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This topic has moved here: Subject: Rough Guidelines On How To Be A Good Bungie Community Member
  • Subject: Rough Guidelines On How To Be A Good Bungie Community Member
Subject: Rough Guidelines On How To Be A Good Bungie Community Member

bah

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This post originally made an appearance at Newb World but a few peopel have commeneted that it might do some good to be in The Underground.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]

  • 05.04.2004 5:53 AM PDT
Subject: This Message Brought To You By The Letter 9
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first off, i didn't know the number 9 was a letter, haha. (unless i completely missed the point of the joke...doh!)
but anyways, i agree with most of your points. no doubt, if everyone adhered to them the world would be such a happy, joyful place. the only problem i have is with # 8. there was a thread about using proper grammar that got locked not too long ago, i like to think i had a hand in it. but i was only defending those that i thought were in need of it. namely, foreigners whose command of the english language is not as great as ours, youngsters who may not have progressed far enough in their studies to know all about that "i before e" business (NO the level of education received is NOT the same everywhere in america), and individuals who may suffer from some sort of learning disability. and there are probably others that should be mentioned that i can't think of right now.
but, should these people not be given respect just because they are not be able to write out a post as well as you or i? i know you said most respected people fall into a little over half of the categories, but this one seems to carry the furthest. i've seen numerous posts where people just jump all over someone for their bad spelling/grammar, only to find out that they are of foreign nationality. and i've seen many people share the sentiment that if you don't have full command of the english language, then you shouldn't post here. i find that to be highly elitist. arrogance and ignorance are becoming too commonplace in american society, but that doesn't mean these flaws must be mirrored on the internet, a place that should be neutral to everyone.
i'm probably going to get a lot of crap from people out there, and that's cool. so long as you're mature enough to get some of that crap thrown back at you. i apologize in advance if this results in your post getting locked down The Rip Saw.

  • 05.04.2004 6:43 AM PDT
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Great post. I agree wholy with what has been said. However, jumping all over someone for bad spelling and grammar is a waste of time. If it is coherent, then no one should have any problems with it. But it is rather sad that people who could spell things correctly choose not to and make things harder for the rest of us. Really, how hard is it to hit the shift key every once in a while? Maybe the point I'm trying to make is that if people can spell correctly, then they should whereas if they are unable to, then it is excusable.

  • 05.04.2004 7:25 AM PDT

bah

Obviously, exceptions must be made. If someone is dyslexic, their spelling will be off a bit, and if they're foreign to English, their grammar will be way off at times (mostly having to do with the English language's future, present, and past tense, it's a -blam!-). I don't know about you, but I can spot someone who has English as a second language from a million miles away. First of all, their grammar is usually flawless, except for a few errors here and their. Anyone who has taken a second language knows what these errors are. Conjugating verbs can be a pain, and all of the different tenses is a royal -blam!- too. I excuse these errors because they are using a language other than their own, and for the most part, these errors don't affect the meaning of their message. I welcome all non-English speaking people (and "true" English speaking people :) ) with an open mind. The bit of culture they bring to the forums is always intriguing.

As for the others, no one thing on this list can ruin someone. Like I said, there are many people who lax behind in several categories. JoeyBagaDonuts is a good example. His spelling sucks, but people like him anyways. My beef is with the people who repeatedly spell things wrong, and they know they do, and I know they know they do, and yet they still continue on. These bad spellers know who they are, and they need to start writing intelligently. Everyone, I repeat, everyone knows that you capitalize the first word in a sentence. Unless you are deliberately trying to make a statement, try to capitalize a bit.

As I said before, these are only nine reasons, and not everyone falls into each category. You can have horrible spelling, and still be accepted. It will just take a lot longer because some people skip over the crappily written posts.

P.S. Nine topics I listed. Get it?

[Edited on 5/4/2004 8:15:34 AM]

  • 05.04.2004 8:14 AM PDT
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Posted by: The Rip Saw
Everyone, I repeat, everyone knows that you capitalize the first word in a sentence. Unless you are deliberately trying to make a statement, try to capitalize a bit.


i'm sure everyone does. not everyone cares that you're "supposed to," th- (WHOA. i almost got busted by my boss) -ough.

