The Crao Porr Cock8 Guide to Proper Forum Etiquette

[Meier Link]

For those that do not know what “etiquette” is I will refer you to this before we even start today’s lesson. etiquette - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary


So this has been a topic in the CPC8 house for a few weeks now, and we have all talked about it and decided it would to help educate the forum on what we see as proper forum etiquette. As you have seen by now; one of our very own has acted on his own to help educate those that are interested in RP and RPB (Masamune's Extensive Guide to Role-Playing). We want to take a few moments now to help those that are curious on how to become a respected and well thought of forum member, achieve their goals. While these are in no way or form a requirement, they are highly recommended by the brothers of CPC8 (oh and the house mother agrees too! Can’t forget to mention her or she won’t bring us beer anymore….)

There will be a lot to cover in this thread so it will be broken down into sections which will be bolded to direct attention. If you feel the need to post a comment or want to add something please feel free to do so. If we feel your comment is not beneficial to this topic or your suggestion is not deemed appropriate we will seek to have your post deleted.

Seeing I don’t want this to get to dry or boring I will throw in some humor to help in the teaching process.

Also I will sticky this and leave it open for questions (for now).

:: Notice :: We are not trying to enforce these guide lines on you (yet?), take them as helpful advice and run with it.

Clifnote version 1.0 coming to you from the wise Lococolt:

Spoiler: tl;dr: Don't be a doucher.

Now the really long version for those that have the time to read all of it.

The Rules

Rules, Rules, Rules, they more then likely have been shoved down your throat since the day you joined, if not there has been a hundred posts in regards to them. If you are not completely familiar with them it is highly suggested you check them out. This could result in avoiding unnecessary warnings. In order to keep structure these have been implemented not only for others but for your time here at TFF to be a good one.

For quick reference here you go: The Final Fantasy Forums - Announcements in Forum : Forum Announcements.

We are not going to go into much detail on rules because they are very clearly listed and should be abided by at all times.

Forum Staff

This is following the rules because this is something that can be something of a touchy subject. By all means there is a level of respect that should be given to all staff members, they have been appointed their positions for a reason, and even if it is unbeknown to you, there is a reason why each and every staff member has been selected and appointed the appropriate position that they are in.

Keep in mind when you are about to flame a staff member that they hold your “access card” to this forum in the palm of their hands. You should respect these individuals at all times; even when you think you are right.

There is one thing that I would like to point out, that most people tend to forget. The staff members here are not paid to do what they do, they are just like us; avid fans of not only Final Fantasy but dedicated members of a social community that has been provided to us by Sir Fuzz his self. They take time out of their schedule to come here and attempt to maintain order. And if you actually take the time to talk to any of them you will realize that they are human too.

As for flaming a staff member it is highly advised that you do not do so. Even making jokes about the “evil moddies” is not recommended. The staff here is actually above par compared to other forums, they are willing to hear you out and make rational decisions; even if you don’t agree with those choices.

Opinions

If you don’t have one then realistically you are not a human, everyone has one. So share it with the rest of us! But (oh yeah there’s the “B” word) don’t try to force it down anyone’s throat.

Grammar

Grammar is a must when it comes to making a decent post, not that you have to be the greatest at it but some sentence structure is greatly appreciated by all. Reading lines that all run into one long sentence gets old fast. And most of the time the post is by-passed because it is almost incomprehensible.

As many people know, I myself am not the greatest with grammar usage and often misspell words because I am just “not good with spelling”. This can be easily over looked if you take the time to make a decent post that contains not only some what decent grammar but also relevance to the subject at hand.

The efforts in trying to put out a good post that has an attempted decent amount grammar will more likely viewed and responded to then someone who “text types” and doesn’t care about post quality.

Text Typing

“Text type” is an acceptable form of communication when used at a limited usage. When you get to the point where over 9% of your post includes it, it becomes annoying. On the same matter, if you do decide to use “text type” try not to make up your own or deviate from the original meaning behind it. I heard this one just today (in real life): One person tried to change the meaning of LOL from “laughing out loud” to “Lots of Love”. Keep in mind they are talking to an 11 year old girl that is very familiar with “text type”. I will head into an example as to why changing up meaning could be a bad thing:

“Honey your grand mother just died LOL” this in meaning could be a very sentimental statement if the person on the receiving end knows you mean that LOL is the equivalent to “Lots of Love” but if they don’t then you just come across as a heartless ass.

Wordages (???)

