A Musing on Forum Etiquette

[ATannahill]

Also do not post in an important thread just to get your post count up, this makes the thread longer and harder to read for the people that are looking for help. Also, just because it is a pet peeve of mine, do not post something in a thread that has already been said, go to the hint #1 thread if you need an explanation.

[merybar]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung View Post
"I've found ChiefDelphi to be inspiring, useful, helpful, and fun. Through ChiefDelphi, I have met people from all of the world and have grown in my personal life and my professional life because of these people and the knowledge shared so readily and freely. Opportunity makes its presence known and felt within this community. That is no small thing. If I were to make a rule, it would have to do with keeping it fun and bringing your best effort to the discussion, whether that be listening or posting."


I could not agree more!!!!!!!!!

[dlavery]

Excellent thread. Many of these points have been brought up previously, but it is always good - and seemingly necessary - to review them again each year just before the season starts. In that spirit, I would like to offer up another of Grandma Lavery's little rules that she used to pound into our heads:

Golden Rule Eleven: There are two ways to say anything - choose yours carefully. How you choose to deliver a message is just as important as the message itself. Correcting someone's mistake by saying "although it is physically possible to do it like that, could the cantilevered load over-stress the bearing? Have you considered doing it like this..." carries a completely different message than "only an ignorant git would do it that way. All us smart people do it like this..." The former recognizes the efforts of the individual, while identifying a potentially better solution. The latter just identifies you as a boor to be avoided.

Golden Rule Twelve: You will be known by what you write here. Remember that your words here will live on to represent you much longer than you expect. There are those that have learned the hard way that snide answers they gave in a thread five years ago are well-remembered, and create reputations that are hard to overcome. To repeat the thoughts of an earlier post:

What you do, and what you write, is completely within your control. The "gee-it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time" bile-filled rant about the dumb restrictive decision your parents just made is going to have a life of its own after you post it on Facebook. Six years from now, long after you have forgotten about it, that really cool prospective employer that you really want to work for is going to do a search on Archive.org and read through it. They will realize how you trash talk about your family "in private" and wonder if you will do the same about their company. The "this-is-why-I-think-my-chemistry-teacher-is-the-most-moronic-person-on-the-planet" five-page diatribe that you just posted one day will be reviewed by your co-worker down the hall that is supposed to be mentoring you in your new job. Long after you have forgotten writing that blog entry about your first weekend binge as a college student, an as-yet-unmet significant other is going to read it and wonder why they should ever waste their time with someone that behaves so boorishly. And let's not even consider the reaction from your grandmother (remember? that person that we are all supposed to be making proud?) as she reads through your latest harangue on the universal unfairness of the world and how the rest of us should all just go and stick our heads in dark places.

So please, before you make that vituperative post disparaging the "horrible, wrong-headed, my dog could have done better" post about the refs decision during your last match - think. Think about those words that you are about to post publicly. Think about the message that they convey. But most importantly, think about what those words say about you - as an author, a possible employee, a future compatriot, a potential friend, and a current family member. Because those words WILL get out. And they will have your name on them.

-dave

[cdennisxlx2]

What i have told my students in the past is that Chief Delphi is not only a professional community of FIRSTers but a great tool and should be respected as both. The best way i explain how to create a generally helpful and high thought post/reply is to think of it as either your writing a proposal for the particular project[issue that you are working on] to your companies board of directors, or giving high end tech support. Both mentalities should be used appropriately, like using the tech support mentality when another user posts a "lacking-in-info" thread. Obviously there are some [more or less] exceptions to these with the "fun" threads but either way you need to be in your "Sunday best" mentality when posting/replying.

Just my two cents.....

ps. Dave, i always enjoy reading your posts

[Wayne Doenges]

Golden Rule Twelve: I see this all the time and it really bugs me. If someone post a picture (in CD Media) of their robot, CNC wheels, Frame etc, don't make a comment like "Team XXXX's been doing that for years", or "If you think that's cool, take a look at our robot". If you want to brag up your bot, wheels etc than create your own separate post.
No offence was intended. If you were, I apologize.

[Andy Baker]

Another log on the fire...

What you write here could quite possibly be read by thousands of people, including your teammates, your future alliance partners, your future employers, those who approve your scholarships, and even Dean and Woodie.

Foolish FIRSTers post hastily.

Andy B.

[AdamHeard]

The two I accidentally break the most, mostly when replying to technical posts as I just start thinking design and not people skills, is being positive and humble.

It seems like it's much easier to offend someone and put them off than it is to regain their favor. I look back 6 months ago and realise what an idiot I was... I seem to do this every 6 months

[Blue_Mist]

How true.

Adam, that seems to be a universal thing as people over time get wiser. Adapted from Questionable Content, "Knowledge is knowing you were an idiot in the past, and common sense is knowing you're an idiot right now!" This applies to me as well. I guess an excellent tip to keep in mind is, would I say this aloud under a spotlight in front of a thousand people? Because that's effectively what it is.

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

The two I accidentally break the most, mostly when replying to technical posts as I just start thinking design and not people skills, is being positive and humble.

It seems like it's much easier to offend someone and put them off than it is to regain their favor. I look back 6 months ago and realise what an idiot I was... I seem to do this every 6 months

I think we all have this problem. Interestingly enough, the best way to solve it is to have someone in the community keep you accountable. Every now and then it helps to get that "dude, don't be such a..." message. I know in the past I've gotten mad at these. It took me a while to realize that I actually WAS being a...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Another log on the fire...

What you write here could quite possibly be read by thousands of people, including your teammates, your future alliance partners, your future employers, those who approve your scholarships, and even Dean and Woodie.

Foolish FIRSTers post hastily.

Andy B.

To add some statistics, there are over 10,000 Chief Delphi members. Please remember, that you are known by what you write here in the absence of a face to face encounter. Make a good first impression.