PSU Forum Beginner's Guide (2012 Edition)

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PlayStation Universe Forum Beginner's Guide (2012 Edition)

A huge thanks to Rebon for writing the original PS3Forums Beginner's Guide six years ago.

As a new member of PlayStation Universe, there might be a lot of gray areas for you. Whether it be some of the forum's basic functions, or some of our features, this thread will help you get a grasp on everything you need to know about the site. Then, posting will be seamless and you'll be an active, respected user of the site in no time.

Here's a quick rundown of what will be covered in this thread (brace yourself!):

- Forum Rules, Regulations
- Basic forum functions (thread making, posting)
- The Post-bit
- Brief explanation of the reputation system
- Brief overview of the forum Title Ladder
- Brief explantion of the vBShop
- Becoming a Subscriber
- General Information
- FAQs

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Forum Rules, Regulations

Click here to visit the official Forum Rules and Policies as of July 6, 2011.

The single most important important thing a new member needs to refer to is the Forum Rules and Regulations. These are the basis for everything that is posted here on PSU, and anything that violates these rules is deleted at the discretion of the forum staff. While the forum rules are fairly long and extensive, it is recommended that you read over them carefully to ensure you know what you're doing before posting. If you've been a member of other communities in the past, you'll likely see that these rules are fairly similar. Nonetheless, there may be some rules on these forums that you haven't found elsewhere, so it is still recommended that you read over them. Our goal here is to establish a forum for intelligent discussion and debate, in an environment where users will not get personally insulted.

*Note* PSU also has a separate thread for our Signature and Avatar guidelines. When uploading a signature (the image / text underneath a user's posts), make sure that they abide by these rules. Some of these rules are enforced by our forum software, but others will not be picked up. If you're putting an image into your signature, make sure that it abides by the size constraints detailed in the Signature and Avatar guidelines thread (see link above).

Use the below image to gauge how large your signature can be (as a regular user):



Need a signature? Visit the Sig/Avy Requests section.

Basic Forum Functions

Posting:

The below image will be referenced throughout this portion of the guide. You can find this in the bottom right hand corner of any user's posts.



To make a post, simply click the green "Reply to Thread" button located in the top right, bottom left corners of every thread:



or, simply click the "Reply" button located under every users post:



Next, comes quotes. At times, you will find that you want to reply to a comment made by a specific user, rather than just replying to the general topic of the thread. Quoting is a simple way to let users know who you're replying to. This makes navigating the discussion of a thread very easy. When you want to quote a user, all you have to do is click the button located directly to the right of the reply button that reads "".

If you want to quote more than one user at a time, simply click the button to the right of the "Reply with Quote" button . All posts selected for quoting will appear as "". Once you have selected all the posts you wish to quote, simply click any of the "Reply to thread" buttons.

And finally, editing posts. From time to time you will want to go back and change a portion of your post. By clicking the "" button, you will be able to add, or remove portions of your post at will. It is recommended that users edit their posts rather than making two posts right alongside one another.

Thread Making:

Making a thread is equally as simple as making a post. Simply click the forum of your choosing (i.e. PS3 chat, Off-Topic Discussion, etc.), and click the "Post New Thread" button in the top and bottom right hand corners. From there you can title your thread, make a poll, and so on.

The Post-bit

The post-bit is a great, convenient way to get a lot of quick information on a user. I'll use my own post-bit as an example. I'm going to explain each line of the post-bit from top to bottom.

Forum Reputation

On PSU, we have a feature enabled called "Reputation". This is a way members can show gratitude, approval, or agreement to a post made by another user. Giving reputation is fairly simply: Simply click the "" button directly under the post-bit. Once you've clicked the button, you will be given the option to send a message along with your reputation.

*Note* You cannot give reputation to the same user repeatedly. If you have given a member reputation, you are required to give other users reputation before giving that user reputation again, or must wait at least 50 days.

More information on PSU's reputation system can be found in the Official Reputation Explanation thread (coming soon).

The Title Ladder

The title ladder is a way users are rewarded for accumulating posts on the forums. Each user starts with 7 empty stars. Once each of the 7 are filled, and another post 'milestone' is achieved, the user then has 7 empty gold stars. No user has yet to achieve a full set of gold stars on PSU to date. To view the title ladder, click here.

vBShop / Points

The vBShop is an additionally feature of the forum that allows users to buy icons (see Post-Bit section), and buy various modifications. Some of the features include editing the appearance of your username (adding a shadow, making it bold, italic, etc.), and changing your user title. To get these modifications / icons, you have to accumulate a certain amount of skill points.

To find out how many points you have, simply go to the navigation bar directly under the "Latest PSU Headlines" bar,



and click "vBShop". In the top left hand corner of the shop you will see your wallet, which details the number of points you have. Users can earn points through a variety of ways; making threads, posts, giving reputation, receiving reputation, etc. Nearly everything you do here will give you points that you can either save up, or spend.

Additionally, users may choose to give some of their points to other users. Some users decide to hold contests, in which users can win a specific amount of points. Check the Contests & Giveaway section to see if any such contests are currently going on.

General Information

This section contains a few minor, but vital bits of information that all members should be aware of.

Use the "search" button. PSU is a fairly large community, and therefore, there are a great deal of threads made on a daily basis. Before posting a thread, it is beneficial to both members and the staff if you use the "search" button to ensure that someone hasn't already started a discussion on a given topic. If you make the mistake of reposting a topic, don't fret, it takes a matter of moments to merge threads, but it is beneficiary for the forums as a whole if users undertake the responsibility of using the search button. You have the choice to do either a simple search, or an advanced search.