“Plz pas me da butuh” this is a form of crap typing, most of the time it will be bypassed by many readers, if you really want to become recognized as an individual here at least try to type in a manner that is not only formal and inoffensive but also LEGIBLE. People do not want to waste the time to read shanagins like this. This leads to the next topic.

Think before you type

See I told you it would be relevant didn’t I, well read on. As a member of this forum you are granted what some might consider an unlimited amount of time to make a post. This is to / for your benefit.

In all honesty post count means nothing here, quality does mean for something though. If you take a few minutes out of spamming up the forum and decide to give this a try you might notice that people will react to you in a better fashion.

Try to source your information, give links, or at least a name to some kind of relevance if you are trying to quote something. Put some actual thought behind your posts. See the sourcing section for more information on that topic.

If you like something, try giving a reason why instead of just stating “I agree”. Instead of “Hey I like that” try “I like this because……” Not only will this give more value to your post but could possibly open up a potential debate or conversation that is proactive to this forum.

The edit button

Now keep this in mind, this is completely new to TFF. Never seen before. There is a button you can push after you have posted that shows up on the post itself, located right at the the bottom right corner of the post’s table frame, it is there I promise. It is spelled e-d-i-t; yes that is edit. You are now able to go back and change a post for what every reason you desire. Things you can use the “edit button” for:

1: typegraphical errors
2: further expanding your veiws
3: fun
4: to completely rewrite your post because it was all in text type and you realize after reading this, people don’t care for text type and odd wordages.

These are just afew reasons you might use this option, but hey we figure we would just point out the functionality of it. Happy editing!

Informed response to other posters

This really is a given, if you are going to respond to someone, try to be considerate of their post and believes.

Also take the time to do proper research before entering a debate with someone; sources to validate your responses are always welcome. Just make sure your sources are also reliable, don’t depend on the all mighty Wiki! There are a million billion websites out there in this great space called the web, use them to your advantage.

Sourcing information

Speaking of sources, here is a little section on them too! Don’t want them to feel left out.

For one if you are quoting something, make sure to source your information other wise you are plagiarizing which is a no-no in most states. Sources are a viable reference such as hyper linking to a separate web site that you pulled the info from, quote who you stole your information from. Basically give credit where credit is due.

Sourcing is not limited to just quoting people, it is a must when posting news. This validates what you are saying isn’t a big line of bull ****.

Post Whoring

This is a VERY trivial topic. In the eyes of most people post whoring is a bad thing. And in most cases it is because it is done improperly. Yes there are some instances where post whoring is perfectly acceptable. But the difference between the good and bad post whores would have to be the content involved with in the post itself.

Sure anyone can respond to 20 threads a day, but if the qualities of those posts are low then there really isn’t a benefiting factor to your whorish ways. Now if you make 20 posts a day and add some decent content to your posts then it can be seen as acceptable to many.

In many cases, more often then not (redundant huh?) post whoring is a bad thing, this can lead to things such as warnings, “no thanks” comments, and even worse being labeled a post whore!

Respect

There is one golden rule that has always applied to respect, and in reality it holds very true not only on this forum but in real life also, “you have to give respect to get respect.”

As your first days of a noobie you probably posted a post on who you are / were and was welcomed to the forum with open arms. Generally the hospitality respect ends there. From that point on you will have to (or had to) gain the trust of the forum members and become known amongst other members. This can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be.

If you abide by the “Golden Rule” listed above this will aid in your conquest. Tread lightly young Luke Skywalker but still make your impression upon the universe.


Fan boyism

Ahhh the good old fan boy, if you have no clue what a fan boy is I will go into a little detail by providing you a link! Urban Dictionary: fanboy

Sure it is alright to be dedicated to your favorite character, everyone has their favorites but when it goes as far as mocking that persona on the net it makes things a little absurd. For instance if you do a member list search of the name “Cloud” by going in to the “C” names you will notice there are over 40 members in a row that have something that pertains to Cloud in their user name; this does not include all the variations of Cloud and where Cloud might not appear at the beginning of a user name. I will not even go into Sephiroth.

So as you can see there are 10,000 clones just like you if you choose the choice of a fan boy. Really there is no reason to try and act like your favorite character here. You can be yourself and still worship the pixels they roam on. Individuality is a great commodity to have.

