Hiya...

I am a somewhat newbie who delurked a while ago and posts exceedingly rarely. Since I see people are working on the FAQ and site etiquette, can I make a suggestion that might make things easier for new people finding their way around the site?

treading gently

How about putting a link to the site etiquette in the slug at the top of the main page, (along with the FAQ link) - although the FAQ is fun and should be read, I sort of think the etiquette thing should be the very first thing a newbie reads about the site. It could potentially avert some of the more common guac incidents - spoilage in the wrong threads, uncomfortable lecturing type things.

And again, while you're fixing things...the spoiler policy set out in the site etiquette is actually a little to hard to get, for the person who is not familiar with the board.

Please keep all discussion of current episodes in the NAFDA threads. The UnAmerican thread is obviously a safe zone, but so are Natter and Buffista Bureaucracy.

The newbie won't know what NAFDA means, and won't know which threads are NAFDA. Yeah, it's explained in the FAQ...but maybe it should be clear for the newbie reader the first time through (and seriously, the FAQ is fun? But there's a lot of information in there, and there's some value in having the essentials summarized neatly for the avocado-phobic newbies who really just want to get along with everybody)

The spoiler flub seems to be most common type of guacamole incident. Just my thought, anyway.

Just one person's opinion, thanks for listening...

edited for spelling

Maybe we should add to this

Please keep all discussion of current episodes in the NAFDA threads. The UnAmerican thread is obviously a safe zone, but so are Natter and Buffista Bureaucracy.

The following

Please keep all discussion of current episodes in the NAFDA (North American Free Discussion Area) threads. The UnAmerican thread is obviously a safe zone, but so are Natter and Buffista Bureaucracy. NAFDA threads are marked as such in the slug line. Example: [NAFDA] Discuss Current Episodes of Sarte v Go14 here.

Edited because free discussion is NOT free trade.

Or we could link the word "NAFDA" in Etiquette to the proper spot in the FAQ?

That's a very sensible suggestion, Sophie -- I hadn't thought about it, but I think you're right that newbies trip up on spoilers most often.

Delurk and be sensible some more!

Is guac really going in the FAQ? I'm touched. I've never been FAQ'd.

Or we could link the word "NAFDA" in Etiquette to the proper spot in the FAQ?

Could do that, too.

I'd like to call attention to the [NAFDA] in the slugs, because it's easy to overlook if you don't know it's important.

Oh - And Sophie - Thanks for posting!

As far as your other suggestion about making the FAQ, etc. more prominant? My concern is that everyone has certain things they'd like to see rearranged on the page. What we've got is a compromise. There aren't that many things to browse through over on the left-hand side. That's not to say that things can't be improved, but I'm hesitant to move anything unless there's a huge groundswell of of support for it.

Is guac really going in the FAQ?

Yes, that is the consensus.

How about putting a link to the site etiquette in the slug at the top of the main page, (along with the FAQ link) - although the FAQ is fun and should be read, I sort of think the etiquette thing should be the very first thing a newbie reads about the site.

I think this is an incredibly good idea.

There ought to be a Buffista Dictionary. Things like "Nilly," "Meara," "____ likes carrots," "HSQ," etc.

Not in the FAQ or etiquette section; just a general idea. Because we actually have a fairly dense, layered idiolect.