When In Doubt....
Rat
Join Date: 2002-12-24 Member: 11486Members
Join Date: 2002-12-24 Member: 11486Members
Hi, my name is Rat. I've been around NS for quite some time, but you'll be hard-pressed to find one of my posts on this forum. I post quite regularly on other forums, yet for some reason I find myself posting almost never here. Mostly the reason lies in the fact that I'm here to learn what I can from the discussion around me. 1.04 got stagnant for me quite some time ago, so I stopped playing until the new version, yet I continued to troll the forums every so often to see what was going on. Some of you out there may remember playing with #nsradio|rat at some point, or maybe Rat[BFR], but that was some time ago. One thing that I always enjoyed about this forum was its intolerance. Intolerance is what keeps this place clean. It's a very specific intolerance, and that is the intolerance for rudeness, idiocy and inciteful behavior. I've adminned various servers before (though not for NS), and it is that self-same intolerance that made those servers great.
Now, for a while, I've been a member of the <a href='http://www.tfproject.org' target='_blank'>Tilted Forum Project</a> community, and the first thing that stuck me was its charter. It had the single best bit of advice I've ever seen for an online forum, and I guess it's worth sharing here.
When in doubt, use your back button. It's on the browser for a reason, and it is meant to be used. If you find yourself directed to a random webpage during your regular surfing, and you find it is not someplace you would care to be, you generally <i>hit your back button</i>. The same holds true when it comes to participating on an online forum. If you enter a thread, and find that you are frustrated, angered, or simply annoyed by its content, odds are you should <i>hit your back button</i>. That is not to say that disagreements should not arise and discussions/argumentation should not occur--especially when it comes to improving this game so much of us dedicate large times to playing and participating in. However, if you fail to find something to contribute to any sort of conversation that is <i>meaningful and worthwhile</i>, then rather than saying "gg nub" or "quit whining" or "SUYF," quite simply <i>hit your back button</i>. You would be surprised how well this works.
Another great feature is the <i>Preview Post</i> button, another great function of an online forum. Many times as we type, we get caught up on a train of thought that moves more quickly than the fingers of our hands, and we end up with typos or sentences that make no sense. That's fine, and understandable. But there are other times, when our emotions take the reins and run roughshod over our judgement and tact, and we end up flaming. Now dont get me wrong, there are times when I love a good flamewar, and I've been known to insight them (though not here as I almost never post). However, seeing as Flayra and the crew find these little conflagrations to be counterproductive, the <i>Preview Post</i> button comes in quite handy. The written word lacks all the nonverbal cues of human communication, along with tone of voice and cadence of delivery and emphasis on certain words.
Therefore, if you're participating in a rather heated discussion, and both sides have begun to get rather touchy over certain particulars, above all, either <i>hit your back button</i> or use the <i>Preview Post</i> button. It saves the admins and mods quite a bit of hassle (trust me, I've been a moderator, and it can be hell) and smooths out their day. They browse these forums with intent to participate, and I don't mean by locking threads or banning people. They want to have fun and discuss this great game and the community that has sprung up around it.
I know this got a little long winded, and perhaps, even a bit preachy. That was sort of my intent, as those that read this whole post may have a little different outlook by the end. I'm not perfect, and expect perfection from no one. However, there's no reason to make life any more difficult for myself or others than it has to be. If you'd care to chat with me, find me at <b>#nsradio, #evolutionarily, #sicklemoon, #gamesnet, #twilighteclipse, #naturalselection, #syn</b> or <b>#redemption on irc.gamesnet.net</b>, on the <a href='http://www.evolutionarily.org' target='_blank'>http://www.evolutionarily.org</a> forums, or game with me on the <b>207.44.184.62:27015 Twilight Eclipse Uber NS 2.0 - CD opt server</b> or the <b>212.23.5.49:27025 Play Zen : NS v2.00 (Nano Redux) serer</b>
Thanks for reading this,
Rat
Now, for a while, I've been a member of the <a href='http://www.tfproject.org' target='_blank'>Tilted Forum Project</a> community, and the first thing that stuck me was its charter. It had the single best bit of advice I've ever seen for an online forum, and I guess it's worth sharing here.
