General Hardass's Posting Rules

If you're looking for a sugar-coated, politically correct class for "posting etiquette", you've come to the wrong place. This is a class for MEN, and dumbasses that want lots of back-patting and lollipop sucking should report to Miss Janet. In this class, you will get the cold, hard, sobering truth about how to create an intelligent post. It might hurt, but it's for your own good.

Posting--and this is applicable to any chat board, discussion group, talk list, etc--is a simple thing to do, so it's amazing that so many people flunk the basic principles. So welcome to boot camp.

Don't ask stupid questions.

A common mistake--especially for newbies that are new to a discussion group--is to ask annoyingly stupid questions. I'm sure you've heard all your life that there is no such thing as a stupid question--but it's not true. There are stupid questions, and you must learn to recognize them so as not to fall victim into actually asking one.

What makes a question stupid? If it's been asked multiple times in the past, it's probably a stupid question. To combat this insaneness, search the archives for the previous person who asked the stupid question and learn from the answers others provided.

Another stupid question is one that is answered in the FAQ. FAQ is short for Frequently Asked Questions--usually the kind of stuff newbies are always asking about and is certain to raise the ire of experienced posters that don't want to deal with a dumbass. So somebody took the liberty of creating a webpage to answer the questions so they don't have to deal it with on a regular basis anymore. So if you dare to ask a question that's already answered in the FAQ, it's not just a stupid question, but a very stupid question. Your reputation will be rewarded accordingly.

Asking a stupid question makes you look stupid, even if we all know you really aren't stupid, but unless that's the first impression you want to make, you're really better off lurking for a couple of weeks first. Learn who's "in" and who's "out". Learn from other people's stupid questions. Get to know the personalities and issues involved on a talk list, and you'll sound infinitely more wise when you do finally create your first post.

If you start posting more than a few posts per day, you'll begin to annoy people. Perhaps all of your 30 posts yesterday were insightful, witty, and full of useful and interesting information, but I can assure you that most people aren't impressed. It's a busy board and few people have time to read all posts. If you start posting countless posts every day, people will start ignoring them. They don't have time for it.

I know for a fact--because I do it frequently and I know others that do so as well--scan the talk list and automatically skip any post made by a stupid person. When I see a dozen different posts by a single person on a single day, I skip them. I know there won't be any meat in those posts, I classify the person as a dumbass, and move on. Ironically, serial posters collectively have their posts read less often than a single, well-thought post.

The letterboxing board is a busy board, and people want to sort through the list as quickly as possible reading only the posts relevant to them. If you post clues for a new letterbox, state in the subject it's a new letterbox. If you are changing the clues for a letterbox, tell people what box is being updated in the subject line. If the post is about your mother-in-law and the delicious apple pie she made last night, say so in the subject line.

On the letterboxing boards, whenever possible, start the subject line with the abbreviation for the state it's applicable to. I'm a letterboxer in Oregon, and I don't give a damn if there's a new letterbox in Texas. Don't force me to read the clue to figure that out. Actually, the truth of the matter is that when somebody posts a new clue and they don't mention what state the new box is located in, I just don't read the clue. It's not worth my time because more often than not, it'll be in a location that doesn't interest me.

It boils down to this: Your post has an intended audience, and you want that audience to identify your post so they can read it. If your subject doesn't say who it is for, many people will read it and cuss your name for wasting their time, and others that want to read that post will skip it not realizing that it's meant for them. So make your subject lines count!

This is a continuation of the theme in the previous question. The subject of a thread has a tendency to change over time. This is normal and fine, but if you change the topic of the thread, update the subject line so people can know what the new topic is about. There might be people who aren't following the thread about a new letterbox in Zimbabwe, but they might be interested when the topic strays off to letterboxes in New Zealand. So make sure the subject matches the topic of the post!

The main letterboxing board gets most of the fame and glory, but there are other letterboxing related boards about specific topics or areas of interest such as the Pacific Northwest letterboxing board or the hitchhiker board. These boards were created so people that were interested in that subject or topic could have their own board and not bother the people on the main talk list that aren't interested in it. It's a way to make things easier for people that aren't interested in a specific area of letterboxing.

But for some bizarre reason, some people feel the urge to post the exact same message everywhere, which does nothing but force several people to read the exact same post multiple times. Not only is this annoying, but it's a waste of time for those that read both boards.

If you find a letterbox in Oregon and want to report the status of the box, do so where people are interested: The Pacific Northwest letterboxing board. Posting it to the main letterboxing board is stupid since only two types of people will read it: (1) those that don't live in the area and don't give a hoot about the box, or (2) those that do live about the area but already read the exact same post on the Pacific Northwest board. Either way, nobody will appreciate the second, identical post.

"Ahhh," you might say, "But I've found a cure for poison oak! Everyone is going to be interested in my post!" In a case like that, the main letterboxing board is the appropriate place. If you post it to the Pacific Northwest board as well, they'll be annoyed at having to see the exact same post a second time.

If you have a question about letterboxes in France, why would you ask a bunch of people in the Pacific Northwest? Unless you have some reason to believe that those guys in the Pacific Northwest are experts on French letterboxes, address your question to the main letterboxing board. So if you have something to say, go ahead and say it, but be smart and only say it once and do it in the appropriate forum. Got it?

If somebody asks a question--for instance, "Let me know if the Arizona letterbox has been found recently,"--never, ever reply saying "Ditto", "Me too", or similar expression. If somebody knows the answer, they will reply to the post and you'll get the answer anyway, but now a zillion people will read that stupid post thinking it has the answer only to find out that not only were you not able to provide an answer, but you wasted their time.

