{Adama's Top 10 Things You Should Know Before Posting}

[Adama.]

Hello, Adama here. A lot of people on the site seem to resent the new users, even if they started out the same way. However, on YCM, most people learn their lessons the hard way. This is a compilation of 10 lessons that will help new members survive on this site and hopefully become better members later on.

{10}Don't count on others to solve your problems.

Most people on this site don't seem to care when people come to them complaining about personal conflicts between other members. That doesn't mean you don't matter, it just means that you have to deal with personal issues privately. Otherwise, complaining about things such as negative reputation, warnings and flaming will be rewarded with more negs, warnings, and flames.

{9}Nobody is always right.

You may think that the moderators are always right, and that you must obey their word to the letter. This is not the case. The moderators are here to help maintain stability and keep the forum safe and enjoyable. By no means however, are they capable of making it perfect, and if you have a problem with something they have said or done, feel free to question it in a respectful and appropriate member. Many members try to challenge the mods with harassment and flaming, but if you respect them, they will respect you.

{8}It's not the end of the world.

Everyone makes mistakes, however, members here are very critical of mistakes. Take it in stride. Just because you made a bad card, spammed or double-posted doesn't mean you're a horrible member, and you shouldn't get down on yourself just because you messed up. The worst thing you can do when you make a mistake is lash out. Learn from your mistakes. And again, as stated in #9, know that nobody is right 100% right, and you must learn to assess your own actions and decide what is right. The rules, other members and moderators will help you understand what you did wrong and how you can change it, but what you do is up to you. Just don't blame it on others, and don't hate yourself for it, and you'll do fine.

{7}Presentation matters.

This is a sad fact of the forum, but the better organized your threads, posts and signatures are, the more people will read them. Long, text-based signatures with lots of links may seem like a great way to promote your threads, but nobody will look at something if it's an eyesore. The same goes for your cards and clubs. Sure, a few people will join a club with a boring name or a first post so hard to navigate that you can't even tell who's in the club, but spoiler tags, smaller text, bold point and alignment changes do a great deal to advertise your professionalism as a member. Of course, appearances aren't everything, but as a rule in general, the better it looks, the more people will come.

{6}Read.

I highly doubt that most members here take enough time to actually read through the threads, the rules etc. However, the more you know about the site, the better you can be on it. While "I didn't know" is a valid excuse, it is also an embarrassing one, and it can easily be avoided by taking the time to get to know how things work.

{5}Post responsibly

The site is littered with rewards for posting. Points, stars and the ever-increasing post count meter make members more and more eager to earn the coveted title of "Legendary Member". However, the rewards of making intelligent posts are far greater than the rewards of making numerous posts. Anyone can become a Legendary Member, but only a few can become a real legend. Taking the time to choose where to post, what to post, and how to post it, earns you far more than the superficial rewards of posts and stars, it earns you respect. If the other members respect you, they won't care how many posts you have, all they will care is that you keep making quality posts.

{4}In the end, it's all good fun.

The world that this site offers you access to is vast and has many possibilities. You can show off your art, make new friends, learn, become part of a community. However, it takes time and effort to access this world, but even if you never fully become part of it, you can still have a heck of a time. I came here two months ago as a guest and played around with the card maker. I did what people usually do, I made cards with funny pictures and wrote random effects that made no sense. If that's all you ever do with this site, then that's great. After all, this isn't primarily a forum site, its a site for card making. However, the forum offers different types of fun, perhaps more sophisticated than mere card making, perhaps less, and it lays on the member a kind of responsibility that is difficult to manage. If you can deal with it, then things will be great. But, if you find you are not enjoying yourself, then something is wrong. You don't HAVE to be a perfect member. You don't have to get hundreds of reputations or become a forum legend, because in the end it's just a forum about Yu-gi-oh, and whatever way there is for you to enjoy it is a good way. However, it is also important not to ruin other people's enjoyment of the site. This site is for everyone, enjoy it. Don't ruin it.

{3}How to post your cards and make them intelligible.

A lot of the items on this list are philosophical, but this is one of the most basic skills you need. Click on your completed card, copy the code below, and paste it into your post to post your card. To make your cards intelligible, at least play a game of Yu-gi-oh or read some cards before making your card. If you don't understand the game, how can you make cards for it? You should also check out the OCG thread. Again, if you don't have perfect OCG, it's no big deal. You'll learn, but you have to start by understanding what you're making.

{2}Think.

Don't be a bot. The people on the forum are here to converse with other individuals, so making mindless posts is out of the question. If you are to truly enjoy a thread, think about it instead of just going with the crowd and posting things like "I agree" or "It's good". Consider your experience in life or on the site. Consider your knowledge. The same goes for card making. Anyone can make a yellow card, but if you can write an effect that is fresh and new you will feel so much more accomplishment. If you use your head, you can do anything.

{1}Try.

If this all seems overwhelming to you, that's OK. All you really need to do is your best. If you are doing your best to be a good member, if you really do anything you can then you will eventually be successful. Above all, don't give up. If you give up it will all be for nothing, if you try, you may find yourself leaving with something more than a handful of posts and some neat cards/

 

{Adama}

[Bull3tM0nk3y]

This will help the noobies of YCM. Good work.

[OMGAKITTY]

You're a good guy, Adama.

 

Its a pity newbs rarely visit tutorials.

[iKiller]

A small BBCode error in there :P

 

Nice tutorial, but to make it better try to put a way to resolve the problem each time, such as if you're complaining about Negative Rep, take it to the Rep Complaint Thread...

[Adama.]

I apologize for my errors. I will fix the coding. As for the rep complaint thread, as we both know that is rarely looked at. I also still want to stress that the best way to deal with these things is to not worry about them, and, if they are having negative effects on the site, just report them. Nobody should get angry over the events on a childrens forum.

{Adama}

[iKiller]

Actually I used to find the Rep Complaint Thread quite good before (getting rid of neutrals/positives, I've never got a Neg in my life (yet))...

 

And it's not really just a children's forum... Alot of adults play Yu-Gi-Oh, and there are General Sections aswell...

[OMGAKITTY]

Actually I used to find the Rep Complaint Thread quite good before (getting rid of neutrals/positives' date=' I've never got a Neg in my life (yet))...

 

And it's not really just a children's forum... Alot of adults play Yu-Gi-Oh, and there are General Sections aswell...

[/quote']

 

The majority of members here range the 10-15 year old demographic.