1) One Thread
To keep this forum tidy, shows will be kept in one, that’s ONE thread. This way the forum doesn't become jumbled up with one person's shows, If you don't, then I'll merge it and will warn you for spamming, so be warned.
This also includes separate threads for RAW and Smackdown!. One company, one thread I can’t put it any simpler than that.
When posting your thread, YOU MUST state at the top when your last thread finished. If it is your first thread, state that too.
2) Reviewing
There will be no asking for reviews of shows, and if there is the post will be deleted. The fact is, it is spam as if people want to rate your show then they will.
A simple ‘Good RAW, can’t wait for next week’ does not count as a review, its pointless, doesn’t help the writer at all and it might as well count as Spamming. Please give your opinion on each different part of the show and give you opinion, don’t just give it a quick skimming. Number ratings aren’t necessary but you can do it if you like.
See Further down for an in depth example review.
3) Multi-Show posting
Another new rule is that posting shows in multiple posts will not be accepted. Post your show as one, again if not I will use my power as a moderator to make it into one post and if it persists, warning points will be dished out.
Although Double posting would be acceptable here if you post a RAW and a Smackdown! one after the other
4) Flaming and Criticism
Criticism is fine, because if people could improve on something and you can help, then that is fine. After all, that’s what a booker wants because otherwise there is no incentive to make the show better. However, there is a difference between Flaming and Criticism. What I mean by flaming is something along these lines:
"Your show is crap as have all your other shows and you'll never improve" and
"All you are is a @*#&^$@*%".
5) Bumping
NO BUMPING. This includes asking for reviews.
6) Partner Threads/Name Changes
They will be moved to the Dumpster, use the thread that has been made. This also goes for name changes of shows. You don't have to make a new thread when you want a new name for the company, just PM me.
7) Advertising
Advertising your shows in a thread that isn't your own will no longer occur. The post will simply be edited if I am informed of it. There is a thread that is stickied called the BTB Advertisement Thread. All other advertisements that are not in the Advertisement Thread will receive a warning or infraction.
8) Dream Cards
There is a thread in the WWE PPV section for these. Please don't post these in the BTB section or it will simply be closed or redirected over to the thread. Thanks and here is the link
9) No Return Threads
The threads like: "Yo I'm back and I'm thinking of bringing back a show soon".
Mainly because half the time the person never comes back, and the fact that it is spam and the other half of the time no one really cares.
10) Deceased Wrestlers
Do not use deceased wrestlers for a modern day show, or a show with a roster of completely deceased wrestlers. If however you are starting a company from a date before a wrestlers death, than they can be used.
If a wrestler dies, like Eddie Guerrero, it doesn’t mean you have to stop using him. People have their personal opinions. Just because someone else does it doesn’t mean you have to.
11) No E-Fedding
If you want to E-Fed, then join an E-Fed, go to EPW at the bottom of the main page. This is a booking forum, where you type out your own shows.
12) Create-A-Match
If you come up with an idea for a match, don't make a thread for it, place it in the ‘WF BTB: Discussion Thread' which people will be able to leave feedback on.
13) Drop Down Box
Do not annoy people with private messages about dropdown boxes. I am posting it right here because it will get lost in the handbook, and people are too lazy to search the thread. I do not invision this thread getting many replies, so here are the instructions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KOP
PHP Code:
[drop=Drop List Title]
What you want
[option]What you want II[/option]
[option]What you want III[/option]
[/drop]
Produces:
Drop Down Box Length
Many bookers like to put their cards for their PPV's in drop down boxes. The rules however state that no more than 8 lines can be used up for any drop down box. Moderators and Admins have been asked to look out for any people that break this ban, so make sure that you are abiding by these rules.
15) One Thread A Month
Not one thread in January, and then a new one in February. It means one full month between threads (i.e one thread ends on January 15th, you can start a new one on February 15th - NOT - January 30th, and a new one on February 2nd)
The new rule is simply this because everyday there is about 10 BTB's starting with only 1 out of the 10 surpassing 5 pages and even then they get abandoned eventually, another reason for this rule being reinforced is for the BTB's that have been around for awhile usually booked by the established bookers are on page 3 of the "Be The Booker" section and the newbie's BTB's take control on page 1 thus leading to the good BTB's getting forgotten, the new rule is for the good of the section and all must follow, this should lead to the BTB Section getting better and better for all to use.