Read others' posts before posting. It's important to check all of the posts in a thread before making one of your own for several reasons. One, there might have been a specific comment made by a staff member, asking members to refrain from making a certain comment, etc. Also, you want to make sure that you're not bringing up a point that is already being extensively discussed in the thread. This simply derails the thread, and gets everyone off track. Read before posting!

Introduce yourself. Unlike some forums, we do not have a forum dedicated to introducing yourself. We do, however, have a thread dedicated to this. If you're new and would like to say a bit about yourself, please go to the Welcome thread.

In need of a signature or avatar? PSU has an excellent Design Squad, who spends a lot of time creating excellent graphics for our forum's users. Simply make a thread in the Sig/Avy Requests section, and someone will surely take the challenge. It is, however, wise to get a few posts around the forums before requesting a graphic.

Read announcements and sticky threads. Reading threads like this is VERY important. From time to time, an administrator will post an announcement which will detail things like new rules, additions to the forum, etc. It is crucial that you read these threads.

Use proper punctuation and grammar. Not only should this be common practice, but it is very necessary to use proper grammar / punctuation on a website that is based upon communication. If you want to communicate effectively and participate in discussion, using proper grammar is a must.

Let your posts represent YOU. Nearly everyone wants to be seen as intelligent. From your first posts, members are naturally looking at your posts and determining what kind of member you will be. Using good grammar, not using fanboy terminology (i.e. shitbox), etc., are all good ways to make a good first impression on the community.

Don't pretend to be a staff member. When things go wrong, some members decide to take matters into their own hands. For example, when an argument breaks out, another member might tell the participants to stop arguing. This is NOT acceptable. If you see something going wrong, take advantage of the report button (), and staff members will deal with it accordingly. After reporting, simply ignore anyone breaking the rules and continue on with discussion.

Becoming a Subscriber

After registering on PSU, you have the option to subscribe. Becoming a subscriber requires a fee. The more you pay, the longer your subscription lasts, as should be expected. There are several perks to becoming a subscriber:

- A gold or pink username.
- Access to a Subscriber-only forum.
- Discounted prices in the vBShop.
- Ability to change your user title.
- Larger signature size.
- Respect from the community.

If you would like to subscribe, simply click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't my signature / avatar show up?

There are several possible reasons for this issue:

1.) It violates the forum Signature and Avatar Guidelines.
2.) The image host (i.e. Imageshack) dropped the direct link to your image. In this case, simply re-host the image.
3.) You may have an image-block applied on your internet browser.
4.) You disabled avatars / signatures in the Options menu in your User CP.

What do each of the username colors mean?

Subscribers / Subscribers - These are members that have donated money to PSU. In return, these users get special privileges (see Subscribers section).

PSU.com Staff - These are the programmers, database managers, editors, and journalists that keep PSU up-to-date and running.

Design Squad - These are the members who have been recognized for their artistic capabilities. If you're looking to get a good signature / avatar, these are the guys to go to. (note: just because someone isn't on the DS does NOT mean they're not artistically capable!)

Senior Member Council - SMC's are low-level moderators who deal with small-scale forum issues. They can merge threads, delete posts, and ban spam bots. They are a great asset and an immense help to the other levels of staff. Many dedicated SMC's later are promoted to Moderator.

Super Moderator - Moderators enforce the forum rules. They hand out warnings, infractions, and bans to users. They also can deal with all tasks that an SMC can.

Administrator - These are the guys who create new forums, write the rules, and make the pressing decisions for the community. They also have all powers of a Moderator and SMC.

Community Manager - As the title suggests, the Community Manager is in charge of the forum community. The CM is in charge of the administration, and has the same powers as an administrator.

Am I allowed to have multiple accounts?

No. There is no reason for a user to have more than one account; it creates confusion, and is wholly unnecessary.

If you forget your password, simply click the "I forgot my password" link, and the issue should be resolved in no time.

If you forget your username, you are permitted to make a new account, but only to contact a member of staff who can acquire your username for you. The second account will then be deleted.

Why is my thread locked?

Your thread could be locked for a variety of reasons:

1.) It violated the Forum Rules and Policies.
2.) It was seen as obscene, tasteless, and/or pointless.
3.) It was already posted.

Where is my post? I can't find it!

There are several reasons you may not be able to find your post:

1.) Your thread was moved to a different section. This is commonly due to it being in the wrong section. Try searching your thread title.
2.) It was deleted by a Moderator. This would be done only because it violates one of the forum rules. If you're not sure what rule you violated, review the rules and contact a member of staff concerning the matter.
3.) Your thread was deleted. If this happens, you should receive a message from the member of staff who deleted it explaining why it was deleted. If not, contact a member of staff.

I was temporarily banned. What does this mean?

If you were temporarily banned, you likely broke one of the forum rules. Your ban length should be specified by the moderator who bans you. Do NOT create another account during this period of time. This will result in you getting permanently banned.

I was permanently banned. What does this mean?

If you are permanently banned, you were deemed a spammer or broke a plethora of rules. Permanent bans usually occur after several warnings, infractions, and temporary bans. This means that you have lost your privilege to view the forum indefinitely.

I don't like my username anymore. How do I change this?

You can't. To avoid confusion, we require that all members keep their usernames the same. If the change you would like to make to your username is minor (i.e. Dave94 to Dave95), contact an administrator and they may or may not grant you your username change. Make sure to select a username that you will be happy with having throughout the entirety of your stay here, as you won't be able to make any drastic changes.