Hello all pre-2006 members and all other jerkoffs. Today I want to clear up an issue that really, really irritates me, derailment and hijacking. Most people would say it is against the rules and may be a deplorable act. This is true, IF it is done improperly. I am here to teach the masses how to perform derailment and hijacking swiftly, properly, professionally, and with devastation and to also explain how these things relate to being a Shepherd.
Before we begin there are two things you MUST know before attempting anything. The difference between derailment and hijacking. The two words are completely separate entities and should be approached and performed differently.
First, derailment is the act of leading a thread off course purposely, in a slow and un-noticeable manner. People in threads that are derailed properly will not notice the thread has been derailed until several pages into the conversation, and then it is too late, the thread is ruined. Use for minor infractions.
Second, is hijacking, which is the act of forcibly and aggressively taking the thread off course in a usually offensive and very frank manner. This usually causes a flame war or more would be hijackers to join in and ruins a thread in a matter of minutes, usually only ending when a moderator steps in and closes the thread for public safety. Use for major infractions.
Now that we know the difference, lets look at when, why and how we should use these techniques.
THREAD DERAILMENT
Derailment as stated above is the art of methodically taking a thread off course in a very subtle manner. But how to do this? Well, there are several ways, but the preferred way is to work in teams. The more people that are "in", the easier the derailment would be. For example, user "noob" starts a thread about an Apache helicopter killing some terrorists in Iraq. Now since this has been covered hundreds of times in countless threads in multiple sections of the forums, it warrants a derailment. Now since it's a minor infraction (he just didn't search), but used proper grammar and sincerely didn't know it had been posted, we would go with derailment over hijacking. In this scenario, we will use a team of 3 derailers.
The first person goes into the thread and comments on the video and proceeds to ask a question or bring up a comment that has something to do with the video and is only slightly off topic. In this case we will say the first guy asked what kind of truck it was in the video that got shot up with a terrorist hiding underneath. Derailer No. 2 comes in with an answer to No.1 and pulls the topic off course ever so slightly, possibly answering Toyota and then shifting to whether it they are made out of metal or fiberglass. Derailer No.3 enters and answers No.2's question as "fiberglass", but without pulling the topic any further off. This is where it gets tricky. For the third person to pull the topic off even further would be too obvious, rather he needs to answer something to No.2's question that is of a debate able fashion. No.1 will then come back and start the debate that Toyota's are made of metal, not fiberglass. By this time, new people coming into the thread will get into the debate and the topic turns into a snowball, becoming more and more off topic with every post.
By the 5th or 6th page the topic will be about transmissions in exotic race cars, instead of an Apache helicopter killing terrorists. Someone will usually notice what has happened and the thread is officially ruined. Thread closure usually ensues.
Of course you can attempt to derail alone but solo attempts usually end in failure. Running in a pack is the most efficient method.
THREAD HIJACKING
Thread hijacking is a very dirty and direct form of derailment, so much so it is considered a separate action by most. Hijacking differs from derailment by the mere fact that everyone that sees the thread will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the thread is being hijacked. Hijacking's are usually done by individuals rather than packs and tend to gather momentum as people want to join in by their own free will. It most often includes pictures with text or random sayings (i.e. I like pie, Anyone wanna see some boobies instead, etc) and sometimes "quote pyramids". Hijackings almost always result in massive flame wars and e-fighting.
Hijacking's should only be used when the poster has really, really fucked up. This would include topics like "Firestorm is No.1 again!!", "Look at my new sniper video!", "I caught a hacker/glitcher" etc. Stuff that has been covered to no end and the community as a whole is just sick of seeing. Hijacking's are also the most dangerous way to end a thread due to the negative vibe given off by the hijacker. Hijacking's often result in disciplinary actions if things get out of hand.
ETHICS
These methods should only be used by people who are mature enough to follow the common law ethics of whatever forum you are a member of. These include but are not limited to:
1.Hijacking or Derailing threads that do not warrant the action.
2.Hijacking or Derailing that is done in an inappropriate manner (i.e. porn, shock site links, overly abusive terminology, etc)
3.Hijacking or Derailing threads due to personal grudges or vendetta's.