When in doubt, use your back button. It's on the browser for a reason, and it is meant to be used. If you find yourself directed to a random webpage during your regular surfing, and you find it is not someplace you would care to be, you generally <i>hit your back button</i>. The same holds true when it comes to participating on an online forum. If you enter a thread, and find that you are frustrated, angered, or simply annoyed by its content, odds are you should <i>hit your back button</i>. That is not to say that disagreements should not arise and discussions/argumentation should not occur--especially when it comes to improving this game so much of us dedicate large times to playing and participating in. However, if you fail to find something to contribute to any sort of conversation that is <i>meaningful and worthwhile</i>, then rather than saying "gg nub" or "quit whining" or "SUYF," quite simply <i>hit your back button</i>. You would be surprised how well this works.
Another great feature is the <i>Preview Post</i> button, another great function of an online forum. Many times as we type, we get caught up on a train of thought that moves more quickly than the fingers of our hands, and we end up with typos or sentences that make no sense. That's fine, and understandable. But there are other times, when our emotions take the reins and run roughshod over our judgement and tact, and we end up flaming. Now dont get me wrong, there are times when I love a good flamewar, and I've been known to insight them (though not here as I almost never post). However, seeing as Flayra and the crew find these little conflagrations to be counterproductive, the <i>Preview Post</i> button comes in quite handy. The written word lacks all the nonverbal cues of human communication, along with tone of voice and cadence of delivery and emphasis on certain words.
Therefore, if you're participating in a rather heated discussion, and both sides have begun to get rather touchy over certain particulars, above all, either <i>hit your back button</i> or use the <i>Preview Post</i> button. It saves the admins and mods quite a bit of hassle (trust me, I've been a moderator, and it can be hell) and smooths out their day. They browse these forums with intent to participate, and I don't mean by locking threads or banning people. They want to have fun and discuss this great game and the community that has sprung up around it.
I know this got a little long winded, and perhaps, even a bit preachy. That was sort of my intent, as those that read this whole post may have a little different outlook by the end. I'm not perfect, and expect perfection from no one. However, there's no reason to make life any more difficult for myself or others than it has to be. If you'd care to chat with me, find me at <b>#nsradio, #evolutionarily, #sicklemoon, #gamesnet, #twilighteclipse, #naturalselection, #syn</b> or <b>#redemption on irc.gamesnet.net</b>, on the <a href='http://www.evolutionarily.org' target='_blank'>http://www.evolutionarily.org</a> forums, or game with me on the <b>207.44.184.62:27015 Twilight Eclipse Uber NS 2.0 - CD opt server</b> or the <b>212.23.5.49:27025 Play Zen : NS v2.00 (Nano Redux) serer</b>
Thanks for reading this,
Rat
Comments
Me first!
This topic should be stickied in my opinion...its very good.
Also another thing that should be followed...
<i>If you dont have anything nice to say, dont say it!</i>
<i>Treat others like you would want to be treated</i>
Very nice topic.
Anywho, how do you plan to "stamp out" flames? Ban people, edit their posts, what?
(PS: my bros' alias is rat. :/ )
And as for getting the people to practise it, it's most important that the regulars do. They are the ones creating most of the posts, and they are thus the ones that will save the admins a lot of trouble by behaving.
Good post. I wish replies would automatically go to preview mode, before being set in stone. Sure theres the edit button, but when someone gets really ticked off due to emotions, it usually stays that way until a mod can see to it. <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
sigh.
Did you expect a revolution?
Literally?
<!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
#syn still has people that talk, mingle, etc in it
and #twilighteclipse is still run by Golex, and their 2.0 server is full most of the day. come on by <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->