Bumping and You: An Etiquette Guide

Astaroth

[*screaming into the void intensifies*]
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We've all been there. You're trying to get your thread noticed. You want it to stay on the first page. You're afraid of it getting lost in the sea of similar requests for MxFxM BDSM pony Omegaverse escapades. D: (Understandable. Dats sum hot shit.)

So you post. You post your heart out.

You BUMP.

Here's the thing though.

Here on Iwaku, even though we are a fairly large community, the partner search and roleplay advertising areas are slow-going. Your thread isn't likely to fall off the first page in less than one day. We have tools like the ad banner packages and special advertising forums for different kinds of roleplays, specifically to help you get noticed more easily!

We also have a rule against spam posts. Spam posts are defined as any post that doesn't have content value, and that includes bumps. This rule is in place to keep the forums clean and ensure people aren't flooding threads just to up their post count or to get attention to a particular thread; we value quality over quantity. (If you want to waste time by posting, get ye to the Bored Games section!) Posts that are considered spam will be deleted by mods if we find them. Repeat spamming after being warned can even result in penalties against your account.

Now, obviously we understand that you want to make your thread look active and keep it from being buried! That is why we allow you to "bump" your thread with a post that has content once every 24 hours. (Or, if you're a Donator, you can use the bump function. This doesn't make a new post, but changes the timestamp on the existing last post of the thread. Your post travels through time by means of wormholes and becomes a newer, younger, fresher post.)

What even do you mean, "a post that has content"?

Essentially, the post has to have some kind of information or value. It can't be a post for the sake of posting. Let's look at some examples to help distinguish the difference.

POSTS WITHOUT CONTENT

  • "bumpity", "Bump Up My Post", "bumperoo", "ba-bump ba-bump"", or any variation of "bump"
  • "^", "^^^", "+", ":D!" and other various symbols/emoticons without other context. Or any smiley by itself. Yes, even the dancing banana.
  • "1", "2", "3", etc. as a way of counting your bumps
  • bump images like this one, or other meme/GIF nonsense posting
and other stuff that serves no purpose other than to post something.

POSTS WITH CONTENT

  • "Still looking for partners!"
  • "I'm currently in the mood for idea B from my plot list, any takers?"
  • "Updated with new pairings."
  • "[Name of roleplay] is currently accepting 5 new players!"
and anything that gives some kind of information to the person who will read it, like this glorious PSA.

Why should I do this? Why should I care other than "it's against the rules"?

Well for one, it actually helps YOU. Bump/spam posts can be a turn-off to potential partners/players. A large reply count to your thread also may make people assume you've got enough interest and are no longer looking, so it'll create the OPPOSITE effect of what you're intending! And giving more information establishes what you're looking for at that moment to potential partners/players, helping you attract the right people (or deter contact from people who aren't what you're looking for).


Please be respectful and mind bumping etiquette! Don't spam the forums. We work hard to keep them clean, and spam is like littering all over our nice lawn. :[ Slow down, take a deep breath, and don't worry so much. There are a lot of people just like you looking for someone to play with. They will find their way to you!
 
I have a question, for those of us dorks who literally do nothing with our time but work and RP, I like to have EXTENSIVE roleplay search threads with upwards of 20-30 different posts with CONTENT - to keep things nice and neat in a table of contents at the very top.

Is this an alright thing ^^? I'm not purposefully trying to get noticed, in fact, I include no content at all till all my posts are ready to be noticed then I change the title to something else to get noticed after I'm finished.
 
I have a question, for those of us dorks who literally do nothing with our time but work and RP, I like to have EXTENSIVE roleplay search threads with upwards of 20-30 different posts with CONTENT - to keep things nice and neat in a table of contents at the very top.

Is this an alright thing ^^? I'm not purposefully trying to get noticed, in fact, I include no content at all till all my posts are ready to be noticed then I change the title to something else to get noticed after I'm finished.
Yes, that is totally fine! You can split stuff up as much as you want in your threads. The problem is posting spammy stuff just to post things.

Unfortunately, some people may assume your thread has more interest than it really does due to the reply count. Might I suggest using the tab BB code? That way you can keep stuff organized without having a ton of posts! You can find info about some of those codes here.

