05-03-2006, 04:55 AM
Here we go.
- Try not to use excessive force. There should not be much need of swearing, and please don't use obscene words at all. If you feel angry toward somebody or something, try to think of a witty way to express it without actually using naughty words. It's a fact, this impresses people much more.
- Stay on topic. Drifting off-topic is the main reason threads fizzle. A thread that stays on topic will attract new blood all the time. People will read it from the beginning and have something to say when they reach the end. Threads that drift lose the reader somewhere along the way.
- Do not engage in banter with your favorite posters or enemies. "Kudos, JohnnyK. Let's see how Sleepless responds to that!" is not an acceptable post. Please, please, please try to think of your posts as the preservation of a thought for posterity. Don't make that thought sound like that of a drunken frat boy. We are here generating and recording arguments and debates (for the most part). That's what BBSes do well, at least when contentious subjects are involved.
- Don't overkill the highlighting powers that you have. If a text is broken up by too many boldfaced or red bits, it becomes less appealing to the eye. People will stop reading it. It's human nature.
- Don't quote an entire post by another person. I hate that. And so do a lot of other people. Under most circumstances, you should only need to quote one sentence at a time. If you wish to address multiple points raised by another person, quote one sentence, respond to it, quote the next sentence, and so on.
- Be hesitant to quote an entire article from another source. If you are worried that the article may disappear in the future, you can use a Web service like FURL.net to save a copy of it and post that link alongside the main link.
- Treat people with respect. Attacking the character of a poster shows poor character. It is impossible to see very much at all about another person through their BBS persona alone. People don't even act or talk like themselves when they are on a BBS. It's human nature. The moderators of DUBBS will not hesitate to ban users who make repeated personal attacks on others. It is better to say, 'That's stupid!' than to say 'You must have been born yesterday to think that.'
- Have fun, if that's possible considering this board's raison d'etre. Invite people to visit the site.