Anyone caught doing this will have Warning Points issued to them per offense seeing as it is getting way out of control. Take this as your final warning, if you do not take notice of it suffer the consequences.
The rule applies under all circumstances. Should a partner bail on you, FIND ANOTHER ONE, or dont book for a month. Make sure the person you partner with can be trusted, it is not the fault of a moderator that your partner cant keep their end of the deal.
This also applies if you decide to join another persons thread. Each booker is allowed to be involved in only one thread per month, no matter who makes the threads.
Dont bother looking for loopholes with moderators. You get one thread per month, and that is that.
16) Plagiarism
Anyone that didnt realise you arent allowed to copy someone elses hard graft, you have no excuse now. This will not be tolerated. Want to do a John Cena vs Shawn Michaels match?? Use your brain, and not the WM 23 main event. Want to capture the spark between Austin and The Rock?? Write your own Rock Concert, not the one seen in the WWE in March 2003. Hopefully thats now clear.
Feedback
In no shape or form should you go into someone else's thread and post something like, "Hey man, great show, I liked it, 9/10." This will immediately annoy people and will not warrant you getting feedback in return. For most people here, there is a system called feedback for feedback/review for review, which is basically that if you give someone a review, they'll give it back (btw I don't entirely endorse this method but it is the general idea round these parts). When you give someone feedback, it should be constructive and benefit the writer. The better feedback you give, the more likely you are to receive something back in return.
Wait around for up to 7 days for reviews or feedback which will hopefully explain what went well and what you need to improve on within your show. Remember that MOST bookers would use constructive criticism, so don’t worry about that, however if anybody deliberately flames you then notify a BTB Moderator
Feedback & Spamming
It seems that we have seen a few examples of feedback that are nothing more than spam recently, and they do not help the booker whatsoever. Comments such as “I can’t believe he won”, “That promo was hot” and “Great show” are not feedback, and are spam, nothing more and nothing less. Those posts are open to receiving warnings and infractions, so don’t be surprised if you are on the receiving end of one if you post comments like that.
The comments you should be leaving should involve the character of the superstar in question, whether it was sensible from a booking standpoint and how entertaining it was, naming just a few. You should be leaving things like this,
“Cena was in character in parts, but he drifted in and out. I don’t think he would say things along the lines of kids shouldn’t be sent to bed to avoid missing their hero. It kind of dragged on a bit and there was no real impact at the end of it.”
TKOW Presents: The Difference Between Feedback and "Review"
In case you’re wondering, I’m using the Georgia font in relation to the booker who, before me, wrote about the topic that I am going to discuss below. Who is it? Szumi, of course.
A few years ago - 6th August, 2007 to be precise - Szumi wrote an article for the BTB Newsletter, where he discussed/ranted about the bookers’ habit of not giving each other feedback - you know, something that’s actually going to help the reader - but handing out “reviews”, which do nothing for the writer and plant the seed for the beginning of the awful “review for review” system between the two bookers.
Chances are if you’re reading this, I’ve been here longer than you. What does that mean exactly? It means I’ve been here long enough both to develop as a member of the BTB Section (and indeed WF as a whole), and it means I’ve been able to stand back and watch the section progress over time through its threads and members. Some things have changed and some things haven’t. Guys like The_Showstopper, Red Cold, Forever-Delayed, and many others have moved on from the section, but legendary bookers like Wolf Beast are still here, the occasional shitstorm still occurs, and Kanefan continues to “amaze” us all with his monthly projects.
OK, I’ve gone a little off-topic, but the point I’m trying to make is that through all the time I’ve been here as a member (nearing 5 years now), despite the odd few, in general people still aren’t getting what “feedback” actually is. Instead, people have continued the trend of handing out “reviews” rather than actual feedback. Now let’s just pause for a second. Just so everyone can understand, let’s differentiate between what “feedback” is, and what a “review” is.
