The "Create New Topic" form is your friend.

[obit]

You might have noticed that several topics are locked (grayed-out) in the forums now. [edit: These threads have since been unlocked -obit]

Nobody’s done anything wrong; I’m just trying to “nudge” the forums towards a format similar to other online message boards and communities.

For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with the common practices and “netiquette” in a forum-type setting, there are a few basic things we can collectively do, which will 1) make the forums easier to read/understand and 2) make them a little more inviting so other people are more likely to post:

#1 Don’t thread-hijack. “Thread-hijacking” is when you post in a forum thread (thread = topic) about something unrelated to the subject of the forum thread.

An example would be if I see a thread titled, “RBoP Plasma Strategy” and the point of the thread is to talk about RBoP Plasma Strategy, but instead, I start discussing/arguing/asking questions about Antimatter and making jokes about Tribbles. Other members might reply, and even fuel the now-off-subject conversation… but the fact remains that the thread has veered far off course, and it’ll require somebody stepping in to bring the discussion back to the matter at hand. Even worse: a new player or a passerby interested in “Plasma Strategy” will eventually read the thread, get to the part about Tribbles & Antimatter, and be like “wtf did I just read? And wtf does this have to do with Plasma Strategy?”.

So when you want to change the subject in a conversation, instead of hijacking the thread, please- please just start a new thread. Give the original one a chance to develop into an interesting, relevant- useful discussion on its own.

#2 When replying directly to someone else who has already posted, address that person directly. I’m guilty of not doing this as well, but it is a great habit to get into- especially when several people are posting into the same discussion. A simple “@whoever” in the beginning of your post would suffice. On occasion, a post might be directed to anyone/no one in particular, and in that case you’re fine not addressing the OP. Also, if you’re using the “Reply” button and it is super-obvious who & which post you’re replying to, you probably don’t need to @ somebody. Speaking of the reply button…

#3 This forum supports nested replies. So click “Reply” if you’re replying to somebody. If you only type into the quick-form at the bottom of the page and hit Submit, your reply will be added to the very end of the thread. It might not be apparent exactly who or what you’re replying to in this case, especially when others are clicking “reply”, which will place their chronologically-later replies ahead of yours. A good rule of thumb is to always click “reply” unless you’re replying directly to the OP (the very first “Original Post” – at the Top of the thread) or if you’re expanding on the OP.

These aren’t hard fast rules for the forums. I think it should be a relaxed environment where players can be comfortable posting about whatever’s on their mind. Think of this stuff as “guidelines” or “suggestions”.

Thanks
obit

• This topic was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by obit.

[obit]

Example 1
This is what it looks like if I reply to the OP without clicking “reply”.

[obit]

Example 4
This is what it looks like if I click “reply” to reply to Example 1

Note that “nested” (indented) replies will only move one step over to the right. With more levels of nesting, the words would get so squished, that it’s very difficult to read on some mobile platforms. So keep using reply. It’s still working its magic even if you don’t see an extra indent.

[obit]

Example 5
This is what it looks like if I click “reply” to reply to example 4

[obit]

Example 8
This is what it looks like if I click “reply” to reply to example 4… which was already a nested (indented) reply with more replies after it.

Note that all of the “Example #s” I posted just now we’re chronologically posted in order by number. If you’re unsure what’s going on, check the timestamp.

[obit]

Example 6
This is what it looks like if I click “reply” to reply to example 1… After examples 4 & 5 have already been posted.

[obit]

Example 2
This is what it looks like if I reply to the OP a second time without clicking “reply”.

[obit]

Example 7

This time I clicked “reply” to reply to example 2. Notice how this post is indented one level to the right, and shown above example 3.

Please feel free to use this thread to play around with the reply button etc.

[obit]

Example 3
This is what it looks like if I click “reply” when I reply to the OP.

[obit]

Example 9
This is what it looks like when I click “reply” to reply the OP again, after examples 1-8 were posted.

[obit]

Final thoughts on clicking “reply”:

Just do it. If the example mess above looks confusing, I dunno… just believe in it. It works. Click “reply” to whatever post you’re replying to, and if there can be any doubt who you’re talking to, start your reply with “@whoever” (the author of the post).

[squirel]

Sorry, i’m probably the biggest culprit for getting off topic…

lolcats john-lennon and major-tom probably didn’t belong with beta ship balance…

[obit]

Don’t sweat it Squirel. Like I said, no one has done anything wrong. I’m simply trying to help our fledgling community grow.

We finally have a steady stream of potential new players, and every day, someone new logs into the game… I could see our “active” player base doubling within the next year. (imagine the “recent fleet activity” list on the front page spanning a few hours, instead of days)

So we’re laying the foundation for a community, and the ways we post or exchange information now, will shape the way things are done further down the road.

I don’t want to make a list of strict posting rules- or create an environment where people are “griefed” for doing things a little differently. I think too many online communities are kind of snobbish when it comes to rules and etiquette, which I believe, stifles creativity and hurts the community in the long run… but we should all work together, hold each other accountable even- to post quality content.

[Author]

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