Another type of post with the same theme is, "I had a great time at the Gathering!" and everyone else posts "Me too!" It's a sign of a lazy typist or thinker if the best you can write is "Me too". Elaborate. Tell us what you liked and stop wasting our time.

Some posts are lengthy, which is okay most of the time, but if you reply to one, only include--at most--a few selected lines that you'd like to comment on. This helps keep your post focused and people can figure out what you're replying to. If you reply with the entire post, it makes your post difficult to read. It makes it longer for people with slow connections to read.

The easiest way to solve this problem is just not include any part of a post you're replying to, but rather state the purpose of your reply directly. If someone writes asking the status of the XYZ letterbox and you want to reply to the post, write directly, "I found the XYZ letterbox last year and it was in great shape then!" People know what you're talking about and you're not cluttering your post with unnecessary quotes.

While you may think everyone else wants to follow your life as if you were a celebrity, you're wrong. Tell us selected stories about certain boxes you found because there's something extraordinary about the story. Getting bitten by snakes is good stuff. Being rescued by handsome firefighters because you're up to your neck in mud is good stuff. Saying you had a nice walk with Fluffy to get a drive-by letterbox in your neighborhood after stopping at a McDonalds to pick up a Happy Meal with an extra side of French Fries does not interest us. Leave it for your autobiography.

Every parent seems to think that their child is particularly gifted, special, and otherwise interesting to the rest of the world. Don't get caught in this trap. Love your children, but remember that most of the world--while they will wish you well--really aren't interested in hearing about the nitty gritty details about your child taking their first step or saying their first word. (Unless their first word happens to be "letterbox"--that might amuse other letterboxers and it would be something they'd like to hear about.)

When you post to a public message board, your post should be meant for the public, not an individual. The classic example is of somebody posting something of interest to the members of the board such as my completing the Appalachian Trail. Then thirty people post, "Congratulations!" This is a message meant specifically for me, so why are you posting it on a public message board? Do you think anyone else wants to read about you congratulating me? Give congratulations when congratulations are due, but e-mail them directly to the recipient.

When somebody sends you a private e-mail, don't be a dumbass by repling it to it on the public message boards! If they wanted their message to be public, they'd have posted it on the talk list themselves. If there is something relevant that deserves to be public, quote them anonymously--and only then if the author cannot be determined from the content. You'll make a lot of very, very bad enemies if you break this rule.

On a related note, if you do reply to a public post via e-mail, be careful of the fact that some people have the posts sent as e-maill, and it's very difficult if not impossible to tell the difference between a public post and a private e-mail. So to be on the safe side, if you don't want an e-mail to accidentally become public, say so in your e-mail. Change the subject line so it doesn't start with "[LbNA]" (or whatever the case may be), and start with something like "I'm writing this e-mail because...." or end with "Please keep this between us" or whatever. Make sure the recipient knows that they're reading a private e-mail, not a public post.

Attachments are notorious for evil things such as viruses, and even if YOU know all your attachments are virus free, everyone else on the board can't be so sure. They won't download the attachment nor read it. So find a way to avoid using an attachment--that is, if the board in question even allows them in the first place.

I'm convinced that the human race has an unexplained desire to use acronyms to make themselves look smarter and more intelligent. By making their posts difficult to read, it gives them a heightened sense of "I'm better than you." Instead of using complicated lingo or acronyms, simply tell what you want to say using simple terminology that anyone can read and understand. This also helps cut down on unnecessary stupid posts (see above) where people have to ask, "What the hell does *#*@ mean?" and wasting everyone else's time by either reading or replying to such messages.

I've had a couple of nimwits comment that they use acronyms because it saves keystrokes, not to make themselves look smarter and more intelligent. If you prefer to be thought of as a lazy dumbass instead of a conceited egotist, that's your prerogative.

If you want to look like an intelligent individual that should be taken seriously, avoid all but the most common acronyms. Examples of common (and acceptable) acronyms include ASAP, FYI, and state abbreviations. That, obviously, is not a complete listing, but if you're in doubt about an acronym, don't use it.

If you've found a mystery box, do not ruin it for everyone else by telling anyone where the box is, directly or indirectly. If you find several letterboxes, don't tell people you found 13 letterboxes in ABC Park, and also the XYZ mystery box yesterday. You might think nobody will figure out the mystery box is in ABC Park, but you'd be wrong. And it'll piss off anyone that hasn't found the box yet. Wait a week or two and then post saying you found the XYZ mystery box and it's still alive and well. Or better yet, e-mail the owner and tell them directly.

The letterboxing community consists of thousands of families and individuals all over the country, and you aren't going to like some of them. In fact, you might hate a couple. With a passion. Everyone I know agrees that most letterboxers are wonderful, caring, and intelligent individuals, but there's always that one that will piss you off. Very emotional "discussions" frequently break out on the talk list.

But if you resort to personal attacks or name-calling, you only make yourself look bad. There's absolutely no excuse for it. Civilized disagreements and discussions are fine and even fun at times, but always keep it civil.

One person told me about his "Mike Tyson Rule". Imagine you were talking face-to-face with Mike Tyson whenever you post, and try to imagine how he might respond. (Keep in mind his infamous reputation for being quick to temper.) If you'd hesitate saying something inflammatory to him face-to-face, don't post it publicly either.