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TL.net: Tips for you!

Blogs > bkrow
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bkrow
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Australia8532 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-16 23:33:16
May 14 2011 12:37 GMT
#1
**This thread is not meant to be condescending - it just contains things i thought would have been helpful if i knew about them right at the beginning**

There is a common complaint amongst the community that new users usually don’t understand the necessary guidelines that dictate this website and its members. Things such as post content, OP content and LR etiquette are all notorious ban traps. The most common thing that annoys me endlessly is when new users begin a thread simply to ask a question.

“Hey guys, when is GSL on tonight!? Sorry if this is the wrong way to ask, but i didn’t know!”

This is then followed by someone taking a screenshot of the calendar with a big red arrow pointing at 2h 30m GSL Code S Finals! I understand new users probably don’t know the intricacies that go with this community, but i rarely find ignorance as an excuse. There is just a wealth of knowledge in this community, that a little bit of initiative goes a long way. But, if you didn't know these existed - they may be helpful!

Simple Questions Simple Answers - Strategy Forum
Simple Questions Simple Answers - Custom Games & Maps
April General Discussion Thread - Jinro makes one of these for each month, and not enough people take advantage of it!
OR
IRC
+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]

These are the best resources to answer any simple questions you may have; please exploit them all greatly!

If you still cannot find the answer to your question, TL.net has this incredible PM system which makes their moderators and administrators very accessible. This leads perfectly into the next issue, which is OP content. If you have an idea for a thread, and you are not 100% convinced that it deserves its own thread, the general rule of thumb is to not post it.

However, if you feel it would greatly add value to the community by all means go ahead and PM a moderator! PMing a moderator seems to be the solution to many problems around here, and unless they are offline or extremely busy they will definitely respond.

A great way to avoid warnings or bans is to read these threads before even thinking of posting:
TL.net Ten Commandments
Strategy Forum Guidelines
Strategy Forum Purge

When i first registered here i got a warning for not posting in proper english; i was using abbreviations and short hand in all my posts. I was not even aware that this was a posting requirement at TL.net! If there was someone there to tell me, things would have been much better!

There is so much potential for community contributions that it would be a shame if your account got banned before you had an opportunity to shine.

TL.net =/= Google

Obviously, the above covers asking simple questions, but i thought a special reference to Liquipedia and TLPD need to be mentioned. These great resources offer an incredible wealth of knowledge that can answer pretty much any question that doesn’t require discussion. Please check these before asking questions, they can open your eyes!

LR Threads:

The biggest ban trap of them all; I have come across many people who actually do not know the purpose of these threads. The LR stands for Live Report; i.e. it is thread primarily used for reporting what is going on in the current game. These threads exist to allow people who cannot access the stream the ability to follow the game and keep updated. They rely on people "Live Reporting" the games rather than making pointless comments or balance queries.

Obviously, discussion about the games ensue which is not so terrible. The problem is when people feel the need to express their grievances. LR threads do not exist as an avenue to express ways you think the tournament can be improved. They do not exist as a sounding board for your thoughts on balance. It is a very clear guideline that balance whine in an LR thread is a big fat no-no. So quite simply – DON’T DO IT! If you have a coherent argument, MAKE A NEW THREAD; if you don’t have a coherent argument then DON’T POST IT! The amount of terrible posting that goes on in LR threads is abominable and the majority of it is by low post count users that may be new to the site.

I thought i was doing everything right – but then i got warned/banned/thread closed!

The best way to understand what happened is to PM a moderator. A useful technique is to head to the closed threads section, jump on the automated ban list (another very entertaining part of the community) and spot a moderator that is active. Obviously if you see one who has just posted it is much easier. Click PM and ask them why you got warned/banned; if you remain calm and polite they will most certainly hear you out. There is also this:

Why my thread was closed topic?

This is located in the Website Feedback Section– another great resource; if you feel something needs to be improved on the site, post away and you will most certainly get a response.

Martyring
For those who do not understand what this means, it is basically saying "I'm going to get banned for this, but..." or "I don't care, ban me!" The majority of times you say this, your post isn't ban worthy, not even worthy of a warning but by simply placing that in your post you are going to get automatically banned. Without fail.

I have learnt a lot about what is acceptable on this site by checking out the Closed Threads Section.

