How to Find and Post "News"

[Rydian]

A Guide On Submitting News​

​

"Where can I find news?"​

"How do I know what news to post?"​

"How can I sort good news from bad?"​

"Why do people get mad when I post news threads?"​

​

This thread will answer your questions.​

- Table Of Contents -

1. Definition of "News".
2. How to find news.
3. How to report correct news.

1. "News" is new and noteworthy information.
   • New
     One of the first important parts is that the information should be new. Just because you're seeing it posted somewhere in the past few days doesn't mean it's new. Look into the event or update and see when it actually happened, don't just go off the timestamp on the post or page or whatever.
     
     Not news: "Nintendo released the Gameboy Advance!" - Yeah, back in 2001.
     News: "This morning Sony announced a new line of homosexual-friendly consoles." - THAT's new information!
     
     Not news: "A new hack for the Wii has been released, the first hack for it ever!" - No, the Wii was hacked ages ago.
     News: "A new hack for the Wii was released today that's quicker and easier than all the others." - This is likely useful information for me, thank you.
     
     
   • Noteworthy
     The second (and arguably more important) point is that the information should be noteworthy. There's a little leeway here as some people will value a certain piece of information more than others, but use a little common sense. Good news is news that people enjoy hearing, it contains information relevant to them, something they can learn or gain from.
     
     Not news: "NES Emulator X updated from 1.0 to 1.0.0.1 today, with a 0.0005% speed increase." - Nobody cares.
     News: "NES Emulator X updated from 1.0.0.1 to 2.0 today, with a 50% speed increase, support for FDS games, bluetooth controllers, and it'll iron your shirt too." - Wow, that's a good update, I want to know about that!
     
     Not news: "Iwata blogged that he likes eating bananas." - Okay I'm sure rule34 will love this, but we don't care.
     News: "Iwata blogged today that he's trying to convince Itoi to make Mother 4." - Wow, some Nintendo people are talking about making a new entry in a popular game series? This is interesting information, thank you.

• Look all around for news.
  • Don't just look at gaming news sites.
    The purpose of user-submitted news is to post NEW information and to be a unique input for the front page. If all the news is re-reports of stuff from Gamespot, it's not unique. General science and technology news and politics as it relates to those and games is often overlooked by gaming news sites and such things are the source of some of the most popular user-submitted news threads.
    
    
  • Find where developers hang out or post information.
    When talking homebrew development, people often keep blogs about their progress. These are great places to find new information people would be interested in knowing, such as news about an upcoming release or a more detailed changelog for a recent revision of a program. The same can be said (to some extent) for non-homebrew devs as well. Many companies or individual developers keep blogs or twitter accounts where they might post teasers of new information, or updates that haven't come through yet.
    
    
  • Don't discount GBAtemp itself as a new source.
    There's developers who hang out here and post their own updates and progress reports as well as releases! Look through the hacking and homebrew sections to find new information as it comes out.
  
  
  
• Report news correctly.
  • Go to the source.
    This is an important one. If you see some news posted elsewhere, go to the source to get the original information. When reporting news people will often rephrase things, and sometimes they do it in such a way that the meaning is changed. This is incorrect and you shouldn't be relying on that for information. Always go back to the source to grab your information.
    
    Not news: "Apple said its computers can't get any viruses." - No, that's not what Apple said, it's what somebody else thought they meant.
    News: "Apple said its computers can't be infected with Windows viruses." - This is what Apple actually said, this is proper news.
    
    Not news: "Nintendo said they'd never ever make a 3DS XL." - This is false, that's not actually what they said. This was somebody's interpretation of it.
    News: "Nintendo said they have no current plans for a full revision of the 3DS." - This is actual news, this is what Nintendo stated.
    
    
  • Be careful of rumors.
    A rumor is not confirmation. Just because somebody else is repeating the rumor or it's coming from an invisible "inside source" doesn't mean it's true.
    
    Not news: "There's a rumor that Microsoft will release the XBOX 720 tomorrow, and Gamespot mentioned it so it's CONFIRMED!!!" - No, a rumor is still a rumor no matter how many sites repeat it.
    News: "Microsoft announced the XBOX 720, known as the ArcheBOX." - This is actual news from Microsoft itself, which confirms it.

(Note: Be sure to use descriptive, relevant headlines. These are not discussion threads in the typical sense. "In other news..." is not an acceptable headline. Use common sense. News threads don't need to be complicated or even professional in quality. They do, however, need to be relevant and intelligent.)

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

This is pretty good. I like it.

Now we just have to hope some members will actually read this.

 

[Anon10W1z]

Good guide. This should really help produce quality news reports.

 

[Rydian]

Okay so apparently it was found acceptable. XD

Edited the first post to include a proper title and little intro blurb like the other stuff I make, for consistency and so it doesn't look as bar.

 

[Anon10W1z]

And...it's already stickied! (Mods are fast)

 

[Deleted_171835]

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

 

[Anon10W1z]

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

Yeah...you have no idea.

