Welcome to ♫Thread Making♫ A How-To For All Threadmaking Needs.
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♪Introduction♪
Welcome to Thread Making: A guide for how to make eye catching threads. Whether you're looking to create a quest thread, a charity, a minishop, or even just a discussion thread- how you present your thread on Gaia can potentially make all the difference between who comes into the thread, who stays, and what sort of responses you get.
Questing? A well organized thread will pull in FAR more donations than a hastily made, boring page.
Making an event? Make the thread memorable! For example; the layout of this thread, with the playing card symbols, is in use as the format for a contest thread that I maintain with a friend. The very first reply we had that did not belong to one of us is as follows;
geek-a-leak
I will most definitely be entering for both of you in the morning! And as someone who has entered many enviro contests, thank you for taking the time to put together such a nice and organized thread. I'm not just sucking up, I swear! So many I've entered lately have been n00bs who aren't replying to any of the entries.
A good thread makes a GOOD impression on people! It shows commitment and drive to be successful with the thread, especially for anything that will be around for quite a while.
Therefore, it is DEFINITELY worth your time to learn the art of creating something eye-catchy.
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♪What this Guide Will Cover♪
I plan to cover a variety of topics, such as elaborate first posts (such as this one) as opposed to post styles. I will also touch on special colors that you can use on Gaia that exist outside of the color dropdown menu.
Did you know you can use different colors, like cornflower blue or salmon? You're not limited just to what Gaia readily provides to you!
I'll cover different styles, including those that use images - custom or otherwise - to achieve desired effects. I will try to keep posts as short and to the point as possible, keeping only to relevant information and examples.
Feel free to add suggestions for anything specific you would like to see here within this guide; I'm happy to add anything you would like explained or clarify anything you would like explained in more detail.
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♪News♪
4/27/2010 - Added additional examples as well as a section covering the bare basics of BBC code. Also added information on using hex colors. 2/22/2010 - Added 'Simple Examples' section to the tail of the thread. Hope the coding will be helpful to you all. Also proofread all posts to correct basic spelling and repetition errors. 2/13/2010 - Thread established, now taking suggestions for additions and clarifications. Feel free to post here or drop me a PM.
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♪Table of Contents♪
1. Introductory Post 2. Common Mistakes & Common Sense 3. The Importance of Organization 4. The Importance of Literacy and Grammar 5. Extra Effort or Basic post Style? 6. Special Characters and Colors -Special symbols -Font Colors -Hex Colors 7. General Construction Tips and Advice -Basic BBC 8. Simple Examples -Examples for simple post formatting
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:46 pm
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♫Common Mistakes & Common Sense♫
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♪This Section♪
The idea of this section is to outline some basic things that you may not know already; common mistakes that are made, and some common sense things that seem obvious once you stumble upon them that might not before a simple mistake is made. Now, please keep in mind that, within TOS, you can do what you like with your thread- everything is personal preference but there are some simple taboos that tend to drive people away. Are you required to follow anything in this guide? Absolutely not! I'm only intending to have it serve as a resource for you. You'll ultimately have to build a style that suits your taste and needs.
Experiment! Find something you love! If other people love it, that's just a bonus for you.
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♪Common Mistakes♪
We've all seen them. Post styles and threads that are just blinding or irritating for whatever reason. I'll describe some of the common issues that arise, as well as how to avoid them and what some better alternatives are that will receive less negative feedback.
Common mistake 1: GIGANTIC image.
This is a pretty major one. Using a giant picture that stretches the page either horizontally or vertically will irritate people, and will slow down older computers that are not as capable of loading all the data. You may have a beautiful picture, but if someone has to scroll for several seconds to get past it to the content of the post, they're going to start ignoring you or leave your thread. The internet is a finicky place- nobody wants to waste their time if they can find a similar topic elsewhere that better suits them. An easy way around this, if you're set on the large picture, upload it to photobucket and use their resize option. Just make it smaller! Alternatively, you can find a different smaller image to use in its place.
