11/25/2007 7:47:53 PM
Thanks for reposting it, A Tanzarian. I really hope people toss aside all of the stupid rivalries they've developed in this section if only for a while, so we can have an open and honest discussion about this. There's disagreeing, and there's what people do in TSB.At any rate, it's impossible to have sensible discourse here; we should discuss why that is, and if people want it to change bad enough to figure out how to fix it.
11/25/2007 7:55:28 PM
One thing I'd like to see is a limit to the number of threads a person can make, 3 a week perhaps.Much more than that and I think it becomes too much for the original poster to keep active in all their threads.I have some more ideas, but right now it's time for some baby-back ribs smoothered in my homemade BBQ sauce!
11/25/2007 7:59:46 PM
Just come to terms with the fact that this is a college message board and that immature dipshits will often leave chit chat, come down to TSB and ruin threads with inane yapping.
11/25/2007 8:04:28 PM
I think it all comes down to what people, as a whole, want from this section. We need to compare what we want versus how we're acting as a whole.Currently people come here to crow at each other and trade weak burns back and forth. Very few people come here with an open enough mind to change an opinion about anything, and that's usually because both sides just spit pre-packaged talking points back and forth. Is this really what most people want from this section, or is it that people are simply reacting to each other at this point? If people are just reacting then we need to clear the air in lieu of moderation.
11/25/2007 8:05:01 PM
11/25/2007 8:05:49 PM
That doesn't necessarily exempt them from immature dipshit status.
11/25/2007 8:08:06 PM
Of course not, but that's why we're having this discussion. Do they even want a decent section at all, or do they just want to keep acting the way they have been? This is a place for them to explicitly decide in front of us all.
11/25/2007 8:16:50 PM
Even though I don't post much in this section, I still think a discussion like this is needed. Of course, as as someone who doesn't post much in this section, I feel it should be left up to those who do post more often to discuss it. (If they're mature about it, that is.)
11/25/2007 8:36:34 PM
I'm all about letting thread creators self-moderate their threads. I'm not sure what applications would need to be in place for this to work, but allowing the OP to a) block users or b) delete posts would really clean up a lot of threads. Of course, some people would be over-zealously use these powers, but it isn't much worse than how shitty these threads get. Besides, if someone was locked out of a thread, they could always start their own counter-thread.
11/25/2007 8:44:05 PM
11/25/2007 8:51:19 PM
I know what you mean, but allowing the OP to edit out "you suck" / "no you suck" / "troll" / "foamie" would benefit threads. Clearly those people creating threads who genuinely wanted to hear what people had to say would allow those who dissent but those desiring partisan hackery would edit out all those who disagree. The net effect in number of quality threads wouldn't change (I don't think) just some with real potential could carry on.I do favor a more aggressive stance on suspending habitual trollers.
11/25/2007 9:26:43 PM
(1) absolutely forget about any change that requires modification to the source code. the new owner is responsive, but it's ridiculous to think hes going to change the structure of TWW itself because some assholes cant moderate themselves in TSB.(2) besides the fact that "self-moderation" or "limiting thread creation to 3x week" requires source code modification... those are bad ideas and go against the whole spirit of TWW.-- 2a) self moderation in its various forms will only serve to turn threads into private discussions. thats NOT what TWW is for. if you want private discussions go to AIM or create a Facebook Group for chrissakes.-- 2b) the last thing we need is to restrict discussion. more threads are better than less. its a "free market" of ideas here. those without any value will fall of the front page(3) what we DO need is a consistent and largely inflexible suspension policy for people who cant refrain from shitting all over other people's threads. I've already outlined a coherent policy that I would implement if I were made a co-moderator for this forum ... see /message_topic.aspx?topic=503398 for details. in short, I think my policy will allow a healthy (ie, very minimal) amount of venting if/when arguments get heated, but will keep the threads largely on topic. violators will face incremental suspensions that start out small, so it wouldn't permanently get rid of anyone -- unless that person just can't stop shitting on threads.if you want to see this happen, send the new owner, nael, a PM saying you'd like joe_schmoe to be made mod.[Edited on November 25, 2007 at 9:34 PM. Reason : ]
11/25/2007 9:27:45 PM
From the locked thread:
11/25/2007 9:46:56 PM
As a newer user, it seems like some of the people who have been around longer flame when someone new posts an idea they think is "stupid" without really knowing why. I know when I first started posting in here I looked like a dumbass a bunch of times (that may or may not have changed slightly) and I was immediately flamed without really being told why I was a dumbass. Some of this is probably just because some of the older folks have seen just about every topic there could possibly be and they're bored when they see it again. Solutions?1) Try to keep thread topics fairly recent.2) Don't immediately flame someone when they first post here just because they're not used to how TSB works.
