.: A Guide to Making a Good Post :.

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Agent of Dread
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.: A Guide to Making a Good Post :.

Post by Agent of Dread »

Alright, first off, welcome to the thread.
Today we shall learn what makes a good post.


Prologue

A good post is a post that really contribiutes something to the topic, and is not just blabber. It should have more than three words and be correctly written. It should be non-flaming, and in an acceptable size and colour.


A Good Post

This is an example of a good post:
Good poster wrote:Hey, fantastic idea User_2290!
I really like the detail you put into the post, without expanding it outside the game's rational limitations.
Perhaps you could add [Random idea]!
It may make your [Random thingie] better.
Keep working!

As we see here, the poster acknowledges the topic owner and the idea.
They have used the correct language conventions, and instead of just idolising the poster, they have offered their two cents as well.
This is the kind of post someone will read, take into consideration, and respond nicely to.


A Bad Post
This is an example of a horrible post:
badposter1337 wrote:kool

As we see here, this poster is what is commonly defined as a "noob". They have used language shortcuts, offered nothing to the topic whatsoever, and left a negative mark on the thread.
This is the kind of post that will get the user PP on The Black List.
Example 2:
awesomer666 wrote:haha, totally awesome! dat rocks sumthing killer dude. u should liek rule the forums. go go go!
u r my hero!

In this case the poster has used more than three words and offered their support to the topic but has also at the same time left no constructive help at all, which is demeaning yourself by trying to suck up to another member.
Please try and avoid doing either of the above at any cost.
Remember - This is a discussion board, NOT an IM client.
Then, there is also colours and sizes.
Example:
iluvbigfonts wrote:OMFG DATS AWESOOOOMMMMMMME

This massive text and colour is very annoying. Please try and avoid posts like this at all costs, except if you're using it smartly, like headings.
Then, there are flamey posts.
ihatelife wrote:Omg, you noob! :x Goddamnit, why the hell did you have to go and do that?
Stupid.
Screw you.

Now, despite being typed nicely, this post is very, VERY angry. This will start a flamewar, most likely, and get you mass PP on the list.


Creating My Good Post
First things first:
You MUST thoroughly read through the first post if this is the first time you visit the thread, and then read all the comments afterwards.
You will look a very silly if you say what everyone else already said, or state an issue that has already been resolved.
You should look at what the poster has done, and point out the good stuff.
If you find a mistake or something to be improved, add it in a constructive, friendly way. Not like this:
idiot29 wrote:what! dat is stupid, u forgot to do [Something]! u suck, try harder next time, foo.

Like this:
Friend-dude wrote:Heya, nice idea.
One thing I noticed, though, was that you had a little mistake in [Something], but that's ok, because nobody's perfect.
It would be even cooler if you did [Idea] too, to improve [Something].
Cheers!

You should then state something else good afterward, so it works like this.
The reader is cheered up by the first part, which readies them for the critisism, which tells them something helpful. They are then reassured by the last congratulatory part, making them feel helped, and they are more likely to respond. You should put some thought into these posts, because most likely they'll come out more intelligent looking.
Avoid saying nasty things to any other members whatsoever.
No one likes a troll.


Writing a topic
If you want to write a topic, you should have a good idea, and make sure you use all the correct language and punctiation. You should reference everything that you want people to know, not like this:
person84 wrote:haha if you dun know wat 2 do den check [User]s thread dat tells u how

This is a bad post, a) because it has horrible English, b) because they've proved their lazyness because they couldn't be bothered writing the rules, and c) because obviously this has already been done because they're pointing you towards something else, which obviously has the same stuff.
When writing a new topic you should make sure you write something that will contribiute to the forum. It should be a useful topic which will do good.
If you're posting an object, module, etc. you should say everything an interested user will want to know and more. You should post known bugs that you need help with and ready yourself for criticism. You should make sure to post a download link because people will probably want to test it. Screenshots will also entice people a lot more.
You should NOT be all stuck up when you post, such as in this example:
thebestmodulemaker wrote:Hey yall check out my new module. Its totally awesome and it should go right into egoboo because it rocks so hard youll crap bricks.

This will make you look like a complete idiot. It is obviously written quickly and with no modesty whatsoever. Most likely it is not perfect, and if you post like this, most likely you'll start flaming at criticism. It doesn't matter if it IS perfect, you still have no bragging rights.
You should also make sure you grab yourself a good deal of time to write, like I have. This way you'll be able to focus and concentrate on making a great post.


Epilogue
If you pay attention to this advice, you should be well on your way to raising your standards among the members, and making the forums a better place.
Your posts will be valued and not carelessly cast aside.


/Agent of Dread
EDIT: Revision, added more about emotions and flaming.
EDIT: Clarified reading topics.
Last edited by Agent of Dread on Sun May 17, 2009 10:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Cimeries
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Re: .: A Guide to Making a Good Post :.

Post by Cimeries »

Agent of Dread wrote:
Friend-dude wrote:Heya, nice idea.
One thing I noticed, though, was that you had a little mistake in [Something], but that's ok, because nobody's perfect.
It would be even cooler if you did [Idea] too, to improve [Something].
Cheers!

You should then state something else good afterward, so it works like this.
The reader is cheered up by the first part, which readies them for the critisism, which tells them something helpful. They are then reassured by the last congratulatory part, making them feel helped, and they are more likely to respond.


This is referred to as a "Flaming Sandwich", with kind words on the sides to soften the fiery agony within. :D

Anyways, useful. I can think of a few people that will benefit from this.
:wink:
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Post by bgbirdsey »

Not a big deal, but should it be "Prologue" if it is "Epilogue"?

What would the bookend to "Prelude" be... "Outro"? Those are both musical terms...
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Post by Agent of Dread »

Yeah, I was stuck with that one too.
Feel free to fix it up if you see fit.
And maybe we could sticky this?
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Post by bgbirdsey »

We could. It seems that you focus a lot on use of leet language and avoiding spamming.

It might be more interesting to talk about keeping emotions down, avoiding language that could be thought of as personal attacks, and trolling. :twisted:

Those are actually destructive to a community, rather than just annoying! ;)
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Post by Agent of Dread »

Well, never in the world did I say this wasn't allowed to have stuff added.
Anyhoo, once it's finished, to avoid spamming we should delete these posts then lock it.
Or something. :?
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Post by bgbirdsey »

Maybe change the title to ".: How to make a post that people will read :."?

If you're satisfied, then we can sticky it, etc.

Maybe make one more pass and see if the formatting is just the way you like it?

I will probably import my "be nice" post from the other board at some time.

Cheers
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Post by Agent of Dread »

Ok, I added in more about flaming and sizes/colours.
If you guys don't want anything else then we're done.
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Post by Shade »

Cool, looks good so far (although most of your examples are a little exaggerated, to be honest. :? ). I can think of some people here that would benefit from this advice right off the bat. :?
However, you might want to add in that people should know what they actually are talking about, and thus, actually read the topic before posting. It just happens far too frequently that people like Maxaxle ask something that has already been answered just two posts ago, or bring up something that has long been resolved or is totally obvious in some other way.
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Post by Agent of Dread »

Ah, ok. :)
Thanks.
I actually have the whole 'read the topic' gig in there.
Perhaps I could clarify, though.
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Post by Agent of Dread »

Oh, this is done by the way.
Sticky please.
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