(Damn Firefox crashing, looks like I'll have to start over...)
Alright, first off, I'm not leaving (unless I'm somehow banned for this post), so this isn't one of those lousy "I'M LEAVING BUT NOT REALLY SO GIVE ME ATTENTION" threads that seem so common on the Internets.
Lately I've been noticing various downward trends on this forum. I can't believe I actually have to DO this for some of you, but let me spell out a few of these trends for you; maybe you'll agree, maybe you won't, but this is my personal take on the matter.
First off, all these new threads lately... most of them boil down into "LOOK AT THIS IMAGE!" or "WATCH THIS MOVIE!" or "LISTEN TO THIS SONG, IT FUNNY!" All I'm going to say is - stop. Just STOP. I can appreciate a funny image, movie or song as much as the other guy, but we don't need a new freakin' thread for each and every one. Bigboi's already helped put an end to the movie side of things, seeing as we now have a sticky for that, but even still I see people blatantly ignoring that. A general rule of thumb - if somebody already has a "LOOK AT THIS IMAGE!" or "LISTEN TO THIS SONG, IT FUNNY!" thread on the first page or so, use that thread instead of making a new one. This is common forum courtesy, people; it's the same here as it is pretty much everywhere else on the entire Internet.
Speaking of courtesy, I've noticed a lack of it from a lot of the newcomers. Let me brief, here:
Well, that's my rant for now; I'll probably add more as I think of it.
Alright, first off, I'm not leaving (unless I'm somehow banned for this post), so this isn't one of those lousy "I'M LEAVING BUT NOT REALLY SO GIVE ME ATTENTION" threads that seem so common on the Internets.
Lately I've been noticing various downward trends on this forum. I can't believe I actually have to DO this for some of you, but let me spell out a few of these trends for you; maybe you'll agree, maybe you won't, but this is my personal take on the matter.
First off, all these new threads lately... most of them boil down into "LOOK AT THIS IMAGE!" or "WATCH THIS MOVIE!" or "LISTEN TO THIS SONG, IT FUNNY!" All I'm going to say is - stop. Just STOP. I can appreciate a funny image, movie or song as much as the other guy, but we don't need a new freakin' thread for each and every one. Bigboi's already helped put an end to the movie side of things, seeing as we now have a sticky for that, but even still I see people blatantly ignoring that. A general rule of thumb - if somebody already has a "LOOK AT THIS IMAGE!" or "LISTEN TO THIS SONG, IT FUNNY!" thread on the first page or so, use that thread instead of making a new one. This is common forum courtesy, people; it's the same here as it is pretty much everywhere else on the entire Internet.
Speaking of courtesy, I've noticed a lack of it from a lot of the newcomers. Let me brief, here:
- Learn to spell. I should point out it's technically against the rules here to be unable to spell for anything, and for good reason - it almost ALWAYS makes you look like a complete idiot. Firefox 2 has an automatic spell-checker for you - USE IT. If you don't want to use Firefox, though, you can still find ways to check that your spelling is alright. This is, of course, assuming you're not like me and already work hard to keep your spelling in tip-top shape - it'll REALLY help you pretty much everywhere. If your awful spelling won't get you through English class, why would it be appreciated on the Internet? If anything, it's even LESS tolerated. This goes for punctuation, too.
- Quit coming up with spammy posts. I'm serious, when making replies, you should always post on-topic instead of coming up with random nonsense (there are far better ways of being funny - random nonsense rarely ever is) or random complaints that have absolutely nothing to do with anything else in the thread. Hate somebody's sig? Make another topic if there isn't already one. And I know I covered this already, but:
- Stop making duplicate topics. Always check the stickied threads first, and then ensure no such topic exists on at LEAST the first two pages. In fact, heck, do a Search, too. This is not ezBoard where the Search feature is absolute crap; it actually does what it's supposed to do: find threads on various topics. Use it. Because remember, it is ALWAYS better to post in an EXISTING thread than to start a new one. All doing the latter will do is REALLY piss everyone else off. I've also noticed this being a problem when it comes to topics on the big video games that are coming out - we have a thread on the 360 Sonic the Hedgehog readily available, and the instant a new shred of info comes out, somebody makes a new thread. NOT what is supposed to happen - you bump up the old topic with the new info and keep it going.
- Posting in all caps is almost NEVER a good idea - it almost always implies screaming, which almost always coincides with flaming, which is prohibited most everywhere. Instead, save your caps for EMPHASIS - it helps an awful lot.
- Don't come here assuming we're automatically going to respect you. It takes effort to EARN that respect. Violating any of the above automatically makes it harder to keep such respect, while making sure to obey it all, as well as the rules of the board, almost always makes you a valuable member. Actually changing your ways to obey these rules, and consistently keeping it as such, is another good way of going about things if you've already lost your respect - it makes it MUCH easier to earn that respect back.
Well, that's my rant for now; I'll probably add more as I think of it.
