The Big NO-NOs of the GATT Forum

[New Era Outlaw]

With the advent of so many of these threads, I've decided to reduce the clutter by merging them all into one big topic, labelled:
"THE BIG NO-NOS OF THE GATT FORUM."

So, new people and veterans alike, read and pay mind to what will and will NOT fly here.
Check the 'Terms of Service' thread for a more general breakdown.


WHAT IS SPAM?



Yes, I know the first thing you're going to say:
"Well, DUH! Of course I know what SPAM is! What kind of question is that?"

Well, to be quite honest, it apparently isn't as obvious to some people who post on the forum as the rest of the class. Some people apparently feel the need to open up a thread just to ask, 'What is SPAM?' So, for everybody's convenience, here is a guide as to what exactly, constitutes SPAM around here:

So, just what is SPAM?

Basically, it's a post made in a thread, just like this one, that generally does NOT bear any relevance to the topic at hand. Sometimes, it doesn't bear any relevance, PERIOD.
It's basically a post that makes no sense whatsoever.

How do I know SPAM when I see it?

Like Willie's Ice Cream, SPAM tends to comes in all flavours.
Here's the breakdown of what spam can appear as:

- Making a post that has NOTHING to do with the topic at hand (for example, the topic asks 'What is your favorite game?' and somebody replies 'I like waffles'.

- Making double posts. Basically, it's where a person is the last to make a comment in a thread, and, instead of using the EDIT button to alter his last post when he has something more to say, he makes a NEW post instead. Even worse is when said person repeatedly follows up with posts, one after the other, as if he's on a posting orgy.

- Writing in a way NOBODY can understand. It could be excessive l33t speaking, complete gibberish, or, in rare cases, BINARY CODE. Yes, I actually have seen posts done ENTIRELY in binary. Once people don't understand what it says, it's SPAM.

- Flames. Two or more members have a disagreement, start to insult each other, and before you know it, the thread derails into a complete SLUGFEST.

- Making TOPICS that make no sense. For example, going into the Lobby, which talks about video gaming, and posting about cottage cheese. Also, making an entire thread just to say 'WASSUP?' qualifies as a topic that makes no sense.

- Excessive posting up of imagery/ links that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

- Making 'hit and run' topics. I'll explain further in the article.

- Having a 'live' conversation on the forum. What do I mean by that? Well, it's where two people are on at the same time, and decide to turn a thread into their own little version of MSN Messenger, posting reply after reply, one after the next. People, if you want to do that, USE AIM or MSN MESSENGER FOR THAT, PLEASE!! This is a FORUM, not chat.

- Blatant and obvious plaguarism, by using the whole 'copy and paste' trick on entire articles written by somebody else, without insight, originality, or giving credit to the person who wrote it.

- *NEW* ( APPLIES TO MODERATORS) Given recent developments on the forum, Moderators are advised that there is no need to post in a thread just to announce that it's being moderated, UNLESS it is necessary to do so. for example, it's NOT necessary to make a post saying something like "You double-posted. I corrected it", because it does not add to the thread. However, in extreme cases, (such as when threads are closed down), you can state in a post WHY the thread was locked down, so that:

 1) Anybody who runs across that thread will see what caused the thread to be closed, and will take a hint that such things are NOT to be done on this forum, and;
 2) Other moderators and/or administrators will be advised as to the nature of the moderation, and why the thread was locked.


...on that note, Moderators are advised to NOT POST IN THREADS THAT HAVE BEEN DECLARED LOCKED. Unless you feel that it's really, REALLY important, don't resurrect a dead thread just to add your comments to it.

Okay, so that's SPAM. How does the GATT forum feel about it?

Basically, the same as EVERY forum.
WE DON'T LIKE SPAM.
Spam is the most annoying thing to hit the face of the Earth since William Hung. Why?

- It ANNOYS people, ESPECIALLY moderators.
- It derails the topic at hand.
- It causes disorder on the forum.
- It creates tension between posters, and can make it a very
uncomfortable environment to post in.
- Given the above, IT DRIVES AWAY USERS.

So, with all of that in mind, know that GATT does not like, nor will it encourage SPAM surfacing on the forums.

Okay, tough guy, suppose I DO spam. What are you mods gonna do about it?!