Online persona

Who are you online? Are you, you or do you pretend to be something you are not? People are more willing to accept you for who you really are then what you imagine your online persona to be. Try not to take to your fan boy urges and just be yourself. Sure on the web it is very informal when talking to people and you can let some of your character traits slide, but acting like something / someone you are not tends to get annoying. Being yourself on forums is possibly one of the best things you can do for yourself in the digital community. There is no reason to be something you are not because in reality the odds of someone here meeting up with you and making fun of you in real life are pretty much nil.

Hyping yourself up

Sure it is the web and you can make your self out to be “the worlds greatest swordsmen, but most people can smell bull **** a mile a way (even over text). There is no need to hype your self up by telling stupid exaggerated stories, tell them like they are and let the people decide what to think.

If you really think that you need to hype yourself up to make friends on a web forum the following is highly recommended:

1: click the little white X surrounded by a red box at the top right hand of your browser. (Finish reading this before doing so though)
2: press CTL, ALT and delete at the same time followed by enter, this should lock your PC (or mac)
3: Walk to the closest mirror
4: Smack yourself
5: Go out and make a story you can come back and tell with out having to hype your self up by living life.
6: If this doesn’t work the first time repeat steps 1-6.

Seriously though, if you have lived life, you have a story that is worth telling that will not require the facts to be exaggerated.

Jumping on the Band Wagon

We have all heard in some sense the term “if your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it?”; the obvious response being “No”. Well the same actions and principals should be present here and in real life. Just because your friends are in a debate with someone doesn’t give you right to jump in and take their side.

Also if you can think for yourself it is better to do so, meaning if you have an opinion on something don’t let others sway it just so you can fit in with what everyone else is saying. Even if your opinion just barely differs from others, point out the differences. You don’t have to be a sheep baaahhhhh.

The Dog Pack Affect

This is another form of band wagon jumping and it generally comes up in debates that turn into arguments. Two people get into a fight and next thing you know all of their friends are making sny remarks. This is honestly one of the dumbest things that can happen on a forum, if you have a problem with someone deal with it yourself, you do not have to rely on others to talk **** for you. On the other end of the spectrum if you are one of the people wanting to throw in your two cents to aid your buddy read the next topic because it has been deemed worthy of its own section!

Mind Your Own Business

Seriously if a confrontation has nothing to with you stay the hell out of it. Your input is not required and will generally only lead to the event escalating. If one of your friends has a problem with someone that does not mean that is your place to make it your problem also.

Keep it out of the threads

As funny as it is to read a good argument that has escalated beyond debate in a thread it is highly advised to take the problem out of the thread to a more suitable means; for instance PM’s and VM’s. Really arguing in a thread is pointless, all it tends to accomplish is a derailment of the main topic at hand. Also if the mods decide to take action against the offenders this could lead to warning and we know no one really likes those.

Keep Your Mind on the Main Topic at Hand

This can be taken many different ways and is an accumulative of some of the other sections.

When posting in a thread it is advised that your post at least contains something of the topic at hand, if you are not entirely sure what that topic is go to the OP (original post) and read what it has to say.

There have been some possible great threads that have went down the sewer pipe because of spammish responses; a good example of this would be the VS threads. It is almost sickening to read some of the responses in those sections. You pit two characters against each other, both very well trained in the arts of combat; do you really think that sexual appeal and coolness factor will have ANYTHING to do with the outcome of the match?

There are instances where a topic’s subject can change over time, so it is also recommended that you read at least a few posts on the last page before trying to jump in the middle of a thread and putting in your opinion.

The main topic is what your posts need to be directed at though, with twists and variations added through out your post. If you want to go off topic that bad try making your own thread just for that purpose. There is no reason to drag on conversations that don’t pertain to the topic at hand.

New Thread Labeling

When making a thread it is in no way a requirement to put the term “Thread” in the title of your thread, it is apparent what it is and honestly you will look kind of foolish for doing so. If you are trying to get attention towards your thread try using some other options like “!!!”. But with the traffic on this forum even that is unnecessary.

Also, if you are going to take the time to make a half ass thread, at least take the time to type out the name of the thread correctly. This is a major annoyance to many, and could lead to negative responses from other members. If you notice a typing error in a thread make note of it or ask an Admin / S-Mod to change it for you.

Confrontation

Recently a thread was opened about this very subject, there was a lot of good advice shared with in the pages of that thread, the only down fall was there was relatively no responses from newer members. That was kind of depressing to see. The term “grow thicker skin” has been thrown around the forum for a while now and it is not an insult but a recommendation. Some of the most active topics recently have been filled with some type of confrontation.

