Forum > Non-Gaming Discussion > Community Project - About and FAQ pages
Community Project - About and FAQ pages
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Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:43:56
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I'm going back to the community well for some help on this one.  We ought to have ourselves an About page, and perhaps separate out some content into an FAQ for clarity.

Any and all help is appreciated, and there are several ways to help: what kinds of content should be included, how it should be structured and presented, and the actual writing itself are all useful.

The highest priorities are descriptions of GG Weekly, The Press Room and the Forum, but again, anything helps.

Current Revisions
About: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ8ANEkbnGkNZGRrMjdubWtfMzVmcnZxcGNo&hl=en

FAQ: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ8ANEkbnGkNZGRrMjdubWtfMmRrcXJramho&hl=en
Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:46:09

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Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:08:46
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I'll give that a go a little later today (the Abouts). For the FAQ are you thinking about technical aspects of the site -- like "How do I change my avatar?"

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Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:38:52
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FAQ

Q: How do I insert smileys into my post?

A:

: )     = Happy
: (     = Sad
: o    = GASP
>: (  = Argh!
: S    = Uneasy
: P    = Nyaa
: |     = Hrm
; )     = WinkWink
: lol:  = LOL
: D    = Grinning

Edited: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:48:44

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Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:59:55
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8 ) = Cool
: cry: = Cry
Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:07

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:11:55
+1

How about some rules

No porn

You can joke around and discuss everything, but try not to piss everyone off. Each of us has different opinions, discrediting an opinion by personal attacks will only be tolerated if they are funny and clever. 

Morans (yeah, I realize the irony) will be banned, unless they are funny

So basically, if you start trolling, banning is imminent. If you are funny we will tolerate you, but if you poison all discussions, and ignore our warnings, well, you are gone!

Iga is your God and creator, he is always right and you will always listen to him.

Hamster is the source of all evil, he is always wrong and you will never listen to him!

Pachter is always wrong.

Holy crap! Pachter is always wrong. Hamster is always wrong. Hamster = Pachter GASP. Mind Blown

Bashing Fedor, Hard Gay, Don Frye and Adriana will lead to immediate and swift bans, no exceptions Argh!


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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:02:55
+1
    

GG Weekly is our video game news aggregation hub where the members of our community (including you) can post stories of interest from around the web.  It is also the conversation pit of The VGPress, where you can talk about the stories posted, what you've been playing or anything else you want to get off your chest.

GG Weekly was named after the inspiration for our web site, a web newshound called Gaming Geek, who lead a rag-tag band of gaming conversationalists from a major gaming site into the promised land.

The Press Room is the podcast of The VGPress.  Broadcast weekly, and hosted by Jamie (DarthHomer) a noted games journalist and podcaster.  Jamie is joined regularly by Derek (Yodariquo), Founder of The VGPress, Benjamin (Foolz), noted feminist avant garde author and David (Dvader) video game completion expert.   SteelAttack and other members of the VGPress also make guest appearances from time to time.  The Press Room is available for download in both MP3 and OGG formats.

Our forums are where you can have more focused discussion on topics relating to video gaming or anything else of interest.  Feel free to start a new topic or comment on one that is already started.  Don't fear moderation for bumping old threads, using a smiley, posting a single word response or any other minor infraction.  Also, unlike some other gaming sites, you can use the words STYLE and CLASS to your hearts content.

Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:38:16

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:16:58
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Any terms and conditions type stuff would be part of the registration page, maybe linked to in an FAQ.

About
-General info
-GG Weekly News
-Press Room Podcast
-Forums

FAQ
-Can I post videos?
-Why do parts of my posts keep disappearing?
-What's with the gopher?
-How do ranks work?
-How do smilies work?
-How do I post a blog / review / signature / change settings
-Why can't I upload my avatar?
-Why does clicking Log-in / Submit a comment/blog not do anything?
-Can I disable signatures?
-Can I change skins?
-Can I change timezone settings?

Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:17:43

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:39:14
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^Would you like me to write the FAQ answers? I don't want to duplicate efforts if someone else is already on it. I can sart on writing them in a couple of hours and have them done today.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:49:10
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aspro said:
^Would you like me to write the FAQ answers? I don't want to duplicate efforts if someone else is already on it. I can sart on writing them in a couple of hours and have them done today.

That would be great.  I'm thinking of this as a wiki-esque effort.  Wherein somebody may end up writing the bulk of a section, it's contributions all around and rewordings, edits etc. that comprise the final versions (for example, you getting Dvader's username wrong Nyaa).  So whatever you or anyone else can write is obviously very welcome.

The FAQs there I tried to get in any technical ones that would get overlooked or not be thought of, so they may not be clear what I'm conveying.

Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:50:58

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:40:03
^Oh yeah, take and leave what you want, we are on the same page.

I'll get started on those FAQ's now.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:16:03

Iga_Bobovic said:

Iga sucks; he is always wrong and you will never listen to him.

Hamster is the source of all good, he is always right and you will always listen to him!

Pachter is always wrong.

Holy crap! Pachter is always wrong. Iga is always wrong. Iga = Pachter GASP. Mind Blown

I agree! Grinning

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:19:55
Here is what I have so far. I did not know the answers to the ones at the end:


What's with the gopher?

