Posting on /board? Long time since you read the FAQ?
Welcome. Essence of the rules for /board, culled from the FAQ, spiced with experience:

Golden rules (especially for n00bs):
1. Read the FAQ (it's the official 'rules'). Or you'll get shouted at.
2. If you make a mistake, be ready to say "oops, sorry!": it really helps. Don't be cocky: it makes you look like a cock.
3. Please read people's replies to your posts, and join in the conversations: they help make B3ta a community.

New threads are precious:
4. Only start a new thread if you're posting a new image that's worth it.
- If it isn't, use "Reply" in an existing thread (or make your image better!).
- Why? Because /board only holds 15 threads: each click of "Post a new message" pushes other people's work off the bottom.
- The rule seems to be: don't use a new thread if you didn't put a reasonable creative effort into making your image.
5. Don't start a new thread to re-post the same (or altered) image.
- Especially not for compo reposts: Reply lets you choose "challenge entry" too.
6. Don't start a new thread with an unmodified photo (unless of a thing you made).
7. Don't start multiple new threads: it's greedy. If you want to post more, use Reply in your existing thread (if it's still on the board).

Images:
8. Only post stuff that you made.
9. Only post stuff that you uploaded (don't leach).
10. Don't post NSFW.
11. Not bigger than 100k bytes (50k preferred). Anims: not more than 400k.
12. Not more than 700px wide.
- If it's too big, compress it until it's small enough.
- If it's still too big, post a small thumbnail with a link instead (using: <a href="blahENORMOUS.jpg"> <img src="blahThumb.jpg" /> </a>).

If you cock up:
13. Never use Delete (it also removes everyone's replies!): use the Edit button instead.
14. If you started a new thread by accident, say sorry. (And don't delete it!).

NSFW:
Whatever you put in a message will be downloaded and seen by all b3ta readers, often on their work computer. You could get someone sacked on the spot, or put through a disciplinary investigation that's not much better, because their manager thought it looked a bit like porn from 10 feet away. Do not do it. (For the record all these are no defence: "it isn't actually porn", "you can't see his/her whatever", "you're such a prude", "but no-one complained about this one *points at some-other-image*"). You can link a NSFW image (using: <a href="nekkid.jpg">NSFW!</a>), warning people that it's a NSFW link.

This is just a summary, hopefully useful as a quick checklist when posting. I welcome suggestions for improving it (gaz me).
Last edited 2009-04-07
( Bee Nice |-|, Wed 1 Apr 2009, 12:55, 4 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

Excellent!
Except for the delete thing. Delete button is there for a reason - I would rather see someone delete their fuck-up that has been replied to by a shit load of "FAIL" 400k animations and "YOU CUNT" replies than have to scroll through them all.

It is of course rude to delete a thread if someone is having a conversation in it, but to state people should NEVER hit delete is a bit dramatic.
( Dixipoos Bye Bye Blackbird, Wed 1 Apr 2009, 13:21, Reply)

Thanks! About delete...
For the particular case of 10,000 FAIL gifs, could you just click the "Hide" button instead? (Maybe this is no good for you or for some people -- perhaps it doesn't work via proxies?)

Sometimes (though less commonly recently it seems) fail-threads get rescued by someone posting something worth it.

I agree that there are exceptions to "Never Delete". I hummed and hahhed, but it's so often the Wrong thing to do, and it's such a common panic reaction, that I decided drama clarity trumped accuracy, so I just lied and said Never :-) I couldn't think how to explain the exceptions concisely.
( Bee Nice |-|, Wed 1 Apr 2009, 13:34, Reply)

You are right of course
One of the things that sticks in my craw are people who feel it's necessary to launch "FAIL" "NOOB" "READ THE FAQ" "CUNT" flashing images at people who have done the 'wrong' thing on the board - and then follow it up with "THREAD DELETING CUNT" replies when the noob on the receiving end of the abuse decides to delete the thread of shame..

"FAIL" images can be amusing when the timing is right, or it's particularly funny (rather like swearing).

Basically, noobs don't deserve most of the poison launched at them when they fuck up, and trolls don't deserve the attention.
( Dixipoos Bye Bye Blackbird, Wed 1 Apr 2009, 13:42, Reply)

Abso-bloody-lutely. This.
It's not fair on the noobs, and most of the time the Fail posts are just aggressive, bindun, unhelpful.

On the other hand though, I think people really are annoyed when -- for the tenth time in a morning, just like yesterday morning -- some stupid enormous/leached/NSFW/unshopped image appears in a new thread.

I don't know. I hope reactions will become a bit more constructive and fluffeh, but I understand the frustration too. *shrug*
( Bee Nice |-|, Wed 1 Apr 2009, 13:50, Reply)