4.Hijacking or Derailing threads that belong to dignified members of the community. (this usually starts revenge hijackings, or will backfire because other members will rally for the victim, and is never a good idea).
5.Hijacking or Derailing "just to be funny".
People will know when a thread should be derailed or hijacked and if you don't follow the ethics, then it's probably going to backfire in your face. Deservedly so.
THE RIGHTEOUS PATH
Being a member, former member, moderator, derailer, hijacker, and noob on many, many different forums throughout the internet, I have seen the power of the Shepherd's, as they were called in one forum. To be a Sheppard, you have to understand that there are 4 different kinds of users. Moderators, Shepherd's, Members, and Idiots. All four pretty explanatory.
The Shepherd's as they were called, were basically long time members that knew how the system worked and how the community reacted to certain things. They knew the unwritten laws and rules of what to do and what not to do. They enjoyed the forum they were apart of and enjoyed the company and comments of the members but hated when people (idiots) would ruin it. Shepherd's used tactics like derailing, hijacking and others to weed out the idiots and educate new members with potential as to how not to make mistakes. Unfortunately, it has become painfully obvious that this forum is starting to get a rather large influx of idiots. Someone people have given up and ran away to other places, some just don't come here anymore. Most have tried to do some good but in the wrong ways and most have just sat back and watched.
Shepherd's are the raw esscense of any community, even if they don't know what a Shepherd is, they by definition fit the bill. Shepherd's are force multipliers, reducing the amount of work for moderators (if they do their job correctly) and also by preventing other idiots from making the same mistake that got the previous idiot the e-beating he received. Sheppard's make people think twice about what they post, which is a good thing. Not out of fear but out of the member not wanting to be looked down upon.
I have seen many Shepherd's in this forum that didn't even know they were Shepherd's. The people who help each other, be it sigs, game support, answering questions, writing guides or just being helpful. People who educate by putting search links in their signatures or posting links in threads to answer someone who needed help. People who actively defend against idiots, the derailers and hijackers who do it the right way, etc etc etc. Each person has the ability to make this an even better place that will endure beyond BF2, BF2142, BF3 and beyond. This is no longer a stats forum, it has evolved into a community, a very large community.
It's time for the Shepherds to rise up together.
Before we begin there are two things you MUST know before attempting anything. The difference between derailment and hijacking. The two words are completely separate entities and should be approached and performed differently.
First, derailment is the act of leading a thread off course purposely, in a slow and un-noticeable manner. People in threads that are derailed properly will not notice the thread has been derailed until several pages into the conversation, and then it is too late, the thread is ruined. Use for minor infractions.
Second, is hijacking, which is the act of forcibly and aggressively taking the thread off course in a usually offensive and very frank manner. This usually causes a flame war or more would be hijackers to join in and ruins a thread in a matter of minutes, usually only ending when a moderator steps in and closes the thread for public safety. Use for major infractions.
Now that we know the difference, lets look at when, why and how we should use these techniques.
THREAD DERAILMENT
Derailment as stated above is the art of methodically taking a thread off course in a very subtle manner. But how to do this? Well, there are several ways, but the preferred way is to work in teams. The more people that are "in", the easier the derailment would be. For example, user "noob" starts a thread about an Apache helicopter killing some terrorists in Iraq. Now since this has been covered hundreds of times in countless threads in multiple sections of the forums, it warrants a derailment. Now since it's a minor infraction (he just didn't search), but used proper grammar and sincerely didn't know it had been posted, we would go with derailment over hijacking. In this scenario, we will use a team of 3 derailers.
The first person goes into the thread and comments on the video and proceeds to ask a question or bring up a comment that has something to do with the video and is only slightly off topic. In this case we will say the first guy asked what kind of truck it was in the video that got shot up with a terrorist hiding underneath. Derailer No. 2 comes in with an answer to No.1 and pulls the topic off course ever so slightly, possibly answering Toyota and then shifting to whether it they are made out of metal or fiberglass. Derailer No.3 enters and answers No.2's question as "fiberglass", but without pulling the topic any further off. This is where it gets tricky. For the third person to pull the topic off even further would be too obvious, rather he needs to answer something to No.2's question that is of a debate able fashion. No.1 will then come back and start the debate that Toyota's are made of metal, not fiberglass. By this time, new people coming into the thread will get into the debate and the topic turns into a snowball, becoming more and more off topic with every post.