Now we are not saying to go out and pick a fight with everyone that you meet, but it is encouraged to voice your opinion to the fullest extent, even if you agree with someone 98% don’t be afraid to put in your extra 2%. This could not only liven up a topic but could also bring about a new means of conversation or insight to the topic at hand.

Don't Feed The Trolls - A message brought to you by: Hellfire

"What is a troll?" you may ask. Well kids, a troll is anyone who purposefully disrupts an online community. They use many tactics to achieve this, from outright flaming or throwing insults around, to more subtle things, like acting like a retard. A few ways to determine if a member is a troll is:
1. if they use very poor reasoning, or no reasoning at all
2. persist in arguing with you long after you feel the argument should have been over with
3. if absolutely nothing good seems to be coming of what they are saying

What does it mean to "feed the trolls?" To give them what they want. To show that they have elicited a reaction out of you. It is best to stop interacting with a troll once you have seen it for what it really is. the more you argue with one, the more it will make you look silly to everyone else.

Common Sense

Well if you have made it this far into the teaching of CPC8 then you should realize that this one thing is a great thing to have not only in real life but on a web forum also. There are a lot of great things about this that are easily over looked:
1: It is completely free!
2: Most people come reequipped with it and generally doesn’t need to be upgraded with the exceptions of a few instances.
3: It is surprisingly easy to not only use but to master also.
4: Can save you from being arsed.

A message to new members:

First of don’t be afraid to post, every one has an opinion don’t be ashamed to share yours. The forum is here for fun so while here why not have some?

Like I said this guide is not a requirement by any means but it can surely help to develop you into a well respected member of this community. Given we have not provided all of the insight but it is a good start. Hope this read teaches you well and you have gained something from it.

A message to older members:

Take a look back as to why you joined this forum in the first place, it seems that some have forgotten why they came here in the first place, this place is set up to be an escape just like FFs in general, this place is not your job you are not required to come here. So cut loose every once in a while and have some fun. There really is no reason to be a pompous ass all of the time, have some fun and get to know some of the new members. Aid them instead of insulting and relax, might have to schedule an appointment if needed to remove the stick from anus. This guide is a good out look for you too. As I said we came here for an escape and to have some fun so why not do just that?

In closing this was a combined effort of CPC8, feel free to thank any of them if you find this guide useful in any way.

[Mistress Sheena]

Pro tip: Edit has existed since TFF's birth. As well as the general forum birth. >_>
I don't know if you were sarcastic when you said it was completely new, but if you weren't, then there's your correction.

Pro tip 2: All post whoring is evil and bad. To say that some of it is good is lunacy and heresy. Now, if said posts had good content and only were posted in living (read: not over 2 moths old.) threads, then that's fine. It's not really considered post whoring.

PS: Common sense isn't actually all that common in this day and age, anymore.

[Meier Link]

Originally Posted by Mistress Sheena

Pro tip: Edit has existed since TFF's birth. As well as the general forum birth. >_>
I don't know if you were sarcastic when you said it was completely new, but if you weren't, then there's your correction.

That line was full of sarcasm. But thanks for pointing that out.

Pro tip 2: All post whoring is evil and bad. To say that some of it is good is lunacy and heresy. Now, if said posts had good content and only were posted in living (read: not over 2 moths old.) threads, then that's fine. It's not really considered post whoring.

In a technical sence it is still post whoring, but lets not look to far into the definition. Might confuse some. This could get into a debute over web termanology, lets suffice that we are both right in this instance.

PS: Common sense isn't actually all that common in this day and age, anymore.

Agreed that is why we felt it nessicary to add that section to the quide.

But thanks for your contributions you make very good points and they should be duely noted amongst this thread.

[PurpleDiamond]

Hey Meier Link I'm pretty new to this forum only started I think on the 9th of May...But anyways I was wondering if I could have a better definition on post whoring...I'm not exactly sure what it means for example are we aloud to post on some older thread or should we only stick with some that were made from the start of May to now....But other then that question, it's a very helpfull guide :] So thanks for posting it!

[Mistress Sheena]

As far as post whoring is concerned, you can post in older threads if you make your posts very thought out and contribute to the topic that hasn't already been previously discussed.

