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Miscellaneous
Submissions
This page already covers the most basic things you need to know about submissions. Read it first. This section goes a bit more in detail.Submissions can be made by sending an e-mail to mkdd_at_yahoogroups_dot_com. You can also join the Yahoogroup (click on "Submit" on the MKDD homepage and then "Sign in" (or "Sign up")), however, this is not necessary. Simply sending e-mails suffices. Using Yahoogroups itself doesn't give any special benefits.
Submission contents
Basically, all you need to send is your name and your new PRs. If you play both 50 and 60Hz, clearly specify in which mode your times were driven in. If you only play one mode, your PRs will automatically overwrite those of that time set.Two things: make sure you don't use MC, since it could mean both Mario Circuit and Mushroom City; use MaC & MuC or MCR & MCT. Secondly, make sure your PRs don't contain typos. Even if the time in your submission is actually worse than your current PR, it'll be overwritten. If it's way too good, it might be picked up by an updater, but not always. The result would be a faulty chart, which is very annoying, especially if you don't notice it yourself.
You can write stories or some side information in your submissions. A lot of karters like to do that, me included. But that's not without danger. Some things to be mindful about:
First off, keep all your PRs together, and put them either on top or at the bottom of the message. Don't incorporate them in your story, because that's awkward for the updaters. Also, the updating process is partly automatic. An algorithm picks up on anything looking like ##?### or #?##?###, where '#' is a number and '?' any character. If you mention other times or splits in your submission, it might be picked up as a PR, and you can get a real mess. If you wish to mention times or splits, do one of the following: omit some digits, e.g. the last or the seconds, or replace them by another character (examples: 12"34, 12"34x, ~"345). Or use "min" and "sec" in between, as in 1min23sec456.
The updating process
Here's how it goes: you send a submission to Yahoogroups, and then it will first need to be approved. After that, it appears on the submission site. (This link can also be found on the MKDD page under "Submit"). Then, an updater needs to come along to process the messages. So both between submission and appearance on the site, and between appearance and updating, there's a time period. Hence before your PRs appear on the site, hours or days could have passed. Therefore, be patient and don't send submissions multiple times! (Unless you're sure something has gone wrong; see below)Message not arrived or ignored
Sometimes, you may think that your submission didn't make it through, or got ignored. Sometimes, you may be right. But first, check two things:Go to the Yahoogroups site, and see if your message is there. If it's not, check the date of the last submission that is listed. If it's at least one day after you submitted your message, it probably didn't get through indeed. In this case, resubmit your message. Check the title of your submission: include "MKDD" or "PR" to increase the chances of acceptance. If you later find that it still hasn't got through, make a remark on the message board, in the topic Site Issues/Suggestions/Comments.
If you're message is approved, but you think it has been ignored, then check the Charts site. On top you'll find "update tag: done #####". This is the number of submissions that have been processed. Check if the number of your message (this can be found by clicking on the message) is lower (or equal) to this number. If so, your message indeed got skipped (if your times aren't updated). Check the format of your message. If you see no reason why it could have been ignored, either try to resubmit, or make a remark on the message board, in the topic Site Issues/Suggestions/Comments.
Be patient!
Sometimes your PRs are updated within hours of your submission. However, sometimes it takes days. Don't start nagging on the MB if there have been a few days since the last update. The updating is done by humans, and moreover, they're volunteers. They do it because they like it, or at least to make a contribution to the site. People nagging just takes away the motivation. | Back to top |
Message board behavior
The message board is a major part of the community. Karters from all over the world, from all kart games, share information, thoughts and jokes with each other. It's what makes this community such a nice environment alongside your karting. Be sure to take the things below in consideration to enjoy your stay on the MB, and to let others enjoy your presence.Language
It's all English. Never mind if you're not good at it, if you can read this then you're a long way. Don't post in your native language, asking others to translate it for you. Bad English is much more appreciated; you get credit for trying. Make use of (online) dictionaries or translators. I recommend dictionary.reference.com. Even though my English is pretty good, if I may say so myself, I frequently use it. The site contains a translator, which is very crude but helpful for translating individual words, a dictionary which provides explanations and also the correct spelling, and a thesaurus, for searching for a proper synonym. As a result, your English will improve while you type messages! It worked and continues to work for me.Don't use obscene language. Some people use it, but be better than them. There are a lot of underage people on the MB, many even under 15. Keep that in mind. Especially, don't use the f-word. If you feel like it's the only word that expresses what you mean, then refer to it as f*** or something. It's condoned in abbreviations though, such as "wtf" (what the ...) and "stfu" (shut up).
