the void of the wasteland

[wPod]

yikes! i just made my 500th post today and then noticed that a recent thread of mine (with a number of positive responses) just got dumped into the wasteland! ive always kept my threads or posts within the limits of the rules and thought the rules are very fair. i even just re-read the rules, and can't really figure out why they thread made it to the wasteland. (i was actually about to respond to something and noticed that i could not respond!) i realize that something makes it to the waste land if it is annoying or bad like spam. the thread is

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/89978/

can anyone tell me what i did so i dont do it again?
Thanks!

 

[dotnina]

This is just a guess ...

I've noticed that threads like "I Just Got My Avatar" and "500 Posts!" are typically Wastelanded. I seem to remember some mod mentioning at some point that if everyone did this, we'd have to see a lot of these threads.

That said, it sounded like you were looking for advice on an avatar rather than just boasting about 500 posts, so I'm not exactly sure why your post went to the Wasteland.

 

[SilentPanda]

It's considered a "postcount++" post... especially when you're so close to breaking 500...

 

[Capt Underpants]

I don't know why it was considered a post count booster. The post wasn't about reaching 500, it was asking advice about how to make an avatar, and where to get good 'tars.

 

[grapes911]

How many "iBook or Powerbook" questions do we have, which don't get wastelanded?

You can't justify a wrong with another wrong. Most of those posts should go there. Search people! I agree though, if I have to hear "should I buy a iBook or Powerbook?" one more I'm going to flip. It would be great if there was a garbage collector that would automatically move all the crap straight to the wasteland.

 

[applemacdude]

Posting And YOU

 

[mvc]

Lighten up on the newbs

You can't justify a wrong with another wrong. Most of those posts should go there. Search people! I agree though, if I have to hear "should I buy a iBook or Powerbook?" one more I'm going to flip. It would be great if there was a garbage collector that would automatically move all the crap straight to the wasteland.

Now that just sounds like sour grapes

It may be boring for long term users to see all these recurring thread subjects, but it's all mystery and confusion to newbies and switchers, so cut them some slack, or even better, give them the benefit of your experience by offering some good advice.

In the end, its mutual free exchange of ideas from the wise AND the inexperienced that makes this a worthwhile forum, not a bunch of 'don't come around here until you can do it right' attitude, which would make it more of a club, or maybe a clique?

 

[continuum]

Posting And YOU

where do you guys find this stuff...

 

[wPod]

Posting And YOU

LOL!!! i think everyone should be required to watch that before they can post their own thread!!!

but i dont think we should be so hard on the newbies for the 'ibook/pb' question. they are new to the forums and unfamiliar with the search function. and a lot of times they are switchers, so new to macs as well. we should support them in any way we can. and most of the questions are usually specific to the person posting. one person might be concerned about speed while the next may be concerned with the backlit keyboard.

i guess i can somewhat see the questionability of my thread. but i still have been having a lot of trouble searching for a good thread about avatars. the closest thing i have found is people asking 'which of the following 4 avatars should i pick' which has never led me to a good site of avatars. i ended up just using a picture of me driving my jeep (befor the transmision died :-( ) but i kinda want to change it, i want something more mac oriented.

 

[grapes911]

Now that just sounds like sour grapes

It may be boring for long term users to see all these recurring thread subjects, but it's all mystery and confusion to newbies and switchers, so cut them some slack, or even better, give them the benefit of your experience by offering some good advice.

In the end, its mutual free exchange of ideas from the wise AND the inexperienced that makes this a worthwhile forum, not a bunch of 'don't come around here until you can do it right' attitude, which would make it more of a club, or maybe a clique?

Your probably right, it is mostly newbies that make these posts. I am happy to help them switch. But, maybe someone should post "try searching" and then post a link or two to other posts with the same question. There is no reason for 25 people to give their opinions when the same 25 opinions where already expressed many times.

Its not that I'm mean, I swear. I'm just a very "logical" person. I like things to be efficient. But I guess things will never get too efficent in an open forum.

 

[rueyeet]

LOL!!! i think everyone should be required to watch that before they can post their own thread!!!

MacRumors is actually one heck of a polite and informative community, relatively speaking. There are boards out there that would convince even the most forgiving forum-goer that it would be immensely beneficial to the overall health of forums everywhere (not to mention the sanity of everyone posting to them) if that simple little Flash presentation were mandatory viewing in schools nationwide as part of being taught how to use the Internet.

In the end, its mutual free exchange of ideas from the wise AND the inexperienced that makes this a worthwhile forum, not a bunch of 'don't come around here until you can do it right' attitude, which would make it more of a club, or maybe a clique?

And there are boards of my acquaintance where the lack of application of those very basic posting principles have caused the community to become exactly like that. You know you've got to stay on your toes when a forum has an entire section devoted exclusively to flaming.