Guide to posting: General netiquette

[Qwertygiy]

As you probably all know, things that you post should have some discussion value -- if it is a thread, people should be able to post meaningful replies to it. If it is a post, it should make some sense in context with the rest of the thread.

You SHOULD:

• Be polite. Rudeness, swearing, discrimination, and just plain being unfriendly won't just make other forumers mad, it can get you warned or banned.
  
• Read the whole thread before posting. Sometimes, you can't quite get the whole story by reading the last few posts, or you may repeat what someone else has said before.
  
• Try to use correct spelling. Unless it's clear you're being humorous, try to use good grammar. 1337, ALL CAPS, and misspelled words can be hard to read or understand and can sometimes make people a bit frustrated.
  
• Remember that the other users are people too. Stop and think a moment about what you're posting. Would it make you upset if someone said it to you? If so, try to rephrase your post to make it less so.
  
• Try to be direct when replying. Don't use some evasive jumble -- get to the point soon. A long, explanatory post -- like this one -- is fine, but make sure you state what you mean early on.
  

You should NOT:

• Go on and on and on without using seperate paragraphs. A long mess of words can be hard to read and the point can get lost somewhere in the middle. Use lists, or seperate paragraphs (a blank line between main ideas works fine).
  
• POST IN ALL CAPS IN YOUR ENTIRE POST. This is the equivalent of "shouting" across the internet and can be considered rude or too forceful. Sometimes it isn't what you say but how you say it.
  
• Post random replies. If your post doesn't have something to do with the main content of the thread, don't post it. It's just as bad as a spam thread.
  
• If you're criticizing someone, don't be nasty about it. Instead of just saying what you think they did wrong, try to suggest what they should do different instead.
  
• Attack someone for posting something that seems obvious or dumb. They might truly not know, or they may just be trolling and attempting to get you to be mad. Again, be polite.
  
• Post private stuff. If you wouldn't want to tell it to your entire school (or workplace members, family, etc.), don't post it here.
  
• If it's something that you couldn't make a good conversation out of in real life, don't post it as a thread here.
  

I hope this list helps you out.