By the 5th or 6th page the topic will be about transmissions in exotic race cars, instead of an Apache helicopter killing terrorists. Someone will usually notice what has happened and the thread is officially ruined. Thread closure usually ensues.
Of course you can attempt to derail alone but solo attempts usually end in failure. Running in a pack is the most efficient method.
THREAD HIJACKING
Thread hijacking is a very dirty and direct form of derailment, so much so it is considered a separate action by most. Hijacking differs from derailment by the mere fact that everyone that sees the thread will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the thread is being hijacked. Hijacking's are usually done by individuals rather than packs and tend to gather momentum as people want to join in by their own free will. It most often includes pictures with text or random sayings (i.e. I like pie, Anyone wanna see some boobies instead, etc) and sometimes "quote pyramids". Hijackings almost always result in massive flame wars and e-fighting.
Hijacking's should only be used when the poster has really, really fucked up. This would include topics like "Firestorm is No.1 again!!", "Look at my new sniper video!", "I caught a hacker/glitcher" etc. Stuff that has been covered to no end and the community as a whole is just sick of seeing. Hijacking's are also the most dangerous way to end a thread due to the negative vibe given off by the hijacker. Hijacking's often result in disciplinary actions if things get out of hand.
ETHICS
These methods should only be used by people who are mature enough to follow the common law ethics of whatever forum you are a member of. These include but are not limited to:
1.Hijacking or Derailing threads that do not warrant the action.
2.Hijacking or Derailing that is done in an inappropriate manner (i.e. porn, shock site links, overly abusive terminology, etc)
3.Hijacking or Derailing threads due to personal grudges or vendetta's.
4.Hijacking or Derailing threads that belong to dignified members of the community. (this usually starts revenge hijackings, or will backfire because other members will rally for the victim, and is never a good idea).
5.Hijacking or Derailing "just to be funny".
People will know when a thread should be derailed or hijacked and if you don't follow the ethics, then it's probably going to backfire in your face. Deservedly so.
THE RIGHTEOUS PATH
Being a member, former member, moderator, derailer, hijacker, and noob on many, many different forums throughout the internet, I have seen the power of the Shepherd's, as they were called in one forum. To be a Sheppard, you have to understand that there are 4 different kinds of users. Moderators, Shepherd's, Members, and Idiots. All four pretty explanatory.
The Shepherd's as they were called, were basically long time members that knew how the system worked and how the community reacted to certain things. They knew the unwritten laws and rules of what to do and what not to do. They enjoyed the forum they were apart of and enjoyed the company and comments of the members but hated when people (idiots) would ruin it. Shepherd's used tactics like derailing, hijacking and others to weed out the idiots and educate new members with potential as to how not to make mistakes. Unfortunately, it has become painfully obvious that this forum is starting to get a rather large influx of idiots. Someone people have given up and ran away to other places, some just don't come here anymore. Most have tried to do some good but in the wrong ways and most have just sat back and watched.
Shepherd's are the raw esscense of any community, even if they don't know what a Shepherd is, they by definition fit the bill. Shepherd's are force multipliers, reducing the amount of work for moderators (if they do their job correctly) and also by preventing other idiots from making the same mistake that got the previous idiot the e-beating he received. Sheppard's make people think twice about what they post, which is a good thing. Not out of fear but out of the member not wanting to be looked down upon.
I have seen many Shepherd's in this forum that didn't even know they were Shepherd's. The people who help each other, be it sigs, game support, answering questions, writing guides or just being helpful. People who educate by putting search links in their signatures or posting links in threads to answer someone who needed help. People who actively defend against idiots, the derailers and hijackers who do it the right way, etc etc etc. Each person has the ability to make this an even better place that will endure beyond BF2, BF2142, BF3 and beyond. This is no longer a stats forum, it has evolved into a community, a very large community.
It's time for the Shepherds to rise up together.
Last edited by Cougar (2006-07-16 01:13:55)