11/25/2007 9:53:21 PM
Personally, I stopped posting regularly in TSB over three years ago. There have been periodic waves of retardation in this forum since long before the Treetwista/Chance issues being discussed now, the JonHGuth Cheese Crusades, or whatever the flavor of the month is for drama. Regardless, I stopped posting because it stopped being worth the time I spent typing. Since then, I've found other ways to occupy my time, and now I'm just too busy to take the time to develop my thoughts on an issue into a post, since the atmosphere still isn't welcoming enough for open discussions to thrive without them being sidetracked by nitpicking and trolling. These days, I still skim TSB almost daily, but it's as a glorified news ticker to find out about stories I miss from other sources. I'll sometimes read beyond the first post, but it's mostly to see if additional information or any follow-up stories have been posted, rather than to read through people's reactions. I only read at any depth when I'm trying to procrastinate.
11/25/2007 9:54:37 PM
^^ flaming the noobs i think is a phenomenon common to most every internet forum... at least the ones that arent *heavily* moderated. it serves a purpose, by weeding out the people with really thin skin. so dont take it personal. its just the intarnets. i got beat up pretty bad my first few months.
11/25/2007 10:20:00 PM
Damn, I almost thought I was special there for a minute. But seriously, if we're trying to make the debate in here more civil and whatnot n00bs should be given at least 1 stupid post per topic before they're flamed out, no?
11/25/2007 10:26:48 PM
no... fuck the noobs. they dont get shit.
11/25/2007 10:27:39 PM
11/25/2007 10:37:54 PM
11/25/2007 11:03:53 PM
I'm agreeing with you, dude.The example I gave was just that; an example. But you are right in that we do get the "religion (ie christianity) is stupid" crowd in here. I guess I picked that specific example because of my own bias. It would be fallacious of me to dismiss pro-religious arguments out of hand simply because I already disagree with religion. Both camps should receive equal opportunity to be heard, for as long as they agree to follow the rules.And as for kicking people out, that's really only for if they're repeat offenders. Obviously the first infraction need not be met with permanent suspension. We should give people room to learn the rules and get accustomed to the atmosphere.I like your idea, and as long as you think you could be fair and impartial then go for it.[Edited on November 25, 2007 at 11:25 PM. Reason : blah]
11/25/2007 11:21:55 PM
cool thanks. my idea for "incrementally-increasing" suspensions would relieve the need for drawing a line at which a person is "supposed to know better"(1st offense = 1 day in the box; 2nd offense = 2 days; .... 10th offense = 10 days; ... etc.)i think even our worst trolls would learn after a suspension or three. but a person who never learns and is intent on trolling, would spend the majority of their time in suspension. each time they came back to do it again, they'd go back again. because i can easily write a script, and the default 32-bit INT type won't roll over until a count of some 2.4 billion is reached
11/25/2007 11:45:47 PM
It puts the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again!
11/25/2007 11:50:37 PM
yes. exactly. an impersonal, behavioristic approach. the only difference is I wont let grandma rot in the basement bathtub.
