Alright, so why do we need a topic like this?
Well, in perusing the forums, I've noticed an increasing number of folks who seem to not understand what Most Excellent Topic Creation (yes, it is capitalized) is about. The Escapist differs from many other forums. We like to think that the act of creating a new topic has significance, that each new thread should bring something, well, new to the table. But in light of recent thread repetition (which has reached previously-thought unimaginable levels), I've come to the conclusion that many new users simply don't "get" how to go about making a new thread on The Escapist, so that it has the most amount of Rockitude possible.
i canz postz perfektlee fin!!! wat yu takin aboot???
See, this is the place to start. An Awesome thread deserves proper spelling. Internet speak should be kept to a minimum. It doesn't make you funny, it makes you seem like you just snuck in from lolcats.com by hiding in a bushel of bananas. You don't need to be perfect, but taking the time to spellcheck your work will end up paying off in the end. Making sure you can be properly understood is key. Creating a thread which others can understand probably doesn't require more than a 5th-Grade level of writing ability. Just do your best initially, and correct what you can later on.
Sometimes a little extra effort can make all the difference between promoting respectful debates and inciting flamewars.
but i wantz ta postz about teh haloz!!! w00t!
Ah, you bring up another excellent point: Should you create a thread if The Escapist as a whole is rather tired of them? The answer is harder than you might think. I would say, if you can't say anything original, don't say anything at all. But if you have a new and different approach to the subject of a popular first-person shooter, most other users (and mods) will probably be happy to see it. Keeping rule #1: Spelling and Grammar intact can go a long way towards convincing others to hear out your side of something, and it makes controversial/repeat topics a little easier to stomach, just in case your Search Bar was lying to you about how original your idea was.
serch bear?!? wat dat?
Of course, how silly of me. The Search Bar can be found by clicking the "Search Forums" link at the top of the page. You can type something in (like, say, "Halo: ODST is lame") and the magical wonders of the Bar of Holiness will display unto you all those brave and intrepid muckrakers who have gone before. A good rule of thumb is that if you see a thread which covers the exact topic you wished to discuss and the last post is less than a month old, post there instead.
ur mum does things. bad things.
In every controversial thread you make, expect differing opinions. Obviously. However, direct insults of other users are not allowed (for the most part). Any remark using Homosexuality or gender in a negative fashion will probably see you punished by the mighty Hammer of Ban. Also, Ad Hominem arguments on The Escapist are frowned upon, mostly because a few of our users are clever enough to spot them. Which is rather unlike much of the Internet, based on my experiences.
If you decide to post a thread about a very controversial subject (religion, atheism, Halo, the Wii, Dog grooming strategies, Gothic architecture), make sure you present a side of the issue which adheres to the first rule (good spelling/grammar) and the second rule (don't post something we JUST HAD on the first page of Off-Topic not 5 minutes ago). People will hate you much less. Unless you are a jerk. Which you probably are, judging by your spelling. I'd call you Gonad, but I don't want to get sued.
haloz suxz bcaz i sad so!!!
Which brings us to my next Awesome Tip of Excellent Radness: Supporting your argument. When you get into a debate with somebody, make sure you at least try to use outside sources to support your claims. Don't merely post your opinion over and over, as that won't get you anywhere (and people will not care for it). If you are planning to start a topic about a controversial subject and you're taking a stance in the OP, make sure your opening is at least one full paragraph in length, and that you support it with the opinions of others, news articles, video clips of dancing unicorns... Whatever. At least make it look like you put some effort into forming what is essentially your principal argument.
i thnks i gotz-I mean, I think I now understand to the fullest of my mental faculties.
I don't doubt it.
But how do I come up with original ideas?
Originality is hard. That's why TV writers don't use any of it. You'll notice a lot more Escapists post in topics than create them. Even the guys with 10,000+ posts shy away from crafting threads. A shame, but that's in part because making something folks haven't yet seen is difficult.
But if original concepts are hard to think up, executing a thread in an original way really isn't as tough by comparison. Just bring your distinctive style and wit to the task, and take some time to actually ponder what your thread will be about before writing anything. Maybe you want to discuss vegetarianism from the perspective of an Onion? Perhaps you feel like ranting about the evilness of Magpies? I've found it's also not so hard to be unique if one isn't concerned about being serious constantly. Lighten up and have some fun... In a creative way! Don't feel afraid to bring serious debating skills to bear when crafting a silly topic. Some of the best discussions happen that way. After all, it's only a forum.
Finally, remember that good topics are not the same as successful threads. Successful threads get you badges. Good threads will earn you the respect of other Escapists. Now it's just too bad there's no badge for earning the respect of others...
Awesome! Thanks for explaining all this... But I think I'd rather flame you instead. samrahgoombuh r teh suxorz!
