[Wayne]

Why should you increase your post count

The first and obvious reason is that you need it at a certain number to get go up in rank.
Currently, you need the your post count at 25 to meet the post count requirement for
level 1, and you need it at 185 to meet the post count requirement for level 2. This rule
is in place to ensure that the benefits of DarkZtar are only shared among those who are
contributing back to DarkZtar as well. Your post count indicates how active you are in the
community, and the success of a forum depends on each individual’s activeness.

The other reason why your post count matters is that your post count
indicates how well established you are in the community. Being well
established in a forum such as DarkZtar gives you benefits such as more
respectability. Additionally, people feel safer trading with someone with a
post count of more than a thousand than with someone with a post count of
less than two hundred. In other words, your post count is an important
factor in your trustworthiness as well.


Post with intelligence, not with SPAM

With that being said, you should not increase your post with spam. You may
get away with it occasionally, but a chronic habit of continual spamming would
invite a steady income of infraction points. Once you reach a hundred
infraction points, you will be permanently banned. Here's a few of guidelines
you could keep in mind if you are wondering whether your post is a spam or not:

1. How many words are in your post?

Is what you're saying innovative or are you just saying something that
everyone knows already? If your post is less than seven words, it does not
mean it is a spam, but you should consider elaborating it. The rule of thumb is
that if you are contributing to a discussion with an idea, it should be at least
a couple of sentences, if you are simply answering a question, a sentence
may suffice. Short replies should be posted with caution because they appear
as spam visually regardless of the content.

A post like “Thanks, great guide” will result in either a warning or an infraction.
If you really want to express your appreciation, click on the button.
People who has a habit of making those short posts do not gain any respect in the community.


2. Are you saying something that adds to the discussion?

If a discussion is stemmed from a factual inquiry such as “what do I do if I loss
the birthday to my account” you should consider reading all the responses made
already before you answer the thread. This is to prevent users from posting
something that have already been said before. It is quite annoying when
users browsing forums see several responses to a thread saying the exact
same thing such as “You just have to guess”. One thing you should never do is to
answer the thread saying “I don’t know” or anything that is not
particularly informational. This rule of thumb does not apply to opinionated
inquiry such as “Who is the best president”. If someone has the same opinion as
you, that doesn’t mean you can’t express the same opinion again.

3. Are you on topic?

One important thing to keep in mind is to what degree is
your reply on the original topic. You could post something very thoughtful,
but it would still be considered spam if it is off topic. If you notice the
discussion is getting sidetracked, yet you really want to make a reply, you
could reply with what you want to say but reference it back to the original topic.


Guidelines for making quality posts

• Guides section:

Your replies in the guides section should address the questions: What could
be improved of the guide? What could be added to make the guide more thorough?
Does it have any misinformation? Do you see any places where the guide could be clarified?
How could the format of the guide be improved? Any errors such as spelling errors?

• Trading section:

In the trading section, you should only post if you are interested in a trade.
Remarks like "that's too expensive, you'll never sell it for that much" should
be kept to yourself. Only trade offers and trade clarifications should be posted.
Also, threads for buying premium membership belongs in the SPAM section.

• General section:

Generally, the best quality posts are made by people who have read not only
the thread but also all the replies made already. When you make a post, try
to respond to not just the thread but the ideas already been inputted. Take
your time to make sure your response is thorough and clear as well as
grammar/ spelling error free.

• GFX rating:

Learn how to make quality ratings for GFX here.


Please note that this guide may not map on exactly
to what the staff has to say, so.. all suggestions I am open to