GameBanshee Forums

T'lainya-Good job,my fair lady

Thank you Brink I'll be looking at some of the other stuff later.

T'lainya-Don't worry,my fair lady.You'll have lots of time

@Brink: Will you add following to my profile? "Weasel's first student"

T'lainya: Just read your portion, very funny
I've liked the guide very much too all who have worked on it, keep up the good work

Thanks Viv ..I'm working on something else for the guide too

T: Whatcha working on? Inquiring minds wish to know

Besides an update to the pirate story..which I've got written but need to post..Brink and I are working on a top secret thread for the guide You'll see it probably within a few days

T: Happy writing Secreat thread sounds interesting

We'll see Thanks for the encouragement though

Minerva-Done

Vivien-Thanks for the encouragement

Thanks, Brink.

All right everyone, the new update is here. Now that you've been introduced to the cast of spammers, flamers and lurkers, you're probably wondering "How do I get started?". Since lurking shouldn't need an explanation..it is what you've been doing after all; and flaming has been covered; let's get right to spamming. There are two basic parts, replying to threads and starting your own.
Let's start off with the easiest way to spam, replying to a topic. Someone else has done the work starting a nice clean thread. Think of this like a grafitti artist and a blank wall, pure temptation. Now some of you are wondering why we need to have a guide for this. Simple, there is honor even among spammers..well not really, but there are some common courtesies.
1. Don't be afraid to post an intelligent answer. Most of us appreciate a rational discussion..just expect some spam on the side. Do, however realize the difference between rational discussion and argumentative trolling. Trolls don't want to hear other peoples opinions. Let others have their say, they have a right to an opinion no matter how ill informed and irrational it may be. Trolling also gets you flamed.
2.Don't post one letter or word in a topic to increase your post numbers.It annoys everyone and the moderators will be unhappy. The only exception is the one word story.
3.Don't reply to yourself constantly or carry on long conversations with yourself. Only certain posters do that.mostly Foul...(do you really want to be known as one of Fouls alter egos? ) If you persist in doing this, Doc Waverly will sedate you, then perform electroshock therapy on you. If you're really annoying we give you to Dr. Grunt..
4. Going off topic once in a while is ok, just make sure to have at least one serious reply to the thread. Note.This only applies if there is a topic..bar threads are exempt since they have no subject.
5.Do spam any thread that's not reserved for serious discussion only.Try to have some self control in serious topics.(.How often have I broken that one?:rolleyes Note: Weasel is exempt from this..he is the Master Spammer.
6.Don't post  only smileys all the time..there's a thread for that already. Sometimes a good smiley is effective but the humor wears out quickly.
7.If referencing someone else or a particluar subject..use quotes or speak to them.."hehe that was cool" in reference to a post 3 pages ago is confusing. If we can't tell which one of us should flame you ,we all will.
8.Avoid using large images, it slows the board. For further questions see Flaggs thread on the subject.
9.This isn't the classified ads.Don't advertise your business.. Its tacky.The only exceptions are:
a) Pay Buck to put up a banner, Gamebanshee needs the help.
b) Pay Foul for his signature space or "From line". He can advertise since Buck gets a cut (Or so Foul says, although I haven't seen him around for a while..)
Actually we're all too cheap to buy anything anyway.
10. Be careful about posting any unnatural attractions to animals since it can and will be used against you..forever. Ask Foul and Black sheep about this. On reflection..anything you say will be used against you too.
11.Take responsibility for your own posts. Don't try to put the blame for your error on someone else. Somebody has probably already quoted or misquoted you, which preserves the remark forever. No one here will take the blame for you unless you flatter them, bribe them or post those blackmail pictures.

Now for the second part.".How do I start a topic?"Contrary to popular belief, a topic doesn't have to be complicated. A new topic can start from almost anything. The subject can be simple; "How'd yYou Come Up With That?"; difficult"SYM Trivia", strange "Quantum Mechanics and Whiskey",funny "Guns & Cookies"; or tell a story "Roleplaying in Athkatla". Some simple rules to help you along.
1.Be creative, don't use some one elses topic. If in doubt do a search. If you copy someone elses topic, Weasel comes to your house and steals all your cookies.
2. Don't put nonrelated topics in other forums. The specific game forums are for discussing those games. Buck will just close the thread and move it to SYM anyway. Don't make Buck work harder, you'll get Baassied; check the SYM dictionary.
3.Dont start topics with no content. Topics named Spam tend to have a short life So do " I want to increase my post numbers" and "I want to be an exalted member".
4.Don't open more tavern threads. That is reserved for Flagg...he has to do *something* around here. Something besides flirt that is.
5. Don't start more than one topic about the same subject. If you have 2 topics on the same subject on the same page, you're considered an idiot.
6. Dont start a topic just to cause trouble, getting your thread closed isn't a good thing. There is no award associated with having the most topics closed. There is only exile.
7.Off the wall subjects are alright as long as they can be spammed. They will be anyway so don't get mad. Spamming is an addiction, not a choice.

