Request for restraint in DIS posting, and ideas for forum etiquette

[JeanJoe]

[Rant mode ON]

These are some suggestions for DIS VMK forum posting etiquette that might make the forum more enjoyable for everyone. Feel free to ignore these, post your own suggestions, or say that you agree or disagree.

Very likely, all I will do is manage to across sounding like a mean-spirited, pompous bag of wind, but the forum has been really cluttered lately, making it difficult and tedious to read. There are other VMK bulletin boards out there, where the quality "signal" of useful information is overwhelmed by useless "noise" of garbage posts. I'm hoping we can keep the signal to noise ratio high here. And before the attacks start, yes I know I have repeatedly violated every one of these suggestions, so don't bother pointing that out.


Just joining? Welcome!

Instead of just jumping in and posting like crazy, why not hang around for a day or two, just to see what sorts of things are posted that get favorable responses? Try reading older posts -- you might find that the question you were about to ask has been answered 4 times already. Read the sticky threads at the top of the forum -- they are sticky for a reason: SOMEBODY thought they were useful or important.


Before starting a new thread...

Please, please look to see if a thread has already been started on the same topic. We only need ONE thread that says that VMK is closed. Having 20 threads saying the same thing makes it difficult to find the ONE thread that has useful information, like WHY VMK is closed. Keep it all in one thread, and then it'll be easier to follow.

If you are starting more than 2 or 3 new threads a day, you are probably starting too many threads.


Use the Search This Forum feature

Before asking a question, SEARCH. Believe it or not, the question you were about to ask has very likely been asked about 5 times before. "Who is yavn?" has been asked many, many times -- just do a search on "yavn" and you will likely figure it out for yourself.


If you start a new thread...

At least give it a useful title. "NEW VMK ITEMS!" is a really poor title if the thread is a QUESTION about whether there are any new items. "Are there new items on Oct 8?" is a much more useful title.


Stay on topic, stay on topic...

If you are posting in a pre-existing thread, don't hijack the thread by posting something completely irrelevant to the subject of the thread. Not only will you annoy the people who had been following the thread, but you are unlikely to get useful responses. (Yeah, yeah -- I break this one ALL the time...)


Posting repeatedly: spam, spam, spam, spam

DOUBLE (and more) POSTING. there's no "RULE" against posting multiple times in a row in a thread, but if you're doing that, it probably means that either you haven't figured out that you can edit your own posts, or that nobody else is interested in posting to the thread. In any case, posting more and more times is not likely to help.

On a related note, posting the same question in multiple different threads (frequently in unrelated ones) really is annoying. Post once and in the right place.


Posting garbage

Posting "This is boring!" or "blub blub blub" randomly in the middle of an existing thread, or worse yet, in a new thread, is really irritating. If you do this, I earnestly hope that your seagull will find relief repeatedly over your VMK head.


[End rant]

 

[tolkien7]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! A double woot for Bezoar!

 

[pixiepal53]

[Rant mode ON]

If you do this, I earnestly hope that your seagull will find relief repeatedly over your VMK head.


[End rant]

Well said, Be. This board has been looking like that OTHER board lately, what with all the "PLZ PLZ OMGWTHBBQ!!1!11" posts. Makes me feel like I should put on waders before I begin to attempt reading.

 

[BrittnTylersMom]

I agree!
----------

If you do this, I earnestly hope that your seagull will find relief repeatedly over your VMK head.

 

[NiteBeforXmas]

If you do this, I earnestly hope that your seagull will find relief repeatedly over your VMK head.

OK I needed a good laugh! I so agree with you!

However, I'm still sour grapes right now waiting behind 200 people! Geez!

 

[GBShorts]

I've tried posting this all day in various formats and could never come up with a good way to say it.

Thank you, JeanJoe/Bezoar for taking the time to so eloquently state what would have come out as terribly mean-spirited from me.

THIS should be a sticky.

 

[miss_elphie]

I totally agree! Very well said!
I may be a new member, but I've been hanging around in the shadows of DIS for quite a long time...
With all the problems today the forum has gotten VERY cluttered and I'm getting tired of picking through dozens and dozens of "OMG VMK IS CLOSED" threads in order to find what I want. Thank you for posting this thread!
Something to add- would it be too much to ask that people refrain from using abbreviations such as "u", "r", and "plz?"
I can understand using abbreviations for phrases like "Black screen of death" and such, but using instant message style abbreviations is kind of annoying...if you don't mind my saying so.