Common mistake 2: Too Much Content
Your post style or thread format should not overshadow your message. If you have too much going on, with data on top and on the right and left cluttering your post, sometimes people have to actually LOOK for your message. Nobody wants to do this. You should keep your format simple and easy to navigate- have something on the top and bottom, or on the left- but don't try to shove everything cute that you possess into the format. Make sure that your text is clearly visible.
Common mistake 3: Blinding formats
Most of us have seen a format that literally hurts our eyes. Is it too bright? Are there animated flashing colors in bright or bold colors? This is fine to an extent, but before implementing it, consider someone trying to read your messages if they're between bright neon dividers that are flashing fifty different colors a minute. If you need something animated or bright, consider putting more space between the format and your text. A bit of white buffer goes a long way. Or, consider having something more orderly- colors moving down a line in a predictable manner is less difficult on the eyes than something totally random. And, of course, always keep pastel colors in mind as well.
Common mistake 4: Editability.
What is editability? Essentially, how editable is your format. When you access the post to edit, you have to go through all the coding to find what you're looking for. If you have too much going on, your content will be hard to find. Also keep in mind that certain aspects of the format can not be changed once implemented; currently in guilds, once you post a message, the post style (the border) can not be modified. Keep this in mind when deciding on a style here in guilds.
Common mistake 5: Recyclable.
Many formats and post styles can be recycled. Just copy the coding and change the information to suit your current needs. This should be kept in mind as well; is your format CUSTOM suited to the current content? Does it depend heavily on images promoting your current cause? If so, you likely won't be able to easily reuse it. Again, simplicity works wonders here. This style was created with nothing more than text symbols and color codes. There are no custom images, and this style can be applied to a multitude of subjects.
Common mistake 6: Suitability.
Complicated formats are wonderful for quest threads, or charities- not so much for quick chatterbox topics. Consider the longevity of your thread before you pump a lot of time into the formatting. Is it something deserving of its own complete format, or is it something that a simple post style will take care of? You don't want to waste your time prettying up a topic that is only going to get two responses!
Common Mistake 7: No Reserves
When a person finishes a thread, sometimes they forget to make extra posts- for just in case. Extra posts are better known as Reserved Post. When the owner of the thread needs to have something put on the front page and it cannot be put on the others, they use a Reserve post. Basically, it should be used for future use. If no Reserve post is saved and the first reply is not the thread owner, they have no choice but to forget about it or put it on another page. All of these violate organization norms and make the information muddled. A proper number of Reserves can be two or three, though others tend to use the entire front page. This is acceptable as well.
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♪Common Sense♪
Most common sense things are learned as we go. They might not strike you right away as being relevant, but they can make all the difference in the world when choosing a format or post style for your threads and posts.
Common Sense 1: Color
Simple, but vital. If you want it to look cohesive, choose colors that complement each other. Or, if you're using an image or colored dividers, choose text colors that complement the images. It looks a bit weird if you have old style black and white images with bright rainbow text.
Common Sense 2: Legibility
Many people put small text in the corners of their posts. Make sure it can be read. Yes, you can make letters with symbols or shrink the text down into itty bitty fonts- but not everyone can read those. Try to keep your text readable!
Common Sense 3: Message
Your format or post style will say a lot about you. Make sure it says the right thing. This is communicated through color, through word choices, and through your choice of images. Using dark colors and sienna images- does it say you're deep and poetic, or does it say you're emo? You use rainbow colors and animated dividers- does this say 'Fun' or 'Irritating?' Of course, everyone will see the message differently depending on where you encounter them and in what manner you communicate with them- but a good format or style can help make a good first impression.
Common Sense 4: Permissible Content
This one really goes without saying; are you using content you're allowed to use? Staying inside Gaia ToS is one thing, but are you using another users artwork without their permission? Are you using copyrighted material? The last thing you want is to get reported for using stolen content in your formatting. Just because Gaia allows free use of Gaia images does not mean that all users WITHIN Gaia and third parties will be so forgiving.
