Give some forum etiquette tips

[tewgytaylor]

I and many other young doomers have never used a forum before and since they are a very different environment from typical social media, I feel that it would be beneficial to have some kind of way to know about general etiquette when using Doomworld.

[Murdoch]

25 minutes ago, tewgytaylor said:

I and many other young doomers have never used a forum before and since they are a very different environment from typical social media, I feel that it would be beneficial to have some kind of way to know about general etiquette when using Doomworld.

 

The general rule is simple- don't be a dick. Disagreeing is fine. Being rude and insulting isn't. Don't engage in pointless back and forth arguments. Treat people with respect. 

[leejacksonaudio]

17 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

 

The general rule is simple- don't be a dick. Disagreeing is fine. Being rude and insulting isn't. Don't engage in pointless back and forth arguments. Treat people with respect. 

Bravo.

If you suck in real life, try to suck less here.

[Kwisior]

Some basic things that newer/younger members seem to miss:

• You shouldn't clutter threads with multiple short posts in a row. If you want to add something, just edit your previous one.
• Learn how to multiquote with the plus sign next to the edit button. It will come in handy, and the people here are very sensitive about that (for a good reason).

Maybe something else will come to mind later.

Edit: Nevermind, just see rd's post.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Kwisior

[baja blast rd.]

Two different tips, the first for newer members, the second for older ones. :)

 

1) Don't post in this style that looks like one person split a single paragraph into multiple sentences that each are in their own post, sometimes a minute apart from each other. You know the style I mean.

 

Learn to use the edit feature. Learn to use multiquotes. Learn to think before you say anything so that you can capture it all in one post. Whatever you need to do to avoid that, just don't post like that lol. You will get warnings to stop at first, but it will end up in losing posting privileges.

 

Good forum posters use paragraphs rather than lots of individual one-line posts. 

 

2) If bad posting is ruining a thread or a bad poster is ruining a subforum with trolling, spammy posting, constant rudeness, etc., and the usual feedback or mature confrontation hasn't worked, don't just seethe about it or start a petty fight. Make a report with a clear concise description of why/what you're reporting. Handy graphic showing how the report button can be found on the top right corner of posts. 

 

Some reporting tips: Never use reports as "dislikes" or just because you disagree with an opinion. If it's multiple posts by a regular user, simply make one report that refers to all the posts. But if it's spambots, just report it all.

 

Not something to be done very lightly of course, but if you're already griping that someone should get banned in a thread or some Discord chat, you're well past the point of when you should be reporting that instead. Threads are habitually days or even weeks late to getting reports that would have sorted out issues a lot sooner. Mods are not sitting around F5'ing all the threads for hours a day lol, so using reports is important.

[tewgytaylor]

1 hour ago, Murdoch said:

The general rule is simple- don't be a dick. Disagreeing is fine. Being rude and insulting isn't. Don't engage in pointless back and forth arguments. Treat people with respect.

I kinda suspected but my anxiety still felt this thread was necessary lol

[DNSKILL5]

If you have nothing nice to say in response to another user just say nothing at all.

[Wo0p]

Cultivate encouragement, inclusiveness, creativity, positivity and kindness.

Discourage conflict, stalking, grooming, impulsiveness and assumptions.

 

Speak to others like you would like to be spoken to. Does aggressive (Conflict-seeking) behaviour feel good towards you? No? Then don't approach others with aggressiveness either. And so forth.

[Mr Masker]

[Chow Yun Thin]

The forum used to have a rules list some years back. But there's always going to be some who feel like engaging in rules-lawyering pedantry, so there's no official list other than "Don't be an asshole" like everyone's been exhorting so far. Best advice I could give is to read the room carefully and if you're still not sure, there no shame in lurking.

 

Definitely put some thought and effort into your threads and posts. Low-content stuff like memes tend to be frowned on here; at best they're used sporadically. Also, you cannot delete your own threads and posts, so think carefully before posting.

 

Topics about politics, religion, finance and relationships tend to end in flames, both online and off, so they're not allowed here. Same goes for other controversial topics like abortion, gun control, current conflicts, GZDoom filtering, etc..

 

I don't think most people mind seeing recycled topics; there's bound to be quite a lot in this forum's 20+ year history. Just the same, check the threads from the past 3 months to see if one can be bumped up. I believe the chatbox shows a warning about posting in old threads. I don't know how others feel about necroposting, but I find it kind of jarring to see real old posts from old members followed by something that isn't worth bumping. The good kind of necropost is substantial and contributes to the thread meaningfully.