P.S. Nine topics I listed. Get it?
umm. no, i don't, but maybe i'm just slow. your subject reads "This Message Brought To You By The Letter 9." the letter 9?

  • 05.04.2004 8:40 AM PDT
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Great Post!! It is good that this out for people to read. Something that will also tell you if the person is using bad english because they don't speak english that much and one that is using it becuase they have no common sense is that most of the time, the non-english speaking poster's posts' will have foreign symbols in them because sometimes they don't translate. Don't flame anyone, but especially don't flame these people because it's bad karma. *I have seen this in other forums and wanted to reach through the screen and shoot them.* It's also not very common for them to use words like "ur", "ne1", etc. So, it's pretty easy to tell the lazy english-speaking ignoramous' from the decent foreign folk.

  • 05.04.2004 8:44 AM PDT

bah

Posted by: BadKarma
P.S. Nine topics I listed. Get it?
umm. no, i don't, but maybe i'm just slow. your subject reads "This Message Brought To You By The Letter 9." the letter 9?
"Not everyone calls letters numbers and numbers letters. I call them all letters."
Sound familiar? I'm mocking your non-use of capital letters. I could go into how society uses capitals for a reason and that by not conforming to society, you're not conforming to the forums. But I won't, because as a general rule, I applaud those who go against society. You have already argued your point about capital letters, and I see your argument has merit. We no longer use two spaces after a sentence, why should we use capitals? I will continue to use capitals, however, because it has been proven that the use of capitals makes reading easier.
This is getting off topic. The point isn't spelling, it's communicating to other people. Proper spelling and grammmar help people to communicate better. Some people spell everything like crap, and I literally can't read their posts unless I think hard about what their words are supposed to be.

Like I said, spelling is but one ninth of my post. It isn't even in the top five.

  • 05.04.2004 8:52 AM PDT
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*Slow clap...*

Thanks for posting this Rip Saw, we really need it. I wish everyone fell under those 9 catagories of being a good Bungie community member.

[Edited on 5/4/2004 9:17:13 AM]

  • 05.04.2004 9:16 AM PDT
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Chapters seem too much like clans, and I got over that phase when I was 13. Too many clans think they're the best and aren't out of have fun instead. And the chapters, in a lot of ways, resemble just that. So I refuse to join some kind of half-assed frat. (I hate frats too).

  • 05.04.2004 9:29 AM PDT
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Posted by: The Rip Saw
"Not everyone calls letters numbers and numbers letters. I call them all letters." Sound familiar? I'm mocking your non-use of capital letters.

i was merely asking a question. i thought you were perhaps european, and that they referred to numbers as letters over there. purely for my own personal edification. so there's no need to get testy.

Like I said, spelling is but one ninth of my post. It isn't even in the top five.
my observation is simply that many people treat it like it's the only point.

  • 05.04.2004 9:51 AM PDT
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While most of those tips will help, they are not a necessity or requirement to fulfill a "good" Bungie community member. I host and help host Halo LAN parties every few days, and I would consider that being a good Bungie community member, but it's not a requirement.

[Edited on 5/4/2004 10:04:51 AM]

  • 05.04.2004 10:03 AM PDT

bah

Right, there are people who don't ever come to this site who are good comunity members. The person that informs someone, "Halo 2 never had an annoucement date. It can't be delayed, it's the media lying to you" is a good community member. The person that spends all of their time playing Halo PC, thus giving everyone a challenge ia a good community member (maybe). This list is not definitive, it is just a guideline to follow. if you follow this guideline, I guaran-damn-tee that you'll be someone who people enjoy reading the posts of.

  • 05.04.2004 10:42 AM PDT
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I hate to do it, but I must. Isn't ending a sentence with a preposition a grammar error? Not to take anything away from your list Rip Saw, but I can't ignore the irony.