Allow me to use Szumi’s definition of a “review”:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Szumi
Well, at WF, a lot of the times it is more or less a recap. Time after time, I’ve read a show, looked down at the “reviews” given by other writers, and practically every single one of them features this “review” talking a lot about what happened in the show. Not anything about what their thoughts about it was, just plain and simply recapping what happened.
The man they call, the “führer” of BTB, pretty much hit the nail on the head here. A “review” is, 90% of the time, simply a recap of what has actually happened on the show. It doesn’t provide any analysis, any constructive criticism; it just tells the writer what he the writer has written, then adds a little line or two on whether he actually likes what’s happening or not!
[Feedback is what all bookers should be providing each other with. Feedback is what helps someone develop as a booker. Feedback helps the booker improve his work and understand how to master the art of booking. Yet, most bookers like to reply to each other’s threads with comments such as “ ... = god; good decision to push him” or “Here comes HBK, let’s see what he has to say. YES! HBK is facing Angle at Vengeance!”.
[center]I don’t want to read what I’ve already written do I!? If you think I do, please stop reading and go book an appointment to get your head examined right now. Now luckily enough, I don’t get too much of that in my own thread but that’s because I refuse to abide to the “review for review” system. If I had decided to use this god-awful method, I’m pretty sure my thread would be cluttered with useless comments and opinions. I’ll leave blasting “review for review” for another day, considering I could spend a whole column moaning about that.[
I’ve taken the liberty of taking a booker’s recent “review” of Wolf Beast’s latest RAW as an example to the rest of the forum of what you all should NOT be doing. I have read through the review and "crossed out" anything that does not benefit the writer, does not have any relevance to the booking/writing, talks about his own opinion rather than what is happening, or does not give any advice/opinion on a particular angle/match etc. Yes, The_Absolute: you're about to be nitpicked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Absolute
An apology? I’m scared? What kind of Mick Foley promo are you running here? Foley should never regret something that he might do, or why else is he the hardcore legend? Still, nice segue into his passionate hardcore speech. Also, I like how you mentioned last year’s Wrestlemania. Way to plug yourself, eh Wolfy? So, the promo ends with Foley “losing his mind.” That’s not a good sign for HBK.
Awesome tag team opener. I like how the respectful duos battle it out at the end, followed by the face win. Not sure what to think of Kennedy’s actions. A mid-carder striking a woman? At the top of the show? And what’s this? Bischoff owns Marella and makes a major ‘Mania announcement. Boy, when you put out, huh? That’s a big statement made and that means the match can go any which way. Separate matches would’ve been boring, but you shook things up and made it interesting. Nice booking here.
ROFL You got Rhyno involved in this silly promo of Christian’s! You are a delight and I enjoyed reading this convincing joke!
Mid-card promos. Pfft. What a fucking was of time. But it did kill the clock a little, I guess. As long as you make Burchill do the C4 somewhere along the line, I’ll be happy. And what’s this? We’re gonna get a little incest from the Burchill siblings? What is this, Jerry Springer? A for effort but F- for the freaky siblings.
Squash for Burchill. Great way to cement his precious little promo. Again… no C4 and incest equals epic fail. Remember that.
Two mid-card loser matches in a row? I don’t freakin’ think so, buddy. And JR getting accepted? Can you honestly say that was an original idea in your head?
Four minutes is too short of a match for something like this. I would’ve been happier had it been longer. And what’s this? Stone Cold will be in Lesnar’s corner? How unlikely following the events of ‘Mania XX. And why didn’t the rattlesnake show up? Lesnar’s bluffing.
Then again, since the McMahons come to the conclusion that Lesnar IS bluffing, he must not be bluffing. Aw, mind games. Gotta love ‘em, eh?
So lemme get this straight: you did a promo with two guys who love to fight, and showed no fighting whatsoever. I don’t believe that for a second
Changing the main event during the show? I don’t fucking think so, my man. Still, I guess the new match is a good way to showcase more superstars and give them TV time. And Randy Orton v. John Cena? I haven’t been reading this thread too long, but haven’t you actually been through that rivalry a couple times? What’s the deal here?