Well, if in the event that spam is discovered on the forums, for the most part, they will hit the delete button and poof...no more spam.
However, in the case of the person who caused the spam, the mods will pass judgment on said spammer, and determine what action needs to be taken to ensuure that he doesn't spam in the future.

At this point, I think it's better if Rampage outlines what actions will be taken if a person causing spam surfaces on the Board. Note that action will usually be taken depending on:

- The severity of the spam;
- If the person has spammed before; and,
- How many times the person was warned about it.

Whoa....okay. So what do I do to avoid being a spammer?

Basically:

DO NOT

- Double post. There is an EDIT button, USE IT. PLEASE.
If you have NO idea where it is, here's a handy, dandy diagram for you:




OMG! It's like....the EDIT button!!! LOLOLOL!!!111

Now, I'm getting REALLY sick and tired of having to edit every single double post on the forum, so just let it be known that if you have something extra to say, and you're the last person to post in that thread.....USE THE EDIT BUTTON, USE THE EDIT BUTTON, USE THE EDIT BUTTON!!! Have I made myself clear?
People who persist in double posting will be warned. Enough is enough.

- Make posts or threads that make no sense.
- Make posts intended to annoy or be a nuisance to people.
- Use excessive l337 speaking.
- Speak gibberish that nobody understands.
- Post with NO relevance to the topic at hand.
- Start threads that could have been resolved through a Private Message. For example, do NOT start threads asking where GATT HQ is located, you could have PMed Baego for that information.

- Post excessively offensive imagery/ language/ whatnot on the forums.
- Flame other members, be it through a pm or a post on the forum.
- Create hit and run topics.
-*NEW!* Copy entire articles from other sites that are NOT yours, and paste them on the forums, without giving it some insight or credit to the original author.

"Hit an Run" topics? What are those?

Basically, it's what you may call an instance where a poster 'pulls a quickie' on the forums, where he posts up a brand spanking new topic, either without putting any thought into what he posted, or tries to advertise something and bolts, never to be heard of again.
Here are some instances of 'Hit and Run' topics:

- Posting a new topic with the same subject matter as the subject (For example, posting a topic called 'Hi, I'm new!', and writing 'Hi, I'm new' in the actual post. In other words, the subject is the same as the post itself.)

- Plugging your website/good on sale/forwarded e-mails as your very first post, or in your first few posts, and then vanishing without a trace.

- Signing on to become a member just to plug something.

-Posting new topics with very LITTLE, or even NO subject matter (for example, posting 'Mortal Kombat strategy thread' as your subject, only to write 'Well, post them!' as your actual post.)

Basically, 'Hit and Run' will not be tolerated here, and will be treated as sheer SPAM. Mind you, in some instances, 'Hit and Run' will only get you a mild warning or a slap on the wrist, while others, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT INVOLVES PLUGGING SOMETHING, will see your post DELETED or LOCKED (as an example in the latter) and you yourself BANNED without warning.

So, with regards to this, keep these two things in mind:

- Always put some thought into it whenever you post. It gives us the impression that you are an intelligent person who is genuinely interested in what we have to contribute towards your thread. Always see if you could post a little info about the topic in your threads, even when it seems like it should be to the point.

- If you want to advertise or anything like that, at LEAST earn a little bit of our trust as one of our members first before you do anything like that. We wouldn't like to think that the only reason you signed up was to hawk your goods here. Please, remember that this is a GAMER'S forum. You know, for GAMERS. If you're not a gamer or anybody the LEAST interested in gaming, this forum is NOT FOR YOU.

 Thou shalt not plaguarise! The ONE has spoken!

Basically, while we do appreciate the latest you have to bring to the table we call the GATT forums, there is something you have to be very, VERY careful about.
Just recently, a user placed up two articles about two very popular games for ther benefit of those who play them, and people found them to be very helpful and informative, and gave the user high praise for what he did.

....until we found out that the articles weren't originally written by him, that the WHOLE thing was a 'copy and paste' affair from another site, and we had to lock those two articles down.

People, if you want to start a thread, then PLEASE, for God's sake, WRITE YOUR OWN DAMN ARTICLES. If you need to refer to somebody else's article to get your point across, then fine, but blatantly ripping off other people's work without giving some insight and/or credit to the person who REALLY wrote the article is NOT cool. Not only does it make you look like a dink without an original idea in your head, but it has the potential to land GATT in hot water with the original authors of the work.

