PSA # One and Only Part DeuxSo a while back , I came up with what I believed at the time to be a helpful list of tips for the newbs and noobs (rumor has it, "crunchie" is the new word for these people) of this site. That list has been added to over time (and can always get bigger, feel free to donate), but the end threatened that a sequel could be on it's way. I was joking at the time, but the more I thought about, the more time I spent in threads, the more I really explored this site, the more I realized I may actually have to come through. Now I know what you're thinking, "I'm a vet. I already know what I'm doing. I have a higher Karma than this guy. Why should I listen to him? I know the rules." I can't argue with you there, but fact is, there are some things that we all see experienced users do, that aren't really necessary. Furthermore, there are things that we see experienced users do, that are things we expect the newbs to do, and outgrow. So here it goes, and as always, this list isn't final. More is always needed.1.) One Journal per day, please. This is one of those things that we expect the new guys to do, but we still see happen. You can, in fact, edit your journals, so why do you need a thousand little ones. You might have a journal that is totally worth it's snuff, but if you put up a new one 10 minutes later, does it really matter? You lessen the impact of the good journals because people may not want to back track 8 journals to read it. 2.) Not everything needs a thread. In my personal opinion, I think a vet needs one unintentionally failed thread and one thread that succeeded in order to really be able to give out advice on threads, and even be a complete vet. With that said, I'm only half way there (the worse half at that), so I guess I'll have to let it be at that. 3.) Don't let noobs, I mean crunchies, destroy topics. You have the power, use it. More threads are using the "Ignore the retard" rule, which is great, but seldom followed. Everyone is guilty of this at one time or another, so I don't blame people for the occasional shot, but there are too many all out flame wars. People in the thread inevitably do whatever the vets do, because that's the easy road to acceptance, so use this fact to your advantage. Stay on topic, help others stay on topic, and the one or two comments will quickly vanish. 4.) Be nice to newer people. Let them establish themselves as retarded before you tag them as such. Just because a person made a dumb post doesn't mean we should assault them at full force. There are cases of redemptions, if you allow them to happen. The formula should be: Dumb Post, Advice, Apology and new better post. Is it guaranteed the rookie will fix themselves? No, but let them ask to be pummeled before commencing to doing so. Then see rule 3. 5.) Be generous. There's a good chance you've got a good deal of mods at you dispense, unless that's just not your goal. A friend of mine gave me a great suggestion of what to do with those mods. find someone who is not sponsored and just getting started. Someone with some potential to really contribute. Then give them 15 mods, for no other reason, but to make them feel good. Stay anonymous, and see what they do with there newly received "power." Or if you need the ego trip, tell them. But keep an eye on them and see how it goes. It might actually feel good. Sponsoring people is also a nice gesture, but I won't tell you to spend money on someone just for the sake of doing it. That's just plain crazy. 6.) Feel free to Adopt a Newbie. You would be helping add to the worthy site member count, and may add to that feeling good concept I touched base on earlier. 7.) There's helpful, then there's Nazi. We all appreciate good grammar, there is no doubt to that, but there is no need to assault another individual over some minor errors. Fact is, some people suck at spelling, and that's ok, as long a they make an effort at it. There is no need to continually correct and correct and correct, clearly getting ruder in each post because someone makes some near-misses in a post or 2. Is that really necessary? Besides, doing so goes against rule 3, which is an important rule. That's just the start of things though, the site will only get better, so why can't it's members? I know some may not care about what I have to say, but I figure they already stopped reading, so I trust the rest of you to help make this site a little better by fixing your flaws, and encouraging other to do the same. And yes, I know. This means I have to start doing these things too. Blast it. |
|
|
