GreekChat Survival Guide: A Thread For ALL GC "Newbies" to READ, LOOK & DO NOT POST!

[AKA2D '91]

Old School GCers= ANYONE (Greek or Non-greek) who has been a member of GC AND a regular poster for MORE than 3 years.
Young School GCers= Anyone (G or NG) who has been a member of GC and a regular poster for LESS than 3 years.

Please share your experiences with our new members to GC. Also, please share any advice you feel will help them as they travel around GreekChat, USA.

Young School, this is a thread where YOU stop, look, and refrain from posting.

[AlphaFrog]

THE SEARCH FUNCTION IS YOUR FRIEND!!!!

There are snarky people here, get over it. If you don't want to get snarked on, don't give me...uh...THEM...ammo.

Keep your NPC AI story to yourself until you've got that letter of acceptance in your hand.

ETA: Introduce yourself to KABillyMac's threads - you'll be glad you did. Also, seek out lifesaver's "Ho be lookin' like a predator..." good read.

[aopirose]

It's OK to bump ancient threads if you have something to contribute. It's not OK to pick a fight with someone who last posted 6 years ago. Actually, it is OK. It provides comedy for us.

[33girl]

If your post gets deleted once, don't repost it. Contact the moderator of the forum where your deleted post was and ask what you did wrong.

If you are a "long time lurker, first time poster" and your first post is VERY VERY DRAMATIC, we will question whether you're authentic. It's unfortunate, but you're paying for the sins of the trolls and antigreeks who have visited this site over the years.

If all you ever post in are entertainment threads - even if you have a GLO related name - we're going to know you're a stealth marketer. We don't like stealth marketers here. Just don't do it.

[RedefinedDiva]

Folks are NOT here to stroke your ego. Don't expect to get answers wrapped in lollipops, rainbows, and glitter.

Don't CLAIM that you have done a search, read ALL the threads, and have been lurking for the past 10 years, only to ask a question that has been brought up and/or resolved 1,908 times before. You lose credibility and make yourself look ridiculous.

The Pearls of Wisdom, A Torch to Guide You, and other forum rules, are posted for a reason and they are VERY specific in terms of what will and will not be discussed. Regardless of how cleverly you feel that your question is disguised or how "different" you may THINK your question is, as long is it is pertaining to membership, or a derivative thereof, IT WILL NOT BE ANSWERED. Period.

If you don't like to be referred to the official, national webite for answers to your membership questions, don't ask. That's all we have for you here.

No, we cannot give you advice on how to become a member.
No, we don't know why you got rejected.
No, we cannot offer a shoulder to cry on because you got rejected.
No, we cannot point you in the "right direction."
No, we cannot and will not write you a letter of recommendation.
No, we don't know when your school will have rush.
This list can go on and on. You should get the hint....

If you have to sign on to a messageboard to ask a question about an org., the answer is 99.8% likely to be NO.

If the answer cannot be found on the national website, then the answer is NO.

Making little comments that attempt to tie you to an org. will not win you any brownie points.


I'm sure I'll be adding on to this list

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by RedefinedDiva

Making little comments that attempt to tie you to an org. will not win you any brownie points.

AND making comments about one org will not win you brownie points with a 'rival' org

Let's see, what else.....


RIF = READING IS FUNDAMENTAL

Step away from the keyboard before responding, esp. in a thread that has 563 posts in less than a week

Find your lane and stay in it

PM (private messaging) is your friend

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by 33girl

If your post gets deleted once, don't repost it. Contact the moderator of the forum where your deleted post was and ask what you did wrong.

Likewise, if a thread is closed, don't bring that conversation to another thread, or start another thread to finish the conversation or have the last word. I know most of us are guilty of that at least once, but just don't do it.

[RedefinedDiva]

While being on a messageboard can not help your chances of becoming a member, please know that it most certainly can HURT your chances. In your quest to be cute and make yourself the best sisterfriend in the history of GC, you sometimes leave little clues that reveal your identity. So, some of you should know that we DO know who you are. (The internet is a strange invention! ) So, when you try to get sporty and think you are shielded behind your computer, THINK TWICE.

Take criticism with a grain of salt. If a MEMBER tells you that something you have said is NOT appropriate, take your charge and keep it moving. Don't think that your back and forth will prove that you have (internet) "guts" or that you are standing up for your rights.

[AKA2D '91]

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

Old School GCers= ANYONE (Greek or Non-greek) who has been a member of GC AND a regular poster for MORE than 3 years.
Young School GCers= Anyone (G or NG) who has been a member of GC and a regular poster for LESS than 3 years.

Please share your experiences with our new members to GC. Also, please share any advice you feel will help them as they travel around GreekChat, USA.

Young School, this is a thread where YOU stop, look, and refrain from posting.

*sigh*

[Wonderful1908]

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

[/b]


*sigh*

I was wondering what moderator would have to "sigh!"

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

Young School, this is a thread where YOU stop, look, and refrain from posting.

For those who have difficulty following directions.

[Steeltrap]

Old school GC here (posted just over 6 years).

And I don't have much more to offer, but I do need to reiterate that clowning other NPHC groups isn't a good look. Be secure in what you're interested in and be done with it.

[sigmadiva]

hijack

Originally Posted by Steeltrap

... but I do need to reiterate that clowning other NPHC groups isn't a good look.

So true!! Just because I'm a SGRho I still get offended when people post isht about the other D9 orgs. I have relatives and close friends in those orgs, so it still offends me.


/end hijack

[LikeASista]

Another old school GC poster here. I absolutely love this thread!!

I'm sure this point has been made already, but one more thing that really irritates me is the constant groveling. Kissing up NEVER WORKS! It is one of the first things we see through.

Also, double check your grammar and spelling before posting. If you are careless about how you present yourself on a mere message board, imagine how you will be viewed by members of your intended greek organization.

[NinjaPoodle]

Decrepit, aging old schooler here. Total Posts: 4,383 Join Date: 07-04-2001

1. Regarding looking for information about joining, specifically NPHC orgs:

When we say research, that does NOT mean 5 minutes on Yahoo or Google. Real research existed LONG BEFORE the internet. (This can apply to all orgs) Fraternities, sororities, Masonic lodges, etc. are comprised of real PEOPLE not virtual beings. Talk to the members in your community, churches, schools (on campus), government, families. The phone numbers on the inter/national websites are there for a reason. Bairds Manual of College Fraternities (even though the last edition is I believe is 10+ years old) is still useful. The Divine Nine by Frater Lawrence Ross is a good reference book as well as Black Greek 101 by Frater Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough. Don't get mad at us when we turn you down because you dont even know simple information because you didn't do the minimum work required to find out the basics you need to know.

ETA (Edited to Add)
Another great reference source, org specific, is In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement by Paula J. Giddings

I should add that the books are just a minor start of getting information.