Original Post
In light of my going away (and thus not being able to give the Lounge CPR 
), I''ve decided to put up my DarkMage139''s Guide to Posting. Hopefully some of you will be able to continue the crusade to bring the Lounge back to its former glory while I''m away (though nessy will always be here to create more anarchy. Which is really a good thing, believe it or not 
).
Oh yeah, this "guide" actually goes all over the place, sometimes seeming more like a Lounge documentary than a guide. And I wrote most of the first draft after I finished doing some coding (which expended most of my brain energy), so if it seems like I was hammered when I wrote this, I assure you I wasn''t (and I don''t drink anyway).
Bear with me:
------------------------
DarkMage139''s Guide to Posting (and other things)
Also known as DM139''s final act of defiance against the inevitable... don''t tell anyone
-----
Anatomy of a post
While some might say that posting is an artistic form, there is a bit of science in it as well. You could just wing it, if you want, but doing some "Post Science" might help (particularly in flame wars... sort of ).
Titles
Titles are more important than most people give them credit for, especially these days when it takes 15 minutes to get a reply to a brand new thread (yet another reason nessy and I continue the "crusade" ). Titles can decide the fate of a thread. Most people won''t check out a topic if it has an uninteresting name.
The method I use is to try giving threads interesting, but relevant, names. Don''t be like the guy who named his thread "tits". His method didn''t work very well, and the staff laid the smackdown.
You could always be straightforward with the post names, such as "FF7 Analysis Thread", etc. It''s effective enough, but where''s the art in that?
Moral of the story: Pay a lot of attention to your thread titles.
The Main Course
We''ll be discussing the stuff that goes in here soon enough.
Just remember to spellcheck your posts unless you want furby to do it for you. And whatever misspellings you make can confuse your whole point.
The Signature
The "Siggy" (as nes8bit puts it), while usually not very important, can be made to provoke some people to post something in reference to the sig. I''ll let you figure this part out for yourself.
The Edit
EDITs aren''t seen in every post, but every once in a while, we all find the need to edit some stuff for certain reasons, which can range from spell checking to fixing inaccurate statements. And sometimes, your post may be offensive enough to warrant having the staff do some editing of their own. Hey, it''s their board and they can do whatever they want, contrary to the opinion of some Goatse Lickers (I''ll explain "Goatse Lickers" in another section).
-------
Posting Etiquette
This is if you don''t want to get flamed. However, at other times, you can just disregard this stuff and just go on a flame war. Oh well...
1. Try not to offend TOO many people in your posts.
2. Don''t diss other people.
3. If you HAVE to diss on someone else, try not to use strong words in your post.
4. Make sure your post has good grammar. Some people will flame you just for bad grammar.
That''s it. The rest, well, I''ll just leave that to whatever morality or common sense you have.
-------
Flame Wars
BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, sorry.
Originality
First of all, if you''re going to start a flame war, you should have some originality. It''s true, you can''t start a religious flame war without it resembling one of JesusFreak''s wars (btw, the staff are on the lookout for religious flame wars, so you probably won''t get more than a page of flames. Actually you probably won''t get past 10 posts, but at least it was a short and glorious flame ), but most other fields of flaming could be a bit more original. I''ve lost count of the number of "DirectX versus OpenGL" flame wars that people keep trying to start. And there have been a few attempts at a sequel to "Uh, No". Sorry people, the days of those flames are over.
Starting a flame war
Most flame wars start innocently enough. For instance, JesusFreak wanted some artists for his game. The next thing you know, we''ve got a 5-page flame war! Personally, I think it was his name that got everybody on edge. But that''s not something I''m going to discuss.
Most flame wars have a catalyst. Something that changes it from an innocent post to the large flame hazards most of us have seen at one point or another. Like the timer\loop in a game, this catalyst is the core of the flame war (at least until everybody is so mad at one another that they forget the cause and just continue on insulting one another, in which case the staff quickly comes down to lay some smacks).
Creating a Catalyst
It''s true that you can just go around flaming everybody you want, that would create a flame war pretty fast, but the staff will give you the smackdown with fearsome speed (well, fearsome for llamas). I''ll discuss the "smackdown" in another section.
