What makes a good forum user?

[Jonboy]

I'm fairly new to the forum. Lately it seems like there's been quite a bit of complaining about the new aero and other aspects of 1.02. There have been a lot of duplicate threads and people annoyed at each other.

My question for you is: how can someone like myself, a relatively new user, be good member of the community? What specific tips would you give to a new member? What is the role of criticism, both of the developers and of other users? How can all members work together to maintain a positive community?

I would really like to hear your input and put it to use. Just make sure that your comments are positive. In other words, don't complain about what other users are doing. Instead, tell us what you think they should be doing instead.

[Taki117]

Basically don't be a _pain_ Share your knowledge where appropriate, be respectful, and don't forget to give rep.

Edited May 18, 2015 by sjwt

[Linear]

Don't be afraid to voice your concerns however you feel necessary - as long as they're not rude or directly to another user.

Always try and search through the forum/do some googling before posting on the forums.

Don't be disheartened if you see people post a lot about something you don't agree with, whatever it is.

E: And yeah, throw some rep around :-)

[Starwhip]

Simply put, be as positive as possible. Use constructive criticism. Follow the forum rules, and just be polite. With time, one sees how the more outstanding community members act and speak. If one follows in their footsteps, they can become a great member of this community.

[Wallygator]

Try to read more than you write.

7 out of 10 people will read but not reply to your posts

2 out of 10 will likely try and post something argumentative

1 out of ten will probably engage in constructive dialogue

Regardless, its a good community. Participating does increase your overall enjoyment of the game.

Frankly, the entire rep _thing smells_ - don't worry about it. Just read, write and enjoy.

EDIT: Oh... and learn how to edit your post :-)

Edited May 18, 2015 by sjwt

[SkyRender]

My top tip would be to re-read what you've written before you post it, and ask yourself if it's really what you want to be posting. Quite a lot of the hateful diatribes that bring forth massive arguments are the result of a user posting in a state of anger or frustration, and having the whole thing snowball on them. Choice of words and how you frame the subject can make the difference between getting help and getting nothing but angry responses.

[Mister Spock]

SkyRender's advice should be a sticky note attached to any computer anywhere that connects to the internet!

Incidentally, I'd never figured out how to give reputation until I read this thread. Or, if I have given it in the past, I've long since forgotten how. I'll start making use of that little star button now.

[BagelRabbit]

My question for you is: how can someone like myself, a relatively new user, be good member of the community?

The long and short of it is to be helpful. It's fine to voice concerns, but please do so in a civil and respectful way. If you like a post, don't be afraid to say so!

Remember that the other members of the Forum are people, and mostly nice people at that. Treat them accordingly.

If you're posting, do your best to make sure you're making original content. Don't post something that someone else has posted recently. Try to post in the correct section, and try to make your posts express your ideas well.

If you're replying, try to put some thought into your posts. My replies are generally over a hundred words, but that's just because I'm long-winded. Still, though, writing a good, well-thought-out reply shows others that you care about their ideas and are willing to engage in some serious discussion.

Use proper grammar, spelling, and syntax. It will make people take your points more seriously. (You seem to be doing pretty well with this though.)

Read the Forum rules! Not enough people do so, and they're really the law of the land.

Your post shows me that you have what it takes to be a great member of the community. Thanks for asking!

-Upsilon

[fairytalefox]

My question for you is: how can someone like myself, a relatively new user, be good member of the community?

Man... really? "What should and what should not I say to be liked by you guys?" Well, you can call me a genius, to begin with. Refer to Mr. Dale Harbison Carnegie's books for more advanced techniques. I mean, if you need a good advice on this so badly.

But... man, oh man. Really?! I mean, really really? Oh man.

This humankind never fails to amaze me.

[KAP1985]

Honor!

Duty!

Destiny!

[Jonboy]

Man... really? "What should and what should not I say to be liked by you guys?" Well, you can call me a genius, to begin with. Refer to Mr. Dale Harbison Carnegie's books for more advanced techniques. I mean, if you need a good advice on this so badly.