Common Sense 5: Make it worth looking at!
Eye catching is key. Make sure that you have a good balance of positive and negative space in your format. Too little will make it boring, but too much, again, becomes bothersome.
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Daypaw
Hardened Member
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Daypaw
Hardened Member
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:47 pm
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♫Importance of Organization♫
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♪This Section♪
This section will go over exactly what you need to keep your threads organized, and why these things are important. Depending on your thread, certain things will be more important than others and, again, it is ultimately up to you which of these you follow.
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♪Simple Steps♪
There are some very easy steps you can take to keep things organized and easy to find and maintain.
1. Use Multiple Posts!
This one is pretty easy. When you first create a thread, reserve multiple posts to use for separating content. If it's a simple thread, you can have something easy- like an intro post, a progress post, and a special mentions post. So, for a Quest thread, this would basically entail: Introduction and thread rules, progress and how to donate, followed lastly by a list of donors and supporters. Easy as cake.
This can also be more complicated- you may need all fifteen posts on the first post to feel sufficiently organized. Do you need different posts for the intro, the rules, blacklist, whitelist, progress, news, links in, links out, special thanks, banners, and quotes made about how awesome your thread is? Then by all means- get them reserved and organize how you like!
2. Table of Contents
A table of contents is important if you utilize multiple posts. It will make everything easier to find, and ensure that your visitors don't get flustered trying to find what they need. See my first post up there, the table of contents at the bottom? If you're looking for THIS information, you know to scroll down to post 3. It saves you the hassle of looking at the second post for any length of time. If you want to get fancy, you can direct link down to the different posts on the page through the table of contents, but this is certainly not required.
3. Logical Order
Use a logical order when choosing the order of your content, whether in one post or many. Your rules don't make any sense if they're at the bottom of the page. Those should be near the top. Less important things should be further down- generally things like banners and links out.
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♪A Bit More Complex♪
There are of course more complicated means of keeping things organized. These are generally less essential, but can be helpful all the same.
1. Lists
A list would be ESSENTIAL if you are making a petition, but you can also have shorter things like blacklists. These help you keep track of specific users (Do you not want this person posting in your thread? Have you warned them multiple times already?) so you need not depend on memory alone. They generally require frequent editing, so best not to make this section if you can't commit to maintaining it.
2. News Archives
If you have a longer lasting thread with frequent news updates, you may choose to have a place to store past updates for records and reference. This would require a bit of work also, as it would entail moving all of the current news down as the statuses change. This can be useful however in showing that the thread is well maintained, and giving users an idea of how often you check in and make updates.
3. Exact Dates and Times
Most users posting news updates will post the date; you can go a step further and add the exact time. There's no real function of this aside from showing the general timeframe of WHEN your updates actually occur. This can potentially say to other users 'This is when I'm on, if you need me right away, be online at this time.' It is by all means an unnecessary step but it can help establish how and when you act. If you always update Wednesdays around 1:30 PM, then users will pester you less about updates. They'll know when to expect it.
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♪Extremely Complicated♪
1. Hire a Staff
It seems like a great idea, but be prepared for extra work. Just because you have someone helping take on some responsibilities, you take on the responsibility of managing a small workforce. They will depend on you for leadership and you need to be prepared to handle sudden disappearances or quitting Gaia or the thread abruptly, as well as to mediate disputes between your staff and thread visitors. You should always consider whether you can run the thread on your own or if you want to delve into the world of assistants and thread moderators. If properly planned, the assistants can be an asset and a joy to work with. If done poorly, they can easily kill your thread.
2. Planned Hiatus
If you need to be away from the thread, and you know it in advance, make every effort to give the thread advanced notice. Disappearing at the last minute with a 'back in three weeks' generally leaves your regulars confused, and they will likely not come back. Use your thread title, your news updates, put a little header at the very top of your first post- make it as obvious as possible! Be sure to utilize your active posts here, too- not all regulars will check the news feed regularly. Post a heads up to them directly in active conversation to ensure there is no confusion about your absence.