Originally posted by T'lainya:
<STRONG>1.Be creative, don't use some one elses topic. If in doubt do a search. If you copy someone elses topic, Weasel comes to your house and steals all your cookies. </STRONG>

So that's who ate all my cookies!!! *waves fist angrily in the air*!

Wea'sel (-z-) n., & v.i. 1 n. small nimble reddish-brown white-bellied slender-bodied ferocious carnivorous quadruped (Mustela nivalis) allied to stoat and ferret.

T'lainya-Keep up the good work,o fair and lovely one

Brinky, how about some guide on the flame arts

KidD01-I believe that the 'how to flame' part should be enough for the pre-spammers at the moment

Ahh Yes Brinky, we should save it for the advanced level. I can see a new guide coming up....."Advanced spamming method" or some kind like that

This will be my last update for this thread.Note: the original update was erased by my crappy comp just because the message board doesn't allow more than 8 emoticons in one post

Advanced Guide To Flaming

Now that you've learned the basics of flaming and have flamed someone(you did at least try to flame someone,didn't you? ),you're ready for your next lesson in the art (the term 'art' depends on which side you're on;the flamer's side,or the one who gets flamed) of flaming.In this update,I'll post about the alternative to aggresive flaming as well as a guide on how to keep your flaming skills in good condition.Before we begin,I would like to remind you that I will take no responsibility towards whatever injury that you may sustain while flaming (well, this depends on my conscience at the time).In other words, anything bad that happens to you is your own fault and you shall not blame the guide for your misfortunes.

Subtle Flaming

As mentioned in my previous update,there are two ways in which a person can flame another (aggresive flaming and passive/subtle/indirect flaming for those of you who have a bad memory).Since I've already posted about how one can go about aggresively flaming someone else, this section will deal entirely with the alternative and, some may say, better way to flaming that is passive flaming.This does not, however, mean that you should give up the aggresive way of flaming since, to be an expert flamer, you need to master both the passive and aggresive ways.Anyway, aggresive flaming is pretty useful(and will most probably save your skin) if you get involved in a serious flame war with another person/party.Back to the subject at hand, passive flaming is often preferred by the members of the SYM forum since:

1.You don't have to be extremely angry at a person/get yourself all worked up for nothing

2.The posibility of you sustaining a head injury does not exist(unlike in aggresive flaming,or should I say,counter-flaming, where there is a chance of you banging your head on the wall or something if you couldn't control your anger )

3.Most of the flames in here are supposed to be taken as jokes.There are only a few reported incidents in which the flamings were real

As you can (hopefully ) see by now, there are a lot of advantages to using the passive form of flaming.There are also just as many ways in which passive flaming can be done(as opposed to the limited options found in aggressive flaming).Some of them include bringing up your target's most embarrassing moment, replacing all the emoticons in an aggressive post with , and including a hidden message in your post.Keep in mind that the above list is only a fraction of the amount of ways in which one can passively flame another person,and you should not limit yourself to it.New ways of passive flaming are being discovered even as we speak (or in this case,read ),so be creative and you'll be fine in this form of art (since passive flaming can come in so many forms,do not be alarmed if someone takes gets flamed in one of your posts even if you did not intend to flame that person)

As a conclusion,passive flamers are generally more well-liked by the SYM community compared to aggressive flamers.Not only that,passive flaming,if done correctly, will end up with everyone having a good time as opposed to the anger and tensed atmosphere when two parties aggresively flame each other.

Keeping The Flames Alive

Flaming is a skill that,like all other skills, will deteriorate over time if left untouched.Below are some ways to help you maintain and possibly improve you flaming skills:

-Try to flame occasionally(at least once a week).You do not have to flame aggressively,since passive flaming is a welcome to the amount of spam generated daily in here,in addition to the fact that you can boost your reputation amongst the SYM members by passively flaming someone

-Take the time to observe how Waverly (the current master flamer in here ) goes about flaming everyone

-Be encouraged by the fact that even Darkpoet(our resident expert in getting flamed) occasionally flames the board.A good example would be his [url="http://www.gamebanshee.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=9&t=000551"]Poken the Pig Prison[/url] thread

-Flame yourself if you're too shy to flame in public.One way of doing this would be to set up an e-mail account which will be used only to accept flame mails from yourself(do remember to reply to your own e-mails with another flame to simulate a real flame war between two parties)

-Get a good buddy(one who is understanding and willing to play along in your little 'flame war') to be your flaming partner if you do not want to feel weird replying e-mails to yourself.The disadvantage of this would be the fact that you cannot be extreme in your flames,since there is a risk of you losing a good friend

-If all else fails, just consume lots of spicy food.An example would be the chilli that is small in size but provides much firepower in terms of how hot it is (not sure how this helps though,picked this one up from the book "Doc Waverly's Melting Pot" by none other than the Doc himself )

-------------------------------------------

This will be all for now.I thank you all for reading through it (another thank you if you liked it )

[ 05-11-2001: Message edited by: Brink ]