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Because it's come to my attention that a lot of people from the emailing lists, Gateworld, and other forums don't understand the basic etiquette (rules of politeness) on LJ, here's a brief primer about posting on LJ: five basic, easy things to change.
Formatting is important on LJ
On most emailing lists and forums - particularly Gateworld - the formatting doesn't matter. People on Gateworld don't mind if your paragraphs are allsquishedtogetherwithoutparagraphbreaks, if your posts are mispeeled, if you CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY, if you use multiple exclamation marks!!!!, if your font changes suddenly in the middle of a sentence.
People on LJ do mind.
LiveJournal is about content: the words and graphics that you post. Much of the formatting can already be done for you if you know how. On the other hand, because the formatting is already done, when you screw up the formatting, then people are not inclined to look kindly upon you or your work. You'll gain a reputation for being mediocre.
Do you want to be mediocre? I don't.
I'm going to go through the five most common issues that I see in posts around the fandom. Some people are guilty of this once, some people are guilty of this repeatedly. What I say is that it doesn't matter what you've done in the past: you can change this now. You can learn a new trick. You can get better. Learning is not something you just do at school - it's something that's with you all your life.
So, let's start learning about LiveJournal etiquette!
1. Paragraph breaks
You can put these in using the 'break' HTML code <br /> or <br> (either works), or by selecting the HTML tab and unchecking the "Disable Auto Formatting" at the top. <p> also does the trick - 'paragraph' HTML code.
If "Disable Auto Formatting" is unchecked, then you can just press the enter key on your keyboard to make a new paragraph, the same way you do in a Word processor.
Between paragraphs, it's a good idea to have a blank line - it makes it easier to read. One <p> equals two <br>s, which equals two enters.
2. Spelling and Grammar
Spelling is one of the first ways that people decide whether or not you're worth listening to on the internet and LJ. First impressions count - and on the internet, people's first impression of you is from your words - whether you're using correctly-spelled and grammatical English. As a general rule, if I find a misspelling in the header or the LJ-cut, I don't read what's under the post. Why? Because someone who's sloppy about their spelling is likely to be sloppy about other things: trains of thought, plot, characterisation, perspective.
Don't use chatspeak or leetspeak unless you're making a point. The thing about "correctly spelled and grammatical English" is that everyone can read it easily. Chatspeak and leetspeakers can read "Queen's English", but not everyone who reads "Queen's English" can read chatspeak or leetspeak.
Using excuses like, "English isn't my first language" and "I type too fast for my fingers to keep up" aren't good enough if you want to be taken seriously. I've met people who have English as their 2nd language who are better at spelling and grammar than native English speakers - they're people who take pride in their work, and often their work is worth taking pride in because they put in the effort. And if you type too fast for your fingers to keep up, then damn well slow down. If you can't control the car at the speed you're going, then take your foot off the accelerator pedal!
There is a spellchecker available in LJ if your spelling is not 100%. Grammar is something that you learn over time and refine with practise, and eventually it becomes something that you don't even have to think about.
3. CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY - NOT!
Base rule of capslocking. Don't. Ever. Unless you're squealing or squeeing or self-mocking or making a one-word sentence/rebuttal/point. "OMG! THEY KILLED WEIR! YOU BASTARDS!" is acceptable. "This is DISTINCTLY and UTTERLY fruitless and I have NEVER in ALL MY LIFE had to do something like THIS before" is unacceptable.
Capslock is considered yelling at someone. From very close up. It's considered impolite and immature at best and downright rude at worst. Avoid capslocking at all costs.
Never, ever, ever capslock when you're making an announcement - whether it's a challenge or a prompt battle or a ficathon or a news announcement. NEVER. (See, that was acceptable as emphasis - but only as a one-word point.) Using capslocks in an announcement brands yourself and whatever you're promoting as immature.