3. Cleanup
This one is fairly important if you have a long lasting thread. Don't be afraid to heavily edit and rearrange your front page. Did you find a better format? A better order? Need things broken up a bit more? Major editing is usually as involved as the creation of the thread its self, but sometimes can not be avoided. Don't be afraid to put your thread on a short hiatus while you get things cleaned up and better organized.
4. Go in With a Co-Owner
This is often a good idea, if you trust the person you are entering into the thread with. Like hiring a staff, it adds the element of having to work and communicate with another person to get information properly updated and maintained, especially if using a staggered post style on the main page. You obviously can't edit your friends posts for them unless the thread is in a guild and you have crew status or higher. Make sure that you are committed to being able to spend time working out modifications to threads and content via PM or a messaging service, for your posts as well as theirs.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:48 pm
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♫The Importance of Literacy and Grammar ♫
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♪This Section♪
If you haven't yet, please hop on over to THIS Guide for basic information about why literacy in general is important. This section will be pretty short; it will just reitterate the general benefits of using proper typing and linguistic value when creating your thread.
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♪Why is it Important?♪
What you say will have an impact on who you attract and who hangs around. If you're using text speak, you're going to attract trolls who will leave irrelevant messages or flame you.
If you leave educated sounding posts, you're going to attract people who have something coherent to reply with. Yes, there will still be trolls- we've all seen them and we can't avoid them, but they will be fewer in number.
Not many people are going to continue to frequent a thread if they can't understand what you're saying.
It is, in addition to making yourself look and sound intelligent, important to make your posts long enough to get a message across.
Here are three VERY basic examples of thread titles and introductions. Which one will you take seriously?
Thread Title: plz donate main Message Body: 4mil plz
Thread Title: plz dnate Main Message Body: im qustn ninja hedband i ned 4mil plz giv me somthin thnx
or;
Thread Title: Please donate Main Message Body: I'm questing a ninja headband, and I need 4mil. Please donate, thank you.
As I said, very basic examples but you get the idea I hope. The third looks much better despite the message being exactly the same. It is of course wise to go more in depth than that, but at least with the final example people would take you seriously and consider parting with some of their hard earned gold.
The first will probably just evoke some flames and get moved to the chatterbox by the forum helpers, likely the fate of the second as well. It is ALWAYS important to take your time and consider how the thread will look to the masses. People will find reasons to flame you for literally anything; don't fuel their hate by making yourself an easy target.
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Daypaw
Hardened Member
Offline
Daypaw
Hardened Member
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:48 pm
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Extra Effort or Basic Post Style?
Notice that this post is considerably less fancy than the others. This is my generic post style that all my posts follow. It is simple, it is short, it's easy to work with. If you've seen me around the guild, you've probably seen this post style already (sans the ornate border because the autoformat doesn't work in guilds like it should) and can easily associate it to me as a user.
Take into consideration how long you want your thread to last. Is it going to be a major project or just something short and sweet?
If it's short, you'll probably just want to use a post style to make your thread pop a bit. It's simple, effective, and easy to pull off whether you use an autoformatting tool or just paste the format manually. Not all threads should be grandiose endeavors- take some time to figure out how decorative is TOO decorative for your individual purposes.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:55 pm
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♫Special Characters and Colors♫
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♪This Section♪
This is what you're REALLY here for, right? Right?
Thought so :3
As said above, you need not use the colors provided by Gaia and there are many special characters that you can use if you choose not to work with images. I'll have a selection of these for you here to refer to, and again, play around with these and see what works for you.
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♪Symbols♪
There are many text symbols you can use, either with the alt keys or with special text codes. You can also copy and paste them directly from here or a resource on the internet if you have trouble remembering codes.
The first way to make special characters is with the symbol & followed immediately by a code that will tell the forums to convert it to a symbol.
Like the symbols I use- for hearts and Diamonds, the symbols are & hearts or & diams (without the spaces, of course) which will look like this when you preview or post:
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If you come back to edit the post, they will still be in symbol format for you. They will not revert back to text.
