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The "Do-Not"s of Off-Topic

There are some "Do"s too, but less.

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#1 Ice Nine

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Posted 14 May 2012 - 09:11 PM

People have noticed in the past that the Off-Topic subforum is moderated with iron fist inside iron fist inside iron fist. To some degree people are rightly frightened of posting a topic, for fear of an instant death sentence on their account. This is because, without attention and close moderation, any area devoted to off-topic posting can become a recipe for post-whoring, stupid and unfunny jokes, and cross-linked whoring.

However, the off-topic area should see a little more action than it currently is receiving. These are guidelines in order to best instruct on how to properly post and act when talking about non-Nerf content on a Nerf forum.

Here is the important summary I will give:

Off-topic is not for all content that it is not Nerf related. Its title is a misnomer. It is not a place for discussion of topics. There are many, many things you should not ever post about, which includes, but is not limited to: religion, politics, laws, drugs, philosophy, humor. Do not post threads about these things. Post threads that give information or have a distinct purpose. Almost no thread should be conversational. Attempt to limit yourself to one post per thread, and only use that one post when you're sure you won't need to use it ever afterwards.

Here are some good examples of threads that are okay (I'll explain why in a bit).

Official Steam/PC Gaming Thread: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=18231

Xbox Live Recreational Community House: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=14544

Harbor Freight Coupon: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=21044

SOPA/PIPA and the Site Blackouts: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=22048

These are generally "good form" off-topic topics. The first two serve a purpose of using the NIC to organize not-necessarily-NIC-related events. If you want to try and get a local game of paintball going, asking people you already associate with through the hobby to join you in the off-topic forum is not a bad idea. Playing games with people you converse with online is also a good idea. However, also note the behavior of the people within this thread; generally, each person posts exactly once, which is as frequently as they need to in order to communicate their information. Generally, these types of thread don't need constant updates, so consider a limit on posts per thread per member to be one, unless an update is urgently necessary.

The next thread is one that alerts the NIC to a useful service. Harbor Freight offers many items useful to modders and builders, and savings for members of the community is a generally useful thing to do. Also note that this thread is relatively barren except for the original post. Unless there has been some change, or some unnoticed restriction on the service or deal, there is no reason to continue a discussion about it. Do not post unless it is vital that you do, and even then, prepare to be judged harshly.

UPDATE: Langley has now started a new thread, in trading, that will give a place for people to post deals and coupons. Here it is. This is where you should post retail coupons, deals, and other assorted product-relevant information.

The final thread type is the most dangerous of the allowable type. Before, when the forum was much smaller and less busy, this probably would have floated better, but notice that a forum administrator was the one who posted it in order to relay information about the state of the site (and a few other issues as well). Political topics are NOT welcome in off-topic; this is an exception due to exceptional circumstances. Partisan discussion is not welcome, and people should restrict their posting in these types of thread to be especially civil, and only post when information relevant should be shared. In summary: Don't post political things.

The summary of posting here is, generally, "don't." But that's only the general case. As you can see, there are some entirely okay scenarios in which the off-topic subforum can be used to post off-topic material, and you will not be punished for it.

Now, this would not be much of a guideline if I did not also provide examples of people doing the exact wrong thing.

Happy Birthday Ted: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=22510

The World Is Yours: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=16000

New Member from Florida: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=22091

Jessica Alba or Meghan Fox?: http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=19991

The first thread is wrong in a largely different way than the rest. Birthday threads are generally not worth posting, and will generally lead to punishment. Quite frankly, there are extremely few birthdays that are worth celebrating in the NIC, and there were extenuating circumstances leading to the posting of that thread. Do not take the posting of that thread as an invitation to wish that person a happy birthday. While it is a nice gesture, for the most part you are an anonymous stranger on the internet to them, and they have other people they should probably be talking to on their birthday.

The next case is one I included primarily because it's an incredible example of how things can go wrong very quickly. Clearly that topic had no business being on NerfHaven in any capacity to begin with. If you're going to attempt to post creative works on a forum like this that do not directly relate to Nerf, do your best to make them interesting (and even then it will probably not be okay). Basically everything the original poster posted is against the COC as well, so, don't do that.

Introduction threads are not useful. Introduce yourself by posting Nerf-relevant material, like modifications or homemades, or that you will be attending a war in the near future. We generally do not need to get your life story before you begin posting.

Polls are generally a recipe for disaster. Clearly this topic is useless at best, and there exist literally zero reasons for its existence. It is a waste of bandwidth to have to load that page. Before you post, ask yourself: "Is this really something that is worth putting out?" If you have to genuinely think about it, at all, especially in off-topic, it is not, and you should discard it.

Off-topic can be scary, and rightfully so; the subforum is littered with the carcasses of threads and members who lost their digital lives because they couldn't follow basic rules and common sense. With a little common sense and the rules outlined above, one may post in off-topic with a significantly reduced fear of being struck down by a banhammer.

Edited by Ice Nine, 15 May 2012 - 03:04 PM.

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Unholy Three: DUPLUM SCRTA, DUPLUM PROBLEMA (2009)

But Zeke guns tend to be like proofs by contradiction

Theoretically solid but actually non-constructive

Rnbw Cln


#2 Langley

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Posted 14 May 2012 - 09:24 PM

Ice Nine has been given a selection of moderator privileges that will allow him to enforce these rules within the Off-Topic forum. Post accordingly.
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You can poop in my toilet anytime champ.

