How to double post when making a release thread?

[Yemo]

One part of modding is the release of the mod on the forum.

And it is necessary/useful/common to reserve the first post in the thread for documentation or additional infos.

Unfortunately an immediate reply leads to an "update" of the first post, instead of a new post.

If I open a thread and want to wait for this "feature" to give me permission to double post, something like this happens:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/108943

This is a placeholder for releasing a mod later this evening.

The mod is currently in dev section and I will need an additional post for documentation and stuff, so

please do not reply to this thread at the moment!

Thank you very much!

edit: Sorry, I have no idea how long I have to wait until I can make that second post without getting the "first post updated" (if you know, please write me a pm).

Your no the boss of me!

I dont find that very funny, after spending quite some time modding the game and thus increasing its value for free.

So how can I double post without waiting?

And by the way, reporting posts gets me a 504 Gateway Time-out...

[sal_vager]

Reporting posts is not very reliable unfortunately, most of the time a single report is duplicated in the bowels of vBulletin and we receive three or four identical copies.

As for reserving posts, sorry but no, people used it to post squat, and to bump threads, and could often post many times in a row in a thread which just annoys people, and merging these posts is a drain on moderator time.

But don't fret, you can easily manage your threads using the Goto and Line tags, you can see them in action in the Linux thread

[stupid_chris]

You simply don't double post. There's no reason to. Use the [NOPARSE]

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[/NOPARSE] BBCode to create a horizontal line to separate topics if you need to like this:

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You really don't need to double post. It rubs moderators the wrong way too.

[Yemo]

Just ask him to delete his post. Or ask a mod to do it.

It was a little funny.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25176-Need-a-Thread-Moving-Removing-Closing-or-Post-Deleted

It may have been funny, but at the cost of my time and effort. Which is a great way to discourage people from spending time on modding the game for free.

- - - Updated - - -

You simply don't double post. There's no reason to. Use the [NOPARSE]

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[/NOPARSE] BBCode to create a horizontal line to separate topics if you need to like this:

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You really don't need to double post. It rubs moderators the wrong way too.

I have a reason to do so and denying its existence without even asking about it, is frankly a bit condescending.

[Fel]

In theory, you could create a second account. Open the thread, post in it with the second account, post your "new post", delete the post from the second account..

[goldenpeach]

that's against the rule, you know?

[sal_vager]

In theory, you could create a second account. Open the thread, post in it with the second account, post your "new post", delete the post from the second account..

Unfortunately the person doing that risks banning for sockpuppetry...

[Captain Sierra]

I think this might be best in the kerbal network section, but thats beside the point.

There really needs to be a special case when dealing with main posts. Spacecraft exchange release catalogs and mod releases take extreme advantage of this and post hotlinking is a disorganized mess leaving people jumping all over the place. Horizontal rules are great, but only go so far because of post length limits. Having two posts makes life so much easier (I say this having done a spacecraft release catalog or two).

Unfortunately the person doing that risks banning for sockpuppetry...

Then this needs to not be the only way for us to take advantage of the split-post system for releases.

[sarbian]

It may have been funny, but at the cost of my time and effort. Which is a great way to discourage people from spending time on modding the game for free.

If this is all it takes to discourage you from modding you are in for a short rough ride.

[RoverDude]

I have a reason to do so and denying its existence without even asking about it, is frankly a bit condescending.

As is this response. And here you have people attempting to help you solve your issue with forum post management, and we get this.

I agree with Sarbian, you are in for a very short, rough ride.

[Greys]

Seriously this community keeps finding the most astounding minutia to be unreasonably enraged by. It's almost like there's some secret gambling house that's sending in sacrificial debtors and betting on what will happen.

There's so many correct or at least acceptable ways to have dealt with the situation, the best option would have been to just do it and hope it works, you'll usually be happy with the result, worst case someone will post and after making a post you can ask them over PMs to delete and repost, if you're nice and reasonable people tend to do what you want. If you're not nice or not reasonable, sarcasm is the normal result, it's just the way of the internet and you should just be prepared for that.

[Superfluous J]

I have 2 suggestions for you. One is almost guaranteed to work, the other is assured to.

1. Post a new thread in the Videos section talking about a new video. You probably don't even need a link to it but you can link to someone else's first video if you must. Say you're new and ask for feedback on the quality. This will assuredly keep people away. Then edit it later once you've gotten your double post in. Then request a mod move it.
   
2. Use the goto function like they've been telling you. Put a "table of contents" at the very top of your post with gotos to each section.
   

Really, the Goto thing is fantastic. I wish everybody used it.

[Axelord FTW]

Seriously this community keeps finding the most astounding minutia to be unreasonably enraged by. It's almost like there's some secret gambling house that's sending in sacrificial debtors and betting on what will happen.

Now, that would be ridiculous!

Right?

Right.

*cough*

[Red Iron Crown]

And it is necessary/useful/common to reserve the first post in the thread for documentation or additional infos.

Serious question: Why is the second post necessary? About the only scenario I see it being useful is if you're bumping up against the single post character limit, but perhaps there are things I haven't considered.

[Nitrous Oxide]

Seriously this community keeps finding the most astounding minutia to be unreasonably enraged by. It's almost like there's some secret gambling house that's sending in sacrificial debtors and betting on what will happen..