If you need to be emphatic, then learn to use the bold, italics, and underline formats on LJ. HTML code is <b>bold<b>, <i>italics<i>, <u>underline<u>, and<s>strikethrough<s>.
Incidentally, if you've only got text to work with (as some mail clients do), then simply use *asterisks* as the bold, and _underscores_ as the italics. Or possibly the other way around. You work with what you've got; it should never have to be capslock.
4. Multiple Exclamation Marks
See previous section: CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY - NOT!
Multiple Exclamation Marks (!!!!) are only to be used for squeeage or mockage. Any other use is considered immature, juvenile, or newbie behaviour. (There are exceptions, but for the moment, it's best to avoid multiple exclamation marks.)
If you want to be emphatic, then one - maybe two - will suffice. The best and cleverest people manage to pick the right words to convey their excitement without using a bevy of exclamation marks.
5. Font formatting
As I said at the start of this tutorial, LiveJournal does a lot of the formatting for the user. You just type in your text and post and away it goes! LiveJournal does the formatting and layout according to the preset layout that you've specified for your LJ.
This can be difficult, because some people use the Rich Text Editor tab when they post, and it causes all kinds of screwups in coding. I learned the HTML code for LiveJournal as much to avoid the Rich Text Editor as because I like having control over how I post.
Basically, unless you know exactly how to fix it, avoid trying to change the font in your post.
--
These are the basics - the most basic of basics - of posting in LiveJournal. And everything I've said here goes for commenting as well. Paragraph breaks, Spelling/Grammar/Punctuation, avoiding capslock, avoiding unnecessary exclamations, font formatting - comments should take this to heart, too.
Presentation is important. Politeness is important. Learning the rules is important.
Don't say "I'm just doing this for fun so it doesn't matter if I screw up". It does matter - because you represent your segment fandom when you post about it on LiveJournal. And if you represent a portion of fandom in which I play by being an illiterate, inconsiderate, rude, uncaring poster, then I grow infuriated, and chances are, I will lay the smackdown upon thee.
Close-minded people complain that the world won't meet them where they're at. Open-minded people learn how to grow and change so they can meet the rest of the world.
Which are you?
Formatting is important on LJ
On most emailing lists and forums - particularly Gateworld - the formatting doesn't matter. People on Gateworld don't mind if your paragraphs are allsquishedtogetherwithoutparagraphbreaks, if your posts are mispeeled, if you CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY, if you use multiple exclamation marks!!!!, if your font changes suddenly in the middle of a sentence.
People on LJ do mind.
LiveJournal is about content: the words and graphics that you post. Much of the formatting can already be done for you if you know how. On the other hand, because the formatting is already done, when you screw up the formatting, then people are not inclined to look kindly upon you or your work. You'll gain a reputation for being mediocre.
Do you want to be mediocre? I don't.
I'm going to go through the five most common issues that I see in posts around the fandom. Some people are guilty of this once, some people are guilty of this repeatedly. What I say is that it doesn't matter what you've done in the past: you can change this now. You can learn a new trick. You can get better. Learning is not something you just do at school - it's something that's with you all your life.
So, let's start learning about LiveJournal etiquette!
1. Paragraph breaks
You can put these in using the 'break' HTML code <br /> or <br> (either works), or by selecting the HTML tab and unchecking the "Disable Auto Formatting" at the top. <p> also does the trick - 'paragraph' HTML code.
If "Disable Auto Formatting" is unchecked, then you can just press the enter key on your keyboard to make a new paragraph, the same way you do in a Word processor.
Between paragraphs, it's a good idea to have a blank line - it makes it easier to read. One <p> equals two <br>s, which equals two enters.
2. Spelling and Grammar
Spelling is one of the first ways that people decide whether or not you're worth listening to on the internet and LJ. First impressions count - and on the internet, people's first impression of you is from your words - whether you're using correctly-spelled and grammatical English. As a general rule, if I find a misspelling in the header or the LJ-cut, I don't read what's under the post. Why? Because someone who's sloppy about their spelling is likely to be sloppy about other things: trains of thought, plot, characterisation, perspective.
