How Do You Avoid Low-Content Posts?

[Brownie80]

Out of interest, with the third example that Brownie gave (trying to work out how to post a picture and ending up not posting anything else) am I right in saying that he'd have avoided a warning if he'd put a sentence explaining that he was just testing the image function?
I remember someone ages ago saying that if you were newly working out how to do something you were semi-exempted from formatting related rules, but I don't know if it's right.

Sky already commented on how simply posting an image is still low content, done correctly or incorrectly. And that's all Brownie's post was: a link to an image. If formatted correctly, it would have just been an image -- no text or explanation -- which is still low content.

Testing out the BBCode can be done with the preview function; there's no need to post.

I never used the preview function before yesterday, so I was unsure how accurate it was. I wanted to post a image on Forum Games, and I really don't want to disrupt ANY of those threads. I think my best course of action is to stick to F.G. until one of my warnings is removed after six months. Maybe there's a better solution.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

How do you stop yourselves from posting low-content?

There's a rule of thumb in journalism called The Five W's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Ws] that I feel like really captures the idea fully. It's not enough to just state the "what" of a given situation. For example, replying to a thread like "What's Your Favorite Game of 2013?" with "The Last of Us" is technically answering the thread, but it's not really contributing anything.

Instead, address the W's.
1. WHO: Kind of a given since you're the one posting, but use this as a reminder to personalize your answer. Simply providing an answer, poll-style, tells us nothing about you as a poster. Use it as a medium for explaining who are you and why the answer resonates with you.
2. WHAT: What makes the Last of Us a contender for your game of the year? Is it the graphics, the storyline, the gameplay, the soundtrack? What of these elements works so well together to create a solid game experience?
3. WHERE: Largely window dressing, but if it can be of importance to answering the question of "Why am I posting," then include it. Someone from Russia, for example, might have a much more abstract perspective on the Call of Duty games than someone from America.
4. WHEN: Again, a bit of a given, but are there events in your life that make posting this more relevant. This comic [http://www.duelinganalogs.com/comic/a-tear-jerking-story-about-animal-crossing/] is an example of the "when" being highly relevant to the who and why, and shows why it can be an important factor.
5. WHY: Really, everything leading up to this point is done in service of this. Don't just post because you can and there's space for it, post because your opinion means something. Talk about why you feel a certain way, why you feel the way you do, and why your answer is better, to you, than others' answers.

If you can answer the first Four W's, then the fifth W should make your post that much deeper, that much more interesting, and that much more personal. Sometimes a 5 or 10 word sentence might answer the opening post, but that really undermines the point of posting. We're as much here to share in the enjoyment of games, anime, television, movies, culture, and fandoms as we are looking for answers to questions we pose.

In this instance, the journey getting to an answer is as important, if not more so, than the destination. Take some time to really build up your posts, make them something you would stop an read if they were written by another user. If you can do that, or at least slip a bit of humor or context into them, it will be near impossible to end up making something low content.

Just my two cents. For those of you who stuck through and read the whole post, have a cute kitten [http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/american_shorthair_kitten-wide.jpg].

 

[Brownie80]

I never used the preview function before yesterday, so I was unsure how accurate it was. I wanted to post a image on Forum Games, and I really don't want to disrupt ANY of those threads. I think my best course of action is to stick to F.G. until one of my warnings is removed after six months. Maybe there's a better solution.

The low content rule doesn't apply in the Forum Games section of the forum.

So, if you want to post without worrying about low content, then that's the place to go, yep.

I knew that. However, this was in the "Let's Count with Images" thread. I would have hated to be the guy to post a link in that thread rather than an actual picture.

 

[Euryalus]

Put some actual content into all your posts? It also helps to read over your post once you've written it - if it's only a sentence long or a single image, then you're doing something wrong. This has the added bonus of catching all your remarks that might be seen as inflammatory or just not worthy of posting, further reducing the risk of modwrath.

Also you should always post in white font to make it easier for people to read.

Very clever...

OT: Don't post things that don't need to be said?

I don't know. I don't really understand why people have trouble with, and maybe that's just me.

If someone can reasonably ask you what's your point instead of saying your point is wrong or agree with it then I guess that's low content.

The entire premise if the rule is that the escapist doesn't want inconsequential bullshit.

Add your own opinion to the discussion. Explain why pictures you post are relevant.

Don't... assume other people know what you're thinking really :/

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I have 4 warnings and 3 of them are from low-content. I'm posting this in off-topic since it has to do with the Escapist Forums themselves. Getting banned by low-content posts is not really my goal. How do you stop yourselves from posting low-content?

As I understand it, the low content rule isn't exclusively for short posts, it's also for posts that don't add any discussion value. Videos, pics, and quoted posts do not count for anything.
I have a few mental checks for my own short posts to make sure I don't fall foul of it.

1. Make your posts at least two or three sentences long.
2. Make a decent point, don't just say 'watch this vid' or 'I agree with this post'. Add your opinion, the reason you agree, what the vid about, or what you think of it - something that has some discussion value.
3. Don't make a point of obviously padding your posts out with stuff like 'blah blah blah to avoid low content'. The mods don't seem to like it, and you aren't adding anything meaningful.

Under the actual rules, you're right that the low content rule is for posts that don't add any discussion value. A good enough one word post, in theory, adds enough discussion value. For that matter, so does a picture, unless the wording specifically mentions them (can't remember off hand.) In practice, though, the rule is too vague and leaves too much up to the mod's discretion, so they tend to err on the side of caution and just punish for short posts whether they're good or not. Say absolutely nothing for two pages, and as long as you don't go out and say you're saying nothing, you're good. Post the same amount of content condensed into a couple of words, you're in trouble. But you're only in trouble if people decided to report you -- I'd imagine that's how the guy that replied to the OP with "alles gut" in that one thread managed to get off, nobody bothered to report him, so it didn't turn up in the mod queue and the mods didn't see it.