11/25/2007 11:57:17 PM
11/25/2007 11:59:46 PM
to clarify, joe_schmoe and I can work like a sniper-spotter team (or a CO/XO, if you like that analogy better). I'll be the only one with my finger on the trigger, but realize that he is my 2nd set of eyes, and if he tells you to check yourself before you wreck yourself, realize that he has my ear.however, realize that no sort of moderation is going to be a magic pill. A lot of the brains in TSB have grown up and left TWW, and others have left TSB as a result. It's not just that there's some huge influx of idiots--the idiots have always been here. Trust me. There just isn't a lot of intelligent discourse otherwise, so every dumbass with a keyboard and too much free time gets center stage. By the way, the Garage has suffered from the same affliction.In addition, while a select group of special dumbasses tend to be the idiocy catalyst, they can't fuck it all away on their own. If you don't respond to them--and in particular if you actually contribute worthwhile topics and posts--their dumbassery falls to yesterday's page soon enough. This is a place where those of us who ought to know better fail miserably time after time, and I can't figure out how to drive this point home. Let the dumbasses get tired of being ignored and be the ones to go elsewhere.[Edited on November 26, 2007 at 12:10 AM. Reason : asdf]
11/26/2007 12:03:16 AM
I appreciate the nice words, Duke. I also don't think we disagree as much as some might think. Fully half of me is libertarian in nature (the "social" half). lets not talk about the economic half, though ... oh, look! Second Amendment! But my plan to help restore credibility to TSB has as its cornerstone the idea of incrementally-increasing suspensions for violators of what I call the "personal issues" rule, and it necessarily must be impersonal and inflexible -- like the algorithmic nature it is based on. It has to be immediate, final, absolute, unable to be pleaded or argued. It can not be filtered through a screen or delayed by communication lag.This ensures that there is no favoritism or perception of bias, and that everyone knows exactly where they stand. The linear increase from a very small number ensures a certain safety buffer -- that people aren't disproportionally punished for some minor infraction. I mean, after 1 day in the box, a person can easily come back and lodge a complaint if they feel they were unfairly treated.This requires me to be given a certain amount of power and responsibility, and for you (as well as the rest of TSB) to trust that I won't abuse that power. While I admit that I can and have engaged in grab-ass games on occasion in the past, I think most people here recognize that I am fair, moderate, rational, and experienced enough to recognize the bullshit. I will take the responsibility seriously, and no one -- not my friends, not even myself -- will be above the rule.Finally, I want to address one point you made, that i think is key:
11/26/2007 2:00:48 AM
11/26/2007 2:03:55 AM
11/26/2007 3:31:13 AM
this is a section based on arguments and people get upset when others argue with them there is a reason that politics is on the list of things to avoid talking about with people that you want to be your friends - a lot of people have strong opinions and get angry when others disagree with themit will always be a sticky situation - i do agree that the current situation can be approved though - all sections could be - it's good that the users are actually trying to discuss ways to do that
11/26/2007 9:57:01 AM
lolmore moderationits the democratic answer!
11/26/2007 10:06:16 AM
Pretty much every major political ideology have major flaws.Democracy's strongpoint in listening to the people is also a drawback because most people are fairly dim.Fortunately science and logic don't fall under democratic processes. (well at least they're not really supposed to)[Edited on November 26, 2007 at 10:14 AM. Reason : .]
11/26/2007 10:14:20 AM
4^ I don't see what the big deal was with my thread -- at the time I had just finished The Antichrist and had decided that Nietzsche's critique of Christianity was pretty spot-on. I still pretty much think that, although I'd probably quibble over some of the finer points a little. That's exactly what happened, actually --- I remember a lot of discourse in that thread. Either way it was a pretty fun thread, and a lot of people got involved.Did you entirely miss the point of this thread? I'm not sure.(Besides that thread was over two years ago. What we're talking about now is how to get this current day TSB back on track. Not sure what point you were even trying to make.)[Edited on November 26, 2007 at 10:20 AM. Reason : .]
11/26/2007 10:19:02 AM
^ I included those threads as they relate to this post:
11/26/2007 11:41:17 AM
I got the point of this thread, which is more than I can say about you.The primary reason TSB is in the shitter right now is because people in here don't make any actual arguments. It's just the same talking points and cleverly-crafted slogans over and over again. Nobody's interested in an earnest exchange of ideas, they just want to get up on their soap box (har har) and proclaim how their beliefs are intrinsically better than everybody else's. What joe_schmoe and others have proposed is a way to put a cap on the amount of all that bullshit. And the first step is to start with trolls like you.