Great tag team match-up for the New Wave. Gaining ground and such. I hope Mark Henry is kicked out of the Brotherhood for his actions. “A bear with a sore tooth.” You and your terrible metaphors…
Cena’s video is worse than Christian’s!! But, then again, I always thought John Cena was a cornball when it came to serious video promos. Convincing, yet laughable. I like how you added the family in it…
Austin in Vegas for Smackdown. Yes. Lately, in this ‘Mania build-up, you’ve been making Raw look better than Smackdown. But hopefully, with this Smackdown in Vegas crap, and Stone Cold, the blue brand will gain some attention.
Christian and Cena on the same page? Pfft. We’ve heard this a million times before from matches like these. Where opponents team up. I don’t know what to expect, so I’ll just leave it at that.
Everything looked swimmingly in the tag team match, until Umaga spiked the referee, and he was replaced after the break. I know you want to put over Umaga, but why would you knock the referee out if someone wasn’t gonna cheat. And another thing: you wrote Cena setting up Finlay for the F-U, and Randy coming out for the RKO! What happened to Finlay there? However, I do like how you promoted Orton/Cena next week with that move too.
What’s this? Tension between the partners? Even I saw that shit coming. I just didn’t know whether or not they would attack each other. Obviously, it’ll happen, but when we least expect it (*cough* the show before ‘Mania *cough*).
All in all, Raw was okay, but Smackdown in Vegas should set the world ablaze, considering how you’re selling it. I’m expecting excellence from this one…
'What's this?' 'What's this?'
It's a load of bollocks is what it is. Poor grammar, pointless recapping of what we have already read/Wolfy has already written and a possible attempt at trying to sound like a big shot. The "reviewer" has done nothing to aid the writer and has allowed his own opinions to cloud his judgment. BTB'ers, please take note...this is NOT~! how you should reply to others.
Now, I don’t want to toot my own horn too much here, but I do believe I am one of the better members of the section who can give some solid, constructive criticism for a show which both shows what I liked and disliked about the show, and what can be done to improve, in terms of both booking and writing. I’m sure if you ask Wolfy, Renegade, Szumi or others, they’ll agree. Of course, I’m not the only one who knows how to give proper feedback. The guys I mentioned above can all give you good advice which can only help your progression as a booker and writer (although Reney tends to hate current-day BTB’s, so beware ).
Those who don’t know how to give feedback would do well to look at the feedback the names mentioned, as well as myself, dish out around the section. They’d do well to pay attention to detail and to focus on characterization, correct booking, fluid writing and more, rather than skimming through and reading for their favourite superstars. Come on, we’re not 10, people. I’m sure the majority here are old enough to have the capacity to fathom what the correct way of giving feedback is, so let’s start doing it. Don’t be afraid you’re going to hurt a friend’s feelings by criticising their show completely. Do it. They’ll learn to be both better writers and bookers that way. Next time you go into a BTB, try and read and take notice to every single word that is written, every line that is given to a character, and make sure it is correct. Be analytical. Take notice of the little things like commentary; whether it contributes to a show or not or whether it’s just filler.
[center]Szumi left his column by talking about how he didn’t expect many to take in the message he was trying to send out, but hoped that some would. I am also going to take that route, because quite frankly, I know there are some bookers out there who simply won’t follow the advice. I have encountered a number of people who yearn for help yet when it is given to them, when they are given a harsh dose of reality, they moan, and whine, and bitch about it. I really do believe that there should never be any limit. You can always improve. Whether you’re a newbie like -$ohail- or a veteran like Wolf Beast, everyone has something they can work on. So next time you read a show, work on giving feedback rather than handing out a pointless, stale, ass-kissing “review”, hoping for a return “review”. Ugh.
There have been a few examples of spamming outside of reviews, as well as double posting too. This includes asking for reviews and complaining about not getting any, reviews that is you dirty buggers. Any spam and double posts can lead to warnings, so don’t do it. It’s not that hard.
Double Posting. It’s perfectly acceptable to post a preview and then a show, but there is no need to post a comment and then a show, preview or news within minutes or hours of each other. Bumping up your thread is not acceptable.