Anyway, the catalyst is something that offends someone, or causes people to make posts that are offensive. For instance, JesusFreak once posted something that got firahs pissed off. Firahs then proceeded to make a post that stated that JesusFreak was a Goatse Licker (OK, firahs didn''t call him a "Goatse Licker", but you get the idea).
Another example is when a certain individual (I forgot who) posted something emotional, then Furby100 noted the grammatical errors in the other guy''s post. This, of course, offended certain people, and then a "furby-bash" erupted.
The Smackdown
This is when the staff notices that the thread has become a hopeless flame war and then closes it (or deletes it).
Most of the time, the staff doesn''t lay the smackdown because:
A. The post looks innocent enough
B. There''s still hope for a resolution
C. They''re on vacation.
Newbie Hazards
Many of us have seen newbie hazards (which is something Succinct once "ranted" about). They go something like:
Goatse Lickers
All right, Goatse Lickers are people who make (or try to make) the Lounge (and other forums) a bad place. Some people occasionally dabble in "Goatse Licking", but a few others seem to have dedicated their lives to it. They may or may not know who they are, but they''re basically extremely annoying (and usually whiny) people. I''m not going to post my list of the people whom I think are Goatse Lickers, but it shouldn''t take you too long to identify them.
Oh yeah, as for you people who rant often, watch it. You''re dabbling in Goatse Licking, and annoying lots of people.
"Friendly Flames"
These are flames made as a joke. For instance, I don''t hate or dislike Kazan (despite the fact that he once fragged me on Quake III... while we were playing on the same team. What a fink ). However, I still call him a fink, and continue to make those messed up pictures of him. Or how I always try to hit Gaiiden (a.k.a. "Gaii") with a rubber chicken. Or how I make those "Cream Cheese" jokes around Dwarfsoft.
----
Tips for posting
Write posts on your HD
I do this often, mostly with important posts. Why? Because sometimes, when you post, there could be errors or something. Then that work of art that you spent the last half hour writing is wiped out, and you have to do it all over again. However, if you write it on your HD, it always stays there, and you can just cut and paste it.
This post is one such example. I wrote it on my HD, and I''ll be uploading it as soon as I can (right after I finish spell checking).
If you spam it, they will come
People who are addicted to a specific genre (or idea) can usually find others who share their passion. This is done by posting a lot about the genre\idea you have.
An example would be my addiction to RPGs. A long time ago (last summer), I posted the "FF7 Analysis Thread", which you can find if you search through the archives. Anyway, it attracted the attention of someone named Ferinorious, and we got to talking about RPGs. Later when he went away (which was too bad), I wandered to the GDCorner, and found myself being sucked into the Goblin Genocide thread, which back then was brand new. I read through it, but didn''t really pay much attention until page 8 or 9. Anyway, since then, I''ve been doing lots of RPG research, especially since I heard about Morrowind.
Creative Writing
Read a book on "creative writing". You can apply what you learn to your posting, and thus get more replies to your threads. Which is always a good thing.
Have a sense of humor
This is a big help if you plan to join the "crusade" () to restore the Lounge back to its former glory.
While doing some thread necromancy a while back, I read some of my old posts and was surprised at the lack of humor. It was like anything I posted before the time nessy became an Avatar was totally humorless.
Moral of the story: Have a few laughs, lots of fun, and don''t hesitate to make "friendly flames".
-----------
-----------
Well, that''s it. I thought of adding some Lounge history, but it ended up being too long. So, go forth and post!
- DarkMage139 (Neokatana Software)
"I can smell the sea." - Majiir Paktu, Homeworld
), I''ve decided to put up my DarkMage139''s Guide to Posting. Hopefully some of you will be able to continue the crusade to bring the Lounge back to its former glory while I''m away (though nessy will always be here to create more anarchy. Which is really a good thing, believe it or not ).
Oh yeah, this "guide" actually goes all over the place, sometimes seeming more like a Lounge documentary than a guide. And I wrote most of the first draft after I finished doing some coding (which expended most of my brain energy), so if it seems like I was hammered when I wrote this, I assure you I wasn''t (and I don''t drink anyway).
