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Newbie
Webmaster Starter Kit
Etiquette
- or - How to Survive Your First 100 Posts on a Message Board
There
was a time when it would have been totally unnecessary to write about
newbie etiquette but these days we seem to see more and more new people
coming into the industry who seem to think that the way to get ahead is
to act like some sort of swaggering buccaneer. Others seem to come in
with the idea that the more experienced people in the industry somehow
owe them something. It may be hard for a newbie to grasp at first but
the people who make the loudest noises and carry on like fools are just
that, noisy fools. Newbies might also find it hard to grasp but in this
industry every webmaster is in competition with every other webmaster.
Your success or failure in this business can hinge on how well you grasp
these concepts, so what does that mean for you?
Well
stop for a moment and think about Cocoa Cola and Pepsi, two big entities
that are competing in the same industry. Now would you expect them to
co-operate and to even share trade secrets? Of course not. The same applies
here, every new webmaster that comes into this industry is one more person
that the rest of us have to compete with.
Many
experienced webmasters won't even talk to newbies so when you find experienced
webmasters who will help new people be cautious in your approach, you
are dealing with people who can help you to success or leave you to fail
miserably. None of them are compelled to help you, so do not demand things
of these guys. If you do all you will get is derision. Don't act like
an idiot either, webmasters are very busy people who work very long hours
to put food on their tables, they don't have time or the inclination to
deal with with idiots and fools and the message boards are littered with
nicknames discarded by people who came in, acted like idiots and failed
when no-one would help them.
When
you do decide to appear on a message board don't be surprised if people
don't rush to help you. If you have asked a question the experienced people
on the board will answer - when they have time. Remember most of them
are volunteers who get nothing for their efforts so they have to fit answering
questions in with their own busy schedule. Most newbie type questions
have been asked many times before so spend some time looking for the answer
yourself. Hunt down the archives and search through them. Experienced
people will always help those who are prepared to make an effort for themselves.
Don't
copy anyone else's work. Some experienced people will show you their work
and it is quite OK to look at other peoples' sites for inspiration or
even to see how they have gone about their coding but don't copy - copying
is theft. Lots of webmasters both old and new do copy other peoples' sites.
Sometimes it is just the complete html that is copied, sometimes the thief
will take the images as well. Some do it from sheer laziness, some people
are desperate for sales; whatever the reason theft is never tolerated.
Once a thief is uncovered he can lose his sponsors, he can lose his Domains &
Hosting
and he can lose his friends and all that can add up to losing his business.
Don't
fill the boards up with useless posts. Some boards have incentives to
encourage people to post but don't think that is any reason to post rubbish.
You may achieve your goal of making a certain number of posts but you
will lose the respect and support of the others on the board. If someone
asks a question on the board don't answer them if you don't know the answer.
If someone asks for a review of a site don't offer your opinion unless
you have experience in designing those type of sites.
It
is quite a common occurrence on a newbie board for someone to ask for
a review of their site, unless you are an experienced site builder or
Link List reviewer stay out of the conversation. Too often people with
no experience offer their views on sites and end up looking like fools
when an experienced webmaster posts his critique of the site.
This
business is all about alliances, friendships, partnerships and trust.
They all start from the first time you reveal yourself to others in the
industry and they grow or die as people see more of you. Behave and do
business in an adult manner and you will prosper. Show everybody that
your are an idiot or that you cannot be trusted and you will struggle
and fail.
For
more reading on this subject have a look at this
column over on Porn Resource
The Most Popular Message Boards Online are:
Go Fuck Yourself - By far the most popular one with vast variety of personalities
Netpond - Close knit community with lots of regulars
Just Blow Me - Another growing community with friendly members
Toms Newbie Booster - A great community for newbies to visit along with here
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