But... man, oh man. Really?! I mean, really really? Oh man.

This humankind never fails to amaze me.

Well, some folks like to ask for advice from others before entering a new community. Every community is different, and each has different standards and vibes. But the real intention was to open a dialogue on what others want to see from the community, especially in light of the recent fuss about 1.0x, not to gather advice on how to make people like me.

[adinfinitum]

Man... really? "What should and what should not I say to be liked by you guys?" Well, you can call me a genius, to begin with. Refer to Mr. Dale Harbison Carnegie's books for more advanced techniques. I mean, if you need a good advice on this so badly.

But... man, oh man. Really?! I mean, really really? Oh man.

This humankind never fails to amaze me.

Aw come on, cut the guy some slack. It's a valid question, and I'd rather have people asking this than starting threads about topics that have been discussed to death already, posting gameplay questions in general discussion, and just general not giving a _care_ about whether what they post is actual worth it or not.

Edited May 18, 2015 by sjwt

[SpaceExplorer]

Before I joined the KSP community I checked around the forums quite a bit to see what the community was like. I wanted to see how one should behave being a new member, and how to react when I was faced with problems.

For the short time that I have been here, this community is great. It should be a role model for how all Internet forums should be, and it makes me both excited and happy to log on every day and be a part of it.

A really great quote that I try to live by in the forums that helps me out:

Correction does much, but encouragement does more.

[fairytalefox]

Aw come on, cut the guy some slack. It's a valid question, and I'd rather have people asking this than starting threads about topics that have been discussed to death already, posting gameplay questions in general discussion, and just general not giving a _care_ about whether what they post is actual worth it or not.

I have to agree with you. "Not being a _agressive_" and "not being an idiot" is generally a good strategy. If one is at least 12 years old, "not being an idiot" usually includes reading forum headers. For 15 yo and above, it also includes reading FAQs and other pinned topics before asking questions. Roses are red. Violets are blue.

I don't know. Maybe it's something culture specific.

That humankind...

Edited May 18, 2015 by sjwt

[Eric S]

Well, most of it will sound repetitive, but:

1) Keep in mind that we're all here because we're passionate about KSP. In some cases, it may be a love of a specific vision of some future KSP which doesn't align with yours. Their priorities may not be your priorities.

2) Don't attack people. Critique ideas.

3) Keep criticism constructive, and don't try to dictate the precise solution. Not so much here, but in other communities, you'll see people that think that "You need to fire this guy!" is constructive criticism.

4) If you want help with a problem, be as specific as possible. Generic questions get mostly generic answers. For example, at the moment a lot of people are having problems with their rockets during launch. Given that most of the advice on that topic has to do with center of pressure/center of mass/thrust to weight ratio/ascent profile, including a screenshot of the craft and a description of at what point in the launch you're having problems would be helpful.

5) #4 also applies to criticism. I think part of the reason Squad is getting conflicting feedback on aerodynamics is that people aren't being specific enough. At least one forum member is of the opinion that the problem isn't that the air is too thin or too thick, it's that spaceplane parts aren't acting as low-drag as they should be, so rocket people want a thicker atmosphere than spaceplane people.

6) If you're just venting, say so. We've all had times we just needed to vent, and sometimes the venting has come across as an attack on something we're all passionate about.

[Voidryder]

Try to read more than you write.

*snip*

1 out of ten will probably engage in constructive dialogue

*snip*

We take turns.

(Also no random attempts at humor. Stick to the thread's topic.)

[Norpo]

How to become a good poster briefly explained:

EDIT: Step 0: If you're asking a question, google it first.

Step 1: Think before you post.

Step 2: No, like, think really hard about it. Edit your post, the first iteration is almost always terrible

Step 3: Put yourself in the readers shoes. Could they understand what you're saying with minimal effort?

Step 4: Think about it some more. Fix spelling, grammar, and check that you're not overusing smileys/exclamation points/question marks

Step 5: Success! You are now a good poster.

Also, if you use hidden text, and read it, then you're even better.

