The HullaBoard - View Single Post - A MESSAGE TO EVERYONE WHO USES THIS MESSAGE BOARD

hello fellow message boarders!

here's the deal. the traffic on this board has EXPLODED recently and because of this, we're gonna take this opportunity to remind everyone about a few simple guidelines of *message board etiquette*. hopefully, this will reduce the amount of *spam* on the board and make it easier to find the more interesting topics.

i know, i know. rules suck. and yes, very few other raver message boards are as strict as we are when it comes to stuff like this. but there are almost 2,400 registered users of this board and we probably get more traffic than every other toronto raver message board COMBINED. that's why we have to enforce a few guidelines. we're not trying to restrict your right to express yourself. we're simply trying to keep the peace and keep the message board interesting for everyone.

so, here is a list of *guidelines* that we hope people will respect and follow. if you have any comments about these guidelines or if you would like to add your own suggestions, then please do so by replying on this thread.

1. TITLE YOUR THREADS APPROPRIATELY

with the insane volume of messages that this board gets nowadays, it is crucial that you give your threads an accurate and descriptive title. titles such as "guess what?" and "i wanna tell you something" really don't serve any kinda purpose at all. try to tell people what the point or purpose of your thread is ... that way, you'll help people to decide whether they want to read it or not.

and you should never put "PLEASE READ" in your title unless the situation warrants it.

2. DON'T START MULTIPLE THREADS DEALING WITH THE SAME TOPIC

there are no points earned for starting a new thread. if you want to respond to something that you read in a thread, then do so by posting a reply, not by starting a new thread.

3. DON'T USE THE MESSAGE BOARD AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR EMAIL OR ICQ

this is a message board. it is NOT a chatroom. there is a BIG difference. if you have a message for john, then send it to john via email or icq. or phone him. please don't post messages like "hey john, call me" or "hey john, i met you last week, do you remember me?" cuz those messages are for john's eyes only and should therefore be sent to john by email or icq. if you want to find someone's email address, you can do so by clicking on the icons located above that user's messages. if you want to praise john in public by posting a message to tell us about something that he did, then that's fine ... at least those messages can be interesting to read. but it's disrespectful to the rest of us if you use the message board to send personal messages that are of no interest to anyone else.

4. PUT YOUR MESSAGES IN THE APPROPRIATE FORUM

please don't start messages about other parties in the "general" forum of the board. there is an "other events" forum set up specifically so that people can discuss other parties. there is a password and a set of rules for the "other events" forum so if a promotor or another interested person wants to start a thread talking about another party, all they have to do is send an email to either frolic or myself and we'll give out the password and the rules. the only reason we set up the password system is to prevent people from starting multiple threads about the same party and to ensure that promotors know the rules before posting in that forum.

you may think it's harsh that we don't allow messages about other parties in the "general" forum, but if we didn't have this rule, then the entire general forum would be overrun with party ads. trust me on this. that's the reason why frolic felt the need to set up an "other events" forum in the first place.

5. DON'T POST JUST FOR THE SAKE OF POSTING

there are no prizes for having the most posts. if you want to gain the respect of your peers, then you do so by writing intelligent, insightful messages, not by having a two word response to every single message on the board. this is not to say that you shouldn't *bump* important threads back to the top of the board. sometimes a *bump* post can be extremely important.

and this is not to say that we don't LOVE witty and silly replies. we're just asking that you exercise a little moderation. that's all.

6. HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW MESSAGE BOARDER

hullabaloo is supposed to be a place where everyone feels welcome. so please don't post messages that you know will offend or make others feel unwelcome or stupid. this is NOT to say that there shouldn't be arguments and disagreements on this board. heck, if everyone got along 100% of the time, this board would turn downright boring. so please ... argue and debate until your fingers fall off. all we're asking is that you have some respect as you do so. if you disagree with someone's opinion, then say that and give your reasons why. it only serves to weaken your argument if you throw personal insults into the mix. in my opinion, if you have to resort to childish name-calling, then you've already lost the argument.

7. REMEMBER WHAT THIS MESSAGE BOARD IS ABOUT

this message board was originally set up to talk about hullabaloo, rave-related topics, and certain non-rave issues that are of particular interest or importance. sure, it's fun to see the occasional "what's your favourite food" or "what's your favourite cartoon" kinda thread. but when those types of threads are actually drowning out the rave-related topics, that's when they start to get annoying. so, if you love the useless threads, that's fine. just please exercise a little moderation.

that's about it. oh ya, and let's try to cool it with the "who's from london/buffalo/etobicoke/scarborough/north york/etc." type posts. there are simply way too many of them. we'll allow the threads that are already established to keep going, but we're gonna close any new ones.

if everyone exercises just a little bit of discretion and respect, then there's no reason why this message board can't continue to be the same great place for exchanging ideas and meeting friends that it has always been.

i hope this message will not scare away newer members from posting. we LOVE reading messages from new members. and these guidelines are not nearly as harsh as they may seem when you first read them. so please, don't be shy. we're really very nice people.

