These days I have been thinking (big gasp) about how people seem to ignore each other and the common etiquette. Many users who should know better are making big mistakes, usually by actually spamming by providing the same answer over and over, or better, saying the topic, post, or whatever is spam. I still remember the "Jonathanland" threads, where people were complaining about them, saying they were spam, and should be locked, and actually openly bullied the kid who made them, instead of just ignoring the threads, possibly observing them to see if they would lead to spamming, and therefore could be reported. Other times, usually in the S&S section, the same answer is given over and over again, possibly with a "-user- is right". Repeating helps understanding, but after seven answers what is basically the same, I think the person asking got it. The reason for this thread is also the "Seriously"-thread. I am unable to formulate a proper OP for that, but as it was said, if the thread had been about that, it would have stayed. Instead it was a thread about why a topic was locked, which we again should be smart enough to avoid.
I guess, what I am trying to start a discussion about is... Etiquette. How to make a good thread of good quality, and make sure it stay like that. Because I am pretty sure we do not need to make long OPs like this one to get there. But we still need to make sure the OP will lead to a proper discussion, and not just people answering short and careless.
This is also the reason for the thread title. I have seen many users simply answer the title, without reading the OP. Not only here, but in the World section as well.
So basically: How should we act, what can we do to improve the quality of the threads, is there any tricks or should we make long OPs and titles to make sure people actually answer with longer posts, is it okay to necro a thread that is long dead just because a new thread is a duplicate of the old one... And so on.
Same here. Especially all the religious based threads... Actually all the threads.
Most arguments there are as follows. 'God said so. It's true.', ' If you don't believe in God, you're going to Hell!', ' So and so is a stupid thing to do/person.'
Thereafter they get swamped by more rational arguments which lead to a huge temper ending in flamming. Ah, and I thought politics at the upper echelons was bad enough!
At least we know a relatively simple way to make a private topic. Have each poster C/P a huge block of text and then follow up with what they actually want to say. Worst part is, it is not impossible that that would work. Correct... It is a little weird... But it would at least look better than most of the other topics
Sometimes, quoting a giant chunck of text just to show your own post as a follow up is necessary. Like what I'm doing.
Flamers are not intelligent. If they had half a brain cell, they would know that constant flaming generally ends in a banhammer hitting them.
Example: Priest. Intelligent guy, flamer by heart, or merely unable to follow the rules. He knew he was being banned, he got banned multiple times, came back every time, and continued.
Some of all those views may come from people like me who read without posting.
True, but it would be nice if they could post and show us where they stand on this matter. It doesn't seem like a very difficult topic to add your opinion to and by reading and not posting they appear to be AP scavengers. Of course by now if I was to just discover this topic there's no guarantee that I'd read through it and post because the first page is quite the foreboding wall of text.
On the other hand this topic does contain quite a few names that are noteworthy of making interesting posts. When I'm browsing the forums I'm just as likely to check out a topic because a noteworthy user posted in it as I am because the topic name is interesting. Actually The fact that the name was a duplicate, paired with Strop posting last before me and not locking the thread piqued my interest.
Then I saw Cenere made the OP and I couldn't help but read through it.
In short I suppose you have to be one for interesting conversation to offer any yourself.
This problem always ends up in a frantic debate by people who know alot. Especially in the World Events Section where you see all sorts of half-baked and annoying answers. I stopped going there frequently to keep my blood pressure down =p
Same here. Especially all the religious based threads... Actually all the threads.
It's really great when someone comes in and basically ends the argument by blowing the opposition out of the water and then the thread continues because someone spam posts some thought that just popped into their head. Anyone else remember "Is a Harpoon a Bullet?"
Example: Priest. Intelligent guy, flamer by heart, or merely unable to follow the rules. He knew he was being banned, he got banned multiple times, came back every time, and continued.
Yeah flamers can be smart. I've met plenty of smart people who just can't grow up. Maybe they lose their tempers too easily or maybe they just don't care. Obvious flames though are the work of immature users.
Most flamers are on the other hand rather intelligent
I use a different version of intelligence. After a while, if you can't grow up, you're not smart because you probably don't have the cognitive aptitude to adapt to new conditions.
This behooves me to further explain that I regard internet trolls in a slightly different fashion from provocateurs and activists. A truer intelligence would be the ability to recognise when such tactics are most warranted for a constructive agenda.
Example: Priest. Intelligent guy, flamer by heart, or merely unable to follow the rules. He knew he was being banned, he got banned multiple times, came back every time, and continued.
Who's Priest by the way? Intelligent + Immature = Smart Aleck + Flammer
Sorry for the equation thing. I like chemical equations.
