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This is a very informative sticky that I think should be posted in here and was orignally taken from the ggcr Gryphon guild common room for all those that may not know the abbr. yet. Please PLEASE take time to read this sticky. It is very important for all newbies and oldbies alike to refresh yourself with this sticky.

Thank you indigo and sai the writers of this information

Guidelines of Forum Posting... RELOADED!
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<Sai's original Guidelines have been moved to the GCR Archive- the thread can be located on the last page there>

Alrighty! The previous Forum posting guidelines are great, they’re detailed, and take everything into account, but paste them into Word and they’re 12 pages long! Therefore I give you the concise, updated version, with simple Do’s and Don’t’s

Please <3:

DON'T: Post threads containing just online quiz results. It’s unsubstantial and it can go in your LJ! We don’t like going through all the trouble of clicking your thread only to find that your soul animal is a raccoon or that you are Captain Sparrow. Similarly, don’t post quiz results in your signatures because it takes up bandwidth, and the images often exceed the amount of space signatures are allowed to take up.

DON'T: post threads exclusively directed at a particular guilder. For example: “HI HENRY! Haven’t spoken to you in ages just wondered how you are bye.” That’s what E-mail and LJ are for. Posts on these boards must be relevant to everyone. That doesn’t mean you can’t post something like “who likes anime?” (Knowing that there are going to be guilders that don’t) Posts like that are fine. Also, posts in the art and RP forums that say “ATTN: Henry, here’s your trade!” or something like that, and have information/art inside for a particular guilder(s) are fine.

DON'T: post about a subject that has already been posted recently. For example, we don’t need five threads about NANOWRIMO, or three threads all saying Happy Thanksgiving. One is fine! And if you have something to say about whatever popular topic it is, just go on and post it in the pre-existing thread!

DO: make your threads have substance! We like our substance here at the guild, so when we open a thread only to find a mystery link to a random corner of the Internet, and no commentary, we feel cheated. With the advent of the chat room, this sort of activity has declined in the forums, as you can show people links to interesting news stories and flash cartoons there. But it’s still something everyone should be aware of. If you want to show off something new, a pet or a new website, then post it in P&A. If you want to say something nonsensical (and we do enjoy our nonsense) then make it have substance! I’ve seen page-long nonsensical threads here, and they’re very fun and amusing to read. So keep those things in mind. And if you want to ask what everyone’s favorite colour is, then do it in a substantial way. Why do you want to know? What do you think it means? How do you think colour effects life and one’s personality?


DO: have patience. It often goes that one will make a post and it will get only a few replies, or perhaps none. This never means that no one likes you. The guild is filled with many mature people who just lead very busy lives, and have little time. There is always someone who wants to be your friend, and if you feel lonely or friendless, then come into the chat, so that you can socialize with guilders there. There are many guilders who visit the chat everyday and never post on the boards. Also, go over your thread and make sure it’s substantial enough to generate interest, add additional information to generate interest in the subject.
If you’re at a loss on what to add, think of the “who what when where why how” questions. If your subject is on plush toys for example, instead of just asking who has one, ask why they do, where did it come from, who invented plush toys, when did they get it, how do they feel about handmade toys vs. mass produced, why does that matter, does it?... Why, you could start a veritable 3-page conversation on the subject with the proper interest. Remember that people are interested in things that make them think.

DO: keep all signature and side images at a considerate size! The maximum space allowed for side imaged is 200px. I’ve seen people somehow manage to put bigger ones in there, and it messes up the whole page format. If your post has an enormous side image that is causing havoc, it will get deleted and you will be asked to downsize it.
Signatures… these are such fun to create, but don’t let your creativity run away with you! As mentioned previously, unnecessary bandwidth consumption is not welcome, and as such please make sure that your signature image is no more than 400px at its LARGEST dimension. All in all, your signature shouldn’t take up more than a third of the page on a standard 1024x768 monitor, half at the MOST (you may be asked to downsize it at that point). I understand that your monitor may be a 30” super wide-screen $2000 model, but take those with little screens into consideration, scrolling more than you have to is just not fun. Also, for the sake of us elderly people here, please make it obvious where your post ends and where your signature starts… I’ve found myself reading someone’s signature as if it were part of their post on several occasions, just signing your post works fine. For example: “here’s me writing my post, blabla bla, ~Indigo <Ooh look this is my signature laaaa>”
As far as text in the signature goes, keep it down to a few quotes, or perhaps some links to your gallery, a link to your LJ or whatever, and maybe some love to another Guilder who is special to you. Please try to avoid typing a 10-line long homage to ALL of your wing-sibs in the forms of typing out all their names. If they mean a lot to you, then they already know. Mentioning a line or two of names is fine, but I’ve seen some crazy signatures in my time here. Also, try to keep quotes or lyrics in your signature tasteful and within general Guild rules. To see Sai’s very detailed page on posting images and image guidelines, go here: makura.critter.net/PICFAQ.txt



