The first thing I should say is this list is unnecessary for the vast majority of members here. Most jokes are good and most little tangents are fine. I'm not trying to take the fun out of the forum, so for most people here, don't change anything. This is more about some of those specific things that most of us would agree are getting annoying.
I'm writing this thread primarily so I can point to it when I ask various offenders to chill. By doing this here, it saves me from repeating the same conversations over and over when I leave someone a note. It will also make me feel a little less passive-aggressive when I delete posts without leaving a note, since I'm explaining here why I do that.
* New Members - Please read this post.
* Try to avoid inside jokes and other cliquish posts. - The occasional insider joke is okay, but be aware that this excludes a lot of people who don't know the backstory, which isn't polite.
* Picture Memes - Some pix or gifs are funny and well timed, but some are not. I often delete the latter. Popcorn pictures, for instance, don't add any value to a discussion, plus it's such an old and tired meme that it's best left unposted.
* "This conversation is dumb and you guys should stop!" - If a discussion is boring and beneath you, it's not necessary to write your own post telling everybody else that the discussion is boring and beneath you. Simply leave the thread. You can even use our handy Ignore Thread feature if that helps.
* "I haven't read the whole thread, but here are my thoughts!" - That's obviously poor form to expect people to read your post when you haven't read theirs, right? Right. (There are exceptions to this, of course. For instance if you're someone with real expertise in a subject and can offer actual substance, then feel free to post even if you haven't read all of the previous 20 pages.)
* First! - If you're a frequent poster, it's particularly annoying if you make a point of being the first to answer everyone's questions. Give other people a chance to be "the helpful one." If it's a situation where you have more unique knowledge, then of course that's fine to jump right in. But if it's a situation where a dozen other people can answer just as well (or better), let them go first.
* The Announcement King! - In a similar vein, if a company has a new release, chances are they'll announce it themselves, so unless you have something truly worthwhile to contribute, give them at least a few hours to start their own thread before posting an announcement yourself.
For that matter, not every marketing email you get needs a new thread for it. If someone cares about 8dio or Soundpaint, for instance, then they're already on the mailing list, so we don't need a thread for their near-daily releases/sales. If it's a biggie, then sure, post it, but please just meaningful announcements.
* If you start a thread, it's not necessary to respond to every person who replies. - We have a Like button for that. A couple response posts is okay, but replying to everybody clutters (and unnecessarily lengthens) the thread, plus gives a distasteful appearance of you "holding court," and making the thread about you, instead of the topic.
* Proofread your posts. - Speaking for myself, most of my posts take at least an hour to write. Then when I post it, I re-read the posted version, and embarrassingly, usually still have further corrections. If people are going to take the time to read my thoughts, i figure the least I can do is respect their time enough to make sure my writing is clear.
* After proofreading, you might decide *not* to click Submit - Again speaking for myself, I leave a lot of posts unposted. A joke might not be as clever as I first thought, or maybe I realize it's more derailing than helpful, or maybe after taking a breath, I realize I don't actually need to tell someone they're an idiot. There's no actual prize for "most posts."
* Two posts where one would suffice - Continuing on the theme, we often see someone write a short post, then quickly add a second post which adds to that earlier post. Ugh. Why not take a minute before clicking the Submit button on the first post, so you can put all your thoughts into it, instead of using two posts? Please? This isn't a chat room where we want to hear your every precious thought as they pop into your head.
* Reviving old threads - If a thread is more than a month old, be aware that if you bump that thread with a new post, many people are going to think it's a new thread, so they're going to read all the posts, starting from the beginning. In many (maybe even most) cases, that's fine. But sometimes it's better to start a new thread instead. It's impossible to define which is which, I just mention it as something to keep in mind.
There's one "for sure"case, though: Don't revive old Deals threads, since people will be mislead into thinking there's a new sale.
* Speculation and Musings threads - This is tricky, because most of us like these threads, and I don't want to stop them. A new Spitfire or OT or VSL (major) release does warrant speculation. It's fun, and a large percentage of the membership is interested. But an "Are you tired of Spitfire?" thread? That could be interesting, but there are a couple things to keep in mind, starting with: Are you the type of person who posts a lot of those "conversation starter" threads? Then slow your roll, please. Those threads are fun in moderation, but it seems most of them are started by the same three guys. Also, if you're a new member, no "musings" threads for your first few months.
* Here to valiantly do battle - I think some people get a weird pleasure out of battling all the Mac lovers and setting them straight on how PCs are the smarter move. (Or vice versa.) Or informing Katy Perry fans how much she sucks. We got it the first time you said it, so your little "Brave Truth Crusader! Valiantly Fighting the Wrong People!" fantasy is annoying.
* Dominating a conversation - In a similar vein, sometimes someone (or two people) start taking over a conversation, more or less killing the mood for everyone else. If half of the recent posts in a thread are you, then slow it down a bit and let other people have a say.
* Videos or Instagram links with no description - Sometimes a video is self-explanatory, but if you're going to post it, do us a favor and say why we should watch it, since many of us would prefer to read a paragraph or two, rather than watch some bozo yammering for 10 minutes before he gets to his point. And especially don't lazily start a thread with a video or FB/Insta/Twitter post with no commentary of your own.
