Sexy new way to boost forum coolness. (The Herald Thread)

Hello there [[Troper]]!

You posted in Troper Covens for the first time, and we are so glad to have you. Here is where you will find all sorts of groups and clubs formed of tropers with similar interests. Really, we're like a collection of little forums, all talking about our hobbies, beliefs and lifestyles.

You have made your first post in the It Just Awes Me! subforum, so welcome aboard! All that needs to be known about here is that this is the place to post about anything that catches your eye for at least a moment and you feel that it’s absolutely worth sharing with other tropers. It can be for just about anything, ranging from a small piece of media to a widespread phenomenon that you really like. Something on You Tube amaze and/or amuse you? Post it! Something on the internet you really, really like? Go ahead! A real-life person does, or had done good in the world? Don’t hesitate!

Please remember to observe the following:

• Forum rules do apply here, like anywhere else.
• Please use the "search forum titles" feature to see if the subject you have in mind hasn't come up yet, to avoid possible duplication; and you can even share your thoughts (or whatever you find) on the thread. Likewise, I advise people to politely point to an already-existing IJAM thread in case there is a duplication.
• Please do avoid derails and don’t try to pick a fight. We’re here to appreciate whatever we like or at least consider awesome and share them, not go into a flamewar. Mods will shoot flamewars down and depending on the situation lock the thread.
• Also, when posting a thread, please don’t have it be a stealth complaint. Such threads WILL be locked down, and besides they are contrary to the intent of this subforum.
• Please be prudent about what you make a thread of. Some racy material is okay, but please keep the following out of this subforum: hate speech (towards any race, orientation, culture, creed, etc.), personal slander, pedophilia, pornography, glorification of real-life violent behavior and spam.

I can be reached via PM if you have a question or comment. Thanks, and have fun!

- Earl of Sandvich

(P.S. - For anyone who posted here before and got this message anyways - this software kicks in based on what it picks up after it's implemented, so you won't be seeing it again.)

First, I suggest reading this regardless of how long you've been here. OTC is quite a different environment from other boards. There's also two official statements specifically for OTC:

1. There's a rule about new threads that's specific to OTC: When a new thread is created, the mods are notified of it. Posting in the new thread isn't allowed until a mod has approved of the thread. A lot of trouble is avoided this way

2. Repeated attempts to derail a thread or threads will result in a warning, and possibly a ban.

Now that you know the forum rules, here are some tips for being a good and respected denizen of OTC:

1. Don't beat a dead horse: There are topics that have been discussed many, many times on OTC. The big ones are abortion, gender issues, religion, and politics, but you'll get a feel for what's been done before. If you want to start a new conversation, first use the "search forum titles" feature on the top left of the board main page to make sure you aren't creating a duplicate topic. If you aren't, then go for it. If you are, then read through the biggest thread about the topic. Make sure you aren't just repeating another opinion, argument, or facts, especially if that thread got particularily heated. If you see thumped posts, be careful about approaching a topic.

2. There are megathreads, so use them: On TV Tropes, the thread have no post limit. This leads to "megathreads". For example, the American Elections 2012 thread is about, well, the American 2012 elections. If you have something to say about the topic, say it there. These threads have thousands of posts, so reading through them all is a tall task. In these topics, bringing up old stuff is alright if you didn't know.

3. And the Great Eddie said: There shalt be unconvential opinions, and they shalt be respected: OTC is home to a very large crosssection of people from many places on Earth. No doubt, some of these people may have an opinion that is drastically different to yours or society's. Unless they are inflammtory or discrimnatory, please respect these opinions. Politics is a particularly good example of this: if someone declares themselves an anarchist, communist, or fascist, as long as they are respectful about it themselves, you must be as well. If they aren't, then don't go on a crusade against them. Just holler (or report) their post and move on.

4. This board is for conversations, not debates: If you are looking for an argument, go to an argument clinic. Starting a conversation with intent to start an argument never leads to good things. If you disagree with someone even after several posts, unless if it's something impersonal, than agree to disagree. Threads with large flame wars or arguments between two angry people will be lcoked and/or thumped quickly.

Remembering these tips and rules, you should be a good member of the community here. If you have any more questions, feel free to reply to this PM or a mod. I'll answer you ASAP.

(P.S.: For those who are already regulars to the section - this software kicks in based on what it picks up after it's implemented. Nothing to worry about.)

[[Herald's name]]

Hello [[troper]], and welcome to the TV Tropes Fan Fiction forum, where it seems you've just made your first post (hence why you're getting this message). This subforum is the place for talking about any and all things fanfic related, from discussing fics that are already out there to getting feedback on your own writing. If you have a cool idea for a story, post it and see what happens.

As with everywhere else, the the forum rules apply, so give them a read if you aren't already familiar with them. In addition to the standard set of guidelines, there are a few more things that you should keep in mind while posting in the Fan Fiction subforum:

1. TV Tropes treats Fan Fic the same as it treats any other form of media: Some of it is bad, and some of it is good. We're here to talk about the good stuff, and hopefully produce more of it. If you think that all fanfic is just totally awful by default, this probably isn't the place for you.

2. Several series (Negima, Friendship Is Magic, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, etc.) are popular enough that they have their own dedicated threads, so don't start new threads for discussing fic about those series. If a specific fanfic already has its own thread, keep discussion of it in there so it doesn't clog up other threads.

3. No posting sexually explicit fic. Implied sexuality as part of a larger story is okay, but anything even remotely pornographic is a no-no. Same goes for extremely graphic violence. Any sexual material that overtly involves underage characters is right out as well.

4. If you're going to give feedback on someone's fic, keep it constructive. You can criticize, but do so in the interest of improvement. Give suggestions on how to make the story better, and be nice about it. Telling someone "Your writing sucks" is totally unhelpful and kinda mean.

So in short, try to be positive, constructive, and don't post anything nasty. If you have any other questions about how the subforum works, feel free to PM me or one of the mods. Hopefully you'll enjoy hanging around in here.

- Japanese Teeth

(P.S.: For those who have already posted in this subforum and are getting this message anyway - this software kicks in based on what it picks up after it's implemented. Nothing to worry about.)