Off Topic FAQ: Read if you are interested in the Off Topic Forum

[Unabomber]

This post is intended for new personnel interested in the Off Topic Forum.

If you see anything that needs to be changed or added, please post. I won't consider this a complete FAQ until OT calls me a n00b, to DIAF, and right all wrongs with this post. If you have a new link to suggest, hook a brother up with the link as searching for old OT threads is a serious PITA.

What is the Off Topic Forum? The Off Topic Forum can be best summed up in the words of the site creator, Nick. "A long time ago we created an Off Topic forum on the site, that is sort of the glue that holds the site together"

OK, but what IS the Off Topic Forum? The Off Topic Forum is the place where all your non-Subaru questions, thoughts, and general lunacy should be posted.

Who can post in Off Topic? Everyone.

What should/can I post in Off Topic? Nearly everything under the sun except for Subaru related stuff.

I just made my first post and people posted WTLW, 1234, and DIAF, what do those terms mean? You have just been hit with some "OT terms". Whenever you see a post in OT that makes no sense to you, this should be your train of thought:
1. Search for the term to find the meaning.
2. Search the Urban Dictionary for the term to find the meaning.
3. Check this glossary
4. Accept the fact that you are a n00b and it'll all make sense later.

Are there any topics that OT specializes in? Though collectively, OT knows all and sees all, OT specializes in:
a. Computer knowledge of ALL kinds. Software, hardware, coding, webpages, programs, spyware......OT knows it all, so ask away without fear.
b. Relationship knowledge of ALL kinds. Boyfriends, girlfriends, family, three-ways, straight, gay.....OT knows it all, so ask away without fear.
c. Legal/Medical knowledge of ALL kinds. As a general warning, always talk to a lawyer/doctor not matter what OT tells you. Occasionally, you can find posts by a doctor or lawyer but this isn't the place to get a 100% professional response as physical exams and state laws cannot take place on the Internet.

What does OT not know? Nothing, OT knows everything.

How can I get into serious trouble in OT? The rules of Off Topic are slightly different than the rules of NASIOC as a whole. The best course of action is as follows:
a. Don't break one of the site rules.

That being said, the main reasons people seem to get warning points here are:
a. Posting NWS (Not Work Safe) material. REALIZE that many, many people viewing OT are at work, on the clock, getting paid. While you are sitting at home in your underwear and think it's OK to post something, recognize the fact that some users will view your post and could seriously lose their job.
b. Posting misleading links. A misleading link is a text link that says one thing and takes you to another site. Example: Disney's website. While this seems inane, some people used to blindly link to NWS material, the "log out" function here, or pop-up crazy website.
c. Posting links to websites that contain crazy pop-ups, make your CD tray open, or otherwise disturb your computer.
d. Not knowing when to back off. We are here to have fun and exchange information. Taking things too personal with other members or Moderators is not a good idea.
e. Parody thread. This is where your post the exact same content as someone else except you change one fact. Example: Original thread, Parody thread.

What is NWS material? NWS material contains the following:
a. Pictures/video/audio/links with graphic language. Yes, even the swear filter here allows mild language such as damn, hell, etc. Anything stronger than that is not cool.
b. Pictures/video/audio/links of bikinis or less on a person be it man or woman. There are exactly eleventy billion websites that feature bikinis or less on people. Since they have that market covered, there is no need for it here.
c. Any other content that should not be seen by a company president, spouse, or grandmother. Examples include hate organizations, autopsy photos, etc.
d. A word of additional caution: if you do post a link to a website, ensure you search the entire website for NWS content. Many websites contain NWS banner ads or other bad content that are "hidden" due to your monitor's resolution but show up dandy on someone's high resolution work monitor.
e. Posting a text link to NWS material is just as bad as posting it for all to see, so don't do it.

Where can I post my NWS material? The unofficial, official spot is teh Crowbarn which can be found at www dot crowbarn dot com slash forums. It has purposedly been put in this format as the link itself is not safe for work. Post away there to your heart's content, just be sure you don't link to the content. An acceptable alternative is to mention a NWS material and then post "The link/pic/video is in the Crowbarn." This will allow those in the know to find/see it without getting anyone in trouble.

What is your best advice before posting in OT?
a. Make thread titles that will give readers some idea as to the content of your thread.
b. Search to see if your topic has been covered. If it's a movie, mp3, etc. search by filename, or what the image/video/material is about. DO NOT search by site name or a direct link, because the search feature may not show any results.
c. If your topic has been covered before and you get welcomed to last week (WTLW), GET OVER IT! Nick, our site creator consistently gets WTLW'd, if it's good enough for him, its good enough for you.

What makes a good OT post? No one really knows. Some last 1 hour, some for several days, some for several months. Be sure to check your spelling and grammar when you post. ieSpell is a wonderful, free spell checker for IE based browsers. Grammar is up to you. Grap on my tired threads are funny, but simple spelling/grammar errors are a pain to read/figure out.

What makes a bad OT post?
a. Posts about fraternities or sororities. For some reason, the people of OT hate them with a passion, so do not try to resurrect your college days with "Where are my Psi Iota Psi peeps?" threads or you will be bashed into submission.
b. Posts about street racing. Though OT is the proper place for these type of posts, you will be inundated with links to street racing death stories until you realize the error of your ways.
c. Posting audio/video in Real format. Real format is the devil.
d. And please don't ask for warez, mp3s, Subaru tech manuals, CarFax reports, or other similarly "gray market" things.

