Newbs and n00bs - The not-so-subtle differences

 EDIT: roxylane was kind enough to create this badge that you all can put on your profiles. Enjoy!

"Wow; what a n00b."

We've all heard these words at some point in our life. We were all new to Wolf-Haven, and we were all new to the Internet. When you joined Wolf-Haven, I'm sure that you didn't automatically know how to create a pack, and I doubt it took you less than a week to learn the name of each enemy on the Map. When you first placed your right hand on the mouse and took your first click, you thought chatspeak was cool and you used it. But how can you differentiate between newb and n00b?

The two words have very different meanings, and perhaps the meanings aren't as you thought they were. The insult "n00b" is thrown around Wolf-Haven like a hot potato that stole my HP steroids.

Newbie or Newb - This term is short for "a new member". This person is often kind and has an interest in the website. They are inclined to learn more about it and get involved. They take some time to learn more about the website, and eventually they graduate to "Member". Newbs may not have the best grammar, and they may use occasional chatspeak, but this has nothing to do with their attitude towards the site.

Nub or n00b - This term is short for... a lot of things, actually. Though n00b is the most commonly-used term, it is also the most harsh. n00bs are members who break rules, whine, complain, ask to be staff members, troll, harass others, and break the Terms of Service. n00bs more than likely use chatspeak, but occasionally you will come across one who doesn't. n00bs are usually newer or lesser-known members, but there are a select few that are senior members and are well-known for being n00bs.

As you can see, there are many differences between these names, and they mean completely different things. To summarize what I've taught you, newbies are new members who seek help and want to make friends. They want to try and fit in and eventually get accustomed to the game. n00bs, on the other hand, are troublemakers and often do it on purpose. n00bs seek attention, whether it is negative or not, and often make an attempt to make themselves well-known. Most n00bs are younger children who, for example, think that it would be cool to say that they have 1 billion XP but were warped back to the Pup rank, and that it's something special that Karl never told us about.

Basically, I am making an attempt to stop some of the newb bullying that happens frequently. We were all new at some point, and it was no different for you. I struggled to make my place in the Wolf-Haven community, and after an entire year of playing, I still haven't made my mark quite yet. Getting involved into a 10,000 member website is not easy, and you should be a bit more appreciative to the fact that the next new member could end up being your best friend. Until you get to know somebody, there is no way that you can determine if they are friendly or not.

I'll use one of my friends, -Amaterasu-, as an example. Perhaps she doesn't use commas exactly where Stormgaze would put them, and maybe she doesn't capitalize all of her sentences. Does that make her a n00b?

It certainly does not. I talk to her often, and she is one of the nicest people that I have met on here. In fact, it turns out that she is a pretty decent artist who is only improving. She's great at colouring lineart, and her wolf anatomy is improving rapidly. So, she's a n00b because she uses two exclamation points and isn't majoring in journalism? That makes no sense. Before you call somebody a n00b, get to know them first.

Now, let's take raichu59013 for example. I have never personally talked to her, but she is wonderful at displaying n00b-like qualities. She impersonated staff members, made an account and a pack that bashed Karlos, and still does her fair share of bitching. In fact, she had the nerve to call somebody ELSE a rude name, which earned her (and Meikaji, her older, sophisticated sister) a mute. Raichu did so many n00b-like acts that as her punishment, her custom's Equipment View is the old one, and therefore the Equipment doesn't fit properly. I'm not just being mean, either; the staff members hate her. I suppose they haven't got the heart to ban her quite yet. Or perhaps they get multiple LOLs from her constant trolling. Either way, this is an example of a true n00b. Been here from the start, been trolling from the start.

The main reason that I decided to write this article is because of instances such as being rude towards newbies on the forums. This link is the perfect example of what I mean. If you take a look at the title, it says "First Quest". The newbie stated that the Quest went fine, and there were no bugs. Scrolling down a bit, we can see our forum members' reactions towards this. The main highlight would be Stormgaze. We know that he's an absurd bastard with a cold heart, and I'm fine with members speaking their opinions, but I feel that a comment like that was strictly uncalled for. "Please don't ever come to the forums again." Really? Never come back to the forums? If you remember doing the first Quest, the text at the end states that you are supposed to go to the forums and post your opinion of how the Quest went. All the member did was bother to read what Karl's character had to say, and that is why they should never come back to the forum?

"Alright, so let's be mad at Karl instead for not updating the first quest for over a year?" Sure, why not? He never stated where to post the Quest review. Since it said "Post any bugs that you may have encountered", why not put it in the Bugs forum? As a new member I wouldn't have posted it there, but it is somewhat logical. Did Stormgaze even know that Karl no longer wants to hear what members have to say? Perhaps Karl did not feel the need to update the first Quest? Maybe we COULD have a forum for such responses, or perhaps the first Quest should be updated since it is clear that there are no Bugs, but that gives you no right to be rude towards a new member that simply followed what they were told to do. I suppose that they were supposed to automatically know that nobody posts how the first Quest went. Yeah, they've been playing for a half an hour, and they can automatically know that. Makes sense to me.

Not all newbies are n00bs. Not everybody who uses chatspeak on occasion is a n00b. On Wolf-Haven, the insult "n00b" is used far too much. Just because somebody asks something that most people know does NOT make them a n00b; it simply means that they have a question. With this article, I hope that I have taught you to be more kind towards new members and to realize that new members are not idiots. The way that somebody types does not make them a n00b. And, for the sake of giving this site a good reputation, don't be rude towards the newbies.