Thanks for your time. Enjoy your ban for Halo Topic #EleventiBajillion.
*cue applause from audience*
Oh, and I am not a mod. This is not ze EscapiGestapo. These are some tips for creating better threads and nothing more.
wuts wit alla des ppl givinz yu tipz?!? Dat no l33t!
Shut up or you'll get to find out what the five fingers said to the face.
Seems like some of the other forum members have had some pretty good advice. So here's where I get to quote other people, thereby lessening the responsibility upon me.
Fire Daemon visited me in a dream, and didst impart this wisdom:
"One thing which I find needs to be addressed is the length of an opening post in the thread. I see a lot of threads with one or two lines or just 'The title is pretty self explanatory'. If you want to make a good (note: successful and good are not the same thing) you need to add detail to the thread. All thread OP's can have detail put into them. A thread called 'What is your favourite tie colour' can have at least a paragraph, if not more. Rather than just having 'Discuss' you can ask the question, explain why you are asking the question, answer the question and explain your answer. You can do this for any thread and squeeze a paragraph out of it. It may be easier to make the OP one line and it may, may result in more views but in the end it makes you look like worse at making a thread than you may be.
I would also like to bring up News threads in Off-topic and Gaming Discussion. If you are going to link to a news story please don't link to the thing and give a few lines of description or just flat out Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V it. Give the OP some of your personal commentary and opinions on the news story. Try to start a discussion about the news. It might push some people away from making quick one line response but a better thread will be made. I've been thinking of making a 'Post your news here' thread so that people who want to post news without adding large amounts of detail or making a thread can do so. It might not work out if people want to talk about the news article though.
And please think before you make a thread. Ask yourself if The Escapist wants to see this thread, if it will be handled well by the community and if it will make you look like a good/smart poster. I've made a couple of threads without doing this and I think they'll haunt me till the day I die.
The most important thing is to not made threads for badges. Just, please don't. We can tell when you are and it looks bad on you. In the end the little icon isn't worth it. Try to make a good thread and hope that it is popular enough for a badge rather than making a popular thread and hope that it turns out good.
One more thing: You get better search results if you go to google and type "Escapist [Thread title/general idea] to see if it's been done before. I find that you get better results this way even though the search bar (I think) uses google."
And so spake A Daemon of Fire, on this day the 16th of October in the year of our Lord.
Well, in perusing the forums, I've noticed an increasing number of folks who seem to not understand what Most Excellent Topic Creation (yes, it is capitalized) is about. The Escapist differs from many other forums. We like to think that the act of creating a new topic has significance, that each new thread should bring something, well, new to the table. But in light of recent thread repetition (which has reached previously-thought unimaginable levels), I've come to the conclusion that many new users simply don't "get" how to go about making a new thread on The Escapist, so that it has the most amount of Rockitude possible.
i canz postz perfektlee fin!!! wat yu takin aboot???
See, this is the place to start. An Awesome thread deserves proper spelling. Internet speak should be kept to a minimum. It doesn't make you funny, it makes you seem like you just snuck in from lolcats.com by hiding in a bushel of bananas. You don't need to be perfect, but taking the time to spellcheck your work will end up paying off in the end. Making sure you can be properly understood is key. Creating a thread which others can understand probably doesn't require more than a 5th-Grade level of writing ability. Just do your best initially, and correct what you can later on.
Sometimes a little extra effort can make all the difference between promoting respectful debates and inciting flamewars.
but i wantz ta postz about teh haloz!!! w00t!
Ah, you bring up another excellent point: Should you create a thread if The Escapist as a whole is rather tired of them? The answer is harder than you might think. I would say, if you can't say anything original, don't say anything at all. But if you have a new and different approach to the subject of a popular first-person shooter, most other users (and mods) will probably be happy to see it. Keeping rule #1: Spelling and Grammar intact can go a long way towards convincing others to hear out your side of something, and it makes controversial/repeat topics a little easier to stomach, just in case your Search Bar was lying to you about how original your idea was.
serch bear?!? wat dat?
Of course, how silly of me. The Search Bar can be found by clicking the "Search Forums" link at the top of the page. You can type something in (like, say, "Halo: ODST is lame") and the magical wonders of the Bar of Holiness will display unto you all those brave and intrepid muckrakers who have gone before. A good rule of thumb is that if you see a thread which covers the exact topic you wished to discuss and the last post is less than a month old, post there instead.
ur mum does things. bad things.
In every controversial thread you make, expect differing opinions. Obviously. However, direct insults of other users are not allowed (for the most part). Any remark using Homosexuality or gender in a negative fashion will probably see you punished by the mighty Hammer of Ban. Also, Ad Hominem arguments on The Escapist are frowned upon, mostly because a few of our users are clever enough to spot them. Which is rather unlike much of the Internet, based on my experiences.
