What everyone should read, but not everyone should reply to

First off, let's get some things straight (this is the disclaimer so to speak). These are my opinions only. I am quite happy to debate them, but only in a rational and coherent sense. Incoherent babbling is not a currently accepted form of communication. Before going off and flaming me halfway through the post, please take the time to read my entire post. Also, these comments are not personal. Please keep these points in mind (I'll probably do the same throughout the rest of the post, but these are pretty important ones).

In my opinion, the quality of this forum is taking a nose dive into a pile of fresh dog shit. Why? People are not thinking.

Once upon a time, this forum was pretty damn good. People helped each other out, there was a minimum of flaming and everyone had fun. I'm serious, for at least 2 months, I didn't see anyone flame anyone else or take up a vendetta against another poster (except for maybe Quethim and loo...). People wrote thoughtful posts, they put time and effort into them, and they respected other peoples opinions.

Recently though, people have stopped doing this (I won't name names (yet), but if you are one of the people I'm describing, I hope you realise this). People have started doing the dreaded 'one-liner' posts, which might last more than one line, but only because they've put 5 different words on 3 lines. However, these posts are mostly devoid of any actual content. Most often they contain the words '*bump*' or "Yeah", "Lol" or even worse, a single smiley. I'm not saying that every single one-line post is full of crap, they aren't. The vast majority are though.

Half of the posts I see on this forum are now pointless. It's like people are having delayed IRC chats - that's what IRC is for and you know what? You don't have to wait for the next pointless reply, it'll already have appeared in the IRC window.

People have stopped also learning how to communicate in an effective manner. For some people of course, English is not their first language, but I am shocked when I see someone who is learning English write an entire paragraph better than someone who has been speaking and writing English their entire life.

I'm also pretty pissed off at people who dig up old threads (I define a thread as old if it hasn't received a reply for more than 2 or 3 days). Even if a thread is still on the most recent page, it can still be up to a week old. That is not recent. I get especially pissed off when someone digs up an old thread to pull a one-liner (see above). This is just bad form, and will give people like me ulcers one day.

Flaming is also not a Good Thingâ„¢. Deciding to have a verbal war with someone else, or who making blanket hate statements, or just unsubstantiated blanket statements which insult or hurt people is not acceptable. If you want to do those sorts of things, go find a pro-Ku Klux Klan forum - you'd be welcomed as one of the 'boys' there. Quite frankly, I have little tolerance for people who are ignorant, stupid and post here. Even more so when they turn out to be illiterate and unintelligent.

At the end of this rant, I have a few request to make of all posters here -

1. Don't post unless you have something useful to say. Increasing your post count and getting new avatars is not what God put you on the earth for.

2. When you do post, please do so sensibly, with the best grammar and spelling in English that you can manage.

3. Don't flame anyone here, or groups of people that aren't here. One person does not represent the whole.

4. Please, for the love of whatever you love, do not dig up old threads. If it hasn't had a reply recently, that means that the topic is as good as closed.

5. Have fun posting here by all means, but not at other people expense (there are, of course, some in-house jokes so to speak, but you'll know them eventually).

I feel rather strongly about this whole issue, as some people here know. If you want to know an example of a good poster, then look at Sheriff Fatman posts. Hardly a useless post, and he thinks everything through before he says it. This forum needs more people like him. Oh yeah, he's also bloody funny :smile:.

 

I knew my Jarinor account would come in handy! :grin:

I agree with everything he says accept the bit about looking at my posts. Two people have badly flamed me recently, so don't follow me into that dark alley - it's filled with guys holding baseball bats. :smash:

I'm only copying the style of Milo and Calis, anyhow!

BTW, to give you fair warning, the next person who includes a phrase such as "I didn't bother to read your post but's here's my answer anyway" is going to be hit by the curse of the goolies. Or maybe just cursed with a hit in the goolies.

:twoheaded: <<< these boys won't be smiling if that happens!

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sheriff Fatman on 2002-01-04 04:26 ]</font>

 

I didn't bother to read sheriff's post :wink: but in response to Jarinor's I'd say as a veteran of many forums but not yet of this one I have two points I'd like to make. Every forum I've been a part of goes thru phases like this. Good admins can ban horrendous offenders but in most cases bad patches pass with time.

My second point is more of a question. This is the only forum where I have seen people get bent out of shape over bringing up an old post. In most forums I've been on it was considered good form to go back and read te old posts for questions you may have to be already answered. and if you needed furthur clarification tack it on to that post instead of re-asking the same question again.

