Author Topic: "New Poster's Guide" for SpaceX Starship/Superheavy forum (Read 25048 times)

gaballard · « **on:** 09/15/2020 05:14 pm »

EDIT: Less problems, more solutions - I put together a first draft of a "New Poster's Guide" and posted it for the community to discuss and potentially implement: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52021.0

It seems like threads are getting derailed on a daily basis with either posts in the wrong thread, or people calling out posts for being in the wrong thread. That seems like... not the best way to handle things.

When I was new to the forums, it was very overwhelming trying to parse through all the existing threads to find where things should go. There's nearly two decades of content on here. We have to remember that while we're on here every day, there are a lot of people who are just diving into our corner of the Internet, and honestly it's not a good look when their first experiences with the forum are people tearing them down for posting in the wrong place. And it's not just "hey, this is off-topic", there seems to be some genuine animosity from some regular posters and moderators towards those less educated in the subject.

Since a new poster's opinion of the forums is tied to their decision to subscribe to L2... maybe we could help them out a little bit, instead of welcoming them to the forum by acting like jerks?

I propose adding a sticky thread to the forum with a name like "New Poster's Guide" or "Where Should My Post Go?", with a list of (and links to) each appropriate thread. Since there are off-topic posts all the time, we have a decent pool of examples to post in the guide. It's also worth mentioning the various caveats each topic has (because they're not always intuitive to a newcomer) - e.g. "Discussion about launch mounts for the prototypes = NOT the prototypes thread".

There also seems to be a special level of disdain for polls, or more generally, any posts which have enumerated lists or may resemble a poll if you squint your eyes from a distance. Might be worth making a special note about it in the "New Poster's Guide", and/or add a special thread for polls/speculation/etc.

I suggest all this as a lifetime member who has been reading the forums since 2015, but who has recently found the place a lot harder to spend time at because of the increasing... animosity, is really the best word for it, against anyone not actually a current or former rocket engineer. I know we've all seen a million off topic posts about the same million subjects (does SS need a LAS?). But honestly, what's more annoying than those off-topic posts (which you can just scroll past and ignore, letting them get buried in the busy threads) is everyone calling out those posts. Clutter begets more clutter, and a "New Poster's Guide" would help clean everything up.

Hopefully this didn't sound too negative - I'm trying for the opposite! Thanks for reading.

gaballard · « **Reply #1 on:** 09/29/2020 04:55 pm »

Starship/SuperHeavy "New Poster's Guide" MK1

Please let me know how this looks! I'm guessing some of those bullet points under the forum names may not be totally right, or I might be missing some threads, so please suggest any changes!

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Vehicle Updates & Discussion

Prototype Updates - Thread 3 (current) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51332.0
- Photos and updates related to prototype development/testing only
- Probably not for you to post on! Make sure you're in the discussion thread if you're commenting on an update

Prototype Discussion - Thread 12 (current) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51736.0
- Discussion of Prototype photos/updates
- Discussion of design/fabrication/tests/etc. for specific prototypes

General Engineering - Thread 4 (current) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=49622.0
- Anything related to designing/fabricating/etc. Starships that doesn’t relate to a specific prototype
- There is a special thread for in-orbit refueling discussion

Raptor Engineering - Thread 2 (current) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47506.0
- Any discussion related to the Raptor engine that don’t relate to integration on a prototype

Starship Heat Shield - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50748.0

In-Orbit Refueling - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50157.0

Facilities Updates & Discussion

Boca Chica Manufacturing Site (Texas) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50660.0
- Tents/sprung structures
- Bays of varying heights
- Cranes!

Boca Chica Launch Site (Texas) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=49086.0
- Launch mounts
- Test stands
- Ground support equipment

Boca Chica Resort (Texas) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51682.0

Cidco Road Manufacturing Site (Florida) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48158.220

Roberts Rd. Manufacturing Site (Florida) - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=45813.0

Missions & Operational Uses

Starship Point-to-Point Travel - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48248.0

Artemis - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50806.0

Dear Moon - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46372.0

First Private Passenger announcement - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46387.0

Historical Threads

Starship Tweet History - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47352.0
- All the SS/SH-related tweets from Elon/SpaceX
- "Read only" thread

Starship Assembly Timeline - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=50645.0
- "Read only" thread

Miscellaneous & Off-Topic Discussion

Boca Chica Non-Update Photos - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51523.0

Content Providers Appreciation Thread - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47834.0
- Say thanks for all the fantastic coverage

Potentially Off-Topic Discussion - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51518.0
- Discussions that relate to Starship but wouldn't be on-topic for the various threads listed above

SpaceX Party Thread - https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=42585.0
- Apologies if posting the link in the open ruins the fun of finding the thread by yourself

This is a list of the "core" threads and not an exhaustive list of all the topics on the Starship/SuperHeavy forum. There are plenty of discussions going on about everything from heat shields to Mars colonies. Check it out, have fun, learn something!

Overtone · « **Reply #2 on:** 09/29/2020 05:00 pm »

I just started posting a couple weeks ago, and I looked around for some info like this that would help me do the right thing... Thanks so much for putting this together! I very much agree with your suggestion to make it sticky.