So, from now on, please state your references or place some originality when you're quoting somebody's article that wasn't written by you. Failure to comply with this rule will see the article LOCKED or DELETED, and the user SEVERELY warned.





General Guidelines

Basically, GATT is a community. And just like every community, there are people who want to communicate, and interact with each other.
However, like every on-line community, there is always SOMEBODY who wants to crash the party, and post all kinds of nonsense, just to break up the harmony of the Board.

That person is the spammer, or troll, if you prefer.
Basically, when you run into a troll, it's always best to simply IGNORE him. Trolls love attention, and when they don't get it, they will get fed-up and move on. Feed them attention by flaming them back, and they will stay to make our lives a living HELL.

The best thing you could do in a situation where trolling is prevalent is, of course, to alert a moderator, who will take the appropriate action.
The action will depend on a few things, and the punishment can therefore vary.

Sometimes, all the spammer will get is a slap on the wrist, in the form of a light warning. This is the case where spamming is accidental, and can easily be cleared up, or when people are just getting started and don't know any better.

Sometimes, the spammer will get a warning, be it on the forum itself, or through a pm. Usually the case when the offender starts a flame, double posts or does anything that relates to spam, even when it's expected that he should know better.

In extreme cases, the spammer will get banned.
Perhaps temporarily, say, a week, or PERMANENTLY.
Usually the case when said spammer pushes his or her luck, and spams blatantly, despite warnings and deletion of his/her posts. Once again, this will depend on how severe the case is.

Also, as a fair warning to people, while we do appreciate when you alert us to spammers, know that we moderators have been shouldered the responsibilty of handling them. In other words, DO NOT TAKE THE LAW INTO YOUR OWN HANDS AND TRY TO CORRECT THE SPAMMER. This usually makes the problem worse. Please, let us mods handle the situation. You can still help by pming us, that's the best that you can do.

Anyway, that's all I have to say (and DAMN, it's a LOT), but more will be added as they come up.
Until then....

Yours truly,
the New Era Outlaw,
Sheriff of the GATT forums.  


EDIT: By the way, in case you were wondering, the old 'What is SPAM?' thread was falling victim to the very thing it was advocating against. So, poof, it's gone. For the convenience of everybody out there, I've reposted it in an entirely new thread, only THIS time, it's LOCKED.
Heed the rules, and keep on watching for further updates.
Thanks.

RE-EDIT: Also, there's a REASON why I locked down this thread. So it would not get padded with unnecessary posts. So, unless you've got something REALLY important and relevant  to say here, don't unlock this thread. Thank you.                    

[New Era Outlaw]

RECENTLY BANNED? READ THIS!


Okay, folks....I'm just going to take the liberty here and put my God damn foot down once and for all.

If you have been banned on the GATT forums (especially permanently banned), don't think it's because we don't like you, or any nonsense like that. It's because YOU WERE BREAKING THE DAMN RULES, IGNORING OUR WARNINGS, AND BEING A GENERAL NUISANCE TO EVERYBODY ON THE FORUMS.

I'll just break it down for everybody:

- If you break the rules, you'll be warned.
- If you harass people here, you'll be warned.
- If you tick off a mod for telling you off, you'll be SEVERELY WARNED.
- If you post offensive content, consider it nuked off the face of this Earth, and you'll be warned.

-IF, DESPITE ALL THE WARNINGS YOU'VE RECEIVED, YOU CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT THIS BEHAVIOUR, AND PERSIST, YOU'LL GET BANNED, BANNED, BANNED.

Also, if you get permanentlybanned, the best I can advise you to do is to just accept that you've done something offensive, have been given considerable chance to behave, and you're just going to have to face the fact that you're probably not welcome here again. Cruel, I know, but if you play with fire, you are going to get burned.

Also, new rule.
You're permanently banned? DON'T COME BACK.
Banned, in any instance or measure, though, does NOT mean "Oh, lemme log in as a new user...dey ent go know the difference."
If you do that, you'll get banned AGAIN, all of your posts will be deleted, and absolutely NO warnings will be issued in advance. Hey, if we've warned you in the past, why waste our time telling you again if you're going to continue, am I right?