peace love unity respect,

Klubmasta Will
(aka the Message Board Nazi)

January 7th, 2000, 01:17 PM	#1
Klubmasta Will Hullaboarder Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Centre of the Universe	hello fellow message boarders! here's the deal. the traffic on this board has EXPLODED recently and because of this, we're gonna take this opportunity to remind everyone about a few simple guidelines of message board etiquette. hopefully, this will reduce the amount of spam on the board and make it easier to find the more interesting topics. i know, i know. rules suck. and yes, very few other raver message boards are as strict as we are when it comes to stuff like this. but there are almost 2,400 registered users of this board and we probably get more traffic than every other toronto raver message board COMBINED. that's why we have to enforce a few guidelines. we're not trying to restrict your right to express yourself. we're simply trying to keep the peace and keep the message board interesting for everyone. so, here is a list of guidelines that we hope people will respect and follow. if you have any comments about these guidelines or if you would like to add your own suggestions, then please do so by replying on this thread. 1. TITLE YOUR THREADS APPROPRIATELY with the insane volume of messages that this board gets nowadays, it is crucial that you give your threads an accurate and descriptive title. titles such as "guess what?" and "i wanna tell you something" really don't serve any kinda purpose at all. try to tell people what the point or purpose of your thread is ... that way, you'll help people to decide whether they want to read it or not. and you should never put "PLEASE READ" in your title unless the situation warrants it. 2. DON'T START MULTIPLE THREADS DEALING WITH THE SAME TOPIC there are no points earned for starting a new thread. if you want to respond to something that you read in a thread, then do so by posting a reply, not by starting a new thread. 3. DON'T USE THE MESSAGE BOARD AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR EMAIL OR ICQ this is a message board. it is NOT a chatroom. there is a BIG difference. if you have a message for john, then send it to john via email or icq. or phone him. please don't post messages like "hey john, call me" or "hey john, i met you last week, do you remember me?" cuz those messages are for john's eyes only and should therefore be sent to john by email or icq. if you want to find someone's email address, you can do so by clicking on the icons located above that user's messages. if you want to praise john in public by posting a message to tell us about something that he did, then that's fine ... at least those messages can be interesting to read. but it's disrespectful to the rest of us if you use the message board to send personal messages that are of no interest to anyone else. 4. PUT YOUR MESSAGES IN THE APPROPRIATE FORUM please don't start messages about other parties in the "general" forum of the board. there is an "other events" forum set up specifically so that people can discuss other parties. there is a password and a set of rules for the "other events" forum so if a promotor or another interested person wants to start a thread talking about another party, all they have to do is send an email to either frolic or myself and we'll give out the password and the rules. the only reason we set up the password system is to prevent people from starting multiple threads about the same party and to ensure that promotors know the rules before posting in that forum. you may think it's harsh that we don't allow messages about other parties in the "general" forum, but if we didn't have this rule, then the entire general forum would be overrun with party ads. trust me on this. that's the reason why frolic felt the need to set up an "other events" forum in the first place. 5. DON'T POST JUST FOR THE SAKE OF POSTING there are no prizes for having the most posts. if you want to gain the respect of your peers, then you do so by writing intelligent, insightful messages, not by having a two word response to every single message on the board. this is not to say that you shouldn't bump important threads back to the top of the board. sometimes a bump post can be extremely important. and this is not to say that we don't LOVE witty and silly replies. we're just asking that you exercise a little moderation. that's all. 6. HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW MESSAGE BOARDER hullabaloo is supposed to be a place where everyone feels welcome. so please don't post messages that you know will offend or make others feel unwelcome or stupid. this is NOT to say that there shouldn't be arguments and disagreements on this board. heck, if everyone got along 100% of the time, this board would turn downright boring. so please ... argue and debate until your fingers fall off. all we're asking is that you have some respect as you do so. if you disagree with someone's opinion, then say that and give your reasons why. it only serves to weaken your argument if you throw personal insults into the mix. in my opinion, if you have to resort to childish name-calling, then you've already lost the argument. 7. REMEMBER WHAT THIS MESSAGE BOARD IS ABOUT this message board was originally set up to talk about hullabaloo, rave-related topics, and certain non-rave issues that are of particular interest or importance. sure, it's fun to see the occasional "what's your favourite food" or "what's your favourite cartoon" kinda thread. but when those types of threads are actually drowning out the rave-related topics, that's when they start to get annoying. so, if you love the useless threads, that's fine. just please exercise a little moderation. that's about it. oh ya, and let's try to cool it with the "who's from london/buffalo/etobicoke/scarborough/north york/etc." type posts. there are simply way too many of them. we'll allow the threads that are already established to keep going, but we're gonna close any new ones. if everyone exercises just a little bit of discretion and respect, then there's no reason why this message board can't continue to be the same great place for exchanging ideas and meeting friends that it has always been. i hope this message will not scare away newer members from posting. we LOVE reading messages from new members. and these guidelines are not nearly as harsh as they may seem when you first read them. so please, don't be shy. we're really very nice people. peace love unity respect, Klubmasta Will (aka the Message Board Nazi)