Hello guys and girls!
I have noticed that the forums have been somewhat chaotic lately with new info being released, such as the pre-order bonuses as well as a great deal of leaked material popping up. Seeing as how we’re about to get a ton of new info in a week at E3, which is bound to create even more chaos, I have decided that it would be a good idea to create some guidelines to help members know when and when not to create a new thread to discuss the exciting game we all know as Halo 4. Let us begin :
Step 1 : Is this information official or a leak?
Before even thinking of posting anything, a member has the duty to find out if what he or she is posting about is aloud to be discussed on the forums. As many of you know, posting leaked material is against the Halo Waypoint Forum Guidelines. While one of the main causes of this issue would be a lack of understanding of these important rules, there are also several members who seem to have a bit of trouble telling the difference between leaked material and real information.
So how do we figure out if what we’re seeing is leaked or not? Let’s check out a step by step process :
1. Check title of whatever information you’re looking at. Does it have the word “leaked” in it? If so, you cannot post it here.
2. If it doesn’t, what’s the quality of the images or video? Does it seem to be a scan of a magazine? Or a picture/video of a tv screen? If so, it’s a leak. No matter what it is, if it doesn’t seem like a nice quality image (not taken by camera or scan) then don’t risk posting it!
3. Keep in mind that official sites like Gameinformer and IGN will still post leaks on their websites. Just because they talked about it, it doesn’t mean we’re allowed to here!
Step 2 : Is there already a thread about this?
Now that we know our information is not a leak, let’s see if somebody else has talked about it first. As many of you may have probably noticed, there tends to be a plethora of duplicate threads whenever new information is released to us. This creates more harm than good on many fronts :
1. Monitors need to keep track of far more threads, making their job harder.
2. Many people have good opinions that many would love to read, but these will get lost among other threads.
3. The forums seem like a much less welcoming place to new members who see a ton of threads that they are unable to follow.
4. Too many threads for anybody to read!
So what can we do to fix this issue? Here are some easy steps for anybody to follow :
1. Use the Search bar to look up the topic.
2a. If you fins something similar to what you were search, ask yourself these questions :
- Is the thread similar enough to my idea?
- Will there be more discussion value if I post in this thread instead of making a new one?
- Is my idea worth creating a thread for? If you’re going to complain about how you don’t like a small detail on the weapon, it’s better to post in a thread that’s already made instead of making a new one.
2b. If not, then create a new thread!
Step 3 : Enjoy your discussions, but obey the rules!
This is the most important part! What exactly does this mean though? In short, simply obey the Halo Waypoint Forum Guidelines!
Here at Halo Waypoint, I believe most members enjoy a nice peaceful and positive atmosphere. This means that we should avoid arguments and insulting each other, that way everybody has fun during their stay here! Avoiding comments like “tldr” and “No” help discussions be fruitful and enjoyable. If you think something is too long to read, ask for a summary! Disagree with something? Explain why! Everybody’s opinions matter and should be respected, no matter what!
On that note, I hope you all enjoy your discussions regarding Halo 4, and I look forward to reading and participating in them in the future! Hopefully this will help the forum become a more organized place that everybody can be a part of!