 

A recent example of a faux pas: new people asking modders to do stuff for them. It's very bad form to go into any established creative community and demand stuff. Nobody likes an Ideas Person^TM. The people who make stuff here are doing so out of their own free time and volition. At the very least, take the time to get to know people and build up some rapport with the community. Contributing something like maps, sprites, code, music and such definitely helps.

 

The four likes at the bottom right of a post are just that: likes. You can assign a special meaning for them if you want; I use the Invis sphere to mean "I hate that I agree with this".

 

Personal stuff and other things that you want to post but don't necessarily want to discuss go in Status Updates under your profile. I never understood why some people use EE as their blog and then get pissed when others chime in.

 

Name changes have a 365-day cooldown, so it sucks if you want to change your name before then. You can PM a mod to change it at their discretion, but I don't think any mods advertise themselves through their custom title. One hint is to look at a locked thread and see who locked it or had the last post.

[Shepardus]

Aside from the usual "don't be a dick to others," remember that you don't have to post every last thought that goes through your head, and you don't have to reply to every post on the forum. If you have nothing to add, don't reply. If you're posting like in rd's image above, try sitting on your posts for a while before submitting them. Reread your post and check that it's coherent and is a discussion you actually want to have. Trust me, nobody's going to miss you in the few minutes or hours it takes you to do that.

 

When starting a topic, give it a descriptive title and include any relevant info in the post. People aren't mind readers, don't expect them to know what you're talking about if you just say "help it doesn't work." Remember that people can and do search these forums years down the road, so even if you figure out the answer to your question by yourself, share it in the thread so others can find it later.

[Kwisior]

38 minutes ago, Chow Yun Thin said:

Name changes have a 365-day cooldown, so it sucks if you want to change your name before then. You can PM a mod to change it at their discretion, but I don't think any mods advertise themselves through their custom title. One hint is to look at a locked thread and see who locked it or had the last post.

You can see the staff list here. I don't know if one can access it from the main page (should be changed if u can't imo), I just looked up "Doomworld moderators".

[Biodegradable]

Here's my survival guide for DW newbies.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

5 hours ago, DNSKILL5 said:

If you have nothing nice to say in response to another user just say nothing at all.

This. It helps to ensure that you won't be suspected when the other person gets doxxed/swatted.

[plums]

Try to make post titles that are descriptive but concise. The one for this thread is fine. This is especially true if you're asking for help on something. There are pinned threads that give more detailed advice on this topic in some forums, but it still goes overlooked.

 

Which reminds me, read the pinned threads, at least those that are relevant to you.

 

Keep in mind that posts here can be found through google and other search engines. This is again most relevant if you're asking for help about something: some future user might search for the problem you are having, and they'll appreciate any info you've found, rather than something like "never mind it works now."

[baja blast rd.]

Here's another one: Don't be selfish or self-centered. Look at things from other users' perspectives.

 

Lots of annoying posting can be nipped in the bud if you do this. People who quote entire super long OPs just to say "thanks" are not thinking about how annoying it is to others when all that useless vertical space is taken up. People who post troubleshooting threads and find the solution on their own, and then simply say "nvm fixed it" without any elaboration, aren't thinking about how that thread is now a useless waste of time for everyone who clicks on it or gets it in search. Tying into plums's post, uselessly vague thread titles like "I need help" (instead of specifying exactly what the issue or subject is in the title) miss that almost everyone who clicks on that thread will feel baited, because they didn't know what they were clicking on and couldn't tell they didn't have any help to offer. Not to mention that people who do have expertise will now be less likely to notice that they can help since the topic is buried in the thread. Or, they're like me and try to avoid helping people who start lazy/impatient threads even when they know the answer, because of being burned by how hard those people always are to help.

 

If you think about how all the fundamental parts of your posts and threads look from other users' perspectives, you'll get dozens of good posting tips from that alone.

Every post should create something good or something of value for at least one other user. (Yes "screenshots look nice!" posts do that. :P)

[OliveTree]

this is the third time ive copy-pasted this text

Quote

an official rules post would be helpful but I think these forums tend to abide by the golden rule: don't derail posts to complain about bilinear texture filtering

 

[plums]

Also as an addendum to this post: There's a certain type of person (and OP might be this person) who is going to read this thread and think "oh my god there are so many rules, there's no way I am going to do everything right!" If that is you, don't worry about it, just try to post considerately and everything will go fine. The advice here is good but as long as you're trying it will usually come through and most people will be happy to engage with you.

[tewgytaylor]

3 minutes ago, plums said:

There's a certain type of person (and OP might be this person)

Bullseye!

 

In all seriousness your post does help ease my worries a bit. I am admittedly the type of person to overthink this kind of thing so it's good to know.

