Coming soon: Forum etiquette guide

Tek7 (Legacy)

Tek7 (Legacy)

CGA & ToJ President
I usually spend over an hour each day on the forums. I've noticed some recent trends that, while not in violation of our terms of service, are in violation of netiquette. I hope to write a brief forum etiquette guide this weekend, but need to tend to a few other more pressing tasks first.

I'll use pencil and paper to start sketching out points to address in the guide, but I want to hear from other forum members. What points would you include in the guide? What do you consider "bad manner" on public forums?
 
Incorrect spelling, horrible spelling, unless it is on purpose. Making sense is good too, unless it is a SPAM thread. Please see the hotdog thread, woOt threads, or the Everyone's Favorite Story Thread for more information.

I also suppose that..bumping threads 2 years old is not proper netiquette as well? :)
 
Incorrect spelling, horrible spelling, unless it is on purpose.
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Not everyone is punctual(Neat writing/typing) or/and has accurate spelling.


FOR SURE MANY FONTS WOULD BE A VIOLATION <--- For sure many fonts would be a violation
From using this to using this for example. :D
 
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1. The general "'hte' instead of 'the'" type problems annoy me from time to time. "esle" and "else", "ahve" and "have", etc.
2. When people post a news article without mentioning or linking to the source.
3. When people say "Click here" instead of being more descriptive of what the link actually is. This is really just a pet peeve of most webmasters because then they don't get the kind of search engine rankings they like. :D
 
Heh, by spelling I meant that we should have a spellcheck feature for posting as well. It would help me out often, as once in awhile I have a problem remembering how to spell certain words. :)
 
With a few exceptions, a pet peeve of mine is when people post nothing but "lol." I'm like, was that worth a post? Is that all you had to say? Heh. :)
 
Here's a preview of the upcoming Forum Etiquette Guide (FEG):
  • Compress your signature and avatar images whenever possible. This is 2005, but some people still use dial-up connections to access the Internet.
  • Link to thumbnails of off-site images rather than post them directly in the thread. Give each user the choice whether or not they want to see the 1500x1500 photograph of your big toe.
  • Keep your signature short, height-wise. Your complete signature, including all text and images, should be no taller than 150 pixels. I've seen several violations of this basic etiquette rule and it's rather annoying when trying to quickly read threads.
  • Don't post a reply unless it adds something to the conversation. Posts consisting solely of "lol," "rofl," "haha," "pwn3d!" and other phrases contribute nothing to discussion and drive people who use the "New Posts" feature to stay current on forum posts (like me) crazy.
  • Don't hijack threads. If someone starts a thread about their sister Suzy going in for surgery, don't post saying that the name "Suzy" reminds you of a political debate during the 1960s that involved the feminist movement. Stay on topic.
  • Under most circumstances, animated avatars are very, very bad. As stated earlier, some people still use dial-up. Show love to the dial-up users by keeping the file size of your avatar and signature images as small as possible.
  • Under most circumstances, different fonts or colored text in your posts or signature is very, very bad. If it's hard on the eyes, it's got to go. If it's use is limited and tasteful, it's cool. If you can't tell the difference, ask me and I'll tell you.
  • Give new threads descriptive titles. Don't call a new thread asking for prayer for your baby brother Bobby "prayer." Call it "My brother has a cold" or something similar. Similarly, if you have a question, don't call your thread, "question," call it, "Why is the sky blue?"
  • Take the chat to a chat room. If you want to chat about something funny that happened in third period today (or similar "inside talk" or "small talk"), take it to a chat room. These are forums and should be used accordingly. The Christian Gamers Alliance has its very own chat room: #cga on irc.us.gamesurge.net. Use it. On that same topic, inside jokes are for instant messages and private messages, not public forum topics.
  • Check your grammar and spelling before posting. Now I know not everyone is a spelling whiz. I still forget how to spell "desperate" from time to time. I'm not always sure whether to use "farther" or "further." But resources like dictionary.com go a long way to making sure your post is legible.
  • Don't substitute the letter "u" for the word "you." Just...don't. Please. It's a personal pet peeve of mine.
  • Under most circumstances, l33t-speak is evil. Use it sparingly or not at all.
  • Use punctuation. Don't expect forum users to stick with a sentence over 25 words long without capitals, commas, or periods. We are all communicating on these forums. Do your best to ensure that the idea you are communicating is clearly understood by the receiving party.
  • Do not, under any circumstances, start a thread entitled "free ipod," "free notebook," or "click here." I reserve the right to reach through the monitor and throttle you if you do. If you're trying to get a free iPod or notebook or whatever, put the relevant link in your signature in plain text. This rule also covers those annoying referer link games like Outwar.
  • Keep your thread title succinct. Instead of entitled your thread, "Hey everyone I'm going to the Bahamas this summer isn't that cool?" use the title "Vacation to Bahamas."
  • Moderators: No more than five stickies in any forum. Any more than that and the forum gets cluttered.
  • Credit sources of information. If you just copied and pasted a line from a CNN news article, have the decency to cite your source and post a link to the article. I'm a journalist-in-training, so plagiarism really gets on my nerves.
  • Keep the spam threads to a minimum. Examples of spam threads include Everyones Favorite Story, If you were a hot dog, and The Official Woot Thread. These are acceptable in moderation, but too many can scare away new visitors and annoy moderators (i.e. me).
  • For the love of cheese, stop spamming. See above note on contributing to conversations.
  • If someone has created a new thread specifically for the sake of compiling or listing information, don't use that thread to ask questions or post any irrelevant information. If someone posts a thread trying to compile a list of links to web sites containing full texts of literary classics, don't post with "I like Harry Potter lol." Your post will be deleted.
  • If you're upset with someone, send them a polite private message explaining your viewpoint and express your wish to reconcile. Do not take your "beef" public. Few things will make me lock a thread faster than two forum members taking a private feud public.
  • Separate long posts into paragraphs and use bulleted lists and bold text to highlight main points when appropriate. Could you imagine trying to read this entire post as one paragraph with no bold text?
That's all I have right now. It's a good start, but there's more, trust me.
 
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Pilgrim said:
I also suppose that..bumping threads 2 years old is not proper netiquette as well? :)
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Oh my goodness, no. Under most circumstances, leave any thread more than two weeks old alone.
 
Looking great so far Tek7, I am going to have to adjust my forum usage slightly. I also use the New Posts feature. :)
 
Two weeks might be pushing it...maybe four weeks instead. This can't apply to threads like the "Xfire ID list" thread, though -- only normal discussions, perhaps.

Otherwise, it looks good!! =)
 
hescominsoon said:
not usre if i agree with that. If you can find a thread that may address your post..i would rather revive it than start another thread.
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Aye, that's why I prefaced the point with "Under most circumstances."
 
Tek7 said:
Phantom: Please scroll up and re-read that long post of mine. :D
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Oh, I read it. I also could understand most of it, even through all the grammar and spelling mistakes. ;)
 
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