Topic: Off-topic /
Off-Topic's New User Guide (NS&S Edition)
Introduction
It seems OT gets flooded with new users come summertime, so I thought making a thread like this would be a good idea to help those kiddies understand how you should act here and not be a complete outcast in our community.
In this thread, you are going to learn the basics of what is Off-Topic.
Behavior
I know there’s already a set of guidelines for how to behave in these forums, but there are also some key things you’ll need to learn for people to pay any attention to your posts or respect you in these forums.
1.) Act like you’re smarter than everyone else.
Pretending to know everything will make people respect you.
Showing you have intelligence without actually proving it will give you a sense of authority, making others look up to you if you carry it well.
2.) postin lyk ur typin a txt to ur bff iz totes cool
If you’re going to post like this, people will notice you, a key example of this is Maowee and Rolby
If you’re going to post here, illiteracy and poor grammar are going to be your closest allies.
Slight correct grammar is okay, but typing an entire paragraph with punctuation, capitalization and proper spelling is going to get you hated and ignored.
3.) Treat the “regulars” with the same amount (or lack) of respect as everyone else.
People don’t deserve special treatment or respect just because they’ve existed for longer. They’ve existed for longer through chance, that doesn’t give them the right to feel superior because of it.
4.) Spam (what is and isn’t)
Okay, so you found a cool image and want to share it, don’t go spamming it around the forums. Making a thread dedicated to it is enough.
Spam, in the electronic sense, are unsolicited messages. So basically everything can be considered spam. Because of this you can flag anything you don’t like as spam, since double-standards are allowed.
Extra punctuation (e.g. How????) strains how much you’re expressing the emotion associated with it, it will help people know how serious and personal your statement/question is.
Basic Things You Should Know
Making Threads
If you’re going to attempt to make a thread, you can just post anything for the OP – anything can generate discussion, if people say it can’t they’re the ones at fault, not you.
Making a thread about how you just got back from the pool and had a super fun time and adding the word ‘discuss’ to the end of it easily welcomes questions into your pool activities, or other instances other people went to pools and experienced pleasant or disastrous occurrences.
Locking Threads
You might realize that a thread you’d made is no longer of any interest to you and can now be deemed pointless since it’s yours, so you may consider locking it.
To lock a thread, simply delete the OP.
This will cause the thread to lock, therefore nobody is allowed to post in it any longer.
Bumping Threads
Bumping threads is generally frowned upon among the community, but not for a legitimate reason.
People say you should only bump a thread after a few days, anything older than that is considered necro’ing and is offensive to people just because.
If you have anything to add (even just a “this”), then “necro’ing” is perfectly fine as you’re contributing to discussion.
Posting Just For The Sake Of Posting
Any post can constitute as a contribution, so feel free to do it.
It might make people think of you as someone who enjoys 1-upping their post count.
But that’s what a post count is for, 1-upping. They’re just upset because they don’t understand supply and demand, quantity is the main priority.
Introducing Yourself To The Community
If you want to say hello to everyone here, make a thread regarding your recent arrival.
Making a thread about how you’re new to the forums will make people aware that you’re of importance and should be noticed.
That’s all I can think of, and I hope it helps a bit.