To boot, if you've been perma-banned, please do NOT beg me or any other mod to bring you back.
What...we're going to go through all the trouble to set you on the straight and narrow, and when you FINALLY get punished, you're sorry?? Welcome to the real world, pal. You reap what you sow.
No matter how much you may beg, or plead, or cry, you're not...getting...BACK...ON.
If there is reasonable doubt however, then we might consider (that might be in the case of established members and people we know who usually behave themselves), but if you've given us trouble before, forget it.


Fellow mods, feel free to make changes to this if you feel I'm being a bit harsh or anything like that.

[New Era Outlaw]

NSFW? WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?



Recently, some of you guys may have seen these four letters flying about the place.
Well, lucky day, your friendly neighbourhood outlaw's here to explain what it means (ain't I something? )

Anyway.....'NSFW*' means 'Not Safe For Work'.
Still confused?
Well, in a nutshell, NSFW refers to mature content that you may not, want people, like your parents, your teachers at school, or your boss at work to stroll by and see (hence the name).

NSFW content includes:

- Nudity
- Violent/Slightly Disturbing/Sexually Suggestive Images (NOTE I said slightly and suggestive...)
- Sound files which contain sexually suggestive/profane lyrics
- Profane articles in general. If it drops serious F-bombs or constant references to certain parts of the human anatomy, TAG IT.


So, if you're posting up a topic, and the topic has mature content, please put a 'NSFW' notice in the title of the thread, and in big, bold letters above the links with the mature content (if any). If there are pictures that you feel may be NSFW, please do NOT post them directly on the forum- link to them with a NSFW warning so people are adequately warned about the content.


Note that this is, by NO MEANS whatsoever, any invitation to start posting porn or exceptionally gross/violent images (or links to such material). Those are still forbidden, and will be met with a warning/removal of the offending content (those are known as not mind safe, or NMS. 'NSFW' is just a warning device for some topics of interest which may inevitably lead to such content without getting too explicit (such as 'Hot Coffee' in GTA:San Andreas, to an extent).

Not Mind Safe (and Forbidden):

- Pornography
- Exceptionally gross or disturbing images, such as Tubgirl and Goatse, or anything you'd find at Ogrish or Rotten.com
- Screamer Flashes*


So, in a nutshell:

- NSFW means Not Safe For Work a.k.a 'Mature Content'. a.k.a if you're at work and school, DON'T OPEN IT!
- Pornographic and/or excessively violent/gruesome pictures are STILL NOT ALLOWED, even if it is NSFW.
- Do not post NSFW pictures....post links with a warning to them.


So, if you see NSFW on a topic, be wary....you have been warned.



EDIT: Also, if a mod tacks on a NSFW warning to a topic, be advised that:

GREEN is a topic that might be potentially NSFW, and, while there may not be anything too extreme, you should still take care around it.

YELLOW- NSFW as it may contain links or images suggesting mature content;

RED- So VERY NSFW. You will definitely run into NSFW content here, so BEWARE!



* Link included for reference.

EDIT: Thanks for the heads-up, JD. Hope you don't mind if I tweaked that a little to include articles that contain profane language, to boot.

[New Era Outlaw]

OF BANS AND DRAMA QUEENS


UPDATE
Now, I seriously hope some people have read this carefully, because I've got something new to add to this.


People, if you get banned, do -NOT- go logging on as a new user and act like some drama queen all over the forums. By 'drama queen', I mean posting all over the place asking 'OH, WHY DID I GET BANNED?' and 'IT'S NOT FAIR! DO YOU PEOPLE FIND IT'S FAIR?' and even setting up polls for people to vote on it. Or even posting like a lunatic cussing up a storm worse than 10 madmen on Frederick Street.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.


All that tells us is that you are just -looking for attention.-
Well, partner, that is NOT going to be tolerated around here. At ALL.
If we banned you, we had good reason to do so, so please. Spare us the melodrama. Get plenty enough of that from the abundance of soap operas on the TV already.