What can I do to jazz up my posts? Most OT personnel (known as otters) need audio/visual assistance. Pictures, mp3s, and video help a lot. If you don't know how to post this content, here is a short tutorial:

1. Find a picture online.
2. Right click on it and choose "Properties"
3. Highlight the "Address" and Copy it by Control + C
4. When you make a post and want to use the pic, click this button ---> and paste the address when it prompts you via Control + V.
5. Alternately, you could manually add the tags [img] and [/img] around your Control + V pasted address and the picture will appear.

Example:

[img] and then Control +V and then [/img] =



FYI, not all pictures online can be linked this way. So, if you get a red X, it might not be your fault, it may the picture's host server that is blocking you from linking. If this is the case, delete your content before you get the dreaded:

or one of it's many variants.

For videos, webpages, mp3s, etc. you use the same principles except you utilize [ url] and [ /url] (minus the spaces) instead of the img tags or you can utilize this icon----> to walk you through the process.

Most otters are chronic ADD. Too many words will confuse the average otter, so be kind and supply Cliff Notes or a shortened version of your post.



Is there a reward for OT posts? The ultimate reward other than sharing and having a wildly successful thread are the coveted IggPoints. These are give out by IggDawg, the über Moderator of the Off Topic forum. When, where, and why the infamous IggPoints are given out is up to IggDawg, if you don't like it, seek counsel in your local house of worship. IggDawg is cool!

What are some famous OT terms, OTisms, or threads?
Why Subaru don't Hatchback?: Started the whole "why don't" craze.
Cute Girl Dancing for NASIOC...: Why everyone loved/loves the French singer Alizee
Oilcovers: Everything you wanted to know about oilcovers
Carbon Fiber: Is it hard to damage?
My room mate cleaned 2 of his hubcaps: Are you serious?
The corner pocket: Everything goes there.
Aerogel: Get some now
First use of WAPCE: Women are pure concentrated evil
IDP: In das pooper
1234: What does it mean? Nothing
Nabisco Dog: That dog in the OT banner
Logitech Keyboards: Why they are the favorite of OT? Link, Link, Link, and Link as well as a few others.
Just testing don't open let die: Famous long running thread (now locked)
Look, This Is Our Thread: New famous long running thread
Crazy Stalker Chick Recordings!: What happens when you help a damsel in distress
Trunk Monkey: What is a Trunk Monkey?
Waving kitty: :wavingkitty:
Nut power and Gold Bond: Gold Bond has the tingle
Biker Fox: Sexiest man evAr!
Pirate sex chat: HARRRRRRRRR
Famous Photoshops
Turbo spool at 12MPH


Why can't I find the origin of all OT terms? Some terms just happen without a real genesis through evolution. That is one of the mysteries of OT.

Editors Note

This post was created because I wasn't able to find a good Off Topic FAQ. I came up with the text based on a lot searching a lot of time in the trenches. Upon reading this you should have an idea of whether or not Off Topic is for you or not.

If you find an error in this FAQ, please PM me with factual details and I will update this post.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[Fish]

you have a faq addiction.. a faq problem even..

stickied.. and much appreciated.

[Brad Pittiful]

very good as usual

[STR8OUT]

*golf clap*

[Jard]

Cliffs Notes?

[subijitsu]

Nice. Now if we can only get n00bs to read stickies and FAQs we would be set.

[awilson529]

Awesome! Nice job, again.

Adam

[HalfBaked]

I liked.

[Kinsbane]

Pfft. Weaksauce. My FAQ thread > this crap.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...ighlight=F.A.Q.

[alacrity024]

woah.. haven't started to read it yet.. kudos for putting it together though.. get ready for lots of edits

edit: finished reading it.. EXTRORDINARY job i wanted to see a list of terms and their definitions, but i understand why it was omitted.. leaves some mystery to it..

[KC]

What should/can I post in Off Topic? Nearly everything under the sun.

DIAF. Subaru technical questions are NOT to be posted in this forum.

[UncleMeat]

Wasn't the ORIGINAL "carbon fiber hard to damage" thread the one with the ebay Ferrari Enzo wreck? Was several pages of laughity.

[Strider]

Bitchin, my name is listed on the "Bad Monkey" animation.

I approve. It's about time something like this was posted.

[plunk10]

Thanks for yet another FAQ, sir Unabomber.

[WRXedUSA]

The crowbarn secret is out. Shame on you.

[Fish]

the original Carbon fiber thread was concerning the SLR that got hit by a VW..

[Damien]

Yes, Damien really lives in Japan, No He's not going to sell you parts, and Yes, he really is shaggin a Japanese woman.

-Damien

[Hank3]

SWEET!!! Great job teh Una

[Fish]

Unabomber.
please add to the FAQ that if you have any issues... Fishguy does not Particularly care

[Kinsbane]

Oh yeah, and please put a notice in there to not be like the rest of OT and beat a dead horse.

SRT-4 jokes = old and busted

[Briman2021]

Why logitech keyboards link don't work??

[Matt A]

pffft. whatever, n00b.

[UncleMeat]

Originally Posted by Fishguy

the original Carbon fiber thread was concerning the SLR that got hit by a VW..

Yeah, just checked, you're right (not like there was any doubt, just didn't remember which came first). This thread was much funnier though.

[chris619]

f'ing aye. very nice indeed.

[wrxpunk53]

Your logitech linkage is b0rk3d you n00b!!

DIAF. All your links are wtlw, er wait...

right the wrongs...check
call a n00b..........check
DIA....................check
wtlwed...............check



I'm good at teh OT!!! Fear my leetness