Something that’s always bothered me about my humble home known as “The Forums” is that there isn’t a flow of new members, what so ever. Every so often a stray sheep will tumble into our neck of the woods, and more often than not that stray leaves after his intro post out of A. Boredom or B. Intimidation. That’s fine, usually. The forums are definitely not for everyone, people find that out after their first post. Which is fine.

But some of the people who do tend to stay sometimes have a hard time integrating themselves amongst us in the community because we’re not like the front page or the blogs. It’s almost like a self governed group of people who filter out people who would potentially cause drama or problems. To a lot of us, the forums are a sacred place to talk. A place to shoot the shit, without the shit.

So from someone who has made terrible, terrible micro mistakes, but has tried to make a turn around on his past ways, here are some tips on becoming a BETTER PEOPLE™:







READ THE RULES

http://forum.destructoid.com/showthread.php?20979-Destructoid-Forums-Rules-and-New-User-Posting-Guide

Reading the rules is probably the most important rule on this list. It covers everything from how to create your first intro post to more technical stuff like whats allowed to be posted on the fourms. Many people have been busted because they’ve posted a nsfw picture or linked something shady. It’s a true guide list on how to act appropriately on the forums.

FLESH OUT YOUR INTRO POST

The intro post is like a handshake. People will be able to gauge what kinda person you are just by how strong or weak your intro post is. The best way to strengthen your intro post is to tell us about yourself beyond what you play. Tell us where you’re from. Tell us what other hobbies you enjoy or participate in. Tell us about your embarrassing birth marks. Just let us know that you’re a real person.


HAVE SOME PUNCTUATION & GRAMMAR

This isn’t a face book status. This isn’t a twitter update. Take a little pride in what you post. The reason for this is because people will take your posts a little more seriously and at the very least they’ll read it. No one likes posts clogged with emoticons and spelling errors. It’s just common courtesy.







DON’T BE A BABY

One thing people have a hard time grasping is that we rarely take things seriously. Especially in introduction threads, that’s where EVERYONE who joins is initiated. No one is safe. The tradition of the forums initiation comes from a way to filter out differentiate people who are fit enough to stay in the forums. Not to sound like we don’t want everyone in the forums, but there are people who either don’t act appropriate or just troll the forums. No one wants either of those things.







DON’T MAKE NEW THREADS (WITHOUT CHECKING FOR PREVIOUSLY EXISTING ONES)

A common mistake for new members is to start making new threads about already existing subjects right off the bat. Now it's okay that it happens, but to make the moderator’s jobs easier, go ahead and use that search button. You’ll find that most of the time, another thread of the same nature exists. If a thread you want to make doesn’t exist, try to make it as broad as possible so people can discuss within it.






DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE BAR

The bar is the heart of the forums. 90% of posts happen in that thread alone. It can be intimidating to join in on the conversation at first, but if you do a fair amount of lurking, you should be fine, It’s one massive conversation about anything that moves at incredible speeds. It’s also impossible to derail because it’s... well... literally about anything you want it to be. Feel free to change the subject once you get your feet wet.


DON’T BE A CAMERA WHORE

You know that face book friend you have that’s constantly posting pictures of themselves and it's always in their room or bathroom. Yeah we don’t really like that either. Mindless self indulgence is frowned upon. I used to break this rule all the time and it certainly didn’t put me in higher places with some members. Choose the pictures you post of yourself wisely and do it sparingly. If you went out with your friends and partied and someone took pictures of you passed out on a balcony, sure, post them up. They’re probably hilarious, just don’t post the same picture of yourself OVER AND OVER AGAIN.


DON’T BE A BADGE SLUT

The badge system we have in the forums is a great way to immerse yourself in the community by letting people know that you’re actually active. Only problem is people kinda turn it into an obsessive achievement hunt and feel they need all of them as fast as they can to feel better about themselves. It’s not possible for you to get all the badges, slow down. For example: I will never be able to obtain a beard badge, my Korean face won’t let me grow one. Don’t beg for badges, you’ll look like a jackass and the moderators will be annoyed by your shenanigans. Best way to do get badges is if the opportunity arises. Stop by the badge request thread, let a moderator know what you’re qualified for, show some proof and boom. You’ll have a badge.


DON’T JOIN JUST TO PIMP YOUR GOODS


Bros who come by only to get hits on their blog or even a different website rarely get respect. In our eyes its abuse of the forums community. If you hang out for a while and you write a post, its MAYBE okay to post something every so often in the bar. Other than that, you’ll look like a tool.


Overall, just be a decent person and considerate of others. It’s not that hard. Sure it’s fun to act like a jerk, but it really doesn’t gain you any assets. I had to learn that the hard way. No one liked me for the longest time. I still question whether or not people find me a decent person amongst the forums. Just be cool with everyone and you’ll be a BETTER PEOPLE™ before you know it.