However, if you feel that you've been unfairly treated, the best thing to do is to go to the moderator or Baego with your problems. What...do you honestly think that cussing up the mod all over the forums is going to do anything, save banning your behind for even more time? NO. Go to the mod or Baego if you must, and talk to us. We are always willing to help, and we are understanding people. Try to work something out. However, note that this applies to people who feel like they've been unfairly treated. If you were banned because you spammed all over the place and you're clearly unrepentant about that until banning, and then you come to us to plead and beg and CRY to get unbanned, FORGET IT.




From now on:
IF YOU ARE BANNED, YOU LOG ON AS A NEW USER, AND START ACTING UP FOR YOUR PREVIOUS BAN, YOU WILL BE BANNED FOR A MONTH. ANY FURTHER OFFENSES WILL RESULT IN YOUR BEING BANNED FOR GOOD.[/u]



Now, this article's not aimed at anyone in particular, but I hope everybody sees this and learns it well.

[New Era Outlaw]

UPDATE

Oh, and just in case some people may get the wrong impression here....these articles were written on the assumption that a user would be permanently banned.

If you've been banned for a week or a month, it just means that you may have done something against the rules, but it's not so grave so as to completely force you into exile. So, if you got a weekban or a month ban, just suck it up and wait it out, and just remember not to do again what you've been banned for in the first place. And, of course, we do make allowances for good behaviour, but only in the case of regular users.


Just remember. If you're banned, and it's temporary, be grateful. IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE.

[New Era Outlaw]

NECROPOSTING AND YOU!

I just thought I would take the time to address something that has, as of late, been annoying several GATTers and moderators on the forum as of late.

You see, as of late, people have been necroposting.

"But what IS this Necroposting, NEO?"

Basically, it's when somebody posts in a thread that hasn't seen any action in 3 or more months, loooong enough to declare it dead, finito and completely finished. Usually, when threads go that long without a response, it's because:


PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT ANYMORE.
THEY'VE LOST INTEREST. THEY'VE MOVED ON.
THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAMN THREAD ANY LONGER.


.....and, as a result, it sinks to the bottom of the page, for newer, more interesting topics to take its place.


"But why the fuss, NEO?"

Oh, I'll tell you why.
When somebody resurrects a thread that is older than freaking MOSES, it knocks down all of the more recent threads into obscurity. When somebody brings back a thread that old that people don't care to post in anymore, they'll just assume that the section has nothing interesting else to talk about other than whipping dead horses into mincemeat.

And you know what?
When people lose interest, they don't post.
When people don't post, they'll become bored.
When people become bored, THEY FREAKING LEAVE.

Don't believe me? Look at what happened to Duelist Central. Because somebody decided to resurrect a billion threads that haven't seen action in a bazillion years, it hasn't seen action for THREE MONTHS. Only when people actually bumped down these God forsaken dead topics and come with some new, fresh things to talk about, was the dry spell in Duelist Central over.


On top of that, when people necropost, you know what they write?
It's not news, or anything relevant to the topic. It's just to comment or write some lame b******t at a poor attempt to be funny. Jesus Kee-RIST. For that reason alone, I'm taking the time to write this out now.




"So, how do I know when a topic is dead?"

Look at the date of the last post. (You usually see this on the far right hand side of the forum before you enter the thread itself.) If it's more than 3 months old with no news or pending interest on the matter, IT'S DEAD. IT'S DEAD. LEAVE IT TO F**K ALONE. LET IT REST IN PEACE!


HOWEVER, there is an exception to this rule. If you have some groundbreaking news on the matter, or feel you have something that can significantly spark some interest in the thread, you're free to do so, if a new thread hasn't already been made about it. However, if the thread is far too old to be revived (threads for last year, for example,) then just start a new one.


So, people, what have we learned today?


-DON'T REVIVE THREADS LONGER THAN THREE MONTHS.
-DON'T REVIVE THREADS PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT.
-DON'T REVIVE THREADS FROM LAST FREAKING YEAR.
-DON'T REVIVE THREADS UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT TO CONTRIBUTE


...and, most of all:

DON'T REVIVE A THREAD SIMPLY TO MAKE SOME JACKA** COMMENT THAT DOESN'T EVEN CONTRIBUTE TO THE THREAD. YOU ARE GETTING PEOPLE ANNOYED WITH THAT NONSENSE. NEWS FLASH, YOU'RE NOT FUNNY, CUT IT OUT!!!

Hope that clears things up. Carry on, people, nothing else to see here.....