[Telegraph]

I thought of something else, while looking at my sig, that should have been in there:

Don't Feed The Trolls

"What is a troll?" you may ask. Well kids, a troll is anyone who purposefully disrupts an online community. They use many tactics to achieve this, from outright flaming or throwing insults around, to more subtle things, like acting like a retard. A few ways to determine if a member is a troll is:
1. if they use very poor reasoning, or no reasoning at all
2. persist in arguing with you long after you feel the argument should have been over with
3. if absolutely nothing good seems to be coming of what they are saying

What does it mean to "feed the trolls?" To give them what they want. To show that they have elicited a reaction out of you. It is best to stop interacting with a troll once you have seen it for what it really is. the more you argue with one, the more it will make you look silly to everyone else. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Meier Link]

Originally Posted by PurpleDiamond

Hey Meier Link I'm pretty new to this forum only started I think on the 9th of May...But anyways I was wondering if I could have a better definition on post whoring...I'm not exactly sure what it means

A post whore can be a varity of things but for the main part it concerns post count, for example someone posting just to make a post this is a fine example of post whoring. Generally it involves someone wanting to increase their post count by posting an obscure amount to replys with in a given time period. Really there is no gratification to this with the exception of seeing a meaningless number increase.

Most of the time when someone is post whoring they put no thought or emotion behind what they are intending to say and are pretty generic due to the lack of time put into the posts.

If you need further definition of what a post whore is I will refer you here: Urban Dictionary: post whore . That is a pretty simplistic break down of what it is to be a post whore.

for example are we aloud to post on some older thread or should we only stick with some that were made from the start of May to now....

I think Sheena responded to this part very well so I will not go into it.

But other then that question, it's a very helpfull guide :] So thanks for posting it!

Not a problem, we at CPC8 take pride in mentoring new members and hope to make decent members out of the influx of people that come to TFF. I am glad you enjoyed it and if you have anymore questions feel free to post here or to hit up any of the CPC8 members. They are pretty easy to spot because there is usually reference to CPC8 somewhere in their profile or sigs. But for quick reference here is a link to our family thread: CRAO PORR COCK8 FRATERNITY: Join the Brotherhood! . There is a list of current active memebers located within Rocky's OP.



Also Hellfire brings up a good point about feeding trolls, if you wish I could add it to the OP, hit me up via PM to let me know if that is something you want to do. As of right now I think it is alright where it is, but if this thread goes multi pages it might be lost as we know some people only read the OP and a the last two posts.

[Fate]

I actually found this to be quite interesting. The one part, I think, that most people need to work on is proper grammar. Some people here, whether or not they are purposely trying to do so, use so much slang in their posts that I sometimes don't have a clue as to what they are saying. It's not really that hard, knowing where to put a comma once in a while, and it should be done, don't you think? Anyway, nice guide!

[tre skills]

i got to be honest i couldn't of read all that, way too long.
I use text form and for now on I'll try me best to type proper.

thanks any ways for sending me this thread.

[LocoColt04]

I believe you should include the following for those who choose not to read it all.

tl;dr: Don't be a doucher.

After all, that's all you're really trying to say.

LOL, right back at'cha boys.

[tre skills]

so what if i didn't read it all
i dont HAVE to
and why would yo care if someone reads it all anyways ??

[Telegraph]

Word of advice, my friend; Don't think that people are speaking specifically about you, unless they've quoted you, said something specific about something you said, or stated your name. Particularly when it's more of a general statement, like Lococolt04 made. Don't take things personally, is pretty much what I think I'm trying to say. If you do, you'll wanna punch everyone in the nose. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Meier Link]

I believe you should include the following for those who choose not to read it all.

tl;dr: Don't be a doucher.

After all, that's all you're really trying to say.

LOL, right back at'cha boys.

It is funny how somethings can come back and nip you in the butt eh? Recheck out the OP, figured I would throw that in there for some fun. Oh yeah spoil boxes haha.

so what if i didn't read it all
i dont HAVE to
and why would yo care if someone reads it all anyways ??

No one said you had to, Loco was making a general statement. In the future please take comments like this to a VM or PM.

Word of advice, my friend; Don't think that people are speaking specifically about you, unless they've quoted you, said something specific about something you said, or stated your name. Particularly when it's more of a general statement, like Lococolt04 made. Don't take things personally, is pretty much what I think I'm trying to say. If you do, you'll wanna punch everyone in the nose. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

Quoted for truth.

[LocoColt04]

Originally Posted by Meier Link

No one said you had to, Loco was making a general statement. In the future please take comments like this to a VM or PM.

Accurate statement. My entire post was directed at the original topic, not anyone in particular... hence the tl;dr remark, and noting that it should be included in the original post.