First of all, WELCOME. Please read the following tips and that will help us all keep the board running smoothly. These tips are compiled from the suggestions of the whole board.
TIPS FOR NEWCOMERS:
Please check through the posts to see if there is already a thread discussing your idea. If so, reply to that post rather than starting a new thread.
While this is a Harry Potter fan board, we do not stick to HP, exclusively. We request that you read back over at least a page or two of posts so you will know what topics are current and to get a taste of the way this board communicates.
Please remember that this is a message board. If you are looking to chat, there is a link from this page to a chat room. However, not many members make use of it. Chat room style posts will be deleted by the moderators.
Feel free to post off-topic messages, but do avoid pointless posts (such as, "Iz ne1 here? I totally luv Dan Radcliffe."). It is irritating and will be deleted.
Above all, please be respectful of the other board members. We have a nice little community here and we are happy to welcome in anyone who cares to be a part of it. However, we will defend, fiercely, any member (or the board, in general) on the receiving end of unwarranted or pointless abuse from a newbie.
You may discuss anything you want, which does include religion. We have a wide diverse group of people on our board, from all sorts of races, religion, ages, and countries. We all get along respectfully as friends. If you want to discuss topics of religion, keep in mind since we do have a wide group of religions on this board, not everyone will share your opinions to be truth. But, we do all respect each other and would not go and bash someone else’s religion, so please do the same, regardless of your personal opinion. This doesn’t mean you cannot discuss it, but it means do it respectfully. The same thing goes for any opinion you may have of other races, or even countries were people live.
Also, when you go and scroll threw the previous page(s) of posts, take note of people’s names and logins. Try to make your name something different then everyone else’s. Say for example “Jessica” is your name, and it is taken, try “Jess” or just make a new one completely. We only like this rule because it avoids confusion. Network 54 does not allow people to have the exact same login as someone else, but you can take the exact same name if you wanted to. That is why I feel it necessary to make note of this, because not everyone looks at the login, and if they see to “Jessica’s”, they may think it is the same person.
Also, you don’t have to be an English major to make posts, but it helps if you can read it. There have been plenty of people in the past, some maybe here still; who write so badly that it is incomprehensible. We generally don’t mind how you type, but please make sure it is readable.
Well, actually, your typing will secretly bother people if it is like "ur all gone, so l8rs..." Not a big fan of the phonetic shortcut...
More advice is that if you do want to chat, and nobody is in the chat room, make a post that says, "If anyone wants to chat, go into the chat room now. Mods can delete this after about 15 minutes" or something like that. It won't be considered pointless, since there will be a point, and you will get to "chat" if anybody comes in it.
Don't come on here as many people, you will be found out and bashed for it. People don't like feeling cheated or made fun of. What that rule means is don't use more then one name and pretend to be different people. It is okay if you make it point clear you are the same person and you are trying to decide on a name, but if you pretend to be more then one person you can and WILL be found out. If you are just bouncing between names if you get board, just tell the board to avoid confusion and maybe aggravation also. What it meant by people don't like to be made fun of or cheated, well that means do NOT under ANY circumstances pretend to be another board member just to make it look like that person said whatever it is you are planning to say and wish to not take credit for. It is just plain rude!!! You can be found out, all we have to do is have your IP matched.
If you have any problems about people, the board or something about the board, email the mods. Every mod's posts say "moderator" on them, so they are easy to spot. Their emails are available by their login.
Remember to put your name on your reply or post. Otherwise, Anonymous gets credit for all your ideas.
Also, when you respond to a post:
PLEASE respond to ONLY the FIRST post (the original one that starts the thread, NOT the first response) or the LAST post. The reason for this is that this way it will end up at the bottom. If you hit reply to a post in the middle, it will show up in the middle. When you make a post it will bump the thread to the very top since it was just posted on. If someone goes to the thread and sees no new posts on the bottom, but know there is a new post, they will have to go and look for the post threw the whole thread. It gets annoying lol!
Now, you may have noticed that with each response, the response (once posted) will move further and further to the right of the screen. If you respond to the original message, not only will you appear at the bottom, but also it will make your post at the very left. If people do that once in a while in the thread it will keep it from going so far to the right that you have to scroll across the screen to read each sentence, also something annoying.