The gopher in our logo is most noteworthy for not being a mole. He symbolizes the underground nature of The VGPress' origins and stature and the relentless ability of our community to dig up video gaming news where ever it may be.  When the gopher was first unveiled a certain level of controversy arose regarding the use of him in our logo with the consensus of the community preferring a caricatured talking penis, penguins, press hats or children (or possibly a combination thereof).  The gopher is currently without a name.

How do ranks work?

To encourage your ongoing participation at The VGPress each user is rewarded for every action they take.  The most active user receives the rank of 1, the second most active the rank of 2 and so on.  Activities are weighted according to their relative effort required (so posting a news story is weighted lower than writing a game review, but higher than commenting in a thread). How the points are assigned is a true mystery, and cannot be determined by any level of study.


How do smilies work?

You may sometimes better express the sentiments behind your writing by using 'Smilies' the following are supported at The VGPress (Please note, in the following examples a space has been inserted between the first and second characters for demonstration purposes.  Do not include this space when posting):

: ) = Happy
: ( = Sad
: o = GASP
>: (= Argh!
: S Uneasy

: P= Nyaa
: | = Hrm
; ) = WinkWink
: lol:= LOL
: D= Grinning

8 ) = Cool
: cry: = Cry


Can I disable signatures?

You may disable viewing forum signatures by clicking on the My Profile tab of the main menu. Once your profile is open click on the Change Account Settings option.  From this area you may now check or uncheck the option for Show Signatures.  Click on the Submit button to save your changes.


Can I change time zone settings?

You may change your time zone settings by clicking on the My Profile tab of the main menu. Once your profile is open click on the Change Account Settings option. From this area you may now select your time zone from the Time Zone pull-down menu. Click on the Submit button to save your changes.


Can I post videos?
YouTube videos may be embedded in any forum post. Copy and paste the Embed url from YouTube into your post after clicking the HTML button in the thread post editor.


How do I post a blog, write a review, add a forum signature or change my settings?

All of these features are available on your profile page.  You may access your profile by clicking on the My Profile tab of the main menu.

    

How do I post a News Article? Wait I can post a News Article?

Yes, even the newest of n00bs to The VGPress can post a News Article.  Just go to the GGWeekly page by clicking on the News tab of the main menu and use the submission tool under the main news grid.  Check to see if anyone else has already posted the story and then write a succinct headline and interesting byline.  

Headlines generally have capital letters for each word (with some exceptions) and bylines usually follow normal sentence structure.  (See more about headline standards here).

Can I change skins?

Two color themes or skins are available at The VGPress, light and dark (default).  You may change your skin settings by clicking on the My Profile tab of the main menu. Once your profile is open click on the Change Account Settings option. From this area you may now select your preference from the Skins pull-down menu.


-Why can't I upload my avatar?

-Why does clicking Log-in / Submit a comment/blog not do anything?

-Why do parts of my posts keep disappearing?




Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:42:14

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:46:39
I've updated the original post with links to editable Google Docs documents so we can all actively update with any changes.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:54:51
^Good idea.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:32:53
I just modded the About page.  Are we not using the mini-ones I wrote above? S'okay if we are not, but if we are I'll drop 'em into that doc.  I'm off to eat and play for a while, I'll check back in around 0930 utc.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:37:22
I can see aspro's doing some write-up on the background of the site, and it's good to have down, but this is one area where I'm not sure what angle to take it.  Unfortunately everything we were doing was dependent on everywhere else sucking.  It's not really the image we want to portray to be the holier-than-thou GameSpot sucks site.

I'm thinking perhaps to generalize it, if possible (not name names, so to speak).  Just bringing this up in here as a discussion piece for now of the best way to handle it.  Until we get a consensus, it's best just to continue with the full description and work from there.

EDIT: On the snippets, I forgot about those.  I just wrote a quick sentence in for the About page as a start.
Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:38:12

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:25:19
+1
I created a Smilies Guide pic:



I think it looks a little nicer. I'll make one with a transparent background, taking into account both skin colors.

Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:06:33

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:11:44

Yodariquo said:
I can see aspro's doing some write-up on the background of the site, and it's good to have down, but this is one area where I'm not sure what angle to take it.  Unfortunately everything we were doing was dependent on everywhere else sucking.  It's not really the image we want to portray to be the holier-than-thou GameSpot sucks site.

I'm thinking perhaps to generalize it, if possible (not name names, so to speak).  Just bringing this up in here as a discussion piece for now of the best way to handle it.  Until we get a consensus, it's best just to continue with the full description and work from there.

EDIT: On the snippets, I forgot about those.  I just wrote a quick sentence in for the About page as a start.

Yeah, I was just writing a quick origins of the site paragraph for the general About.  I initially had it without the names but it was getting convuluted.  But, like you said, this is a wiki-type approach so modify at will -- you won't be stepping on my toes whatsoever.

Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:15:46

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:14:46

Ravenprose said:
I created a Smilies Guide pic:



I think it looks a little nicer. I'll make one with a transparent background, taking into account both skin colors.

Much nicer, I added it to the faq document menioned in the first post.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:23:39
Here's the transparent background version:


Edited: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:38:01

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