[fai1025]

Rules that I figure out myself during my stay on DW

 

General 

• don't be a twat
• take critisim (whether it's harsh or not)
• make sure every comment have a purpose, this ain't twitter

Output

• Do not post maps that are clearly made without slightest bit of effort
• Do not plagiarise other people's work, this include sprite, map, music, code
• Credit every single matter that you that you didn't make it yourself
• Post thread at the right category

Commenting

• If you're commenting a critisim, provide reason and potential of improvement
• Back your arguement with factual evidence
• if there's a guy being twat, just leave him alone

Bonus

• If your English are not in conversational level just type in your native language, using google translate just confusing people even more
• don't bump thread from two thousand years ago

 

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Another thing to remember is that warnings are not a punishment. A ban/tempban is a punishment. If you make some minor mistake or get a little dickish, all that will happen is that you'll get a warning point added to your account. They are actually points that add up, but I've been told several times that they mean nothing. This disappointed me as I thought it was part of a contest. I guess it's just part of the forum software or something. 

 

In general, people who make these kinds of "tell me the rules" threads end up being one of two kinds of people: young and lazy smartass dickheads, or perfectly normal people who get along fine with others. Judging by this thread I think it's safe to say that you're probably the latter. The young dickheads usually struggle with forming sentences.

 

EDIT After looking at your history real quick, you're fine. I don't think you need to even worry about anything because you already get it. If it makes you feel better, I would not have guessed that you've never used a forum before.

Edited November 13, 2023 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Ludi]

Keep it concise. Most people, myself included, don't wanna read your manifesto.

 

It's very easy in forum culture to accidentally type a lot of words and say very little, whereas you want keep it as simple and brief as possible in reality.

 

Also use spacing (like this!) to separate your ideas. You need not worry about MLA formatting on the Internet, just focus on accessibility of your ideas.

[Sonikkumania]

YOU CAN MAKE COOL LINKS WITH TEXT WITH A SIMPLE METHOD.

Spoiler

Here's what you type:

[url=here you copypaste the destined url]here is where you write some cool text you want[/url]

 

[Biodegradable]

2 hours ago, Sonikkumania said:

YOU CAN MAKE COOL LINKS WITH TEXT WITH A SIMPLE METHOD.

  Hide contents

Here's what you type:

[url=here you copypaste the destined url]here is where you write some cool text you want[/url]

 

 

Or you could just use the hyperlink button.

 

 

[Sonikkumania]

1 hour ago, Biodegradable said:

 

Or you could just use the hyperlink button.

 

 

I guess I'm just old school. I always wrote it.

[BeetBeardTheBrave]

9 hours ago, Ludi said:

Keep it concise. Most people, myself included, don't wanna read your manifesto.

 

It's very easy in forum culture to accidentally type a lot of words and say very little, whereas you want keep it as simple and brief as possible in reality.

 

Also use spacing (like this!) to separate your ideas. You need not worry about MLA formatting on the Internet, just focus on accessibility of your ideas.

Ludi Spitin' straight facts.

[Stupid Bunny]

The fact that you're posting this thread is already a good thing. A few specifics that n00bs often run into (some of which have already been mentioned):

• Don't post multiple reply posts in a row; put all the replies in the same post. It makes everything much easier to read.
• If you post a thread asking for help with something, give it a title more descriptive than "help pls"
• If you're posting a new thread, use the search function and check the last couple pages to see that it hasn't been posted recently. That said, the search function here is kind of trash and the community has been around 3 decades this year so don't take it personally if you do post a thread and somebody complains that it's already been done or something
• Have fun and don't overthink it too much. You're not going to be drummed out of Doomworld for doing one thing wrong, and besides, it's a public forum with a lot of people on it and so you can't expect to make everyone happy all the time anyway. Like baja says, some active listening, mutual humility and empathy on everybody's part makes the place work a lot better.

[Lila Feuer]

The golden rule? Lots of compliments! About me preferably. 😏

[Chezza]

7 hours ago, Lila Feuer said:

The golden rule? Lots of compliments! About me preferably. 😏

That's actually the golden rule in any social environment (not just about Lila Feuer), as long as it comes off sincere and in reason.

 

In a meeting, shout out and give credit to your co-workers's contribution. Praise your family and friends achievements, compliment your partners appearance like you're dating again, show interest and ask open ended questions to a strangers or acquaintance interest if you're introduced to them etc

 

Most of these can apply to this forum. Turn it into a habit and you'll be liked.

Edited November 14, 2023 by Chezza

[Insaneprophet]

Havnt seen this mentioned yet but like in every other social interaction or use of technology/machinery...

Use extreme discretion when alchohol has been added to the mix 😝