Q "Where do you post?"
A "You post by scrolling down below the shoutbox, clicking on one of the sub-forums, and choosing a topic. After you choose a topic, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will see a box, and a caption above it saying 'Reply to this topic.' Type what you want to say in that box, and hit post. You have made a post!"
Q "How do I make a thread?"
A "You can make a thread by first thinking about what it will be about. When you have decided, click on the sub-forum that best corresponds with it. Above the list of current threads, there will be an orange button that says 'Start new topic.' Click on that, fill in a Title, Tags, and Description, then hit post!"
Q "How do I change my text color in the shoutbox?"
A "Well, lets say you are browsing the forums, and not in the shoutbox tab. You would use something known as a 'BBCode.' Lets say you want your text yellow. Type in the code: *leave space for text here* [/color*]. When you press enter/shout, your text is then yellow. Remember, take out that stars first! If you are in the shoutbox tab/posting, there will be an icon that has an 'A' with green, red, blue, and yellow boxes in it's bottom right corner. Click on that, and a smaller list of colors show up. There you would select yellow, and then what you type would be yellow! Now, lets say you want a more specific color, like mine, for example. Under that same color tab, you will find at the bottom a link that says 'More colors...' Click on that, and a much larger array of colors pop up. Here, you can also get the special color code for it. If you plan on using this color frequently, copy and paste can be your best friend!
Q "How do I get a new name color?"
A "You advance through the achievable ranks by post count. You start out as a green member. When you have reached 200 posts, you become a trusted member, who is purple. When you then reach 500 posts, you become a dedicated member, who is white/silver. Other colors are staff ranks, such as cyan, blue, orange, red, etc."
Q "How do I make a topic poll?"
A "Quite simple, really. When you make a thread, if you look to the right of the Title and Tags, you will see, in bold letters, a caption that says 'Poll'. Under that, there will be a link that says 'Manage topic poll'. There, you have the option to include 3 questions, with a total of 20 answers. You can make your poll public if you choose, as well. This means that you can see who voted for what."
Q "Why does the shoutbox not appear for me?"
A "There are two answers to this question. The first, is that you may have just minimized the shoutbox by accident. You can undo this by hovering over the faded caption that says '343i Chat', and clicking on the '+' to the far right. If this doesn't work for you, this means you have been muted/banned from the shoutbox. If you are muted, it means you have violated rules such as no swearing, no advertising, no insulting other members, discussing topics you have been asked to stop, etc. Mutes are temporary, and duration of the mute/ban is dependent on the severity of the offense."
Q "Why am I banned/credit banned on Halo: Reach?"
A "While sometimes the ban system does make a mistake, it doesn't very often. If you are banned/credit banned on Halo: Reach, it means you have done something to earn it. Things like credit boosting, excessive commendation farming, software modification, (hacking), and excessive quitting will result in a ban/credit ban. Something like excessive quitting will only get you a temporary ban, as low as 10 minutes. For something as severe as software modification, you can be permanently banned from Xbox Live."
Q "What IS a moderator?"
A "The moderators of this site are a few select people to basically enforce the rules and make everything run smoothly. They have the power to edit anything on your profile, including username, warn you, and ultimately ban you. Moderators are seen in the blue, orange, and red colored usernames. (Red being administrator)."
Q "Is this the official 343 industries website?"
A "No, it is not. We here are a community forum, or a fan forum, if you will. If you are looking for official answers, we can give some, but not all. Your best bet would be to visit halo.xbox.com and ask your question(s) there for a positive answer."
Q "What are awards and how do you get them?"
A "You get awards and achievements for doing specific things around/for the site. For example, the achievements are all gems. These are for certain posting milestones. Then there are awards, for things such as participating in certain playdates, subscribing/liking/following our social networking pages, and other awards for 'tasks' you complete that are set by a moderator or staff member. For example, the GSD award is awarded if you can tell him who ate his chocolate. The adamj04 award is for completing his test. Awards and their descriptions on how to get them can be found under the awards tab.
Q "How do I like/get liked?"
A "Simple. If you go to a member's post, at the bottom of it, just above their signature, will be a button that says 'Like this'. If you press on that button, that means you have liked a post. Try to only like a post if you really do like it, or think it's helpful! You receive likes the same way. Your like count is in white text inside a green box on your profile. For example, at the moment, I have 504 likes.
Q "How/why should I rate a topic?"
A "Topic ratings sort of share the same principle of a like; only rate it with a good rating if you like it or think it's helpful. If you don't like it, or think it is not helpful or just spam, give it a lower rating."
Q "How/when should I report a member or topic?"
A "To report a member, visit their profile, and scroll to the bottom of the page. There you will find a button that says 'Report this member'. It will take you to a page and ask you to explain your report. Lets say in this case, this member was excessively swearing and being rude after being told multiple times to stop. You would list that under the report description. When you send the report, it will be read by a moderator, and a suitable course of action will be taken. To report a post/thread, go to the bottom of the post/thread and click report. You will have to fill a description like the one for a member. Now, lets say in this case, it's a thread that has absolutely no meaning and is just spam. You would list that under the description, and then send it. It will again be read by a moderator, and a suitable course of action will be taken."
Q "What are warning points?"
A "Warning points are given to you when you have done something wrong, but it doesn't quite deserve a ban. However, once you reach 5 warning points, you will then be banned."
Q "What are the member titles for, and how do I get a custom one?"
A "Default member titles are awarded to you upon shorter posting milestones than awards. Titles like 'Grunt Minor', 'Elite Major', 'Master Chief', etc. Custom member titles are not given out very often, as usually only very dedicated members are awarded one. Custom member titles usually reflect their actions, personality, or just random words. (like One)."
Q "Who's ready for halo 4!?
A "I am!"