If You Are Flamed, Ignore It.

Just because someone is saying bad stuff about you, it does not mean you have to say the stuff back to them. Be the better person and ignore it. They probably aren't right, but if you don't react than they are truly wrong.


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Make Your Topic Obvious.

Don't write, "Read this!" as your thread title. People tend to ignore some of these posts. Put what your post is about.


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Don't Post Racist, Sexist, etc. Material.

One of the worst things you can do is to post something that offends others. Be considerate; people are affected by what you say. This can also lead to banning by moderators or administrators.


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Don't Spam/Don't Post Useless Stuff.

Hopefully most of what you post has substance. Don't post irrelevant material to what the forum is about (i.e. Don't post "I hate Person" in the General forum). Along the same lines, post relevant material in the right forum (Dev/Mod Topics go in the Dev or Mod forum). The most annoying thing I encounter in forums is spam. Most people do this to add to their post counts. Don't do this! Spam is looked down upon by moderators and administrators. Flooding a forum with spam will get you banned. Adding something useful to a spam, but still unrelated to a topic is still considered spam.


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Support What You Have to Say.

There is nothing worse (except spam) than saying something like "I am 1337, you are a n00b." If that's what you are going to say, support it with facts (not opinions). Spend a few seconds thinking about what you have to say and what you can say to support it.


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Be Smart, Kind, and Generous.

These are properties that make up a good person, so these apply in forums as well. Help out those in need. Remember what it feels like to be a newbie. Be willing to help others, be friendly in doing so, and reply with knowledge, not opinion.


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Don't Go Wild With Emoticons/Smileys.

Most forums support smiles. People also often use emoticons. While it is OK to use some smiles/emoticons in your posts, don't flood your messages with them. It's hard to read a message that is mostly smiles/emoticons.


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Don't Post Huge Pictures/Complicated Animations.

Many people do not have fast connections and consequently, big pictures and complicated animations slow them down. If you want to post a pic, make it smaller or have lower quality. In the case of posting a large pic for acceptable reasons be sure to warn about the large file size in the Thread Line and/or make sure you are posting the image in a place where it is acceptable to do so. To post a large image in a place like the General Board, please simply put a link to the image rather than the image itself.


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Don’t Ask Stuff That's Been Posted Many Times Already.

People in forums get tired of answering the same questions over and over. So before you post, look around a bit. If the question is about a game, look at the manual or search the Internet before you ask. If it is forum related, many forums have a FAQ (like this one) that should be read before questions are asked. Look at previous posts to see if what you want to know is already out there.


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Don't Post Your Number of Posts, Rank, etc.

This can be considered spam and really is unnecessary. Not many people really care if you have reached the 100-post count mark. If you have been made a moderator, don't parade around claiming victory. Karma is great however, boasting about karma is self-defeating. People will recognize on their own (if they want to) that you have reached a certain post amount, rank, etc.


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Don't Think Yourself Better Than Others.

So you have a higher post count/rank than someone else. Who cares? Don't think that just because of this, you are right in every debate. Consider what the other person is saying. Along similar lines, don't brag about your post count/rank.


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Check for Spelling and Grammatical Mistakes.

Posts can be totally illegible because of poor spelling and grammar. Something I see often are posts with no punctuation whatsoever. This makes the post utter crap. Make sure your posts use correct punctuation. Using a sporadic comma does not make the post readable. If you are posting something long, copy it into a word processor and run spelling/grammar check. Remember to always read over what you wrote before posting it.


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In closing, Follow The Rules!

If you flame and spam your posts will be edited and deleted and your membership could be banned or deleted. So use common sense, good manners, and follow the rules so that this is a fun experience for everyone!


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Credit goes to Omniscient & Derelict Studios for the better part of the guidelines.