Don't use chatspeak or leetspeak unless you're making a point. The thing about "correctly spelled and grammatical English" is that everyone can read it easily. Chatspeak and leetspeakers can read "Queen's English", but not everyone who reads "Queen's English" can read chatspeak or leetspeak.
Using excuses like, "English isn't my first language" and "I type too fast for my fingers to keep up" aren't good enough if you want to be taken seriously. I've met people who have English as their 2nd language who are better at spelling and grammar than native English speakers - they're people who take pride in their work, and often their work is worth taking pride in because they put in the effort. And if you type too fast for your fingers to keep up, then damn well slow down. If you can't control the car at the speed you're going, then take your foot off the accelerator pedal!
There is a spellchecker available in LJ if your spelling is not 100%. Grammar is something that you learn over time and refine with practise, and eventually it becomes something that you don't even have to think about.
3. CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY - NOT!
Base rule of capslocking. Don't. Ever. Unless you're squealing or squeeing or self-mocking or making a one-word sentence/rebuttal/point. "OMG! THEY KILLED WEIR! YOU BASTARDS!" is acceptable. "This is DISTINCTLY and UTTERLY fruitless and I have NEVER in ALL MY LIFE had to do something like THIS before" is unacceptable.
Capslock is considered yelling at someone. From very close up. It's considered impolite and immature at best and downright rude at worst. Avoid capslocking at all costs.
Never, ever, ever capslock when you're making an announcement - whether it's a challenge or a prompt battle or a ficathon or a news announcement. NEVER. (See, that was acceptable as emphasis - but only as a one-word point.) Using capslocks in an announcement brands yourself and whatever you're promoting as immature.
If you need to be emphatic, then learn to use the bold, italics, and underline formats on LJ. HTML code is <b>bold<b>, <i>italics<i>, <u>underline<u>, and
Incidentally, if you've only got text to work with (as some mail clients do), then simply use *asterisks* as the bold, and _underscores_ as the italics. Or possibly the other way around. You work with what you've got; it should never have to be capslock.
4. Multiple Exclamation Marks
See previous section: CAPSLOCK ALL THE WAY - NOT!
Multiple Exclamation Marks (!!!!) are only to be used for squeeage or mockage. Any other use is considered immature, juvenile, or newbie behaviour. (There are exceptions, but for the moment, it's best to avoid multiple exclamation marks.)
If you want to be emphatic, then one - maybe two - will suffice. The best and cleverest people manage to pick the right words to convey their excitement without using a bevy of exclamation marks.
5. Font formatting
As I said at the start of this tutorial, LiveJournal does a lot of the formatting for the user. You just type in your text and post and away it goes! LiveJournal does the formatting and layout according to the preset layout that you've specified for your LJ.
This can be difficult, because some people use the Rich Text Editor tab when they post, and it causes all kinds of screwups in coding. I learned the HTML code for LiveJournal as much to avoid the Rich Text Editor as because I like having control over how I post.
Basically, unless you know exactly how to fix it, avoid trying to change the font in your post.
--
These are the basics - the most basic of basics - of posting in LiveJournal. And everything I've said here goes for commenting as well. Paragraph breaks, Spelling/Grammar/Punctuation, avoiding capslock, avoiding unnecessary exclamations, font formatting - comments should take this to heart, too.
Presentation is important. Politeness is important. Learning the rules is important.
Don't say "I'm just doing this for fun so it doesn't matter if I screw up". It does matter - because you represent your segment fandom when you post about it on LiveJournal. And if you represent a portion of fandom in which I play by being an illiterate, inconsiderate, rude, uncaring poster, then I grow infuriated, and chances are, I will lay the smackdown upon thee.
Close-minded people complain that the world won't meet them where they're at. Open-minded people learn how to grow and change so they can meet the rest of the world.
Which are you?
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