 

[GBShorts]

Something to add- would it be too much to ask that people refrain from using abbreviations such as "u", "r", and "plz?"
I can understand using abbreviations for phrases like "Black screen of death" and such, but using instant message style abbreviations is kind of annoying...if you don't mind my saying so.

Miss_elphie, will you marry me? LOL

A girl after my own heart indeed.

 

[Kelsie]

Although I'm a Webmaster on the DIS, I'm not a Moderator on this board. I am just someone who has played and a Mom to someone who loves the game, so these are my personal feelings only.

Please don't forget, unlike a lot of the other Trip Planning boards on the DIS, a lot of VMK players and posters on this board are children. Sure, sometimes they can get a bit excited, sometimes they may not be the best at typing or spelling and post threads that some are not interested in reading but, in my opinion they have just as much of a right to post as anyone.

Instead of making them feel like they don't fit in (I think they get enough of that in their real lives) they should be welcomed and treated as you would treat any other poster on the DIS. They are not mean spirited, I don't believe they set out to make others angry or upset; they are just inexperienced and still have the excitement I wish I still had.

After today, seeing how important this was for my DD and how disappointed she was when she reached the maze room early only to be booted then sat through over 500 others only to be kicked out of the room because someone wouldn't move from the teleporter, then reading some of the comments here, I am seriously rethinking my decision to let her post on the DIS let alone, play VMK.

It's just a game, it's not life or death and this is just a board where people can come and post about the game.

Again, this is just the opinion of a Mom who watched her 11 year old get up early on a Saturday (like a lot of you) to play a game she loves only to be disappointed by not only VMK but what was posted here on the DIS.

 

[miss_elphie]

Miss_elphie, will you marry me? LOL

A girl after my own heart indeed.

hahaha... good to know I'm not the only one who feels that way! Instant message lingo is one of my biggest pet peeves

 

[tolkien7]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that people (kids and adults) can't post their feelings. However, creating separate threads for each emotion is unnecessary. Is it inappropriate to share "the rules" of posting and ask that all people honor them? No one meant to hurt anyone's feelings, least of all the children's feelings.

 

[Kelsie]

I understand these are your feelings as what I posted is mine. Is it inappropriate? It depends on who is reading them and who feels this is directed at them. I would bet they are mostly the younger posters, but I may be wrong.

I just believe there are other ways to help the inexperienced and younger posters learn what others perceive the 'rules; of posting are without making them feel badly about it.

I've made a personal decision and asked my DD to stop posting for now. I've read all of her posts and she does fall into a lot of what the above is referring to. I don't want her made to feel bad because she gets excited or wants to share something and is not able to communicate it within the 'rules' stated here. Do I feel good about that decision? Not at all

 

[GBShorts]

So does that mean that we can't teach them rules?... or that they don't have to follow the "rules" everyone else sets forth?

Kids can understand what they may and may not do. They know right from wrong, and they can understand if they are doing something they shouldn't do.

That's like saying "oh, they're just a kid, they didn't know killing somebody wasn't right" (extreme example, but it is still valid. rules are rules)

I didn't think JeanJoe's post was mean-spirited at all, in fact, I thought it was very kind of him to post a "guidelines" for posting here at Dis.

I understand what you mean about hurting kids' feelings, but were your DD's feelings really hurt by reading this post? Would you tell your kid it was okay to yell out in adult conversation (off-the-wall example, NOT relating to whether kids should or should not be here!!) because you didn't want to hurt their feelings? No, you would want to explain to them the appropriate and polite way of speaking with adults.

I think that's all JeanJoe was getting at.

 

[Chickysmom]

All are welcome, all are wanted...we all would like the forums to be easy to read and follow...whether young or young at heart...

 

[Tishke]

Not to get all "big brother" here, but maybe part of the problem is that there is no Moderator for this forum. People are free to post whatever they want, whenever they want...on topic, off topic, spam.....Maybe we need to have someone that can lock down threads that are unnecessary or monitor what is going on here so that it is a fun place to visit.