If you decide to post a thread about a very controversial subject (religion, atheism, Halo, the Wii, Dog grooming strategies, Gothic architecture), make sure you present a side of the issue which adheres to the first rule (good spelling/grammar) and the second rule (don't post something we JUST HAD on the first page of Off-Topic not 5 minutes ago). People will hate you much less. Unless you are a jerk. Which you probably are, judging by your spelling. I'd call you Gonad, but I don't want to get sued.
haloz suxz bcaz i sad so!!!
Which brings us to my next Awesome Tip of Excellent Radness: Supporting your argument. When you get into a debate with somebody, make sure you at least try to use outside sources to support your claims. Don't merely post your opinion over and over, as that won't get you anywhere (and people will not care for it). If you are planning to start a topic about a controversial subject and you're taking a stance in the OP, make sure your opening is at least one full paragraph in length, and that you support it with the opinions of others, news articles, video clips of dancing unicorns... Whatever. At least make it look like you put some effort into forming what is essentially your principal argument.
i thnks i gotz-I mean, I think I now understand to the fullest of my mental faculties.
I don't doubt it.
But how do I come up with original ideas?
Originality is hard. That's why TV writers don't use any of it. You'll notice a lot more Escapists post in topics than create them. Even the guys with 10,000+ posts shy away from crafting threads. A shame, but that's in part because making something folks haven't yet seen is difficult.
But if original concepts are hard to think up, executing a thread in an original way really isn't as tough by comparison. Just bring your distinctive style and wit to the task, and take some time to actually ponder what your thread will be about before writing anything. Maybe you want to discuss vegetarianism from the perspective of an Onion? Perhaps you feel like ranting about the evilness of Magpies? I've found it's also not so hard to be unique if one isn't concerned about being serious constantly. Lighten up and have some fun... In a creative way! Don't feel afraid to bring serious debating skills to bear when crafting a silly topic. Some of the best discussions happen that way. After all, it's only a forum.
Finally, remember that good topics are not the same as successful threads. Successful threads get you badges. Good threads will earn you the respect of other Escapists. Now it's just too bad there's no badge for earning the respect of others...
Awesome! Thanks for explaining all this... But I think I'd rather flame you instead. samrahgoombuh r teh suxorz!
Thanks for your time. Enjoy your ban for Halo Topic #EleventiBajillion.
*cue applause from audience*
Oh, and I am not a mod. This is not ze EscapiGestapo. These are some tips for creating better threads and nothing more.
wuts wit alla des ppl givinz yu tipz?!? Dat no l33t!
Shut up or you'll get to find out what the five fingers said to the face.
Seems like some of the other forum members have had some pretty good advice. So here's where I get to quote other people, thereby lessening the responsibility upon me.
Fire Daemon visited me in a dream, and didst impart this wisdom:
"One thing which I find needs to be addressed is the length of an opening post in the thread. I see a lot of threads with one or two lines or just 'The title is pretty self explanatory'. If you want to make a good (note: successful and good are not the same thing) you need to add detail to the thread. All thread OP's can have detail put into them. A thread called 'What is your favourite tie colour' can have at least a paragraph, if not more. Rather than just having 'Discuss' you can ask the question, explain why you are asking the question, answer the question and explain your answer. You can do this for any thread and squeeze a paragraph out of it. It may be easier to make the OP one line and it may, may result in more views but in the end it makes you look like worse at making a thread than you may be.
I would also like to bring up News threads in Off-topic and Gaming Discussion. If you are going to link to a news story please don't link to the thing and give a few lines of description or just flat out Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V it. Give the OP some of your personal commentary and opinions on the news story. Try to start a discussion about the news. It might push some people away from making quick one line response but a better thread will be made. I've been thinking of making a 'Post your news here' thread so that people who want to post news without adding large amounts of detail or making a thread can do so. It might not work out if people want to talk about the news article though.
And please think before you make a thread. Ask yourself if The Escapist wants to see this thread, if it will be handled well by the community and if it will make you look like a good/smart poster. I've made a couple of threads without doing this and I think they'll haunt me till the day I die.
The most important thing is to not made threads for badges. Just, please don't. We can tell when you are and it looks bad on you. In the end the little icon isn't worth it. Try to make a good thread and hope that it is popular enough for a badge rather than making a popular thread and hope that it turns out good.
One more thing: You get better search results if you go to google and type "Escapist [Thread title/general idea] to see if it's been done before. I find that you get better results this way even though the search bar (I think) uses google."
And so spake A Daemon of Fire, on this day the 16th of October in the year of our Lord.
this is how school should be......