Bear with me:
------------------------
DarkMage139''s Guide to Posting (and other things)
Also known as DM139''s final act of defiance against the inevitable... don''t tell anyone
-----
Anatomy of a post
While some might say that posting is an artistic form, there is a bit of science in it as well. You could just wing it, if you want, but doing some "Post Science" might help (particularly in flame wars... sort of ).
Titles
Titles are more important than most people give them credit for, especially these days when it takes 15 minutes to get a reply to a brand new thread (yet another reason nessy and I continue the "crusade" ). Titles can decide the fate of a thread. Most people won''t check out a topic if it has an uninteresting name.
The method I use is to try giving threads interesting, but relevant, names. Don''t be like the guy who named his thread "tits". His method didn''t work very well, and the staff laid the smackdown.
You could always be straightforward with the post names, such as "FF7 Analysis Thread", etc. It''s effective enough, but where''s the art in that?
Moral of the story: Pay a lot of attention to your thread titles.
The Main Course
We''ll be discussing the stuff that goes in here soon enough.
Just remember to spellcheck your posts unless you want furby to do it for you. And whatever misspellings you make can confuse your whole point.
The Signature
The "Siggy" (as nes8bit puts it), while usually not very important, can be made to provoke some people to post something in reference to the sig. I''ll let you figure this part out for yourself.
The Edit
EDITs aren''t seen in every post, but every once in a while, we all find the need to edit some stuff for certain reasons, which can range from spell checking to fixing inaccurate statements. And sometimes, your post may be offensive enough to warrant having the staff do some editing of their own. Hey, it''s their board and they can do whatever they want, contrary to the opinion of some Goatse Lickers (I''ll explain "Goatse Lickers" in another section).
-------
Posting Etiquette
This is if you don''t want to get flamed. However, at other times, you can just disregard this stuff and just go on a flame war. Oh well...
1. Try not to offend TOO many people in your posts.
2. Don''t diss other people.
3. If you HAVE to diss on someone else, try not to use strong words in your post.
4. Make sure your post has good grammar. Some people will flame you just for bad grammar.
That''s it. The rest, well, I''ll just leave that to whatever morality or common sense you have.
-------
Flame Wars
BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, sorry.
Originality
First of all, if you''re going to start a flame war, you should have some originality. It''s true, you can''t start a religious flame war without it resembling one of JesusFreak''s wars (btw, the staff are on the lookout for religious flame wars, so you probably won''t get more than a page of flames. Actually you probably won''t get past 10 posts, but at least it was a short and glorious flame ), but most other fields of flaming could be a bit more original. I''ve lost count of the number of "DirectX versus OpenGL" flame wars that people keep trying to start. And there have been a few attempts at a sequel to "Uh, No". Sorry people, the days of those flames are over.
Starting a flame war
Most flame wars start innocently enough. For instance, JesusFreak wanted some artists for his game. The next thing you know, we''ve got a 5-page flame war! Personally, I think it was his name that got everybody on edge. But that''s not something I''m going to discuss.
Most flame wars have a catalyst. Something that changes it from an innocent post to the large flame hazards most of us have seen at one point or another. Like the timer\loop in a game, this catalyst is the core of the flame war (at least until everybody is so mad at one another that they forget the cause and just continue on insulting one another, in which case the staff quickly comes down to lay some smacks).
Creating a Catalyst
It''s true that you can just go around flaming everybody you want, that would create a flame war pretty fast, but the staff will give you the smackdown with fearsome speed (well, fearsome for llamas). I''ll discuss the "smackdown" in another section.
Anyway, the catalyst is something that offends someone, or causes people to make posts that are offensive. For instance, JesusFreak once posted something that got firahs pissed off. Firahs then proceeded to make a post that stated that JesusFreak was a Goatse Licker (OK, firahs didn''t call him a "Goatse Licker", but you get the idea).
Another example is when a certain individual (I forgot who) posted something emotional, then Furby100 noted the grammatical errors in the other guy''s post. This, of course, offended certain people, and then a "furby-bash" erupted.