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#3 Daniel Beaver

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Posted 14 May 2012 - 09:34 PM

Ice Nine is the authority on off-topic bullshit, so respect his wisdom.
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#4 thesaz123

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Posted 14 May 2012 - 10:12 PM

This is interesting, and funny to read some of those "What not to post" topics haha

Edited by thesaz123, 14 May 2012 - 10:13 PM.

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#5 cmeej

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Posted 15 May 2012 - 11:49 AM

Here is the important summary I will give:

Don't post in the off-topic forum. Ever. Lest ye wish to be struck down by a boffer wielding sumo wrestler.

Stay in school kids.


Question, wouldn't the Harbor Freight thread fit better into the Product Awareness thread? Great guide anyhow.

Edited by cmeej, 15 May 2012 - 11:53 AM.

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#6 Ryan201821

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Posted 15 May 2012 - 02:09 PM

Question, wouldn't the Harbor Freight thread fit better into the Product Awareness thread? Great guide anyhow.

News flash.. that thread is hundreds of pages of garbage.
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#7 HasreadCoC

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Posted 15 May 2012 - 02:13 PM

News flash.. that thread is hundreds of pages of garbage.

Except when it points out $25 shipped RFSG's. Then, it's suddenly awesome.
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I'm the only respectable person here. The rest of the NIC are pretty much just child molesters.


AKA: ObiWonTwo on Nerfrevolution, and most of the rest of the internet for that matter.....

#8 Langley

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Posted 15 May 2012 - 02:34 PM

Except when it points out $25 shipped RFSG's. Then, it's suddenly awesome.


There are almost 4,000 posts in that thread. Even if that were terribly impressive, it would be a drop in the bucket. Also, your post is off-topic.
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You can poop in my toilet anytime champ.

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Bless you, my son. Now recite 3 New Members Guides and 5 Code of Conducts for your sins.


#9 Ice Nine

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Posted 15 May 2012 - 02:38 PM

Question, wouldn't the Harbor Freight thread fit better into the Product Awareness thread? Great guide anyhow.


If you ever edit my post content to include an allusion to LiterSize again, your account is forfeit. My sentiment on that thread is shared by Ryan.

And apparently Langley, who just closed it. Thanks, Langley.

This is interesting, and funny to read some of those "What not to post" topics haha


That was a great example of a useless post that only serves to clutter threads and make them worse. Thanks for the excellent example!

Except when it points out $25 shipped RFSG's. Then, it's suddenly awesome.


Since those deals and posts are orders of magnitude more rare than "the local TRU that I don't give an address or location for, that no other Nerfer goes to, has X, Y, and Z" they are better served being distinct threads. They will be closely monitored.


Langley has started a new thread, in trading, for this sort of thing. It is for coupons and other deals. Retail coupons, discounts, and product availability can be found here. The first post in this thread will be edited accordingly.

Edited by Ice Nine, 15 May 2012 - 03:02 PM.

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Unholy Three: DUPLUM SCRTA, DUPLUM PROBLEMA (2009)

But Zeke guns tend to be like proofs by contradiction

Theoretically solid but actually non-constructive

Rnbw Cln


#10 cmeej

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Posted 16 May 2012 - 12:04 AM

Fantastic revision. Thanks Langley! Ice9: it was an act of love <3

Edited by cmeej, 16 May 2012 - 12:04 AM.

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#11 TantumBull

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Posted 16 May 2012 - 02:55 AM

Is the original poster allowed to post again after starting the thread or does that count as his 1 significant post?
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#12 Ice Nine

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Posted 16 May 2012 - 12:42 PM

Is the original poster allowed to post again after starting the thread or does that count as his 1 significant post?


Fair question. I'd say that the original poster should keep secondary posts to a minimum. There's certainly no need to respond to every question immediately after it's been posted; I doubt that anything posted in here will be time-sensitive, and in the cases when it is not, the OP should probably try and keep it to a post per day. If it's time sensitive that can override.
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Unholy Three: DUPLUM SCRTA, DUPLUM PROBLEMA (2009)

But Zeke guns tend to be like proofs by contradiction

Theoretically solid but actually non-constructive

Rnbw Cln


#13 Yerdiboy15

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Posted 03 March 2013 - 04:03 AM

How can I delete my account.

You can get your account deleted if you do something worth it being deleted. Post a topic of gay furry pornography or something and we'll see what happens to your account. Earn it!

Edited by Ice Nine, 03 March 2013 - 08:13 PM.

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#14 hamoidar

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Posted 03 March 2013 - 07:16 PM

How can I delete my account.

Contact a forum admin, (langley, Doom) and ask them to delete your account. Or, post "ban me" on langley's profile!

I'm going to change your name to Son Of Mr Hands, real talk.

Hamoidar: What?

Edited by hamoidar, 05 March 2013 - 05:49 PM.

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NerfHaven > Your control panel > Profile > Change Signature > Inserts dumb sig > What! No pictures! > Inserts next best thing: http://nerfhaven.com...howuser=114052' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>Best thing on Nerfhaven!

#15 arethamorce

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Posted 02 July 2019 - 12:53 AM

thanks for accepting


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