i am now afraid to post any reply.

[business121]

when i submit any reply or post any new thread, moderators just wash my comments. sometimes although i though i replied properly, but they said to me i have posted low quality reply .

so my question is to you people, how can i improve my post quality with respect to this sitepoint forum?

i just do not want to be banned.

hoping for good replies.

[TheRaptor]

so my question is to you people, how can i improve my post quality with respect to this sitepoint forum?

Your post was probably removed because it consisted of fluff. What does that mean? A post that doesn't contribute anything to a thread is considered fluff.

Post useful comments that actually contribute to the thread and they won't be removed.

[Shaun(OfTheDead)]

uhh... Odd question but I guess you had a bad experience sometime.

If you're posting here in General Chat, you can pretty much just say whatever you want. The only rule is no politics and no religion; Sitepoint is a worldwide forum site, and there's a huge variety of economic levels, beliefs, values across the members of the site, and we found it best to not allow those topics of conversation, just in case some things some people say come across undiplomatically.

If you're posting in any of the other fora, like the programming ones or whatever, as long as your post adds to the topic, it's fine. We started deleting "fluff" posts, things like one-word answers and "nice post!" kinds of replies because they can break up the discussion too much when there's too much of it. Plus, we found a lot of spam-bots doing those kinds of "fluff" posts, so that's why that crackdown started.

Apart from that, just be yourself. Talk about whatever's on your mind or whatever questions you have. If you see someone else strugging with something you know, feel free to help him or her out. Yeah. That's all I can say.

[xhtmlcoder]

Sometimes certain members' posts can also be fairly short, vague or generic; so always try to make sure when [if] asking questions in threads that you try to be as clear as possible what you are asking a question about. Typically give plenty background information if you have a specific hard question that requires assistance for a problem you are stuck on.

If it's a more general question then obviously still try to be clear about what the topic is about, etc. So that anyone replying to help will more likely assist or reply more speedily.

I believe the forum reply part has been explained regarding how to make a quality reply and how certain posts sometimes get categorised as potential fluff (see above). I assume this additional advice might help you with some of your concerns.

[business121]

thanks for your kind replies. but see last night i posted a thread regarding help about Google Plus here. i just asked is there any option like twitter followers and facebook fan page?i really need that. but i just got an infraction from that post.

is it fair????

i need that idea badly and i did not post any spam or low quality post. but sitepoint forum told me i violated their some rules.

why this forum so much cruel to newbies? i see many people have about 4000 posts here. so they must be very much expert. this is why i join this forum. if lose my interest this way how i can get help from expert?

tell me why so much strict rules are needed when they do not permit to open your mouth to say something?

i felt every time ,when i move forward to this forum, strict rules of these forums just put a ring in my feet and i feel like i am in jail. not in a open forum.

i am very much upset. i think i need some helps from advisors.

[felgall]

last night i posted a thread regarding help about Google Plus here. i just asked is there any option like twitter followers and facebook fan page?i really need that. but i just got an infraction from that post.

The way that post read made it look like you were asking something different from that. I wasn't the one who gave the infraction for that post - I actually tried to give an answer to what I thought you were asking.

Perhaps if you hadn't mentioned money and had worded the question more as you have above then it wouldn't have got an infraction and would probably have got answers that are actually relevant to what you wanted.

When posting a question in a forum you have to try to be as clear as you can as to exactly what it is you are asking about. Be as specific as you can so that people have a better idea of what you are asking about.

The posts that you have made in this thread actually look far more like genuine posts than the one you asked about Google Plus did.

[xhtmlcoder]

Post count doesn't mean somebody is an expert; it just means they'll have posted a lot within the forum guidelines. If you are new it always seems harder until you become familiar with rules or develop more proficiency at writing good replies, and settle in, etc.

Like they say practice makes better usually. Perhaps even compare and contrast how some of the Mentors, Advisors or Team Leaders responds to various SPF forum questions and see if that gives you some inspiration.

[ralph.m]

You have been given advice about reading forum stickies that describe how to make good use of this site, about reading the forum guidelines for posting, and about forum etiquette. Have you followed any of that advice?

[ULTiMATE]

You have to bear in mind that nowadays forums are full of spammers. Moderating this forum is a full-time job and a lot of people give up time throughout the day to ensure that all spam is removed within minutes. In the same vein, we also have people who post one-liner, useless comments that add nothing to any discussion.

Just like when writing an email to someone the old rules apply. You should write with a good command of the English language, you should explain yourself clearly and concisely and you should detail exactly what you want from your post/thread. Before you post, you should search on both Google and using our search feature to make sure that your question hasn't already been covered.

In regards to the SEO forum we receive an incredible amount of spam and fluff posts from people who simply have no business giving advice on such a forum. As a user with few posts you may find that your posts are scrutinised heavily, simply because statistically most of the users in these forums have few posts and are just looking for dofollow blogs to spam or places to push their crappy links.