Asking questions like when the show is going to be up, and any other general question can be asked via PM to avoid spamming and bumping up people’s threads. Comments like these don’t need to be posted, as there is no need for a booker to be posting more than once a day in his thread. Most post two or three times a week at most, so there’s no reason to be posting crap 3 times a day and responding to every comment left.
Things that bookers post in their own thread that are needless:
“Just to let you know, the next show is going well. It should be up some time tonight, but maybe tomorrow” – Adds nothing does it? Just post the show.
“Thanks for the review. I’ll return it asap. Thanks again” – Nice bump attempt, but it’s still spam.
“No comments? Really?” – That could have been Backlash’s trademark right? Why? Because it’s 100% spam.
“Thanks for the predictions so far. More are welcome” – Yes, predictions are welcome, but this bull isn’t.
“I’m looking to post Raw on Thursday, then Smackdown on Tuesday. Peace out” – Just post the shows.
From that, I think you get the message. I’ve seen a lot of comments in regards to computer problems leading to shows being delayed lately, and I don’t think anyone can complain about that being kind of helpful, but we don’t need tons of replies about it do we? Their work is lost or they’re delayed, we get that from their message and not all the replies on top that add nothing to the original message.
I really don’t want to patronise people, but because there are offenders about, I have to get the message across. The things that have a right to be posted our shows and previews obviously. News bits are fine too, but don’t go overboard with them. You don’t need to do them every day or two just to bump the thread up, whether that is the intention or not. There’s no reason why you can’t cram them in to one big weekly report.
Things that you post in other bookers threads that are needless:
“Great show man. Cena owned that shit” – Review it or don’t comment at all.
“Looks good. Can’t wait for the show” – I think it was Szumi who pointed out that there is no real need to comment on a preview, and he’s right. If you’re absolutely gripped by something and feel you have to comment on it, at least say why that it is. What we don't want is comments like "Looks good, can't wait for the show".
“I’ve been reading this for a while now. I love it” – Again, review it or don’t comment.
“Jeff wins – YEAH
Cena got owned by Funaki. . . DAMN
New Champion. . . OMG, didn’t see that coming”
Posting multiple bollocks like that is also spam. If you’re too lazy to review the show, save some more time and don’t post unhelpful shit like that because it’s not feedback.
There is also no need to ask anyone when a show is going to be up. If you want to ask them a question, PM them. I have seen instances of comversations taking place in threads that there shouldn't be.
There may be more than that, but that’s all I can think of (assignment work taking it’s toll, and it’s late).
Things that you post in the discussion thread that are needless:
Any kind of one word response like “Lol” that adds nothing is spam, plain and simple. We want conversations in there, not arguments and stupid little “Lol’s”. If you have nothing to add to the conversation, don’t bother posting.
The Advertisement Thread Rules
The gist of this thread is at such: Advertise your BTB.
Previews for regular shows, previews for PPVs, hype for an upcoming thread, or even a snippet of a show you've just posted. In this thread, links are permitted as long as they're accompanied by some sort of explanation of the link being provided. Or maybe even a portion of a promo and/or match if you were to be so bold.
Posting the same thing over and over or posting boatloads of news and notes is not permitted, is deemed spam, and will be treated as such. Stretching the page with unnecessary graphics is frowned upon. 500 pixel width limit.
No begging for reviews plz.
Posting every bit of what you do in your thread can cross the line. If you’re going to post a preview in here and then say the show is posted a couple of days later, don’t bother. Just post the preview, go back and edit to say it’s up, or just say that you have posted the show. You can include parts of the show too if you so wish.
Warning/Infraction Policy for Spam
To be clear, this doesn’t start now. Just a reminder that if you’ve been warned before, you don’t get to start afresh.
Strike One: Post Edited/Deleted or you’ll get a polite reminder from a mod in the shape of a PM Strike Two: Warning Strike Three: Infraction Strike Four & On: Infractions until you follow the path of Backlash
If you think you’re above these rules and want to complain about a warning having read them, then that’s your own problem. All that above is spam, so don’t use it!
__________________
Last edited by Nige™ : 06-27-2009 at 11:33 AM.
Reason: Adding TKOW's feedback post
Wrestling Forum Be The Booker - The Rules
Wrestling Forum Be The Booker - The Rules
).
