[ Guide ] A comprehensive guide to Plebs, making plebian High quality posts.

[ali.bh9574]

The Amazing Guide to becoming an HQ Pleb, by a pleb.
This forum has grown substantially over time, and with that we've started to gain fellow plebs (like me) and we also have leechers. It's becoming ever harder to find what you're looking for when you post, and it's lead to many people asking the same question multiple times, people not getting their answers, and member frustration. In an attempt to alleviate these issues, I'm writing this thread. I want to be clear, this isn't a hate thread, the goal is to solve that problem. So how do I write quality posts, you ask? I have 5 basic principles for this.
Principles of a quality post

• Write in plain, clear English, using complete (or nearly) sentences.
• Provide as much information as you can when asking a question.
• Explain the points you make if you are describing a topic or writing a tutorial.
• Be humble, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

If you follow all 4 of these guidelines, your posts will always be HQ, and members will have a much easier time engaging with or helping you. I'll break them down one by one and explain what I mean.
1. - Write in plain, clear English, using complete sentences

• This stems from our very first rule, which is titled Post Etiquette and begins with the text "You may not make short, . . . posts. . . . Your posts must also be legible, have decent grammar, and be in English.". Now, this rule isn't as blanket or as strict as it implies. You won't be banned if you use a fragmented sentence or misspell a word, that would be foolish, however you can aspire as if it were such. Writing your posts in full sentences and complete thoughts not only will make you appear as intelligent, but will also aid other members in understanding what you're saying.

2. - Provide as much information as you can when asking a question

• Please remember this is not StackOverflow, Reddit, or the likes, this is a forum. Forums are a place to share and discuss ideas, and many of the ideas discussed here are quite complex. You will find the best and most prompt responses to your threads if you can describe it in complete detail when you make the initial post. If you do not, members will need to draw that information out of you before they can help you, and many members may simply ignore your thread entirely. This concept also applies to guides and tutorials--If you are incomplete when you explain the topic at hand, members will need to ask for clarification or more information in the replies, and as the thread grows larger those may get buried and members will need to repeat their questions. By being complete and clear, you will ensure that your post remains on topic for longer, and you won't have to answer the same question multiple times.

3 - Explain the points you make if you are describing a topic or writing a tutorial

• If you are writing a tutorial--a type of post written for the sole purpose of teaching members something you know--you should be very detailed in your approach. In tutorial writing, there is no such thing as too much information, our maximum size for a post is quite large. Remember that many of our members will be new to what you are describing, some of them may be seeing this topic for the very first time, when you write a tutorial you will want to cater to them just as well as the seasoned members.

4 - Be humble, and don't be afraid to ask questions

• Nothing will repel members from your thread more than being arrogant. Be humble, this is a sharing & caring community, if you are an expert you should be aiming to make others experts as well. A high quality thread will never shoot another member down for not understanding or not knowing enough information, but rather provide them with resources they can use to get up to speed. The same goes the other way, high quality posts can be made by members with no experience in a subject as well. Never be afraid to ask questions, don't pretend to be all knowing and argue points you don't understand, ask questions so that you can understand and then offer your points as a contribution. If you ever feel that your question may go unanswered, or your tutorials not be read, just remember that this is a growing forum, new members come here every single day and most read quite a few threads before emerging from the shadows. Even if you don't believe people will understand the content of your threads right away, that shouldn't discourage you from posting them. Someone else may later post threads that bridge the gap, or maybe members will arrive that have the base knowledge required. Bottom line is, if you have a thought or question, post it, but be respectful to those around you when doing so.

Final Words
Remember, if you follow these principles, your posts will be written nicely, helpful, and less frustrating to other members and yourself. It can be frustrating to ask a question and then have it buried by new threads and nobody ever answers it, but it can be just as frustrating to see the same question asked in different context a number of times. Reform starts small, and it starts with you.
Thanks for reading, have a great day. ~ Dog
Edited by D0G, 03 September 2021 - 05:29 PM.