11/26/2007 11:50:29 AM
^ Are you referring to me?
11/26/2007 11:51:52 AM
Are you denying the fact that you're a troll?
11/26/2007 11:52:48 AM
^ Abso-fucking-lutely. I don't troll anybody--ever. And anyone that refers to me as a troll is an idiot.
11/26/2007 11:59:26 AM
...and the thread takes a turn towards irony.
11/26/2007 12:26:43 PM
Only now do I realize that I'm calling the kettle black.
11/26/2007 12:36:31 PM
hooksaw, how do you interpret your post as anything but a troll? You were referring to an example somebody gave (the nature of the example was irrelevant to the overall point) and responded with what you felt were violations, some from over two years ago.The contribution you've given of calling people out by name (whereas before I think barely any names had been mentioned) was deliberately inflammatory, and for the most part, exactly what we're talking about with this thread. It's notable at least that the moment this thread took a turn for the worse was your entrance.That said though, what do YOU want out of this section?
11/26/2007 1:12:07 PM
in my casual lurking, i've been hard pressed to find any posts by hooksaw that are not inflammatory.
11/26/2007 1:19:36 PM
I'm trying to think of things that have changed in my years on this forum, since most who have been on it for a while tend to agree that it was better a few years ago than it is now.Normally I'm leery of that sort of thinking, because wolfwebbers seem to have a special affinity for misplaced nostalgia. In this case, however, I believe it appropriate.The overall quality of posters is, I think, pretty much the same as it has ever been, but there has been a shift in the "soap box personalities," those people who, for whatever reason, tend to leap to mind when we think of the Soap Box. Three or four years ago, my list of these individuals would've included people whose contribution involved regular posting of cogent arguments on a variety of topics. They all had "specialties," sure, but they'd cover ground and weren't "one-note guys." There were one or two exceptions, but generally I remembered soapboxers for being fun to argue with.Now, when I think of the Soap Box personalities, I think of hooksaw. I think of treetwista. I think of a handful of other broken-records and trolls. By equal measure of their tenacity in being annoying and our willingness to acknowledge it, they have become the central figures of the forum.That was probably an unnecessarily long-winded way of saying something that was probably unnecessary to say, but I wanted to lay out my thought very clearly. Now, of course, the problem comes with how to fix it.Partly, we will just have to wait for new blood and new talent. Some of the lesser-knowns on this board are bound to garner attention as they post intelligent things. As we see that happening, we need to shift our focus to them, try to engage those individuals, both for our own benefit and also to drown out the hooksaws who might otherwise chase them away.Also, I think we, the concerned, need to post new topics more frequently, and to ensure that they are on good subjects. Anything too topical is bound to become a debate framed by the talking heads and media personalities who, if I had one wish, would never be referred to here again. Honest to God, I wonder if it wouldn't benefit us to just create a slew of topics called Abortion, Capital Punishment, Gun Control, Immigration the Drug War, etc., and have the OP just say, "discuss." It's simplistic, but being broad helps prevent us from getting bogged down in the minutiae that doesn't make for good debate. At any rate, more topics equals more chance for good Soap Box. It really doesn't matter that there's so much crap on here, it's that there's so little of anything else. I don't mind sifting through some dirt if I'm pretty sure I'm gonna find a nugget.So, my suggestion in a nutshell:More and better topics from the concerned, and more attention paid to engaging new guys.That is all for now.
11/26/2007 4:27:31 PM
im flattered that so many people allow me simply posting my opinion on an issue to completely ruin their entire TSB experience
11/26/2007 4:36:10 PM
It's not your opinion that pisses us off it's the delivery of the opinion. You have no desire to debate either, despite trying to act like you do. If you simply made one post per thread with your opinion and no flames or trollbait you'd probably be just fine.
11/26/2007 4:42:12 PM
11/26/2007 5:05:04 PM
11/26/2007 5:38:43 PM
He can't resist trolling, even in a thread related to what to do to improve TSB.
11/26/2007 5:40:48 PM
11/26/2007 5:42:11 PM