Board Etiquette

[shoplineca]

I have seen some people posting here and other Power Sellers, myself included, take the time to try and assist but the OP seems to have vanished off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again.

There are other 'infractions' of what I would call board etiquette, which are not to cirumvent eBay's rules, that can be added here as well.

I have a couple of suggestions to start this off.
Feel free to add to them (or not).

1. If you post a question on the board and members respond and ask questions so that they can assist you, please have the decency to come back to your thread in a timely manner and provide the requested information.

2. If you post a question and are given some suggestions, please come back and let your fellow Power Sellers know the results of what happened given the suggestion you used.

Malcolm

[laplaya29]

Ok, I have a question. What is OP as in " The OP seems to have vanished "
As soon as you tell me, I will say oh ya... I should have known that, but for the life of me sitting here I cannot figure out what OP stands for.
I am going to bed now, so I will check tomorrow and find my answer.
Thanks.
Bill.

[muminlaw]

Hi Bill,

OP is the Original or Opening Post(er). Another one of the unending acronyms used on the boards. Someone should post a glossary in the FAQ (frequently asked questions)!!

Glenda

[muminlaw]

PS -- I agree Malcolm, but I think you're beating a dead horse (where did that expression come from?) -- if their mothers couldn't teach them, I don't think we have a hope in 'ell!!

[shoplineca]

Glenda
I agree with your agreeing.

Its nuts. Someone posted a question 3 or 4 days ago which didnt make any sense so questions were asked for more details but the OP NEVER came back to give any.

They just posted a question asking for assistance and NEVER bothered coming back for the answers or to give more information.

I hate to say it, but the Canadian Board took a turn for the worse a year ago because of some confrontational posts by one, maybe two posters and it has pretty much died since then.

I still come back several times a day to see if there is something I can help someone with or to post something I have learned from the US PS Board that pertains to Cdn PSers but does not get posted here.

Malcolm

[laplaya29]

Thanks Glenda, I always learn something new in these forums. OP Opening Poster.... got it.

[ospreylinks]

Ya I know.... the acronyms can drive u nuts....

I have been posting here for a while and every once and a while some puts up an acronym and you feel really foolish asking what it means, like you don't want to come across as a duffus or anything....

Like the LOL that everyone uses.... what the heck is that all about?

Jeff

(Just jokin' as I Laugh Out Loud)

[muminlaw]

Jeff, back in the early days of the internet -- {remember bulletin boards?} -- a friend wondered what ROTFL meant. She and another friend finally decided it must mean "right out to freakin' lunch!" When you stop and think about it, they weren't far off!

Glenda

[niko_and_co]

Malcolm aren't you preaching to the converted? Kind of like the teacher who lectures the kids who are on time about being late?

[shoplineca]

There are alot of new Power Sellers and others who have never posted here or anywhere else.

While my computer experience began about 36 years ago(Fortran programming back in 1968) and been involved in the internet since 9.6k modems and BBS, this is the first discussion board I had ever participated on and I am sure it is for others.

Many people fear the first time they post that theymay not be welcomed by the community or teased over their question or have their auctions closely srutinized by the members.

That certainly is the case on the US Board where not only newbies but seasoned posters had better be able to handle their own over there.

My starting this thread wasnt to preach to seasoned or converted posters but more to open the door to people who havent posted ever before or very often and let them know that there are some courtesy rules outside of eBay's rules that will help the board be a better communication tool for everyone to use, to become more effective.

The Cdn PS Board was very active a year ago. For several reasons it has gone from 10-15 new posts per day with lots of participation to 1 or 2 new posts every 10 days and sporatic comments from no more that 5 or 6 members who continue to lurk here.

Malcolm

[laplaya29]

I got into the computer game around 1980 and my first modem was a 300 bps. I ran a bulletin board system on that modem. It was a long distance charge to connect to other BBS's Then the BBS's started linking together, forwarding e-mails and discussions from BBS to BBS, I remember my phone ringing around 3am every morning while the BBS protocol communicated with the other BBS's to update their data.

[shoplineca]

I remember the first handheld calculator, a heavy and bulky black piece of metal and plastic sold by Eatons department stores costing $299 and all it could do was add, subtract, multiply and divide with some minor memory capacity.

I owned a Commodore Vic20 and played pong. Later I had a Commodore 64. I owned several early IBM desktops that I cant even remember what the model numbers were.

I remember how the internet world changed with JAVA not that many years ago. With total amazement we left the world of simply looking at a non-moving page of information on a 14" monitor to where we could watch someone's eyelid opening and closing.

Regardless of the changes between the 1960s and the 1990s, we have come further in the last 10 years than we truly realize.

Malcolm

[ospreylinks]

Although off topic from the title of this thread, (maybe a new thread should be started about people's first experience on a BBS or computing), I similarly got involved in BBS's (and a little B.S.'ing) back in the mid '80s with an old XT computer and a slow dial up modem to Compuserve.

It was a toll charge to log into the nearest node plus access fees cost me a small fortune every month, but it was like an addiction.....

Jeff

[lina-mallows]

There hasn't been a discussion about 'board etiquette' for quite some time.

[recped]

Haven't needed one until recently.

[tea_past_times]

Here, Here !!