* Unhelpful thread titles - Help us out here and don't make everyone click your thread just to see what it's about. And if it's a clickbait title on top of being vague? Be aware I usually delete the thread entirely.
I'm writing this thread primarily so I can point to it when I ask various offenders to chill. By doing this here, it saves me from repeating the same conversations over and over when I leave someone a note. It will also make me feel a little less passive-aggressive when I delete posts without leaving a note, since I'm explaining here why I do that.
* New Members - Please read this post.
* Try to avoid inside jokes and other cliquish posts. - The occasional insider joke is okay, but be aware that this excludes a lot of people who don't know the backstory, which isn't polite.
* Picture Memes - Some pix or gifs are funny and well timed, but some are not. I often delete the latter. Popcorn pictures, for instance, don't add any value to a discussion, plus it's such an old and tired meme that it's best left unposted.
* "This conversation is dumb and you guys should stop!" - If a discussion is boring and beneath you, it's not necessary to write your own post telling everybody else that the discussion is boring and beneath you. Simply leave the thread. You can even use our handy Ignore Thread feature if that helps.
* "I haven't read the whole thread, but here are my thoughts!" - That's obviously poor form to expect people to read your post when you haven't read theirs, right? Right. (There are exceptions to this, of course. For instance if you're someone with real expertise in a subject and can offer actual substance, then feel free to post even if you haven't read all of the previous 20 pages.)
* First! - If you're a frequent poster, it's particularly annoying if you make a point of being the first to answer everyone's questions. Give other people a chance to be "the helpful one." If it's a situation where you have more unique knowledge, then of course that's fine to jump right in. But if it's a situation where a dozen other people can answer just as well (or better), let them go first.
* The Announcement King! - In a similar vein, if a company has a new release, chances are they'll announce it themselves, so unless you have something truly worthwhile to contribute, give them at least a few hours to start their own thread before posting an announcement yourself.
For that matter, not every marketing email you get needs a new thread for it. If someone cares about 8dio or Soundpaint, for instance, then they're already on the mailing list, so we don't need a thread for their near-daily releases/sales. If it's a biggie, then sure, post it, but please just meaningful announcements.
* If you start a thread, it's not necessary to respond to every person who replies. - We have a Like button for that. A couple response posts is okay, but replying to everybody clutters (and unnecessarily lengthens) the thread, plus gives a distasteful appearance of you "holding court," and making the thread about you, instead of the topic.
* Proofread your posts. - Speaking for myself, most of my posts take at least an hour to write. Then when I post it, I re-read the posted version, and embarrassingly, usually still have further corrections. If people are going to take the time to read my thoughts, i figure the least I can do is respect their time enough to make sure my writing is clear.
* After proofreading, you might decide *not* to click Submit - Again speaking for myself, I leave a lot of posts unposted. A joke might not be as clever as I first thought, or maybe I realize it's more derailing than helpful, or maybe after taking a breath, I realize I don't actually need to tell someone they're an idiot. There's no actual prize for "most posts."
* Two posts where one would suffice - Continuing on the theme, we often see someone write a short post, then quickly add a second post which adds to that earlier post. Ugh. Why not take a minute before clicking the Submit button on the first post, so you can put all your thoughts into it, instead of using two posts? Please? This isn't a chat room where we want to hear your every precious thought as they pop into your head.
* Reviving old threads - If a thread is more than a month old, be aware that if you bump that thread with a new post, many people are going to think it's a new thread, so they're going to read all the posts, starting from the beginning. In many (maybe even most) cases, that's fine. But sometimes it's better to start a new thread instead. It's impossible to define which is which, I just mention it as something to keep in mind.
There's one "for sure"case, though: Don't revive old Deals threads, since people will be mislead into thinking there's a new sale.
* Speculation and Musings threads - This is tricky, because most of us like these threads, and I don't want to stop them. A new Spitfire or OT or VSL (major) release does warrant speculation. It's fun, and a large percentage of the membership is interested. But an "Are you tired of Spitfire?" thread? That could be interesting, but there are a couple things to keep in mind, starting with: Are you the type of person who posts a lot of those "conversation starter" threads? Then slow your roll, please. Those threads are fun in moderation, but it seems most of them are started by the same three guys. Also, if you're a new member, no "musings" threads for your first few months.
* Here to valiantly do battle - I think some people get a weird pleasure out of battling all the Mac lovers and setting them straight on how PCs are the smarter move. (Or vice versa.) Or informing Katy Perry fans how much she sucks. We got it the first time you said it, so your little "Brave Truth Crusader! Valiantly Fighting the Wrong People!" fantasy is annoying.
* Dominating a conversation - In a similar vein, sometimes someone (or two people) start taking over a conversation, more or less killing the mood for everyone else. If half of the recent posts in a thread are you, then slow it down a bit and let other people have a say.
* Videos or Instagram links with no description - Sometimes a video is self-explanatory, but if you're going to post it, do us a favor and say why we should watch it, since many of us would prefer to read a paragraph or two, rather than watch some bozo yammering for 10 minutes before he gets to his point. And especially don't lazily start a thread with a video or FB/Insta/Twitter post with no commentary of your own.
* Unhelpful thread titles - Help us out here and don't make everyone click your thread just to see what it's about. And if it's a clickbait title on top of being vague? Be aware I usually delete the thread entirely.
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