 

[Asita]

Suffice to say that I'm naturally long winded and have a strong tendency for explanation. Point of fact, many of my posts could probably qualify as short essays. I make a point of illustrating where my opinions come from and exactly what and why I disagree with in regards to other people's opinions. When I link something 'relevant', I give a short summation of why I felt it was appropriate and extrapolate from it, when I post something flippant I usually devote a segment of my post to a more serious response, and so on and so forth. Put simply, I'm naturally less inclined to make a low content post than I am to make a veritable wall of text.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I never have a problem with low post content because I talk too much, errr, type too much.

I guess look at it like this, this is a forum not a multiple choice test or a quiz. I don't think many people want to know your yes and no's as much as WHY you feel those yes or no's. Don't write in every thread for the sake of doing it or answering questions, give your reasons, your feelings, put some detail into it and only write in the threads that you feel you have something to say or something you want to say.

*Or just don't write one sentence and walk away*

Also I have noticed your many threads lately, you are asking a lot of good questions, but you aren't giving your opinions on the subjects yourself, don't just ask the questions, but add your opinions too.

 

[Foolery]

Just never post anything. Ever. Problem solved, eh? Haha
I try to aim for at least two decently constructed sentences. Then again, two sentences don't mean much if they aren't considered adding anything of value.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I respond only to posts that are worth stopping and expressing some sort of idea about. If all I have to say is something like "I agree", it isn't worth the time or effort of responding anyhow. In short, I only say things I feel are worth saying.

The only reason people seem to get low content warnings are because they seem to compulsively want to respond to things. Given that the only outward appearance of such activity is that your post count increments by 1, it hardly seems like a goal worth pursuing. Stick around a few years and give thoughtful responses and you'll get into the thousands before you know it.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

Easy.

1. Use lengthier phrasing. If someone asks which manga's your favorite, the don't just write "Doraemon," write "If I have to pick just one, then my choice is gonna have to be Doraemon." I know that doesn't actually say more, but it does add character and personality to the post; I think that's why the mods are more okay with longer phrasings.

Personally, I think that should come under low-content, too. The best way to make sure your post isn't "low content" is to post your opinion, followed by an explanation as to why.

For example: "My favourite manga is Berserk. It has a wonderfully twisted and creative dark fantasy world, with compelling multi-faceted characters who can't be easily judged at first glance."

It really frustrates me when people just post a list in, say, a "top 5" thread. It's much more interesting to hear why. When you just list a bunch of stuff, it adds nothing to a potential discussion. It might be a holdover from my days at the Metal Archives where "list threads" were locked and everyone who contributed with them received a warning.

And if you post somebody else's video or article for your reason "why" then you still aren't contributing, the person that made that content is.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Take some poopoo on a low content message to make it a full sentence. I don't say "I agree," I say "After reading this I have to agree", or "I agree with what ButtButt43 said about _____ that _____" or whatever. Same message, but I put way too much effort into it.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Make sure you have some content in your posts. Seems simple.

The length doesn't matter that much either. I've had posts that were a sentence long that were perfectly fine, because they had content as part of them.

 

[Jacco]

just make sure you are directly addressing something someone said or addressing the OP with an actual sentence.

The mods are generally pretty lenient when it comes to low content. They'll let it slide as long as it's clear you aren't doing it to be an ass, such as "first" or "this" posts. But you can say "I agree" as long as you qualify why, even if it's something as simple as "I had a similar experience."

[color=/white]Put some actual content into all your posts? It also helps to read over your post once you've written it - if it's only a sentence long or a single image, then you're doing something wrong. This has the added bonus of catching all your remarks that might be seen as inflammatory or just not worthy of posting, further reducing the risk of modwrath.

Also you should always post in white font to make it easier for people to read.[/color]

That was FUNNY. Omg. I haven't laughed like that in a long while.

 

[mitchell271]

If my opinion can be summed up in a single line, I'll expand on it and back it up. I've been hit with it 3 times before and it's really, really annoying but I understand why it's there.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Don't just leave a link, an image, a video or a yes/no answer. Develop your message, justify it.

 

[anthony87]

More often than not I just don't post.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Forum Games

I mean

Forum Games. That's where I put all my short absurd statements that would be considered derailing in a sane Forum. 8D

When I do post here, even when my opinion is quite brief I take an extra sentence to elaborate at times. Depends on the thread.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Tangents and, unnecessarily typing my thoughts, as I think them, as I type. It kind of makes my posts go...a bit...all over the place...but I haven't had a low-content warning in months if not a full year or so. In general though you should be fine if you just post a full on thought and explanation of said thought. I dunno...just avoid one-sentence or, one-word responses I guess would be the best recommendation.

Captcha = Taco Tuesday...I fucking loved the Lego Movie and need to watch it again.

 

[FPLOON]

snip

*slow claps*

OT: I don't know... For one thing, if I don't have more to say about the subject besides the simple "that's awesome" or something like that, then I don't see how that post would matter within the thread I'm trying to reply to...

Other than that... "Complete sentences" (plural) since they seem to work wonders wherever someone tries to add on to what you're trying to say sometimes...

 

[geK0]

Is it really that hard to think of a sentence to add to a discussion? I can see how the rule can be annoying, but I've only ever been hit with a warning once for it and made a not that I should maybe add a sentence on top of one liners


for example

When you want to type "this" explain why you agree to the post

When you want to just say "lol" explain what about the post you found funny

when you want to say /thread, discuss why there is no point to continue arguing