Ultimately of course it is up to you and how you want to organize it! What you are doing is definitely not against the rules.
 
Is this an alright thing ^^? I'm not purposefully trying to get noticed, in fact, I include no content at all till all my posts are ready to be noticed then I change the title to something else to get noticed after I'm finished.
Wait, I missed this part.

To avoid getting flagged for spam by mistake, I'd recommend having everything typed up in advance rather than making placeholder posts. o__o
 
Yes, that is totally fine! You can split stuff up as much as you want in your threads. The problem is posting spammy stuff just to post things.

Unfortunately, some people may assume your thread has more interest than it really does due to the reply count. Might I suggest using the tab BB code? That way you can keep stuff organized without having a ton of posts! You can find info about some of those codes here.

Ultimately of course it is up to you and how you want to organize it! What you are doing is definitely not against the rules.
Thank you for the speedy response. I have tried the tab function and I just don't like the layout / can't get it to look exactly how I want it. I basically have a post for every letter of the alphabet which is going to later contain all the KPOP groups that fall under that letter. ^_~ The first post however is all about me as a player, then the subsequent posts are pertaining to the groups and plots and all that, and all of the posts are reachable through my table of contents at the very top ^_~
 
Wait, I missed this part.

To avoid getting flagged for spam by mistake, I'd recommend having everything typed up in advance rather than making placeholder posts. o__o


Each post says the purpose of the post and why I'm doing it ^^ Instead of just "reserved" "placeholder" ect ect ^^
 
Each post says the purpose of the post and why I'm doing it ^^ Instead of just "reserved" "placeholder" ect ect ^^
As long as you have that, it should be fine then! :]
 
As long as you have that, it should be fine then! :]
https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/roleplay-thread-yaoi-kpop-m-x-m-wip.160882/

^^ This is my thread. Let me know if I'm doing anything wrong here, my goal isn't to break rules I just like pretty threads ^_~ Hopefully people don't mind my post count ;o never thought of people feeling like too many posts means you found what you want :O

I think instead of doing it all in that thread, I'll make another (third) test thread and type it all in that test thread) then link to the test thread ^_~
 
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Bump





"Still looking for partners!"!

Isn't this still spam though?
It's kind of assumed when you bump a thread it's for the purpose of getting people to notice it.

...

Actually, I have a new proclamation.
All "bumps" from here on out shall be typed as "Notice me Senpai".
Failure to do so is grounds for an instant ban.
 
Bump







Isn't this still spam though?
It's kind of assumed when you bump a thread it's for the purpose of getting people to notice it.

...

Actually, I have a new proclamation.
All "bumps" from here on out shall be typed as "Notice me Senpai".
Failure to do so is grounds for an instant ban.


In the 1x1 section most people respond to threads by PM, so it's hard to tell if the OP is still looking or if things have been taken unless they specifically say it. It's letting people know that there are still openings and an interest in finding partners.
 
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https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/roleplay-thread-yaoi-kpop-m-x-m-wip.160882/

^^ This is my thread. Let me know if I'm doing anything wrong here, my goal isn't to break rules I just like pretty threads ^_~ Hopefully people don't mind my post count ;o never thought of people feeling like too many posts means you found what you want :O

I think instead of doing it all in that thread, I'll make another (third) test thread and type it all in that test thread) then link to the test thread ^_~
I think it's okay, but I might suggest also that to avoid people replying to it early, you could post it in the Test Chambers and then request for a mod to move it when it's ready! But this at least does show you're putting effort into it and not spamming, so I'm inclined to say it counts as "content".
 
In the 1x1 section most people respond to threads by PM, so it's hard to tell if the OP is still looking or if things have been taken unless they specifically say it. It's letting people know that there are still openings and an interest in finding partners.

If you leave the thread alone/inactive I can see this happening. But even posting "bump" gives the indication "I'm bumping this to get the RP attention/players, please respond". Which functionally is no different than "Still looking".
 
I think it's okay, but I might suggest also that to avoid people replying to it early, you could post it in the Test Chambers and then request for a mod to move it when it's ready! But this at least does show you're putting effort into it and not spamming, so I'm inclined to say it counts as "content".
I hope no one posts in it honestly o-o... I never like people posting in my threads :o I guess I should put that in the thread itself ^_^ Ty for the suggestion and complement. I put a lot of effort into RP. I'm lifeless aside from 48 hour per week job xD
 
there is a little bump button that can be pressed without need to reply to get a thread bumped...
 
there is a little bump button that can be pressed without need to reply to get a thread bumped...