If you follow the advice on this page you would become a valuable member of this community, something that we desperately need across the forum.

[Michel Merlin]

General censure over forums, while not worse on SitePoint, is universal

I support business121's claim. Sure he doesn't take the required care in his writing (e.g. he is too lazy for duly capitalizing), and SitePoint is among the "less worse" forums (another testimony is the sensible and moderate replies he got), yet it remains that even SP does put a burden of anti-progress, anti-openness of mind and thinking, over any person thinking of submitting a message going the slightest outside the beaten paths; as a result, the most important questions remain unsolved and even unaddressed.

I have many examples, but God prevent me from mentioning them here, or I would be bashed once more; let's me recall just one single smallest of them, on my own case: see how a very rare thread I dared to initiate, Absolute and Complete Time, was 1st inflated out of proportions by clever nitpickings, then abruptly closed, for absolutely no admittable reason, right after I was deeply dishonestly and falsely portrayed (even if through skillful implications and insinuations, not honest upfront affirmations), thus barring me from any reply to this intentional and well-organized (even if small enough for me to recall it) public offense. Of course this question would be shared by many people, but will be publicly addressed by none, after seeing what happened to the only who dared.

Since that day I have been even more reluctant to post on SitePoint, particularly about Date and Time issues despite my achievements in that (modest) particular field since 1992 (my last post about it, Mandatory in Written-Date-and-Time: 3EN Month; TOG; DOW, was extremely prudent and restraint; and despite the work and service it hopefully brings to readers, got no reply, which by itself is enough to prove the general bias this forum, while good as a whole, maintains as all other forums over posts and posters).

Versailles, Sun 13 Nov 2011 13:46:00 +0100

[r937]

Sure he doesn't take the required care in his writing (e.g. he is too lazy for duly capitalizing)...

hold on thar, baba louie

that's insulting

I have many examples, but God prevent me from mentioning them here, or I would be bashed once more;

damned straight, because discussion of religion at sitepoint is verboten


i've read the two threads you cited, michel, and the primary and unavoidable feeling i took away from the first one is your tendency to be confrontational and argumentative

the one from this week, which received no replies, well, i'm sure it's fascinating reading for those interested in obscure date formats, but as it doesn't ask a question...

... does you really has to asks why you gots no replies?

but then there's the kicker -- no reply somehow "proves the general bias" of this forum?

i'd like to dispel this fantasy right now and say you're dreaming in technicolor

[Michel Merlin]

Please readers don't let you diverted from the very issue

that's insulting

Surely less than your post. And, this was the least I could add to that phrase, or (as your tone shows once again) I would probably have got attacked for supporting him too much.

damned straight, because discussion of religion at sitepoint is verboten

Sarcasm has always been a high argument for the ones having none.

your tendency to be confrontational and argumentative

Please quote passages showing how mine would have been more than the ones to which I was replying - or more than yours right now (yes I know, the rare survivors of my sort have the right to be continuously chased, even without arguments, whatever they do or say; and no right to reply, even with valid and weighted arguments, even less to complain, or they are made "lengthy" or "picky" at best, "parano" at worst).

but then there's the kicker -- no reply somehow "proves the general bias" of this forum?

Once corrected the bias of that "quote", I admit for this phrase (even if I know that people like you will systematically take this as an argument for lessening me in the future, while never really recognizing their errors).

Now please readers don't let facts-less, argument-less, astute replies (above, and probably below and elsewhere), divert you from the very issues.

Versailles, Sun 13 Nov 2011 16:25:00 +0100

[xhtmlcoder]

Admittedly Fri 11/11/11 11:11:11 GMT was an interesting timing of the post and it seemed informative if you are interested in circular or linear or its perception.

It probably didn't receive any replies as it appeared to pertain to be expanding upon a former age-expired thread. Though didn't it seem to be asking a specific question but expanding on a answer. However, it was an interesting read.

As I am not a moderator, it's not up to me to decide whether a thread is closed, etc.

[webdev1958]

.....how a very rare thread I dared to initiate, Absolute and Complete Time, was 1st inflated out of proportions by clever nitpickings, then abruptly closed, for absolutely no admittable reason, right after I was deeply dishonestly and falsely portrayed (even if through skillful implications and insinuations, not honest upfront affirmations), thus barring me from any reply to this intentional and well-organized (even if small enough for me to recall it) public offense.....

I haven't seen any of your posts apart from this thread, but one way to get around being prevented from defending yourself on this website, is to post copies of any lies or whatever posted about you by anyone here (along with their contact details if they are silly enough to post a link to their web site containing contact details) on other websites and defending yourself there while at the same time highlighting on other websites how you are treated here.