That's just my opinion. I will agree that in my short time here I have seen some nasty flames. Maybe a proactive solution is required.

-edited for spelling
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Longtooth.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Longtooth on 2002-01-04 04:43 ]</font>

 

It's kinda needless for me to post here since the veteran regualrs know my opinions as well as I know theirs
I do want to straighten the "diggin up old posts" query though. What I don't want to see is someone digging up an old post and replaying: "You can find it in the dredge" or "no, you are wrong, lockpicks are hard to find" or some equally useless statement. Especially if the thread's 2 months old. What would be more aropriate is that someone would replay posting a question to the thread becuase the thread was inconclusive or posting an answer since the question stated was not asnwered. But people please,someone dug up a thread I made 4 months ago, and the last follow up was 2 month old. That's over the edge. And yes, the poeple that do what Jarinor mentioned, really reconsider their actions. I have made a new forum, it's up to you the users, how fast it will grow.

 

I can see that point on 2-4 month old dead issues, but Jarinor was talking about posts 2-3 days old.

 

I know, that means I also disagree with him on that issue. To me, the max would be one week, or 10 days. I don't notice it when someone posts at at thread 2 weeks old. But 2 months?? That's too much.

 

the person is still trying to add a little someting to the forum though.
your talking about a new guy that did that right. quite amusing that he went through all the topics and replied to one you started. maybe it was one of rats friends. just a thought.

 

This is NOT a debate, merely a statement!

A topic is a topic in my book, and if someone feels one has something to contribute to an "older" topic I personally think one should feel free to "revive" any thread Jarinor.

- Zen

 

I agree with ya here longtooth. I find that, by going back and digging through some old posts, there is a batch of people who pop up every once in a while who contribute NOTHING to the forums at all. It also seems to pass with time. Also, I read this in another post (don't remember which one) but someone said something to the effect of "If we do not bother to reply to these so called flamers, they will get bored and move on." I know this is true. Trust me, I've been accused of being a "spammer" or "flamer" in a few forums, and BELIEVE YOU ME, once I see that no one gives a Jack Schitt about what I'm doing, I got bored and moved on. Not that I would EVER think of spamming here in this august company!! :wink: Those days are behind me.

 

True, but some people's idea of contribute is to bring up a two month old topic and write these three letters into it: lol

That is what drives a moderator insane

Wangus

 

I'm confused. Does that mean that you all are pissed off at me for reviving th Haiku thread and posting some new haiku? Just trying to figure out what you mean by old posts...

 

No, Etalis, the Haiku thread is one of those immortal threads. It is different. What we are talking about are questions like "how do I get to the wheel clan" and then 2 months later someone digs that it up adding: "yeah, I had the same situation, but I found some crystals in the ancient temple."

 

That's what I thought, but I thought it also might need some clarification, to avoid the inevitable me-getting-banned thingy that might occur through misunderstanding :wink:

 

For some reference to what me and Jar are talking about check this thread Some posts there especially at the mid-end are just what we are talking about.
edit: see this thread for an expample of on topic short messages that are 100% good.
edit2: here is an example of digging up old worthless threads or this one that last one, check the last post, it is exactly what I'm talking about. however, the last few posts on this thread are a combination of all of the mentioned problems above.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jinxed on 2002-01-04 11:02 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jinxed on 2002-01-04 11:09 ]</font>

 

See the "I Have A Hammer" thread for digging up an old useless thread AND for pointless one-line answers.

 

I hate coming in a complicating matters with a slightly different point of view, but here's my two bob.

I'd love to visit a forum where all the tips for a particular part of the game were in a single thread. I could do a search, read the thread and know all the forum has to offer on the subject. Sooooo, in that scenario I'm for digging up the dead.

The ones I'd like to stay buried include:

• Threads with no real merit (no humour, interest or useful info) in the first place. I'd actually like these to be buried alive!
• Threads where someone makes a comment directed at a person no longer active on the board (a fact easy to establish from the profile).
• Threads where I made an arse of myself (although I realise we have to have some active threads)

All these should remain firmly underground with salt on their tongue. Or is it a coin on their tongue? Or coins on their eys and salt on their tongue. Anyway, I just don't wanna see no mummified corpses running around the place.

 

I can't speak for everyone but alot of the time I post from work. At work you can't have 3rd party programs on your puter like IRC or even Java Chats, that's why I enjoy posting to forums cause it leave no clues for my boss to bitch at me about.