Only donators and staff have that button. o3o
 
Instead of bumping we should all just accept that we are going to die alone, much like our well thought out plots! :tombstone:
 
If you leave the thread alone/inactive I can see this happening. But even posting "bump" gives the indication "I'm bumping this to get the RP attention/players, please respond". Which functionally is no different than "Still looking".
Except the actual content, taken out of context, is not content when it's "bump".

"Still looking" has content when taken out of context.

We have to make that distinction for moderation purposes. Spam posts are not allowed in any forum, and the criteria is the same across the board.
 
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if you're a Donator, you can use the bump function

heh, makes everything sound rather fishy to me.

"hey, there's something other people pay for that you can do for free so to make it seem more legitimate that this
be a service offered for paying, we don;t want you to do it for free"

How does a bump post in a thread at all clutter or 'litter' things for the forum as a whole? Who even cares about post numbers? Someone bumping is clearly not out to 'waste time by posting' so the board games link is a total non sequitur.

and the whole 'it actually helps you" thing is entirely subjective. Clearly someone in the position of needing to bump has not had the low post count help them. Other people could see a low post count as 'eh no one else is interested and this thread has been up for weeks, why should i give it a look?". Not to mention the whole "you can bump if there is content" clause pretty much entirely defeats the 'you want to keep your post count low so people don't get scared off' rhetoric.

This 'PSA' seems pretty shaky to me
 
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heh, makes everything sound rather fishy to me.

"hey, there's something other people pay for that you can do for free so to make it seem more legitimate that those be a service offered for paying, we don;t want you to do it for free"

How does a bump post in a thread at all clutter or 'litter' things for the forum as a whole? Who even cares about post numbers? Someone bumping is clearly not out to 'waste time by posting' so the board games link is a total non sequitur.

and the whole 'it actually helps you" thing is entirely subjective. Clearly someone in the position of needing to bump has not had the low post count help them. Other people could see a low post count as 'eh no one else is interested and this thread has been up for weeks, why should i give it a look?". Not to mention the whole "you can bump if there is content" clause pretty much entirely defeats the 'you want to keep your post count low so people don't get scared off' rhetoric.

This 'PSA' seems pretty shaky to me
1. Controls like the bump function can be abused and mess up threads; giving that to all registered members isn't something we want to do for that reason. We also have to have some incentives to donate so the site can still run for free with no profit made by the owner, so something like the bump feature which is a totally unnecessary feature is a good donator perk.

Personally, I don't even like using the bump tool because having the "wrong" date drives me absolutely nuts. It's not for everyone.

2. I have no idea why people care about post numbers, especially since our required post count to get out of the Newbie user group is so low, but some people do. And in fact some people actually do bump threads for literally no other reason! o__o It's less common on Iwaku, that's true. It's because we actively discourage that. The reason to mention the Bored Games forum was to cover all the bases and direct those people somewhere! Obviously it doesn't apply to everyone.

3. People do in fact bump their threads more often than is necessary to keep their thread on the first page. We have to message people about that sometimes. This thread is directed largely towards those people, not people who need to give their thread a bump after weeks of not getting replies.

If people have to bump their threads, thereby necessitating driving up their post count, posting actual information is more useful to them and to the people reading the thread. That's not subjective. This, more than the post count, was the point of why it's helpful for you.

People are going to bump regardless. The post count bit is just advice/things we as Staff have observed, not a rule and not anything we're enforcing.

4. We don't allow spammy, no-content posts. Bottom line, that's why we don't allow bumping threads with no-content posts. It's to prevent people from posting crap that makes the forum look spammy. This applies to all areas, both RP areas and non-RP areas. That is just the preference of the site owner and administration.

We've had these same rules for as long as I've been on Iwaku, and I've been here since 2011. o__o I like them and think they work well in creating the kind of community I like to spend time on! There are other sites out there that have different rules, like Gaia, where bumping is allowed. That's cool but I prefer this site.