Then everyone can make up their own minds

[spikeZ]

Man alive

Michel, you start a thread in 2005, regenerate it 2 YEARS later with no visible support from any other member. You get a reply from staff members at the time which you seemed not to agree with and the thread was finally closed by the Site Administrator at the time.
You then lie dormant for another 4 years (approximately) and start up again?

Seriously?

None of the advisors or staff who responded in that thread are still here as personnel do change. With that changing of the guard comes different opinions and it is my opinion that I would also have closed that particular thread in the same way and fashion.
Now I know that you were using that merely as an example of the way that your posts were handled AT THE TIME but I cant really comprehend why you would come out of hibernation and start this all up again.

If you find that our style of moderating is still a concern to you after posting here a while, then please feel free to drop me a PM and we can discuss it.

webdev, that is one option I guess.

[ScallioXTX]

I haven't seen any of your posts apart from this thread, but one way to get around being prevented from defending yourself on this website, is to post copies of any lies or whatever posted about you by anyone here (along with their contact details if they are silly enough to post a link to their web site containing contact details) on other websites and defending yourself there while at the same time highlighting on other websites how you are treated here.

Then everyone can make up their own minds

Instead of going behind someone else's back to an unrelated place and vent hang their dirty laundry out for anyone to see while they might not even know that place and therefore not able to defend themselves and/or their actions, how about first trying:

• Contacting the person in question via a PM / email / whatever and see if you can discuss the matter with them personally
• Starting a new thread where you explain that you feel bad about what happened in the other thread and look for a way to resolve it nicely

I get that you'd want to vent what happened, but the way you're describing you're not letting anyone make up their own mind like you say, as at that point you'd be obviously biased against the person you're talking about.

[webdev1958]

I get that you'd want to vent what happened, but the way you're describing you're not letting anyone make up their own mind like you say, as at that point you'd be obviously biased against the person you're talking about.

But if a thread has been closed by a mod., why would they then let the "discussion" continue in another thread which would essentially just be an extension of the closed thread.

If you open another thread to continue a closed thread by proxy, I would have thought you then only increase the possibility of further infractions and possibly being banned. Depending on the circumstances and what you want to say, it might be better to present all the evidence on another appropriate website and people can then decide for themselves without peoples' views being censored or removed by moderators from the original website.

[HAWK]

I'm going to step in here.

We do our very best not to censor people's views (unless they relate to politics or religion, in which case they are not allowed) and we moderate to what we consider fair guidelines. If anyone feels they have been treated unfairly in the closure of a thread, it is completely appropriate to start a new thread here in the support forum discussing the treatment - not continuing on the topic of the closed thread - and it will be duly addressed.

We do have a policy of not discussing other members or any disciplinary actions in the public forum, so do be prepared for us to take it offline via PM. Alternatively, feel free to get in touch with me at any time should you have concerns about either your treatment or the actions of a moderator.

[webdev1958]

.....We do have a policy of not discussing other members or any disciplinary actions in the public forum, so do be prepared for us to take it offline via PM......

That's fine and you obviously have the right to put in place policies as you see fit.

But if someone wants to discuss in a public forum disciplinary action imposed on them or other members, then they have the option to do so on another website, since it is against the rules here, and that is the sole point I was making .

What I was suggesting is just an option, not a "must do".

To give you an example, recently felgall attempted to post "legal advice" which he at least implied was applicable to me. I informed him that his advice, for my particular circumstances, was total garbage and challenged him on at least 2 occasions to post evidence to support his "advice" and on each occasion he failed to post any evidence at all and continued to try to convince me that his advice applied to me as well when if he got his facts straight before posting he would have realised that I was correct and that he was wrong.

A moderator (I think felgall from memory) decided to close the thread. So if I want to continue the discussion in a public forum, one option I have is to do it on another website.

[HAWK]

Yup - what you do on another website is of no interest to me (provided you don't defame us). My concern is how our members are treated here.

[webdev1958]

That's good to hear , however it appears from the reaction to my suggestion that some other members do have an issue with what might be said on other websites even if it isn't defamatory but simply facts.

[ScallioXTX]

That's good to hear , however it appears from the reaction to my suggestion that some other members do have an issue with what might be said on other websites even if it isn't defamatory but simply facts.

I'm not against that as such, I'm just saying I personally find it odd one would refrain to such measures without first giving the person who in your opinion is lying a chance to defend themselves. It may have simply been a case of misunderstanding from either side, which on the internet where basic emotions are missing and you can't see the other person is very easy to happen.

[webdev1958]

....I'm just saying I personally find it odd one would refrain to such measures without first giving the person who in your opinion is lying a chance to defend themselves.....

I agree in general with what you say, but in this case felgall was challenged at least twice to post evidence to support his "legal advice" and on all occasions he failed to post any evidence at all and eventually the thread was closed.

Closing the thread is then a clear indication to me that no further public domain correspondence is wished to be entered into. So if I wanted to continue the discussion in a public forum, as everyone is entitled to do, then an option is to do so on another website.