Do we really need a Random Thoughts thread? Thoughts.
- Thread starter Tribal Spaceman
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duckface
JODIE FOSTER!!!
Tribal Spaceman
Oh, OK.
I dreamed a dream of times gone by
When topics were off
And thoughts were random
A thread I thought would never die
A place to talk with gay abandon
When topics were off
And thoughts were random
A thread I thought would never die
A place to talk with gay abandon
I'm not saying there doesn't have to be one.
However there are problems with it that actually all those who seem to want to use it also don't want to take responsibility for.
First there has been an increasingly growing cliquiness and playground atmosphere that is spilling over onto the main boards... this has been noted by many. And when the Random thoughts thread is being used to bitch about discussions and belittle other members (why it was closed) then it does support that perception. And to be honest I think certain people go there and do it because they know it will get overlooked, they can slag someone off and not be reprimanded in the way they know they would were they to do it in the main board because they think no-one is watching. However that then leads others to think that is acceptable practice and that influence is starting to spread across the board in a noticeable way.
Secondly when you're discussing things of a more personal nature, bringing your outside lives here then you have to be careful that what you are saying isn't potentially libelous or compromising the privacy and rights of people you're discussing or just saying anything else of a nature that could potentially get this board into big trouble. The fact is this is a growing problem the more people seem to want to discuss every aspect of their lives and the loves of all around them.
And it's all well and good to say 'well the moderators should handle that'. This isn't some huge operation with staff to police it and legal teams to hand. It's a few volunteer members keeping an eye on things. The Random Thoughts thread is a fast moving clusterfuck of stuff and because it's now at a point where people think they can talk about whatever the hell they like it's becoming increasingly harder to moderate. The stuff that being discussed is far more contentious than pop music and tv stuff so it is a huge task. Off Topic requires more moderating than the whole forum put together and a big portion of that is Random Thought. You may think that just because you're not arguing it isn't a problem... but moderation goes beyond telling a few people to not argue.
And that's the issue. You may want it but do we need it in relation to the time and effort us handful of mods and Peter have to give in the vain effort to make this board an ok place to be, not just those who like the Random Thoughts thread but for everyone.
I wonder if any of those who really want the Random Thoughts thread are willing to moderate it (and the Off Topic section as a whole)?
However there are problems with it that actually all those who seem to want to use it also don't want to take responsibility for.
First there has been an increasingly growing cliquiness and playground atmosphere that is spilling over onto the main boards... this has been noted by many. And when the Random thoughts thread is being used to bitch about discussions and belittle other members (why it was closed) then it does support that perception. And to be honest I think certain people go there and do it because they know it will get overlooked, they can slag someone off and not be reprimanded in the way they know they would were they to do it in the main board because they think no-one is watching. However that then leads others to think that is acceptable practice and that influence is starting to spread across the board in a noticeable way.
Secondly when you're discussing things of a more personal nature, bringing your outside lives here then you have to be careful that what you are saying isn't potentially libelous or compromising the privacy and rights of people you're discussing or just saying anything else of a nature that could potentially get this board into big trouble. The fact is this is a growing problem the more people seem to want to discuss every aspect of their lives and the loves of all around them.
And it's all well and good to say 'well the moderators should handle that'. This isn't some huge operation with staff to police it and legal teams to hand. It's a few volunteer members keeping an eye on things. The Random Thoughts thread is a fast moving clusterfuck of stuff and because it's now at a point where people think they can talk about whatever the hell they like it's becoming increasingly harder to moderate. The stuff that being discussed is far more contentious than pop music and tv stuff so it is a huge task. Off Topic requires more moderating than the whole forum put together and a big portion of that is Random Thought. You may think that just because you're not arguing it isn't a problem... but moderation goes beyond telling a few people to not argue.
And that's the issue. You may want it but do we need it in relation to the time and effort us handful of mods and Peter have to give in the vain effort to make this board an ok place to be, not just those who like the Random Thoughts thread but for everyone.