DO: reference the site forum map located here: p080.ezboard.com/fgryphon...=981.topic This is an invaluable tool for discovering exactly what each forum is for, and where your thread should be going. If you post something in the wrong forum, the forum mod will move it to the correct one. If you create an amazing post that is nothing short of a dissertation, then it’s a good idea to save it to your hard drive incase it gets lost in the posting method, or there’s another Ez-Hack, or incase the mod accidentally deletes it while meaning to do something else with it.

DON'T: FLAME! This is simple. A flame is an attack on another guilder, whether it is via the forums, or vandalizing artwork, or harassing them. Any guilder caught flaming will be warned, and if the flaming does not stop, they shall be banned.
Be aware that an expression of opinion does not constitute a flame:

Example of an opinion:
Guilder1: I think mosquitoes deserve to live too; they’re just trying to get by when they drink our blood.
Guilder2: I get bitten really badly every summer, I think that the less mosquitoes there are the better, besides, they can transmit diseases.

Example of a flame:
Guilder1: I think mosquitoes deserve to live too; they’re just trying to get by when they drink our blood.
Guilder2: What a STUPID thing to say. Of COURSE they don’t deserve to live!!1!11 OMG you are SO dumb you dumb hippy you are so STUPID I hope they all drink YOUR BLOOD till you DIE.

Example of a subtler flame:
Guilder1: I think mosquitoes deserve to live too; they’re just trying to get by when they drink our blood.
Guilder2: Everyone knows Mosquitoes transmit disease, and make many people welt up. But I suppose there’s no point trying to explain that to a bunny-cuddling hippy.

Usually a flame it the former of those two, and the flamer can be singled out and warned. However, the latter is more common, and is more like a vicious baiting than an outright flame. Be aware though that if you are seen as doing the latter, then you will be reprimanded by whatever mod catches you. On with the show!


DON'T: post spam! No one likes spam, it sucks. We all get enough of it in our inboxes and mailboxes and we don’t need anymore of it here. So don’t post links to one-time amazing deals for magical pills that will change our lives. Don’t make a thread that is a glorified advert (unless it’s in P&A and is advertising your new homepage or your commission skills) and don’t add spam-like replies too threads, but that falls under the Make your posts have Substance rule.


DON'T: post material inappropriate for children! We are a PG-13 board, and as such we don’t want to see your latest porn story, or your latest pornographic work of art. Don’t link to porn or websites that use foul language – anyone who posts anything pornographic will be banned. Similarly, NEVER, EVER contact young guilders (minors) (or ANY guilder)and sexually harass them. This includes sending them pornographic material with or without invitation, inviting them to a sexual rendezvous, or attempting to solicit “cyber sex” from them. If we get word that anyone has been approached in this way, the offender’s information will be passed onto the appropriate authorities and all their accounts here banned. We take sexual harassment VERY seriously, and hold absolutely no tolerance for it whatsoever. Never use the Guild as a place to collect the contact information of minors.

And lastly;

DO: pay attention and take heed of comments made by the moderators and admins here. We’re not all secretly plotting your demise, and we’re not out to make the Guild into something reminiscent of a police state. The mods and admins are volunteers who give up their own free time to come and make sure things are running smoothly, because they care about the guild and want to see it running smoothly. We’re always open to suggestions, and suggestions can be made in the Admin Announcements forum.

DO: relax and have fun! That’s what we’re all about. The above rules are things most people inherently know, but they are still things Newbeasts should read through, so that they can get an understanding of our stance towards them.


Indigo~