You may think it's cool to use leet language, or 1337 as it's also known. Well, it's not. Leet involves using abbreviations for almost any word or word combination, and replacing letters or syllables with numbers. On the MB, we prefer to understand each other. There are some common abbreviations in use though, you can find most of them here. Or refer to www.urbandictionary.com.
General guidelines
A post should be contributing; informative, insightful, opinionative or funny. And this counts tenfold for new topics. There are moderators around, ready to delete posts of spamming people and lock topics. People stepping out of line will be warned, and (fortunately) in rare cases, banned.Keep the moderators as your friends, you don't want them as enemy. Some say that they don't sleep.
The MB is divided in a few sections: there's General Discussion, a topic for every MK game, and some less relevant ones.
The MK sections are for topics about that game only; no bullshit. Think twice before creating a new topic; is it interesting and relevant enough? Do you expect to get a lot of replies? First, check if there isn't an older topic already which answers a question you have. You can do this by browsing through the pages for topics of the last few months, or use the search button. If you have a small question or remark, it's often best placed in the Site Issues/Suggestions/Comments topic.
General Discussion is a much more forgiving place. There's a lot of action there, and a lot of useless stuff about all sorts of things. But be careful, there's a limit to what is tolerated here too. Members who are well known and have established some image, often get away with topics and posts which are not recommendable for the average Joe.
Also, don't make a topic just to introduce yourself, unless you're already known in the scene, or have a legit question or remark to back it up. But new kids on the block can be forgiven.
Bad things
Spam involves Stupid Posts And Messages. Actually, that's not the official origin of the term. Anyway, we don't like it. Useless posts and topics are not appreciated. When it comes to spam, the MK MB is less forgiving than your average forum. Again, this goes tenfold for new topics.Another thing that is not appreciated is flaming: flaming is basically insulting people. Flamewars, as they're called, are often the result of some overheated discussion turning personal. People start throwing crap at each other, ruining the topic, leaving the moderators to clean up the mess. At MKDD, the 50/60Hz discussion and video proof are popular fuels for flamewars. It usually only takes one person to come with a flamebait, a provocation, to get ignition.
Bringing up old topics by making a post in them is called bumping. If it's a reaction to a post which was made weeks ago, then it's just weird and unnatural. Only bump a topic if it has become relevant again due to recent developments or something. Otherwise, let them rest in peace.
MB status and reputation
On the MB, you have a position, or status, which is solely based on your post count. Here's the schematic:
| Status | Post count | |
| n00b | - | |
| Karter | 50+ | |
| Elite | 200+ | |
| King | 500+ | |
| Legend | 2000+ | |
| Titan | 5000+ | |
| Myth | 10000+ |
Don't think too much of this status. Is someone with a Titan status someone who has a lot of useful things to say, or is he just spamming around? A status is nothing to be proud of, nor to be ashamed of.
This goes especially for the n00b status (n00b = newbie). Don't be tempted to quickly make 50 posts, just to get rid of those four letters under your name. If you do that, then you really are a noob, and a bad one. Your first 50 posts are important, as they make up the first impression others will get of you. Make them worthwhile, and then you truly are not a n00b anymore.
It's not about status, this one word under your name; it's about reputation. Make quality posts, and you build up respect and credit.
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