Difference between constructive criticism and trolling.

[Eiries]

Start with a complement...

...Then state your problem, but politely...

...End with another complement.

 

Doesn't that have a name? Like, the compliment sandwich or something? Could have sworn I've heard something akin to that at one point. :P

 

Anyway, this always reminds me of my old art teacher back in high school. We would do open critiques of each others' works, and she always reminded us to "never be subjective." Implying subjectivity is simply stating that when voicing an issue, error, etc, you need to state what brought you to that conclusion and, if necessarily, state what could be done to improve it. Same applies with these mods, just be polite and avoid subjective comments.

 

Of course, those subjective statements also applied to positive statements, if you enjoyed the mod, feel free to tell the modder some of your favorite parts.

 

When it gets right down to it, it's just a matter of being courteous. It shouldn't be that hard, but for many people, I guess it is.

[Fatalmasterpiece]

To the op, I wouldn't say anything at all. So often disagreeing with people on the internet only result in a flame war because no matter how you sugar coat it, people have a tendency to read your text and image it as being as snide as possible. I imagine this mostly comes from the fact that people can't see your face when you say things, so even if meant with genuinely positive intentions, their insecurities will magnify any negativity enough to ruin the conversation.

 

Just let people make their mods the way they want and feel free to ask for help when you need it.

[BlackBaron2]

What LHammonds and dunmermaiden said. :)

 

If there's a real issue, be tactful. If you just don't like it, move on.

[DarkeWolf]

And if you see somebody else making a comment on the mod that you don't disagree with, don't sit there and argue with them. If it's a comment that is inappropriate, report the post, and let the staff deal with it. That's what we're here for. ;)

 

Discussions about Lore or facts about such and such weapon are another thing that I see a lot of in the comments threads. That is by technicality, Spamming a comment thread. As it doesn't fall into the category that appropriate posts are to be, in mod comment threads.

And honestly... its bad form. Keep it to the mod itself. Plus that's making it difficult for somebody who MIGHT ( :rolleyes: ) be looking for any reasons why they shouldnt load the mod, or for bug fixes information about the mod, if there's a problem with it.

 

And yeah, if you have the capacity to try to help the modder, offer it if you want to.

 

Another thing that we really hate to see is this "Well, I've release so and so many top rated mods, and this thing is worthless. Why'd you even upload it?" Thats sure to bring the hammer down. Don't berate a modder or talk down to them because their work may be what somebody might consider to be inferior. They will improve with time and practice. Encourage them to do so, rather than make them want to quit trying.

 

Wrong- OMG the stock on that rifle is way too long! WTH??

Right- Would you consider shortening the stock on it a bit? It seems a bit out of proportion.

 

tact and consideration are the main factors. And not coming off as being demanding, pushy, or insulting.

[antonkr]

Alright thanks for replies guys :thumbsup:

[colourwheel]

You guys have no clue what is trolling. Let me educate you all a bit.

 

Trolling is when someone created 1000000000000000000000 ad infinitum, each account under a different email address and very different ip address, thus even banning an ip range won't work. The troll starts lots of threads aimed at bashing folks. You ban troll. Troll comes back. You get a headache. Troll laughs. You know there's literally nothing that can be done short of a game of patience to see who gets bored first. The troll will obviously continue trolling even after 100000000 bans in a row. By then you realize you might as well play nice and let the troll troll on instead of crashing the server by creating more and more fake accounts.

 

That my ladies and gentlemen is what a troll is. I was on a Naruto konoha library forum a while back and saw this user getting banned for petty reasons. He got upset and went creating threads titled "a" then "b" and so on. Ban after ban, the troll finally reached "cy" before going to bed. What a nightmare it must have been for the moderators. A unstoppable troll created by the moderators themselves because they wanted to show they are the ones in charge.

 

A true troll doesn't often appear but when s/he does, no moderator can stop this person.

 

a little education to help you relate outside of your own perception of what you think a troll is...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)

 

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion. In addition to the offending poster, the noun troll can also refer to the provocative message itself, as in "that was an excellent troll you posted". While the term troll and its associated action trolling are primarily associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels highly subjective, with trolling being used to describe intentionally provocative actions outside of an online context. For example, recent media accounts have used the term troll to describe "a person who defaces internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families.

 

 

Application of the term troll is highly subjective. Some readers may characterize a post as trolling, while others may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. Like any pejorative term, it can be used as an ad hominem strategy to discredit an opposing position by attacking its proponent.

 

 

Provoking an Authors work with negative commenting will ussually cause an emotional response or otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Edited March 14, 2011 by colourwheel

[myrmaad]

Right, Colourwheel. This is probably one of the very best resources for your edification.

 

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Don%27t_feed_the_Troll

[Dark0ne]

Also for all you budding trolls out there; it takes a moderator 5 seconds to ban your account and delete all your posts. It takes you considerably longer to create a new account and post new topics. Ergo, we will always win ;)

[darkedge42392]

Also for all you budding trolls out there; it takes a moderator 5 seconds to ban your account and delete all your posts. It takes you considerably longer to create a new account and post new topics. Ergo, we will always win ;)

 

Very well said, Dark0ne. Trolls, take heed!

[bben46]

And you might want to add to that there is more than one moderator. We can work in shifts. Trolls usually work alone - for a very good reason.

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-rpg003.gif

 

The smell may have something to do with it though. Have you ever been down wind of a troll?