By: DrMcAwesome
This portion of the lecture transcends into the community forums and the page. While most of this is filed under common sense, some folks may need a refresher here and there.
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If it ain't yours,:
Don't take it without the expressed written consent of the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, or the person who the work actually belongs to. There are a lot of managers who are more than happy to help you along if you simply ask nicely. In turn, don't be lazy about it. If a manager won't give you the exact specs to his/her work but will give you a few pointers, respect that and try to learn and develop your style from that. To see 47 clones of someone's work is no fun, but to see hybrid of that work with a splash of your own style, That's more exciting and rewarding to anyone who clicks on the headline.
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Respond if you get comments:
This one I never got, people begging for feedback on their site or in their forum guestbook and as soon as they get that feedback, that person sits there with nothing to say. A lot of the veterans on DM will respond to every comment that is worth the time to read, it's only polite. While there are a few out there who may try to start some petty squabble, most people who drop a line are offering compliments or constructive suggestions to help you out. A little appreciation from your end may ensure more feedback in the future.
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Stay active in the forums:
Simply put, let people know that you're alive once in awhile. While this is a growing community, there are a lot of friendships to be made within the group. Even if there is a 3-inch layer of dust on your console, if you get a few minutes on a computer drop in to a guestbook or a thread and cast out a line.
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Give and take:
If you expect feedback, give some out too. There are a lot of managers and posters who have given me a nudge here and there to help out my pages, and even if you cannot return the favor to that person, polish a couple apples for them, compliment their pages (if deserving) or strike up a conversation about current events. And if you can offer advice to a fellow poster, choose your words wisely and have at it.
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While this barely scratches the surface of everything that can be covered on these two topics, and some of this was touched on in the "Help Me" section, this can be used as a primer to help in your Dynasty Manager experience, and who knows - if you play your cards right, you could be part of the first group to congratulate me on actually completing a season.