  • 05.04.2004 12:20 PM PDT

bah

Posted by: Jakus
I hate to do it, but I must. Isn't ending a sentence with a preposition a grammar error? Not to take anything away from your list Rip Saw, but I can't ignore the irony.
What are you basing this info on? Is perfect grammar what you're all about? Why can't you just play along? Why do you have to go against? Have I done this a lot before? This post is over.
:) I don't follow formal writing guidelines. I don't think anyone here does.

  • 05.04.2004 12:27 PM PDT

Good post, but there a couple of things that I disagree with:

1. Off-topic posts. These are a necessity. Sure, we could talk about Bungie-related stuff, but then we'd run out of things to say. The non-Bungie-related posts are what allow the forum to thrive.

2. Good grammar. It's just a question of semantics. Sorry, I do English Language, so I thought that I'd clarify this point. No native English speaker can have bad, or incorrect, grammar. Fact. They can only deviate from Standard English. So you should really refer to using Standard English rather than correct grammar.

I hate to do it, but I must. Isn't ending a sentence with a preposition a grammar error? Not to take anything away from your list Rip Saw, but I can't ignore the irony
This is one of those many crappy rules that the 18th-century grammarians decided to add. Like only using the superlative for three or more items, and banning the use of the double, stronger, negative (although it is quite funny to confuse people when they say "I didn't do nothing").

[Edited on 5/4/2004 12:40:31 PM]

  • 05.04.2004 12:38 PM PDT
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Posted by: The Rip Saw
Is perfect grammar what you're all about? Why can't you just play along? Why do you have to go against? Have I done this a lot before? This post is over.
:) I don't follow formal writing guidelines. I don't think anyone here does.


First of all, No I don't. I am a terrible speller to boot. I just couldn't help myselt. But look at it this way. You showed everyone here how to take a joke and laugh about it, and thats probably the most important advise here at the forums. Bad grammar may get on a few peoples' nerves, but we've all been guilty of it at some point or another. personally i am not a big fan of capitalization, but hey....whatever gets your point across. Nice post by the way Rip Saw.

  • 05.04.2004 12:45 PM PDT

bah

I would like some new people to note that, although quite a few people had stuff to say against the spelling part, they gave very good discussions as to why. This is probably the biggest problem on Bungie.net, and in The Undergorund specifically: people reply with short, staccato answers. If you disagree, it is granted you will probably list why, but if you agree, tell them why. This is what "meaningful" discussion is.

  • 05.04.2004 2:04 PM PDT

Precisely. Too many posts consist entirely of "Yes" or "I agree" or "No. You are wrong". If you don't elaborate on your point, nobody is going to listen to you, or take your under-developed opinion into account, and you have wasted your time (post count is gone, fellas!). So next time, give some reasons as to why you have that opinion, and hopefully you will engender further discussion.

By the way, if stosh or Shishka is listening, this post should probably be permanently stickied (and maybe locked). New members need to see these guidelines!

- Reiginko

  • 05.08.2004 8:40 AM PDT
Subject: Rough Guidelines On How To Be A Good Bungie Community Member

Spamming Bungie since 2004!
Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.
GT-I Final I (i's)
Plz uze prper inglish n ur poasts!11! it makez it eazeer 2 reed!

That is a really good list of being a respected and respectful person on the forums is.Good job Rip Saw.

  • 05.08.2004 9:41 AM PDT
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Rip Saw types a lot huh?

  • 05.08.2004 11:32 AM PDT
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[color=orange]Good job Rip Saw, there's quite a few members that I can think of off the top of my head, that could use some of this information. Especially the spelling and grammar stuff.[/color]

  • 05.08.2004 11:38 AM PDT
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I do not defend the illiterate, but could it be a possibility that they are just typing too fast, or think that they can type well, and actually can't? Watch me make a dumbass out of myself and spell everything wrong;)

  • 05.08.2004 8:59 PM PDT
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One thing, when you say Halo, you're leaving out most of Bungie's games.

  • 05.09.2004 12:07 AM PDT
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This is a very good topic in my opinion...Thanks The Rip Saw!
It even made me create a signature...

  • 05.09.2004 12:43 AM PDT