- The Rip Saw
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- Exalted Mythic Member
I changed the subject of this post from "This Message Brought To You By The Letter 9" because people were focusing on that too much. Don't ask me why I titled it that, I just did.
This post originally made an appearance at Newb World but a few peopel have commeneted that it might do some good to be in The Underground. I will talk about what it takes to become a respected person around here, for those who just don't seem to get it. This is devine knowledge, and it would pay off to listen. First of all, let's look at some of the things that make a good Bungie community member:
1. A good member is active in the forums
2. Posts relevant topics
3. Their off-topic posts are usually humorous or related to Halo in an obscure way
4. They voice their opinion
5. They respect others opinions
6. They don't flame
7. They maintain or are actively part of an active chapter
8. They use good spelling and grammar
9. They are willing to help others
These are only nine things. There are many more. Very few people fall into each category, but many of the good members fall into over half. Let's go through a rundown on what each one means.
1. A good member is active in The Underground, The Septagon, or The Maw. Also, this applies to any chapter's forum. Being active merely means showing up every once in a while, and ties into points 2, 3, 4, and 5. There are people who are very respectable, but aren't very well known simply because they never post. Making one or two posts a day is all that is needed to take part in a forum. But you can make even less and still be a good member. Being active means more than posts, it means staying up to date with recent topics and Bungie news too.
2. Off-topic crap is not generally well-received by people. Relevant posts about Halo and Bungie are what the forums are all about. As long as a post is on topic, and not a repeat of something said yesterday, it will survive or even thrive in the forums.
3. Off-topic posts are OK though. Sometimes, you'll have a funny story to tell, or some interesting bit of information. These are best saved for chapters though, where the atmosphere is more familiar, and people care more about you as a person. But, occasionally, someone will post something off-topic in The Underground that really seems it should be there. They are very rare, however, so it is best to keep off-topic stuff to yourself or your chapters.
4. Constantly agreeing with people is good, but it is a very passive way to get around. When you agree with someone, tell them why. Just saying "I agree" is a very shallow way to post and really only takes up space. And if you don't agree with them...
5. Respecting others opinions is a big plus. Saying "I disagree with you" is generally good, but it's not being very respectful of their opinion. All that you've sated is that you think they are wrong. Instead, tell them why you disagree, but don't ever tell them they are wrong (unless it is a matter of fact, not opinion) because opinions, by definition, can't be wrong. The Great Sauce Wars is an excellent example. We all know that honey mustard pwns BBQ, but BBQ lovers are entitled to their opinion.
6. No matter how stupid someone's opinion might be, no matter how humorously ignorant of Halo they are, no matter how bad they write, don't flame. Flaming is wrong and won't be tolerated anymore. Flaming varies from calling people noobs to using words that get -blam!-ed out. In the past, trolls have come along and said stupid stuff, and the Bungie employees didn't really have the time to decide what lives or dies. But now, we have the wonderful moderators, whose sole purpose in life is to monitor the B.net forums. If someone says something that absolutely deserves a good flaming, just respectfully tell them they are up to no good and tell a moderator about it.
7. I included this one because there are some people who choose not to go to the forums at all. Instead, these people work covertly to influence people. They will be a chapter founder of a huge chapter, or be staff at several chapters and maintain databases there. These people are in a totally different class, having little recognition in The Underground but a lot in The 7th Column.
8. I really can't stress this enough. There are three big +++ to using good spelling and grammar:
A. People will know what you're saying. Let's face it, really horrible spelling is so bad you can hardly tell what they're saying.
B. By using bad spelling, you look like an idiot. Only an idiot can't spell worth a crap, and if you spell like crap, you'll look like an idiot. (Non-English speakers exempt from this rule.)
C. You don't want Spelling Whiz to pay you a visit, do you? He'll force his knowledge upon you (see the end of #9 for why this is no good). His blatant neutrality in telling people how to spell is both humorous and insulting. So go ahead, spell badly, and then watch as we all laugh as Spelling Whiz corrects you!
9. Yeah, that's right, being helpful. Although this is by no means a requirement, helping others is the fastest way to earn respect. Helping someone means you're wasting your time, and making their life easier. What else is there that shows a bigger concern for others than helping them with their problems. Although, it is best not to force your divine wisdom upon them. I won't tell you how I know this, but take my word for it; people hate it when you help them, and they didn't ask for help. Maybe that's why people respond so negatively to Spelling Whiz...
[Edited on 5/4/2004 2:12:49 PM]