Bester
<font color=blue><B>Grand UberSoke, Sith-jutsu Ryu
Tired of being misunderstood when you post?
Wonder why you seem to type something and get a ton of grief?
The problem my friends, may be a local one, located between your keyboard and chair.
The good news is, the solution is at your fingertips!
Here are AB's 7 simple rules to fitting in and being accepted on most online forums.
7 Easy Ways to Online Respect or, The Dummies Guide to Forum Behavior.
1- Lurk at first. Lurking is the act of reading, but not replying. Do this for a week or 3 to get the feel for the "seriousness" level of that particular discussion area.
2- Be polite. While you don't have to "sir" people to death, being polite and respectful, especially in your initial posts will allow you to ease yourself gracefully into the community.
3- Don't be demanding, or hit the board screaming. You are the "New Kid". If you come in guns blazing, demanding to be treated like an expert, bossing folks around, or just being a general opinionated ***, it is correct to expect people will react, and react negatively towards you. It doesn't matter how big, important or more likely self-important you are in the "real" world. On a message board, you are just another guy, and one that most folks have no clue about. Being a bossy jerk from the start will get you ignored, flames, suspended and even banned.
4- Spell Check & Grammar Check. - 95% of communications errors online are due to misspellings, typos, and poor grammar. If you have a modern word processor like MS Word, it includes both features. If you are trying to get a serious point across, I highly suggest using it to proof your post before you hit that "submit" button.
5- Proof Read - Reading your whole message through before submitting will allow you to correct flaws in logic, grammar, and concept, BEFORE someone else takes you to task publicly. Remember, this is a written medium. We can't see you smiling, or frowning, and much of the meaning is lost, unless you make it clear.
6- Follow Netiquette - Netiquette is simply rules of behavior for the online world. It is the little things like not typing in all capitals, using readable fonts, etc.
A detailed look is beyond my intent here, but you can educate yourself on proper online behavior here: http://www.onlinenetiquette.com/netiquette_101.html
7- Don't post simply to disrupt, detract, or destroy established discussions. This is often referred to as "Trolling", and is a sure way to find yourself rapidly shown to the door on most systems.
7 simple rules. 7 ways to win. 7 Holy Paths to Salvation in the online world.
Enjoy
AB
Wonder why you seem to type something and get a ton of grief?
The problem my friends, may be a local one, located between your keyboard and chair.
The good news is, the solution is at your fingertips!
Here are AB's 7 simple rules to fitting in and being accepted on most online forums.
7 Easy Ways to Online Respect or, The Dummies Guide to Forum Behavior.
1- Lurk at first. Lurking is the act of reading, but not replying. Do this for a week or 3 to get the feel for the "seriousness" level of that particular discussion area.
2- Be polite. While you don't have to "sir" people to death, being polite and respectful, especially in your initial posts will allow you to ease yourself gracefully into the community.
3- Don't be demanding, or hit the board screaming. You are the "New Kid". If you come in guns blazing, demanding to be treated like an expert, bossing folks around, or just being a general opinionated ***, it is correct to expect people will react, and react negatively towards you. It doesn't matter how big, important or more likely self-important you are in the "real" world. On a message board, you are just another guy, and one that most folks have no clue about. Being a bossy jerk from the start will get you ignored, flames, suspended and even banned.
4- Spell Check & Grammar Check. - 95% of communications errors online are due to misspellings, typos, and poor grammar. If you have a modern word processor like MS Word, it includes both features. If you are trying to get a serious point across, I highly suggest using it to proof your post before you hit that "submit" button.
5- Proof Read - Reading your whole message through before submitting will allow you to correct flaws in logic, grammar, and concept, BEFORE someone else takes you to task publicly. Remember, this is a written medium. We can't see you smiling, or frowning, and much of the meaning is lost, unless you make it clear.
6- Follow Netiquette - Netiquette is simply rules of behavior for the online world. It is the little things like not typing in all capitals, using readable fonts, etc.
A detailed look is beyond my intent here, but you can educate yourself on proper online behavior here: http://www.onlinenetiquette.com/netiquette_101.html
7- Don't post simply to disrupt, detract, or destroy established discussions. This is often referred to as "Trolling", and is a sure way to find yourself rapidly shown to the door on most systems.
7 simple rules. 7 ways to win. 7 Holy Paths to Salvation in the online world.
Enjoy
AB