 

[Nathan Drake]

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

Yes.

People don't seem to understand, and some users find a need to consistently complain about the "new" news format whenever they get the chance. Blame those that can't seem to understand how to post news, and put even more blame on those who complain so much. They're the reasons that this exists. It isn't difficult, yet people make it seem like the most difficult thing on the planet.

The misinterpretation of news bit is especially important. People have a really bad habit of doing this, posting an article, getting everybody pissy because nobody checks the source to confirm what this user posted, and then later there's a backlash when what that user posted ended up being incorrect. But the backlash isn't at the piss poor news poster, as it should be: it gets directed at developers for things they never said and never confirmed. People just love their out of context quotes far too much.

 

[Rydian]

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

People have been doing this shit for a while. Remember all the "CONFIRMED!!!" threads on rumors?

I'm just tired of it and had free time, so I made this.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

Thank you so fucking much. Now when someone posts shit in the USN I'm going to provide a link to this thread.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

Our dear 'temp has changed over the years...

Are you soul snatcher that ''left'' long ago? Been wondering this for many months...

So GBAtemp has degraded to the point that we need a guide on posting news?

Yeah...you have no idea.

I don't think you know the old 'temp, you're here since january if i'm not wrong.

February actually, but people tell me about the old 'temp.

GBAtemp in 2003, GBAtemp in 2007, GBAtemp in 2009
No, GBAtemp really isn't the same as it wa- wait, what exactly WAS "the old 'temp"? Every generation of users within an internet community has tried to feign superiority over the newer members, which is literally the least constructive thing ever. The core site is still very similar to how it's always been, only with a wider audience and consequently a larger amount of the deindividualized idiocy that always occurs within large groups of people. Members might have come and gone, but that's just a natural part of life.

This isn't a gaming-news orientated community, it never has been, and it will never succeed as one. People have always reported various pieces of scene-related news, which usually requires being rewritten. So what if gaming news posts in the USN aren't properly formatted? They're an optional extra, which is basically aggregated by other users. It's not a major attraction of the site and never will be. (If it ever does become one, make like a rat and abandon ship).
While I appreciate that there's a recent "HURR THIS EEZ MAI CONTANT LULL" movement emerging in response to such sites as 9gag and funnyjunk, internet bloggers rely upon this supposedly poisonous type of content sharing, to attract and widen their audience.
It should also be noted that complaining about the quality of USN posts, and telling people how to "improve" them is as pointless as marching into the EOF and whining about the forum games. (Fun fact, I actually did that once).

Additionally this thread is an example of how counter-productively, egocentric certain members have become, and no I'm not referring to Rydian. The attempts made by people (whose posts have since been deleted) to convey a message of "SHIT SON THE SITE HAS DEGRADED AHHHHHH!!" are humorous at best, for you see the only real degradation here is this new-found, over-hyped and frankly boring attitude that they have developed.

tl;dr stop whining about change and unofficial "bonus" content.

 

[pasc]

@Fredrika Bernkastel: Now that was a blast from the past (Especially liked that EXE. Release tidbit )

 

[SSVAV]

Not news: "Nintendo said they'd never ever make a 3DS XL." - This is false, that's not actually what they said. This was somebody's interpretation of it.
News: "Nintendo said they have no current plans for a full revision of the 3DS." - This is actual news, this is what Nintendo stated.

So ironic.

Really.

 

[Rydian]

So ironic.

Really.

I chose that example as a recent showing of how sites assuming too much information that wasn't in the source can lead people to believe things that aren't true. A while back Nintendo said they had no plans for a full revision of the unit, then months later they release an XL version (like the DSi XL), which comes a while after their statement (which stated that they didn't have plans at the time) and isn't a revision (as it's sold alongside the original, just like the DSi XL is).

 

[ComeTurismO]

This is a very helpful thread, it will help everyone, and me, in the future

 

[Rydian]

Another good example of what not to do...

Out-of-context / sensationalist titles, like Game’s creator declares everyone in Minecraft homosexual.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

Since they're androgynous, I think it's more likely that they're hermaphrodites... Although I don't think Notch meant to imply that cross-species reproduction was a possibility.
Also, MSN News is full of shit. Almost all American news agencies are.

 

[Janthran]

Not news: "Apple said it's computers can't get any viruses." - No, that's not what Apple said, it's what somebody else thought they meant.
News: "Apple said it's computers can't be infected with Windows viruses." - This is what Apple actually said, this is proper news.

*its

Another good example of what not to do...

Out-of-context / sensationalist titles, like Game’s creator declares everyone in Minecraft homosexual.

So now when "core gamers" tell us Minecraft is gay, then..

 

[Rydian]

Whoops, fixed.

 

[prowler]

this thread and others give the impression that current users are too dumb to viewers on the site. frankly embarrassing that this thread exists to the whole community. gg gbatemp keep cute and condescending.