Ah, right, because we're all exempt from these rules and are just on Yemo's case out of boredom.

Or, you know, the rest of us respect the way Squad & the moderators chose to establish their forum and can't believe someone would have the audacity to try and think they're some kind of special snowflake.

[sal_vager]

It's not like there isn't some way to organise a post into easy to select sections either...

[Guest]

It's not like there isn't some way to organise a post into easy to select sections either...

You´re doing a lot of advertising for this thread, don´t you?

[Red Iron Crown]

You´re doing a lot of advertising for this thread, don´t you?

It's a new and useful forum feature, gotta get the word out somehow.

[sal_vager]

Yes absolutely, I should have posted it in a forum that allows reputation, but that is the only forum where it fit

I could have sworn there was no rep button in there...

It also allows a modder or anyone else to add sections to their posts later, which is not possible via post squatting, plus the tags are accessible by URL, all these extra features come free with the base Goto tags at no additional cost to you!

Edited January 30, 2015 by sal_vager

[stupid_chris]

I have a reason to do so and denying its existence without even asking about it, is frankly a bit condescending.

Jebus, chill man.

I don't see any good reason to double post. At all. If you need organization space, there is plenty of room to do so without needing a second post at all.

[Dunbaratu]

You simply don't double post. There's no reason to. Use the [NOPARSE]

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[/NOPARSE] BBCode to create a horizontal line to separate topics if you need to like this:

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You really don't need to double post. It rubs moderators the wrong way too.

It may be true to say it rubs the moderators the wrong way, but it's false to claim there's no need to do it. The OP gave exactly the precise case where there is such a need. When first STARTING a mod thread, the first post of that mod thread has a special meaning that is quite *different* from a normal comment post.

Can't the rule just be enforced only AFTER the second post? In other words post 1 and post 2 remain distinct, but consecutive posts occurring in the thread after that get auto-merged. That would avoid the overspamming of a thread because it can't be done except at the start of a brand new thread.

The initial staring post of a thread is quite different from the other ones after it. For one thing, it sets the title of the thread itself, and the 'flair' in the title.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Steven Mading

[sal_vager]

vBulletin doesn't allow that, but also your post leaves a question unanswered, why does the next post have to be consecutive? A member would still be forced to scroll down the OP to post #2 or click a link in the OP to get to post #2, but if there is a link, that next post can be anywhere.

So there is still no real need or reason for camping the second post of a thread that cannot be met by regular URL links to normal posts or by the tags, what we have here is a person wanting a consecutive second post "just because", but is not taking into account how this inconveniences other contributors to a thread, if an OP decides they need five posts in a row they have pushed other members who's post would have been seen onto page 2.

[Dunbaratu]

or click a link in the OP to get to post #2, but if there is a link, that next post can be anywhere.

You know perfectly well that's false. That next post cannot be just "anywhere" like you're claiming. It cannot, in fact, even BE post #2 at all. The soonest it can be is post #3. If you make it post #2, there will be no post #2 as post #2 will get appended to post #1.

The problem isn't "anywhere", it's "anywhen". Right now, the follow-up post can't exist until a point in time after someone else happens to post.

vBulletin doesn't allow that,

If that's true, then it's the only good reason for not fixing it. The inabilty to do what I suggested (make it so the merging rule doesn't apply until after post #2) would be a perfectly good reason. Pretending I suggested something other than what I did, by pretending it would allow five posts in a row, is just a bogus strawman argument. What I said wouldn't allow five posts in a row. If what I said isn't possible, and the only choices are between "always allow consecutive posts everywhere" versus "allow no consecutive posts anywhere, not even at post #1" (neither one of which is what I suggested), and it's impossible to pick anything other than those two options, then the way things are is the lesser of two evils. It's not optimal like you're pretending it is, but it's the best you can do.

but also your post leaves a question unanswered, why does the next post have to be consecutive?

Because of what the OP said. He'd like to get it out there without waiting around for someone else to happen to reply, which might still be a few hours away from happening and he might not even be on the computer anymore by then.

"this is my description of the THREAD ITSELF" and "this is my first reply to that description" are two entirely distinct concepts.

For example in a challenge thread, if you'd like to give a challenge, and then also enter your own example into it as one of the entries, then that entry should be an "equal citizen" to the other entries other people are making, and not given special status by being part of the initial description of the challenge itself (which is what the first post should be dedicated to).

[sarbian]

It also allows a modder or anyone else to add sections to their posts later, which is not possible via post squatting, plus the tags are accessible by URL, all these extra features come free with the base Goto tags at no additional cost to you!

So, will those trick still work when we move the new forum software ?

[Red Iron Crown]

You know perfectly well that's false. That next post cannot be just "anywhere" like you're claiming. It cannot, in fact, even BE post #2 at all. The soonest it can be is post #3. If you make it post #2, there will be no post #2 as post #2 will get appended to post #1.

The problem isn't "anywhere", it's "anywhen". Right now, the follow-up post can't exist until a point in time after someone else happens to post.

That's not precisely true. It will only automatically append the second post if it occurs within a certain time frame (not 100% sure what the time limit is, though). If no one posts within that grace period it is possible to make separate successive posts.