Fun fact: this post went through about 3 iterations, and this hidden text 2.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Norpo

[HafCoJoe]

This is where my Boy scout training comes in handy. Let me quote the scout law:

"A scout [forum member] is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent."

Honestly though. A good forum member is someone who is here to have a good time, and make sure the other users around him are having a good time as well. Don't spam threads with posts, and do your best to make sure the next guy has fun too.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Avera9eJoe

[CaptainKipard]

Learn to deflect acerbic remarks with dispassion and logic. You'll avoid the wrath of the moderators and feel like a badS while doing it.

[Vanamonde]

The most important advice I could give people is simply to avoid speaking in an angry and accusatorial way.

Example #1: "The SuchAndSuch part doesn't seem to be working, and I can't make a ship fly with it."

Example #2: "The SuchAndSuch is badly broken, and it was irresponsible and lazy of Squad/ModMakerDude to put this piece of garbage out this way."

Both convey the same message. But one is likely to lead to a productive discussion, and the other is just going to invite more angry complaints. There are people who will object that this is sugar-coating and self-censorship, but really, it's a matter of enlightened self interest. Would you rather get a moment of pleasure out of saying something nasty, or post something that's more likely to get your problem fixed?

[Streetwind]

A good idea is to avoid making threads in General Discussion

That's not a veiled attempt at snarking about this thread, by the way. This is my honest advice from being here for a year and a half. I have simply found that if I feel like making a thread, I can always find a subforum where it is better suited to be.

General Discussion tends to be a catch-all bucket for threads that fall in one of three categories: 1.) threads with no specific focus (or a super-wide focus), such as the prolific "What did you do in KSP today?", or ObsessedWithKSP's weekly Squadcast summaries; or 2.) low-effort, spur-of-the-moment threads by people who did not invest even a second to ponder whether their post is in the right place or whether the answer could have been googled in less time than it took to post; or 3.) highly opinionated complaints, feature discussions and suggestions intentionally posted in General Discussion because it has the highest readership, even though the poster fully knows it doesn't belong there.

In general, you'll find that the overall quality of both new threads and the replies that they receive is significantly higher in the dedicated subforums.

The main areas you'll find useful are:

- Gameplay Questions and Tutorials should cover everything you ever wanted to know about KSP and then some

- The two Support forums (unmodded and modded) for when you discover something that's not working as intended

- Suggestions and Development Discussion for all the future features you'd love to see, and for all the existing features you'd like to discuss

- General Add-On Affairs for getting mod recommendations, suggesting new mods or figuring out what that one mod you once saw was called...

- Individual threads inside Add-On Releases or Add-On Development for specific mods that you have questions about or want to discuss

- The Science Labs (beware a small number of self-appointed "experts", but most of the posters there are cool)

- Forum Games, for when you're really bored at work

With all those, you'll probably find 99% of your posting desires satisfied!

Edited May 18, 2015 by Streetwind

[Hotblack Desiato]

hello

I throw another aspect into this discussion:

always keep in mind, that others (maybe even the majority) is not from USA and quite often not even from an english speaking country (I'm for example from austria) and therefor may make mistakes which they aren't aware of.

a friendly hint is sometimes appreciated.

besides that, with your initial question, you already did a fine job as a forum-member.

you can also look at this wiki-article and search for this particular latin term: Bonus Pater Familias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_pater_familias ;-)

[Vectura]

Not enough time to see if this has been said yet but: don't try to act like a moderator

[RogueMason]

Burn everything to the ground. Leave no posts untouched by your wrath. Only then will the forum respect you.

[/sarcasm]

Seriously, you only need to be nice and civilised. Raise concerns in an appropriate manner if needed. All the stuff that's already been suggested. It's basically real life etiquette, just on some bizarre little corner of the internet instead

[Tourist]

Snark, sarcasm and 'witty' retorts doesn't make comments sound as clever as the commenter thinks it does. Clarity, brevity, focus and insight does.

Also, treating a person you disagree with respectfully is a true sign of quality.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Tourist
removed potty mouth. fixed grammer (while probably ruining it elsewhere)