The Smackdown
This is when the staff notices that the thread has become a hopeless flame war and then closes it (or deletes it).
Most of the time, the staff doesn''t lay the smackdown because:
A. The post looks innocent enough
B. There''s still hope for a resolution
C. They''re on vacation.
Newbie Hazards
Many of us have seen newbie hazards (which is something Succinct once "ranted" about). They go something like:
quote:Whenever I see posts like that (which are usually posted on multiple forums), I usually can''t decide whether to laugh or tell the guy that he should castrate himself (most of the time, I just don''t post, but that''s not really important). Not only do those kinds of newbies have bad grammar, but they probably just finished Chapter 7 of "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus". Oh well I just hope they don''t end up like Virtual Symbiote #20... the most annoying newbie I''ve ever seen. Oh yeah, there are also people who post on multiple message boards on multiple sites mentioning their projects. Of course, you can always just hound them and flame them, which can be extremely satisfying.
Hi this is FunkyChicken from Poopoo Software and we''re looking for l337 coderz And I mean l337, don''t bother applying if you''re not the best you know who you are We also have a PS2 company interested in us We''re also working on a really cool RPG just which is a cross between FF8 and Quake III and need some artists, coderz, and writerz, email me at Wesuck@idiots.org
Goatse Lickers
All right, Goatse Lickers are people who make (or try to make) the Lounge (and other forums) a bad place. Some people occasionally dabble in "Goatse Licking", but a few others seem to have dedicated their lives to it. They may or may not know who they are, but they''re basically extremely annoying (and usually whiny) people. I''m not going to post my list of the people whom I think are Goatse Lickers, but it shouldn''t take you too long to identify them.
Oh yeah, as for you people who rant often, watch it. You''re dabbling in Goatse Licking, and annoying lots of people.
"Friendly Flames"
These are flames made as a joke. For instance, I don''t hate or dislike Kazan (despite the fact that he once fragged me on Quake III... while we were playing on the same team. What a fink ). However, I still call him a fink, and continue to make those messed up pictures of him. Or how I always try to hit Gaiiden (a.k.a. "Gaii") with a rubber chicken. Or how I make those "Cream Cheese" jokes around Dwarfsoft.
----
Tips for posting
Write posts on your HD
I do this often, mostly with important posts. Why? Because sometimes, when you post, there could be errors or something. Then that work of art that you spent the last half hour writing is wiped out, and you have to do it all over again. However, if you write it on your HD, it always stays there, and you can just cut and paste it.
This post is one such example. I wrote it on my HD, and I''ll be uploading it as soon as I can (right after I finish spell checking).
If you spam it, they will come
People who are addicted to a specific genre (or idea) can usually find others who share their passion. This is done by posting a lot about the genre\idea you have.
An example would be my addiction to RPGs. A long time ago (last summer), I posted the "FF7 Analysis Thread", which you can find if you search through the archives. Anyway, it attracted the attention of someone named Ferinorious, and we got to talking about RPGs. Later when he went away (which was too bad), I wandered to the GDCorner, and found myself being sucked into the Goblin Genocide thread, which back then was brand new. I read through it, but didn''t really pay much attention until page 8 or 9. Anyway, since then, I''ve been doing lots of RPG research, especially since I heard about Morrowind.
Creative Writing
Read a book on "creative writing". You can apply what you learn to your posting, and thus get more replies to your threads. Which is always a good thing.
Have a sense of humor
This is a big help if you plan to join the "crusade" () to restore the Lounge back to its former glory.
While doing some thread necromancy a while back, I read some of my old posts and was surprised at the lack of humor. It was like anything I posted before the time nessy became an Avatar was totally humorless.
Moral of the story: Have a few laughs, lots of fun, and don''t hesitate to make "friendly flames".
-----------
-----------
Well, that''s it. I thought of adding some Lounge history, but it ended up being too long. So, go forth and post!
- DarkMage139 (Neokatana Software)
"I can smell the sea." - Majiir Paktu, Homeworld
) 
... Hmmm... Well, I will have to change that