I use a different version of intelligence. After a while, if you can't grow up, you're not smart because you probably don't have the cognitive aptitude to adapt to new conditions. This behooves me to further explain that I regard internet trolls in a slightly different fashion from provocateurs and activists. A truer intelligence would be the ability to recognise when such tactics are most warranted for a constructive agenda.
Yes but some people will always remain as a child at heart... Ah such a 'chim' vocabulary you have there.
*Chim is Singlish. Though I'm not really sure how to spell it. It means advanced and professional.
True, but it would be nice if they could post and show us where they stand on this matter. It doesn't seem like a very difficult topic to add your opinion to and by reading and not posting they appear to be AP scavengers. Of course by now if I was to just discover this topic there's no guarantee that I'd read through it and post because the first page is quite the foreboding wall of text.
Just because something interests you it does not mean that you have an opinion you feel the need to express. I did eventually post here, you noticed that.
The fact that the name was a duplicate, paired with Strop posting last before me and not locking the thread piqued my interest.
That kind of thing can actually happen when he forgets to lock a thread despite stating he would. :3
Who's Priest by the way?
Permanent flamer guy who comes back occasionally in waves of new accounts. We ban them when we spot them (except for that one occasion where I was too tired and ended up talking with him in thread instead). But accounts with blank armatars making their first few posts and already appearing flamy = general Priest suspicion warranted.
Permanent flamer guy who comes back occasionally in waves of new accounts. We ban them when we spot them (except for that one occasion where I was too tired and ended up talking with him in thread instead). But accounts with blank armatars making their first few posts and already appearing flamy = general Priest suspicion warranted.
When creating a topic, make sure the topic is actually something you can discuss. * Do not post "this is spam" or comments of similar nature, they are spam.
Ah well...Jaza's a great Spammer. And he's back.
Does the site generally hunt down spammers or flammers more vigorously? At least with the vulgarity blocker, I hardly see flamming nowadays. But still, the spam in the site is amazing. Especially in comments for games.
Just because something interests you it does not mean that you have an opinion you feel the need to express.
True enough, but this topic has 275 views and only 6 different people who posted in it. I've seen other people complain and state their opinions in other threads where it could be considered spam. Now they have a topic for it and they don't post?
Also can one user provide more than one view? I never figured that out. -_-
but it would be nice if they could post and show us where they stand on this matter. It doesn't seem like a very difficult topic to add your opinion to and by reading and not posting they appear to be AP scavengers.
I did eventually post here, you noticed that.
Sorry, that 'your' shoulda been a 'their' I was going for generality.
First known by DemonicPriest, I think. He used a lot of names with Priest in it. Simply referring to him by that name is easier to us, and most of the regulars who were active during that time known him by that name as well.
Does the site generally hunt down spammers or flammers more vigorously? At least with the vulgarity blocker, I hardly see flamming nowadays. But still, the spam in the site is amazing. Especially in comments for games.
Well, there is different punishments, and like Priest, if you come back with an alternate account, you will be banned again and again. Posting links to pornography is a insta perm as well.
Also can one user provide more than one view? I never figured that out. -_-
Hmm, it is not that hard. It is really what I do in my assignments (discuss -topic-). You just need to be really good at looking from different sites. Like: There should be stricter rules when it comes to spamming, because people who spam cannot change, and they usually do not listen to what we say. All who spam should therefore be banned for a day, each time they spam, and if they spam a lot, they should be perm banned. - The rules are good enough as it is, because most of the regulars spam a little as well, and even the mods do as well. The definition on spam is rather fluent, which means that stricter rules would end up confusing. Spam is simply a part of being in a forum. And the newcomers can learn. Not all who start out with spamming know what to do and not to do. - A good way could be to make people read the stickies, and then make the rules more strict, resulting in bans if people spam in game comments. If they do not read the stickies, it is their own fault. - Spam can be fun, and should not be deleted. All people spam, and usually for AP, which is okay. The reason there is ap is for us to get it, therefore we should be able to get it any way we like.
Is this a troll?
A troll is a user who intentionally make a discussion escalate into a flamewar simply to amuse him or her self.
- The rules are good enough as it is, because most of the regulars spam a little as well, and even the mods do as well. The definition on spam is rather fluent, which means that stricter rules would end up confusing. Spam is simply a part of being in a forum. And the newcomers can learn. Not all who start out with spamming know what to do and not to do.
This link has a nice definition of spam and info on it.
That kind of thing can actually happen when he forgets to lock a thread despite stating he would. :3
Yeah, uh...NO COMMENT >_>
Does the site generally hunt down spammers or flammers more vigorously?
Flamers. Spammers don't actually harm anybody else unless they're harrassing random users as sometimes happens. Nonetheless we do not condone spammers so if we get a complaint about one, chances are we will act on it.
