How NOT to Post in the OP/L
What is Discouraged
Posting Poetry in Another's Thread
Do not post your poetry in someone else's thread, unless it is an exercise thread. It is considered spam, as it distracts the conversation from the original topic.
The reason behind this is that, when a single person decides to do so, threads will often degenerate into several users inviting themselves to post their work in the thread, which creates a "poetry hangout" and therefore means the thread needs to be recycled. This is unfair to the original poster, since they have a right to share their work without interruption.
In cases like this, your poem will be removed with notification.
However, if it's an exercise thread, it's okay to post work that is related to the purpose of that thread.
3nodding
One-Line Posts
"Example #1"
I really liked it....Alot better than what I can do....
smile sweatdrop "Example #2"
liked it. got nithin more to say.
"Example #3"
its alright but it needs work
Posts like this are not helpful to the writer. They aren't forbidden, but it will generally help both responder and writer if you take the time to give one or two reasons
why you liked or disliked their work.
What is Not Allowed
The following posts are all violations of the Terms of Service. This is stuff that is not allowed by the rules of the whole site, not just this forum.
Plagiarism
This should really go without saying, since the title of the forum does say
original, but people do it anyway.
Claiming another's work as your own is plagiarism. Committing plagiarism will result in removal of your thread, without question.
Spam
Want to talk about random stuff? Want to post responses that don't really have anything to do with the topic at hand? Go to the
Chatterbox! Around here, though, such posts are not allowed and will result in deletion of your posts.
Flaming/Trolling
This is the touchiest issue in the OP/L for very good reasons. Like all art, poetry is a very personal experience. Sometimes, it's hard to hear that people don't like the piece into which you put a lot of effort. However, some posts do cross the line from negative review into flaming.
First, we'll start with examples that are on the fence.
"Example"
Try a theme less overdone, and if you have to do something that everyone else has done, make it more interesting. You messed up the rhyming scheme halfway through, then brought it back. Or maybe you thought "revenge" rhymed with "wins"? It doesn't in my language.
Try again. Or, better yet, don't try again at all.
A good portion of this post is decently constructive. It shows parts that the reader didn't like and where the writer may have made a mistake. However, the very last sentence is really counterproductive, as it lends itself to being no more than an insult. Posts like this are allowed to stay, since only the last sentence is a problem, but the critic will be asked to edit their post.
"Example"
Your vocabulary is crap. Your grammar sucks. Your ideas are cliche-ridden drivel.
Try putting a little more effort into your work.
I think we can all agree that this is certainly not a constructive post. However, this entire "critique" does technically focus on the poem, and the attacks are never intentionally directed at the writer. Therefore, this skirts away from being a flame.
This is the kind of response even a good critic might give if they are tired or really don't care for what you've given them. The best thing to do would be to ask them for an explanation as to why they think that way, and most of the time, you'll get a much better answer the second time around. Blowing up at this kind of response, though, is irrational and unnecessary.
Now let's
really cross the line.
mrgreen
"Example"
Wow. Could you have any less respect for the English language?
I've seen dogs produce sweeter s**t on my front lawn. Why don't you do the world a favor and find a hobby that doesn't make me vomit?
Hopefully, this one is fairly easily identifiable.
xp
The key thing is, nowhere does this talk about the poem. These comments are most definitely degrading, and they are all targeting the writer, not the work. This most definitely is classified as a flame.
It's not always responses to poems that are flames. Another common example is a user's response to criticism.
"Example"
Okay, you know what, just shut the f**k up! You're nothing more than a b***h, and I can't believe you would do something like this! Why don't you go crawl back into your hole where you have no life and leave me the f**k alone?!
This is what we call "degenerating into a flame war."
wink There is no need to bite the heads off of critics, no matter how harsh or rude their response may be.
Remember this:
you can always take the high road. If you know you don't have anything productive to say, it's probably better off not said. If you get a response you don't agree with or don't like, say, "Thanks for your opinion," and move on. Almost every situation is best handled by walking away.
The bottom line is that flaming is indeed a violation of the Terms of Service, in addition to being disrespectful and all that. If you notice a flame, report it, and a mod will get to it as soon as possible.
and 
buttons are your friends!