This can also be annoying: When you put alot of characters (as in symbols, letters, or numbers) in a row with no space, it will not go down to the next line on the bottom, it will extend the screen to the far right until it ends. That gets annoying for the same reason as my last suggestion, because of the scrolling across.
Newbie status is more a state of mind than a temporal thing. If you come on to the board showing a desire to participate in a rational, respectful, amusing, decent way, you are a newbie for only a very short time. You become a regular through your actions, not the number of days you've been around. In fact, I don't think anyone could even really answer your question. You are new until you're not. Sorry that's not helpful. Now, some people are newbies forever. They never really learn the way the board communicates and never seem to get the hang of participating in discussions. Some are downright irritating. These folks earn the title, annoybie.
Just be a part of what goes on and no one will think of you in terms of any particular label.
We ban IPs here. I don't feel like explaining what an IP is for the third time this week, but yeah, if you use the same computer then you will be banned also since banning an IP prety much bans your computer.
hmm how can i add pics to my sig and stuff? i trid but im kinda better at making the computer crash than making it work! and chris you should probably add this in the newcomers advice what an IP is you wouldn't have to explain it 1000 times
Im so happy cause today i found my friends, their in my head, i<m so ugly thats ok cause so are you!!!-------Nirvana
im sitting inmy room, with the needles in my hands, waiting for the tomb of some old dying man!------------System of a Down!!
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Re: Re: ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS - updated January 3, 2004
No score for this post
January 4 2004, 1:50 PM
To put pictures in your sig off the internet, just copy the URL into the box where you write your siggy. For the pictures in mine I had to put the codes into the boxes though, and I think I've had pictures in the past where I just copied and pasted the picture into the siggy box. So you can try all of those.
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS - updated January 3, 2004
No score for this post
January 4 2004, 11:46 PM
Bump!
Sandy, there is an interesting idea above. Want to explain about the banning process and IPs in the next edit you make for this thread? Keeps all of us from repedidly explaining it. Plus if the idiots who bother us don't read the advice thread after we tell them too, then we can just throw it in their face that they don't know what they are talking about when they could easilly find out.
Just something i thought about (hmm i think a lot these days) you should put a special tread for new comers to present or old members that are back to say hi it would stop too many threads being made. just an idea.
Well, it would get rid of a bunch of threads probably, Winky. But still, if it's a member that everyone liked then I'm sure people would like to see who comes back. Not everyone reads every thread, so less of a chance to see who returns and who doesn't if they don't. Again they are not required to of course, it's really their choice. Also, yeah, too many threads do push the old ones to the second page. But if the new thread is worth it (some "welcome back" type threads are, some are not, I'm not saying you are entirley wrong of course) then I'm sure if someone really wants to go and post on a thread on the second page, well plainly they aren't that handicapt to go to the second page I suppose.
Wow, that came out more rude then I wanted, so keep in mind I'm not trying to annoy you or anything.
it wasnt rude dont worry! but your write its just that newb dont have to put a new tread to present if they talk and all and say their new in any thread its better than making a new one. cant controll that though
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS - updated January 3, 2004
No score for this post
January 28 2004, 9:50 AM
Testing New sig.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"There are two of them? Well Ali, there is one of me... deleeeted. Deleted?! WHAT?! What happened? Undeleted! Undeleted! I didn't mean to do that! Come back Ali! Come back Ali's sister! You mean too much to me!" Strong Sad
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS - updated January 3, 2004
No score for this post
January 28 2004, 9:51 AM
Agh... that went wrong... Okay... minus the weird squiggles....
"There are two of them? Well Ali, there is one of me... deleeeted. Deleted?! WHAT?! What happened? Undeleted! Undeleted! I didn't mean to do that! Come back Ali! Come back Ali's sister! You mean too much to me!" Strong Sad
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS - updated January 3, 2004
No score for this post
January 29 2004, 7:29 AM
Oops... I've just realised that I put Strong Sad instead of Strong Bad.... duh...
"There are two of them? Well Ali, there is one of me... deleeeted. Deleted?! WHAT?! What happened? Undeleted! Undeleted! I didn't mean to do that! Come back Ali! Come back Ali's sister! You mean too much to me!" Strong Bad
Scoring disabled. You must be logged in to score posts.
