leaving, for demonstration purposes. Mods/Admins, if you disagree let me know.