The next way is holding the ALT key and entering a numerical code. When entering the numerical code, make sure you use the keypad on the right side of your keyboard that is organized like a calculator. It generally will not work if you use the numbers along the top of your keyboard.
Example- let's make an interesting emoticon.
Our codes will be ALT 147, ALT 168, and ALT 147 again.
This is that it will look like.
ô¿ô
The lists are pretty long as far as what you can use, but for convenience, I'll be providing links to resources here online where you can browse the symbols and how to make them.
These all link off of Gaia, please use your discretion if you choose to follow any links once you are offsite.
Here is a good resource if you wish to use the & symbol codes:
Please alert me if either of these links ceases to work.
A third method of finding additional characters is to use your computers Character Map or a word processors 'Insert Special Character' function.
To use it through a word processor, the command will usually be under the 'Insert' tab, and usually denoted with a strange looking character such as a Celtic knot. Clicking on this will bring up a wide variety of characters- symbols, foreign language letters, different alphabets, glyphs, and so on.
You can access the same characters on your computer.
(On a PC) Click START. Click ALL PROGRAMS. Scroll to and click ACCESSORIES. Scroll to and click SYSTEM TOOLS. Click CHARACTER MAP.
This will bring up everything that can be entered on your system.
Some examples, enlarged to be easier to see; ؋ س ۩ ₳ ╚ ▓ ﭻ
Be advised that since there are not all standard characters, they may behave strangely on your computer. Select the symbols you want, and then you can copy and paste them straight from the character map. ♦ ♣ ♥ ♠
♪Colors♪
Here is a list of some of the working color codes for Gaia. Just use the color tag with these color names, without spaces in the names.
So, for Deep Pink the code you would use is as follows:
[color=deeppink]Deep Pink[/color]
And voila! You've broken your dependency on plain red or violet.
You can also use hex codes to achieve different colors. It works the same as the color code with text, but instead of a color name, you'll type #(color code here). Hex charts are available all over the internet. Here are just a few examples;
Black is hex code #000000 EXAMPLE White is Hex code #FFFFFF EXAMPLE A shade of blue is #3399FF EXAMPLE A shade of purple is #6600CC EXAMPLE
Black is hex code #000000 [color=#000000]EXAMPLE[/color] White is Hex code #FFFFFF [color=#FFFFFF]EXAMPLE[/color] A shade of blue is #3399FF [color=#3399FF]EXAMPLE[/color] A shade of purple is #6600CC [color=#6600CC]EXAMPLE[/color]
Here is the list of some of the text colors. Feel free to try others as well :3
This section will provide some basic advice for creating your format or post style. A lot of this is trial and error that most users find on their own, but of course, try not to get frustrated if things don't work out the first time!
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♪Basic Construction♪
Here are some of the basic BBC codes that you can use here on Gaia to craft post styles and comunicate in the forums.
To bold, italicize, underline, or strike- the codes are as follows:
[b]bold[/b]
[i]italicize[/i]
[u]underline[/u]
[strike]strike[/strike]
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To make a quote box or a quote box with a username:
Please note that, with lists, if your alignment is anything but LEFT, the numbers and bullets will still appear on the left side of your post- like so:
The Bullets Are Way Over There <----
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To add an image (My avatar will be used for all image examples for the sake of simplicity);
You can move an image over to the left so that you can still type beside of it.
You can do the same with an image over to the right.
If using the alignments, make sure you leave space between the code and any additional image codes you want to enter or everything will get smashed together and disjointed. If typing beside the image, it is best to leave a few blank rows below the image also.
Here is a basic example of how text looks beside an aligned image. When this was set up, I left my central alignment active, and began typing IMMEDIATELY below the code. The code its self was posted IMMEDIATELY following this explanation. There were no blank line breaks left. I've made the sample text a shade of gray so that it is easier on your eyes. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text. This is sample text.
