How To Become A Hot Topic On the Forums, Random Announcements

As with most forums, the Atmosphir Forums, by default, base their listing of threads based on the most recent post. Topics which have more recent posts are at the top of the list. If a thread does not receive a post, it begins to sink until it does. Threads which are deemed important or popular enough by the moderators can be marked as a “sticky,” which basically means that it will be on the top of the lit, no matter what, until it is no longer “sticky.” These topics will generally relate to the rules of a forum, or involve some sort of current event.

But what can the rest of us do to get noticed? Getting a topic stickied, especially when it is made by a common user, is an incredibly rare event. Therefore, we must ensure that our topics receive enough posts to keep it floating on the first page. People do not generally look past the first page of a forum, so if your topic that falls off, odds are that you are the only one who cares and can being it back.

In my mind, there are some guidelines that I follow when I create a topic. I think the community would look nicer if we took a few simple steps when opening a topic. Here are my top picks from such steps, as well as some concepts that can put your topic on the bad side of a moderator.

Follow the common rules of the English language. As far as I know, there is hardly any diversity of languages when it comes to the Atmosphir community. If they do exist, then this rule really doesn’t apply as much to them. As for the rest of us, we have grown up with the knowledge of the English language. First, capitalization. In my opinion, topics look much nicer when capitalized correctly. Second, spelling. While abbreviated phrase such as “LOL” or “BRB” may be popular on the internet, I believe they don’t make for a very good title. Some spelling mistakes I’ve noticed are very simple words which could be corrected easily. This seems like it should be a small problem, but it is a rather large one in actuality. Even the content of your post should follow these guidelines. There are several ways you can make sure you haven’t made a mistake. Some web browsers include a built-in spell check. If not, the forums themselves have a spell check feature. Simply click on “Spell Check” when you are done, and it does the hard work for you. If you still have problems, type it out in a word processor first. I do this with my longer replies and topics, as well as these blog posts. My spelling may appear nice, but in actuality, I make my share of mistakes. It’s a simple step that we need to realize. I’ve noticed that threads with spelling mistakes often receive nothing but comments referencing the error in the name. This is not how you want to make a thread popular.

Make sure you are posting in the correct topic. The Atmosphir forums are divided into several different topics. Each topic is there for a different purpose. If you need a description of the topic, they can be found directly under the topic’s name. Make sure you read these! If you post something in the wrong topic, a moderator may request that you move it to the correct topic, or if they have the power, do it themselves. If you have a question about where to post something, feel free to send a message to a moderator. They will be more than happy to direct you to the correct location.

Appeal to the masses. Make sure your topic is appealing to anyone who might see it. The first step of this would be to follow the above guideline, “make sure you post in the right topic.” This will narrow down your audience considerably. First, you should make the topic something that will capture someone’s attention like a Pokemon. For example, in the Competition topic, would you rather click on a thread named “try my level” or “Come play Time Trial Tower Dash [Mini09]! 500 Atmos Prize!” (DISCLAIMER: There is no prize for this level. It was simply an example)? I think the answer is obvious. The name of the thread provides information such as a level name and prize. The prize is especially important, as there are many people who would look into anything involving Atmos. While very obvious, there are some things you should not, under any circumstance, include in your title, post, or anywhere on the forums. These include, but are not limited to, racial slurs, anti-religious statements, negative comments directed towards another user, curses, swears, etc. Please be smart when you name a topic!

Present your information in a legible and interesting form. After you’ve brought someone in with your interesting name, be sure to follow up with interesting and accurate information. Make sure that your post actually relates to your title, as well. Follow the previous three guidelines when you write the core of your thread. Use proper spelling and grammar, make sure it’s relevant to the topic, and appeal to the masses. When writing your post, there are certain guidelines for certain topics. In the Creative Spotlight and Competition topics, posts generally include screenshots and links relating to it. Provide interesting information in order to keep your audience intrigued. When posting screenshots, make sure they make your topic look interesting. If you need help following the tradition of the topic, look around at some other threads to get a feel for what you’re doing.

Know when to quit. There comes a time in every thread’s life when its purpose has been served. It’s important to know when that is. If your question has been answered, your competition is over, or you start to receive negative comments, it’s generally time to close shop and move on. This is when the “lock” feature comes into play. A locked thread can be viewed, but not posted on. In order to lock your own thread, scroll to the bottom left corner. There will be an option to lock this topic. Click on that, and it is locked. If you need to unlock your thread for some reason, it can be done though the same method.

There are some things that can put you on the bad side of a moderator as well.

Bumping a topic. “Bumping” a topic means that you post again, generally a double-post, in order to bring a thread to the top of the list again. As a general rule, do not double-post. This is a common rule throughout many forums. Also important is not to resurrect a thread by posting on it. This applies to threads that are ancient and/or are irrelevant.

Remember, moderators are members of the community, just like us, except with the power to, well, moderate. Try to make their job easier by following the rules. They want to enjoy Atmosphir as much as we do, and they deserve it for the services they do for the community.

Time is running out for level submissions to the Atlympics! Make sure you get your levels submitted for the current round ASAP.

Dave will be recording another journal very soon. Expect to see it tomorrow.

I’m very interested in what you guys think should be done with the Atmosphirian. If you have any suggestions regarding topics you’d like me to talk about, please send me a PM on the forums. Please, no promoting your own self/mod/level for spotlights. These titles are earned, not given. If you’d like to recommend something for a spotlight, however, please do.

Time is quickly running out for the Expert09 Play Challenge. For those of you who need a refresher, please go here: http://atmosphir.com/news/2009/07/expert09-play-challenge/

That’s all for tonight, good night everyone!