TL.net has always prided itself on “quality” – the threads, topics and professionalism that TL carries along speak a lot to it’s community members and administration; at the end of the day – if we put crap in, we are only going to get crap out! The onus is on YOU to make sure this community stays as incredible and worthwhile as it is.

Well i hope this was helpful in some way. At the end of the day i think “don’t be a douche” goes a long way on these forums. TL.net has a very transparent community and the moderators, administrators and banlings are usually open to discuss any issues you may have.

Edit: User contributions - JWD the man himself adds:
On May 14 2011 23:40 JWD wrote:
The only really common no-no I see from new posters that you didn't talk about is posting in memes (e.g. "u mad", "cool story bro", "TLDR", image macros, spammy YT videos, copy-pasted ASCII art).

Oh and one more thing: some explanation about why martyring always results in a ban. If a user martyrs in an otherwise good post, he is insulting the mod staff and confusing other posters by suggesting he will get an unwarranted ban. If a user martyrs in an otherwise bad post, he is indicating that he knew his post was terrible and decided to put it up anyway. That's just making work for the mods.


****
In The Rear With The Gear .. *giggle* /////////// cobra-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!!
JingleHell
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States11308 Posts
May 14 2011 12:46 GMT
#2
Not to be a douche, but what do you think the odds are that someone who didn't bother to read the rules when they signed up is going to read your blog post?

Very nice writeup, though.
BLinD-RawR
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
ALLEYCAT BLUES50117 Posts
May 14 2011 12:47 GMT
#3
Preach it brother,it needs to be said.
Brood War EICWoo Jung Ho, never forget.| Twitter: @BLinDRawR
TL+ Member
Demonace34
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States2493 Posts
May 14 2011 12:51 GMT
#4
Thanks for posting this, but I doubt the people who actually need this information will be able to find it if they couldn't find the rules thread in the first place.

The "New Thread" button is just too juicy for newer people on TL to not press. I actually learned my lesson a long time ago when I was 13 or 14 on another gaming forum. The sad thing is that I was heckled and laughed at on that site, but on this site it would get closed immediately, then warned and linked to forum rules and TL Commandments.

Closed threads is a gold mine when having a bad day. Some of the closed threads are just ridiculous.
NaNiwa|IdrA|HuK|iNcontroL|Jinro|NonY|Day[9]|PuMa|HerO|MMA|NesTea|NaDa|Boxer|Ryung|
bkrow
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Australia8532 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-14 12:57:51
May 14 2011 12:56 GMT
#5
On May 14 2011 21:46 JingleHell wrote:
Not to be a douche, but what do you think the odds are that someone who didn't bother to read the rules when they signed up is going to read your blog post?

Very nice writeup, though.

I just didn't feel it warranted it's own thread :p took my own advice.

it's also all my opinion what is essential so i thought a blog was a good idea; either way - i got it out of my system and hopefully someone will read it I mean if it justified it's own thread a mod could move it but anyway, glad you guys found it interesting hehe :p
In The Rear With The Gear .. *giggle* /////////// cobra-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!!
synapse
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
China13814 Posts
May 14 2011 13:07 GMT
#6
On May 14 2011 21:46 JingleHell wrote:
Not to be a douche, but what do you think the odds are that someone who didn't bother to read the rules when they signed up is going to read your blog post?

Very nice writeup, though.

If it gets spotlighted, then the odds might not be so bad (hint hint, mods).
:)
JingleHell
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States11308 Posts
May 14 2011 13:12 GMT
#7
On May 14 2011 22:07 synapse wrote:
Show nested quote +
On May 14 2011 21:46 JingleHell wrote:
Not to be a douche, but what do you think the odds are that someone who didn't bother to read the rules when they signed up is going to read your blog post?

Very nice writeup, though.

If it gets spotlighted, then the odds might not be so bad (hint hint, mods).


Call me a cynic, but I would expect the people who need to see this the most to be too busy either whining about balance or telling people in the Tech Support forum that changing X software will fix Y hardware problem or vice versa.

ReketSomething
Profile Blog Joined November 2008
United States6012 Posts
May 14 2011 13:15 GMT
#8
O man I havent gone to the closed threads section in so long! I forgot about the infinite time I can delay studying....if only I realized this sooner...

