Forum Etiquette?

[redblack]

redblack.... You know you can quote several people in the same post, right?
You can also include more than 1 pic in the same post.
So, please do that instead of some massive double (QUADRO!) posting?

Heya Chewtoy (or anyone else), just a quick question on forum etiquette . . . please keep in mind that this is the first forum I've ever used!

If I answer a question on a skin beta testing page but also want to upload a new file to the page, do I have to put these both in the one post?? That seems really confusing and illogical to me, as there is logical distinction between the post I'm answering and the file I want to upload. If I was reading the page I'd probably ignore the file (if I even saw it buried in the answer amongst code examples etc) as it would seem to be relevant to that particular answer . . and in this case it is definitely not at all.

I would probably be able to answer this myself if I knew exactly why quadro-posting was bad . . . I've noticed that newly replied-to topics go back to the top of their respective page . . is it something to do with this? I was concerned about abusing this when I uploaded my Skins, so I just made sure I did them all at once so it made no difference . . .

Anyway, I'm looking forward to illumination on this subject, and would also suggest that info regarding forum etiquette actually be available on the forum. The FAQ seems to be void of any reference to it :[ I'm 29 years old, have been using the internet since 1994, downloaded Winamp 1.0 when it first came out and had one of the first non-commercial broadband hookups an Australia, yet I've still never posted to a forum before arriving here! Simply because I've never needed to. We might be alienating potential Raineers if we assume everyone's an all-encompassing web geek :]

Now, where's that '2 cents' emoticon thingamajig???

[Kaelri]

On most forums that I've visited, it is considered rude to "double-post." It is acceptable, even encouraged, to consolidate as much input as possible in a single post. You can distinguish between different topics or recipients however you want. If you have new information to add to the thread, and no one has replied since your last post, the proper thing would be to simply edit that post and add your update on the end.

The only exceptions are when a significant period of time has passed without a reply - days or weeks, usually, though it depends on the usual posting rate of the forum in question - or the topic is very time-sensitive, and immediate updates are warranted.

There are a few reasons for this that I can think of. First, it keeps the sheer number of posts down, making them easier to read, navigate and search. Second, it decreases the probability that someone else will post a reply while you're still writing one of your own. Third, as you suggested, it discourages people from "bumping" their threads to the top of the page, which is an impolite and annoying way that some people use to draw attention to their posts.

To be fair, every forum has its own social idiosyncrasies. There are probably some forums where the method you described would be the norm. So it's not entirely your fault. And the fact that you're concerned enough to ask speaks volumes, so don't lose sleep over it. 90% of courtesy is thoughtfulness.

[redblack]

On most forums that I've visited, it is considered rude to "double-post." It is acceptable, even encouraged, to consolidate as much input as possible in a single post. You can distinguish between different topics or recipients however you want. If you have new information to add to the thread, and no one has replied since your last post, the proper thing would be to simply edit that post and add your update on the end.

The only exceptions are when a significant period of time has passed without a reply - days or weeks, usually, though it depends on the usual posting rate of the forum in question - or the topic is very time-sensitive, and immediate updates are warranted.

There are a few reasons for this that I can think of. First, it keeps the sheer number of posts down, making them easier to read, navigate and search. Second, it decreases the probability that someone else will post a reply while you're still writing one of your own. Third, as you suggested, it discourages people from "bumping" their threads to the top of the page, which is an impolite and annoying way that some people use to draw attention to their posts.

To be fair, every forum has its own social idiosyncrasies. There are probably some forums where the method you described would be the norm. So it's not entirely your fault. And the fact that you're concerned enough to ask speaks volumes, so don't lose sleep over it. 90% of courtesy is thoughtfulness.

Ahh, well when put like that it makes a lot of sense. In fact, if the aim is to consolidate the information as much as possible too increase the overall quality of the posting then I definitely see why that would be of benefit to everyone.

I've seen that 'bumping' technique so much I thought it was normal :] In fact, I've seen people just post "BUMP" and thought:

what on earth are they on about

Consider me a quality posting convert :]










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[Chewtoy]

I'm glad you actually made a thread about it. Now we can direct all the "lost children of the lamb" here. :)

"Bumping" is a bad habit and may only bee acceptable when a long period of time has expired.
Quality posts are godlike! :D

[redblack]

I'm glad you actually made a thread about it. Now we can direct all the "lost children of the lamb" here. :)

"Bumping" is a bad habit and may only bee acceptable when a long period of time has expired.
Quality posts are godlike! :D

I'm just glad you didn't see my Octapost!!!

[Chewtoy]

I'm just glad you didn't see my Octapost!!!

Actually. I did. But I thought it was a one-time-only-thing. So I let that one slide.
Then you did a quadro-post... Sort of tipped the cup. :P