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♪The Advice♪
The main tip is patience. Gaia has a lot of coding glitches that you'll have to work around. For example, if you have your text centered and want to paste a quote or code, it will destroy the alignment and you'll have to code around it. You also generally have to close code tags in the order that they were opened- for example, using the [ color ] code and then a [ b ] to bold will need to be closed as [ /b ] and then [ /color ] to work- switching the order when closing the tags may cause the [ /color ] to not work.
Next tip is your preview button. Use it! If you use the preview button, any coding troubles will be immediately visible before you have to worry about it being seen by other users.
Next, use an aesthetic approach. Many people will format their post style with something in the corners; this is simple and effective. Plan where your formatting will be. Something in the top left and on the bottom right with centered text will generally look better than something on the top left and bottom left with the text centered. Create balance.
Next, don't be afraid to use things like random image generators. Do you want to display your avatar art? Just input the url of the image generator in the code and it'll change every time someone sees it. If doing this, also keep in mind the sizes of the images being used.
And, lastly, if you're not comfortable with BBC but want a format or post style, feel free to seek BBC resources or seek help from friends. There is no shame in seeking help!
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:57 pm
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♫Simple Examples♫
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♪This Section♪
In this section, I'll provide some simple post styles and formats that you can use in your posts or threads. Feel free to take these, modify them, change the symbols, add, delete, whatever you please. Most of these use purely text code, no images needed.
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♪The Examples♪
First, something simple. A little preface to your text; this will create something that appears in front of your text only. Lets start with a triangle :3
▲ Insert Text Here
A little more complex;
[color=mediumorchid]▲[/color][color=violet] Insert Text Here[/color]
Change the symbol?
[color=mediumorchid]→[/color][color=violet] Insert Text Here[/color]
Want your text to appear in the center of the post box?
[align=center][color=mediumorchid]→[/color][color=violet] Insert Text Here[/color][/align]
They will appear like so, respectively;
▲ Insert Text Here ▲ Insert Text Here → Insert Text Here
→ Insert Text Here
And voila- you have a simple, simple post style. You can make this as complex as you like also; more symbols? More colors? why not?
[align=center][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]•[/color] Your Text Here [/align]
••••••• Your Text Here
Want it to pop a bit more? Play with the size options!
[align=center][size=24][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]•[/color][/size] Your Text Here [/align]
•••••••Your Text Here
You can use the same principles to create something to trail your text, as well. Or, to create something on both sides. It's totally up to you.
[align=center]Your Text Here[size=24][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]•[/color][/size] [/align]
[align=center][size=24][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]•[/color][/size] Your Text Here [size=24][color=violet]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=red]•[/color][/size][/align]
Your Text Here•••••••
••••••• Your Text Here •••••••
I'll stick with the rainbow dots for the duration of the tutorial here for the sake of simplicity. You can use the same format to make bars above and below your text; this works best if centered, just scroll down to the next row before inserting your text.
[align=center][size=24][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]••[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=red]•[/color][/size] Your Text Here [size=24][color=red]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=violet]••[/color][color=indigo]•[/color][color=blue]•[/color][color=green]•[/color][color=yellow]•[/color][color=orange]•[/color][color=red]•[/color][/size][/align]
•••••••••••••• Your Text Here ••••••••••••••
To use a format like the one I often use, with the pieces aligned to the top-left and bottom-right corners, all you need to do is change the alignment and add some additional space between your format and the text. Without leaving a little extra buffer, the format will smash up beside your text and won't quite fit into the post box normally.
I'm sure you've seen a user with an image over in their post style, yes? As noted above, this is done with the imgleft or imgright tag, or both. Just using my avatar again as an example;
Your Text Will go here. How far down you place it will determine where it aligns to the image. Less space will put it up towards the top, lower will put it towards the bottom, and so on.
Your Text Will go here. How far down you place it will determine where it aligns to the image. Less space will put it up towards the top, lower will put it towards the bottom, and so on.
These are the most basic of the post styles; you can modify them to your hearts desire, and suit them to almost any need.