 

[Maleficent2]

WebmasterKelsie and Be

I see both sides of this agrument and want to say I agree with parts of both.


One reason I love the DIS so much is we do not have really strict forum rules here. ie dbl posting, things other boards call spam(which I totally disagree with)etc.

I am quilty of Dbl posting actually I do it alot and feel it is appropriate...esp.when I have something to add to the thread that I do not want to put in the previous post.

I also agree that all the can not get in threads today etc etc were just way over the top. I try to remember that we have alot of children here on this board but I did get alittle irrated with one thread about cheating.

I hope you WMK will reconsider letting your daughter post....maybe we can all remember that children are present and to be alittle bit more flexible and understanding on this board. Also maybe those who do have children posting can give alittle guidance on how to post and when.


Mal

 

[NJ Mike]

I am surprised to hear that there is no moderator for this forum. I know people who have been slapped on the wrist for certain posts in this forum.

So I am a little surprised to hear that the policing of threads is not a standard thing, but rather an isolated concerted effort when it is done around here.

 

[Kelsie]

Yes, those were very extreme examples.

First of all, I wouldn't have posted and probably never would have even seen this thread unless her feelings were hurt. I think you are asking if I made this up to make a personal point. You are incorrect.

As far as telling my "kid" it would be ok to yell out in an adult conversation, I think you helped make my point. This is not just a board for adults. There are children here and they're here to have fun, just like you.

Please read what I said "I just believe there are other ways to help the inexperienced and younger posters learn what others perceive the 'rules; of posting are without making them feel badly about it" I didn't say the original poster did this but, I have seen it many times.

As a lot of VMK posters can attest, my DD is very well behaved, she is very loving and shares with everyone. As far as teaching her the 'rules' of the DIS Boards, I assure you I did this before she ever posted here. She is courteous and kind in her posts and that as her Mother is what I expect from her. She may not communicate this in a way that is acceptable and may start a thread because she is happy or mad and she may not check to see if one is already posted. I truly wasn't aware these were the rules here.

Again, these are just my opinions.

 

[hagen]

This has been a really unpleasant day for VMK, and consequentially for Dis. I have read a lot of the posts and threads, and found a lot of repetition and a lot of unpleasantly reciprocated frustration posted after it. Yeah, the board filled with threads about the freakish behavior of VMK today. Yeah, a lot of it was more or less the same thing. And oh yeah, a lot of the same old thing was unnecessary. But the people who made the threads might not be as interested in knowing "the rules" of these sorts of boards as they are in expressing just how displeased they are with what is, essentially, a mostly-free, time-wasting diversion. For this, several people have (with varying degrees of kindness) called these people out for their posts. I have to say, I am obliged to the people who posted these threads, as it helped to know that not only were the problems I was having on VMK occurring to everyone else, but the new threads provided an up-to-the-minute, intensely subjective "news report" of a really weird day on VMK.

As in most things, things can be misunderstood on the internet. We type words into the computer that travel far from us, and whether or not they really communicate to anyone depends on how close the reader is to the sentiment of the writer. All the emoticons and smiley junk in the world won't help if one person writes something and the person reading it just doesn't get it. Yeah, I think the internet slang of abbreviations is really degrading the culture's vernacular on and off the internet (and for that matter, I maintain that VMK's highly inarticulate dictionary is a severe misstep for Disney, who is so proud of its educational CD-Rom titles), and I know that internet "etiquette" is highly-prized among some people, moreso than others. Then again, I also know that it's just the internet, and as a form of communication it is deeply flawed. Does that excuse anyone? Of course not. But it might behoove us to consider that the expectations of some are not necessarily those of others, particularly when dealing with people who (somewhat accurately) consider the internet to be a largely lawless place, like "kids." Sorry, Be (and those who applauded it), but a post of rules is probably not going to be read by anyone to whom it was directed, no matter how well-meant it was.

hagen

 

[Chickysmom]

May I ask why there is no moderator for this forum? Is it only this one or are all forums in need? Maybe we should consider placing some well known and highly trusted people to help the posts stay on track and help posters make their way through them....just curious, please do not flame me!