I am sorry I know I am going to sound ignorant here but they say the only way to learn is to ask questions, so here goes. Why does this matter so much? A new person to the forum may not know this and if it's on the front page it should be fair game. But actually I honestly (and I seriously am not trying to be a smart ass here) don't see the problem with old posts period. I mean I honestly thought that was the whole point behind having a forum history. So that one could look through old post and maybe reply to them if they had a further question or a comment. If that is not the reason then is there not a way for moderators to have old threads automticly delete themselves after a certain date? I think this might solve some problems if so.

Man has been trying to regulate people and their emotions since the dawn of time. I understand your frustration and maybe your just venting here but I don't think this advice will ever be taken. I myself have flamed in defense of my beliefs and I am sure I will do so again maybe not on this board but somewhere. I also remember when I first got to this board I got several replies from you that I felt were very flamish when I did not feel I had done anything to merit it. I put up with it for a while and then when I asked one time to please stop, you stopped talking to me all together even though I expressed several times my consern for your well being. So I guess I have trouble understanding this statement altogether.

Then why even have avatars? I thought the whole consept behind avatars were to get folks to post more often. This is a doubled edge sword to me. On one hand you say if you post more we will give you neat looking stuff to place next to your name. On the other hand you say but only if you post what I think you should post and I will be strict about it. If this is hard for a 30 year old to understand I can imagen how unfair this must seem to a 10 to 14 year old who really just wants to have fun while learning to interact with others.

A fair request, I hope others get it.

I do think that a better job of monitoring topics that would obviously offend people could be done. The "No brothas" Topic should have been deleted and the original poster warned as soon as it was noticed. Cause even though it was meant as a light hearted joke some peps could be offended. This is something that a flamer would look for just as an excuse to flame. Topics that alienate a specific group or groups and is allowed to stay invites flamers.

Then close them they can't be dug up if they are locked out. There should be a way to automaticly have this done to a post after a certain amount of time has past. I don't think it's a good Idea to do so as i think it makes people feel to regulated and they may drift elsewhere and it's not like this board gets overwhelming hits as it is. But it is your board and your right to make the rules.

A most excellent point to make.

That is all well and good but people are people and it is their very differances that make life interesting. A board full of Sheriff Fatman's will only stay interesting for so long (please no offense meant). I think there maybe some control issues here that go beyond my ability to address. But suffice it to say that you can only regulate and moderate a persons natural behavior only so much before they feel driven elsewhere and I don't think that's the true goal in all of this.

In my country you will find that even though english is the mainly spoken you will also find many different types of english being spoken. From deep south english to inner city english, but for most that variety binds us more then it seperates us. In other words not every person that surfs over to a forum is aware of the issues behind a forum (I myself am ignorant of many of them.). Their reason for coming to the forum is not to be "proper" but to find answers, share ideas and have some fun. Here in lay the problem "How do you regulate such issue without driving everyone away?" I don't have the answer to this, but I hope i have helped more then I have hindered in dealing with the answer.

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Live is Evil spelt backwards and Devil is Lived spelt backards. To let someone else LIVE your life is EVIL, if you let them you have not lived and thus belong with the Devil...

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Eros Rex on 2002-01-04 20:49 ]</font>

 

so now that jarinor has the face of cliff yablonski is he going to hate everyone. is he going to want to go on about killing japs in the war and hating goths and ravers. cause thats fine by me.

 

If a thread has already gone off topic, I'm certainly not above taking it in a different direction.
If a question has already been fully answered, I usually leave the thread alone, UNLESS someone else posts something SO off-topic and/or off the wall that it begs a response or lends itself to an inside joke.

Where else should these posts (which don't merit a thread all their own) go?

Sometimes it's tough to find the answer to a question because you have to sort through all the goofiness, but if you're in a hurry...Search!

I guess what happens is that sometimes we (I) post to a thread where the topic bores us (royal we), instead of just leaving it alone.

The "one-liners" are a pain in the ass, but sometimes they're funny. Sometimes a single smiley says it all. But It pisses me off when it's just a sign of agreement with the previous post. Hey, if it's a new post, chances are I'm gonna read it, so throw me a bone and make it interesting, huh?

As far as flaming goes -- it should never happen. If you don't like what's being said, you can debate the issue, but personal attacks are never productive, no matter how strongly you disagree with someone.

Physical attacks are much more effective.

"Ah'll be bach." -- Arnold S.

 

I would agree feldon until I visit the "folly forum" what is that but one big flame sanes the curses? This is all one big pot calling kettles black thing. If they want the posters to grow up then maybe the moderators should try growing up first.