| NEOPIA CENTRAL - Ever noticed a chat board that is simply a nuisance? Or, have
you ever been insulted for your use of grammar on a chat board? Lots of users
on Neopets have various complaints when it comes to neochatting nowadays, including
myself. There are four general problems (without getting into the specifics) I
have noticed with our chatting community right now, and they are as follows:
· Font use
· Grammar / Spelling
· Board titles
· Spamming
Now honestly, I don't think ANYONE can say that they have never had a problem
with at least one of those four categories. Especially with grammar / spelling.
I completely understand that it is human nature to make mistakes from time to
time; no one in the world is perfect. However, sometimes I have noticed a colossal
amount of mistakes in text that it just outrageous.
Let's use these four elements to see what causes a majority of the chat boards
(or people who chat on them) to have bad etiquette. With the use of my opinion,
hopefully everyone who reads this will be more aware of what to post and what
not to post in the message boards, especially if you are new to Neopets.
Font Use
Now that we have been allowed to use HTML in our font on the chat boards,
I have noticed some good (and bad) uses of font. Some people use glowing font
in a color that it is hard to read. Others may use font that is unnecessarily
large or small. Here's a the two things that make up a general font:
· Color: Make sure your font color is just right - not too bright,
not too dark. You want everyone to be able to read what it is you have to say
without squinting or raising an eyebrow, wondering how crazy you are for typing
an unreadable post.
· Size: Font size is also something you'd like to be perfect. Depending
on what board it is you use, from Role playing to Fan Clubs, every board has
a particular font size that everyone there uses. For instance, some serious
role players use size 1 font to make their paragraphs look neater and more formal.
Those who mainly use General Chat may have a much larger font in comparison
to a role player.
Try to adjust these two characteristics of your font so that way it becomes
readable and a good size - depending on which board you basically use.
Also, a lot of people like to use signatures nowadays. I have no problem with
that. Just make sure your signature is completely readable, suitable to be posted
on Neopets, and not too large (if you don't know how to adjust your signature's
size, don't worry about it). In my opinion, it is very annoying to look at someone's
post that has a quite sloppy signature.
Tip: Ask a few times on the board (not consecutive boards, but once
daily for a couple of days, just to get different opinions) you have decided
to mainly use what the people there prefer as a font size before creating a
default HTML. Some people are very picky when it comes to font.
Grammar / Spelling
Now, here's a problem we can all relate to, grammar and spelling. We all have
to admit we make a little error here and there, and sometimes it is unpreventable.
There are a few exceptions, though. For an example, some people who post on
the chat boards have a board message title something like:
"yea so um if you got a blue kougie plush I e neomail me k bai." I think this
is simply outrageous. It's perfectly fine to use a few abbreviations now and
then, and if you feel that you have to, then go for it. Other times, I have
seen people use too many abbreviations. If you would like people to understand
you to make interaction on the chat boards much easier - then make your point
clearer.
"If anyone has a RODN up for trade, NM me after reading this message." That's
not bad at all. We all use abbreviations most of the time, in this case, RODN
being a Rod of Dark Nova and NM meaning Neomail. It wasn't too hard to figure
that out in comparison to some of the other language I have seen being used
in posts, board titles, and board messages everywhere.
To make your grammar and spelling better, there's a very simple solution:
proofread your work. Just go back and see what it is that you have typed, and
make sure that it can make sense to anyone that reads it, and then post it for
all to see. If you make a mistake (which everyone frequently does), it would
not hurt to go back and correct your mistake by putting a little star next to
it, just to make it obvious of what word it is you meant to type. (Example:
if you misspelled Kougra by spelling it Kogura, you can go back and simply post
Kougra* on your board.)
Tip: If you are a person who does not understand abbreviations used
in a particular board, feel free to ask what it stands for! I have seen a few
people use abbreviations when they do not know what it means.
Board Titles
This isn't a common problem, but sometimes can associate with scamming. I
have noticed a few people with a board name somewhat like: "I don't know how
to function in the Battledome!" and when you enter the board itself, the board
message reads: "Go, go, go buy something from my shop before all else is gone!"
Now, these types of boards could just turn out that way by a mistake (which
I highly doubt) or just purposely put there to lure people inside. Please, do
not do this. If you were to put a board (like the example I've shown above)
up and angered just one person enough, it could lead to you getting reported.
There is no excuse, just please, do not do this.
Board titles are meant to associate with the whole purpose of the board and
the message inside. If you were on the role-playing board and titles your role-play
"Kougra Role-playing" and had a good description inside of the character it
is you were role-playing, that is a good use of board title. This is also a
very simple tip you should follow if you want people to actually reply to your
concern on the board it is you've posted on.
Tip: Make sure you post your board in the chat category it belongs
in. Beauty Contest entries to not belong in the Battledome board!
Spamming
Spamming is a definite NO - there is no excuse for spamming on any board whatsoever.
You can get frozen for this. Despite the fact that it is against the rules,
I still see a lot of people (especially on the Beauty Contest boards) flooding
the board itself over, and over, and over again. Just do not do it. I advise
you wait at least five minutes before posting your new board, or until about
seven boards have been posted since your last one.
Tip: Posting one board in a chat room attracts an equivalent amount of attention
as posting 10 in a row.
Here's a quick re-cap of the basics I have covered in this article:
Do
· Adjust your font so it is suitable for the board you are using.
· Proofread your work
· Make what you are trying to say readable
· Make an agreement between your board title and your board message, so they
both associate with each other
· Color your font so it is easily readable
· Make corrections after you have posted a mistake
Do Not
· Use too many abbreviations or misspellings
· Spam ANY board whatsoever
· Create a board title that has nothing to do with the board's purpose
· Post a board in the category it doesn't belong in
I hope you find this article of some use within your neochatting lives. Now,
you know what I (and many other people) consider good, and bad chatting behavior.
See you at the boards!
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