Nice sharing Hope it gets spotlighted!
Jaedong :3
Tegin
Profile Joined November 2010
United States840 Posts
May 14 2011 13:53 GMT
#9
Great post, 5/5.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
JWD
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
United States12607 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-14 15:00:56
May 14 2011 14:40 GMT
#10
Useful thread! It really is true that a new poster can learn a ton by simply checking the Closed Threads forum once in a while.

Spotlighted.

I'm trying think of things I would add but...you covered so much! The only really common no-no I see from new posters that you didn't talk about is posting in memes (e.g. "u mad", "cool story bro", "TLDR", image macros, spammy YT videos, copy-pasted ASCII art).

Oh and one more thing: some explanation about why martyring always results in a ban. If a user martyrs in an otherwise good post, he is insulting the mod staff and confusing other posters by suggesting he will get an unwarranted ban. If a user martyrs in an otherwise bad post, he is indicating that he knew his post was terrible and decided to put it up anyway. That's just making work for the mods.
✌
Chef
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
10810 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-14 15:20:31
May 14 2011 14:45 GMT
#11
This is the first time I have seen your user name and you are a staff.

TL is officially a city.

Obviously, the above covers asking simple questions, but i thought a special reference to Liquipedia and TLPD need to be mentioned. These great resources offer an incredible wealth of knowledge that can answer pretty much any question that doesn’t require discussion. Please check these before asking questions, they can open your eyes!

Honestly Liquidpedia is full of a lot of misinformation and out of date buildorders. I would only use it for technical information like buildtime and unit sizes. Strategy-wise it's about on par with English commentators.
LEGEND!! LEGEND!!
GrazerRinge
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
999 Posts
May 14 2011 14:47 GMT
#12
Nicely written and also contains lots of usful and practical information.

i wish idra read this.
"Successful people don't talk much. They listen and take action."
UnseenGaming
Profile Joined February 2011
United States39 Posts
May 14 2011 14:48 GMT
#13
Great post and a great read will take advantage of this since i am new^^ thank you
"I be the man on Moon"
Shield
Profile Blog Joined August 2009
Bulgaria4824 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-05-14 18:15:03
May 14 2011 14:49 GMT
#14
I already know this stuff, but thanks!
I hope you make a how-to blog better because I always get 1 star even if it's not 1-line or not well explained.
DivinO
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States4796 Posts
May 14 2011 14:51 GMT
#15
bkrow! Grats on the TLPD icon and an excellent read. :D
LiquipediaBrain in my filth.
synapse
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
China13814 Posts
May 14 2011 15:06 GMT
#16
On May 14 2011 23:45 Chef wrote:
This is the first time I have seen your user name and you are a staff.

TL is officially a city.

Same here, I feel like I should have seen someone with almost 5k posts before, but nope o_O;
:)
Ojahh
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Ireland728 Posts
May 14 2011 15:06 GMT
#17
finally some one wrote the New Testament, to follow up on the 10 commandments...

great read even though no news for me but a good thing trying to educate
===== Barcraft Münster ===== www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=282905! ////// ♥ Nyovne is the new Manifesto
MinoMino
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Norway1103 Posts
May 14 2011 15:10 GMT
#18
Great post, great spotlight. Too bad we might be seeing less martyring with this post around, it's always the ban I enjoy the most witnessing.
Blah.
onlinerobbe
Profile Joined August 2010
Germany547 Posts
May 14 2011 15:19 GMT
#19
nice! I was lucky to have stumpled upon the automated ban list very early, so I feel like
that helped :D

+ Show Spoiler +
I like the fact that nada's body thread is bumped to the top in your screen :D
ohayo- on afk-op teamliquid | tuturuuuu! mayushi desu - 유인나, 이지은 사랑 (멍 지효 <3 )
Talin
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Montenegro10532 Posts
May 14 2011 15:41 GMT
#20
On May 14 2011 21:46 JingleHell wrote:
Not to be a douche, but what do you think the odds are that someone who didn't bother to read the rules when they signed up is going to read your blog post?

Very nice writeup, though.


Not too high, but probably higher than the odds of someone reading the rules before / just after signing up. People generally tend to just click past all the rules, terms, conditions and such stuff when they sign up for things.

Anyways, good effort with the thread. I would add that just behaving in a civil manner, not being too confrontational, intentionally stirring up drama or derailing threads by complaining (about anything) will likely keep you a safe distance away from the banhammer and more importantly - make people who read you post a lot happier.
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