Internet Forum Discussion-Board Etiquette

If you are like many Internet users, you probably belong to a forum or message board of some sort. And we have all seen "those" users - you know, the ones who know everything, the ones who know nothing (and constantly remind others of that fact), the ones who are fight-pickers, the ones who respond to things with one-word answers so that their post count grows - the list goes on and on. If you do not know that person, it is possible that you are that person, and should read on.

Don't be a know-it-all - Unless you actually are one!

On any given forum, there is a main theme or subject matter; a reason for the community to be there. That reason may be to learn how to write better, or to connect with others who have similar hobbies or interests, or maybe even to discuss important topics such as philosophy or religion.

On each forum, there are the "gurus", who actually know more about the subject at hand than anyone in the world, and the "noobs", who are just getting into the scene, and need help. Most everyone else falls somewhere in between.

Forums are not there so you can impress someone whom you have never met. If you can help them, please do! But if you honestly do not know the answer to someone's query, do not simply make stuff up to sound important. It is misleading and miserably annoying.

"LOL!", "PWNED!", "OH, SNAP!", "I AGREE", and "GOOD LUCK." Are NOT complete posts, and should be avoided.

We can see your username on the `who's logged in` portion of the forum screen. We know you are there. Simply posting to say something, anything, gets annoying to the members of the forum who are looking for solid, rich information on a subject. If someone posts something hilarious, like a joke or a funny picture, then maybe "LOL!" is appropriate, because nobody will have to sift through twenty one-word posts to find someone who knows what they are talking about.

The fight-pickers.

Ah, yes, these bozos. They are always insulting others simply to get a rise, bashing their work, opinions, or photos, and disagreeing just for the sake of doing so. Don'tbe that person, I beg of you. It does nobody any good, it hurts feelings and causes anger, and from that point forward you may be hard pressed to receive help from any of the members with real knowledge. If you can't say something nice...

The Know-nothings.

These users are just as annoying as the know-it-alls; in fact, maybe more so. This is the person who chimes in on a question thread with something like, "I don't know, sorry, but someone here might!" Why would anyone post this? If another user asks something you don't know, why not just stay silent, and learn from the person who posts up the actual answer? Then, the next time you encounter a similar inquiry, you might get to be the guru.