I wonder if any of those who really want the Random Thoughts thread are willing to moderate it (and the Off Topic section as a whole)?
D
duckface
BEN AFFLECK!!!
D
Deleted member 11652
If that's what'll take, get someone to do it. I haven't been here nearly as long as most of the members who used the Random Thoughts thread, but I enjoyed it (and the Off Topic section!) and made use of it...
he/him
I think it's silly that a thread running for over four years would be closed over some remarks that were a little bit mean. I'm sure if the moderator in question had simply asked everyone to stop the conversation, it would have ended then. Deleting / closing a thread because there were a couple of not nice posts will not solve the issue--in fact, you might as well delete the whole forum then.
Edit: Nevermind, I just read Passionoia's post.
Edit: Nevermind, I just read Passionoia's post.
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Tribal Spaceman
Oh, OK.
This constant closing and deleting of topics is counter-productive. Post in a thread, let people know that they need to change the subject or the manner in which they are conducting themselves, but don't just lock it and leave us with a vague message and a question we can't respond to without creating a new, specific thread. That does no good whatsoever.
Regarding off topic as a whole, I reckon a few of us would be able to keep an eye on things if we knew exactly what was allowed and what was not. There's only about a dozen main threads in use on this board on a daily basis and I reckon we could handle this in isolation if that's what it came down to.
Regarding off topic as a whole, I reckon a few of us would be able to keep an eye on things if we knew exactly what was allowed and what was not. There's only about a dozen main threads in use on this board on a daily basis and I reckon we could handle this in isolation if that's what it came down to.
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No one has mentioned any names whatsoever when they discuss other people so I don't know what the problem is. I don't remember anything libelous being said either. All we needed was a warning - why has it only been closed now? I think mods can be incredibly patronising when it comes to things like this - the closing of the Girls thread and the reason given was utter nonsense.
The Random Thoughts thread is more or less the backbone of the forum so just re-open it please.
he/him
I don't understand why you couldn't say all that instead of locking, passionoia. I mean it's all well and good that there aren't enough moderators but you would expect the ones we have not to be so lazy/short-sighted. Anyone could have seen this thread coming as a result of the lock, explaining to people that they can't talk about certain things would have saved a whole lot of bother.
But that's the point. It's not just a couple of not nice posts. It's a continuous thing. This has got to be the 5/6th time I myself have had to deal with the issue of members slagging off other members over the past 12 months or so. I've also had to remove three libelous comments (one amazingly shocking) and countless stuff that is just rule breaking and poor behaviour. And this behaviour isn't coming from new members it's coming from people who have been here a long time.
People are told and yet it continues.
H
Hitori
'My' poor thread.
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duckface
'My' poor thread.
It's okay, hitori...
[video=youtube;NoOhnrjdYOc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOhnrjdYOc[/video]
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StraightActing19
[video=youtube;-cYp8ejhCjc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cYp8ejhCjc[/video]
In short, no. Too many strays.
In short, no. Too many strays.
They aren't told though...
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duckface
Not only are they not told, you basically just closed it at the drop of the hat when absolutely nothing was going on.
I really take issue with the notion that threads are constantly closed or deleted. The Men, Boys, and Girls threads were deleted because two of them were verging on pornographic, and it didn't seem fair to keep the third. The forum doesn't seem to have suffered a great loss either.
Sometimes I have to close a thread in the Pop & Justice section because a conversation is moving so fast that even if I post for people to stop and move on to something else, it's ignored. It's hard to take the twenty minutes required to send a dozen personal messages when someone might be posting, "Stop being such a cunt!" which no one cares to see and only gets people more riled up.
It's nice to say, "Well, if the moderators just cracked the whip a bit more things could be fixed," but there's only about six people who responsibly report issues on the forum, and as much talk as there is of Random Thoughts forming a community, there aren't a whole lot of you who try to make it a very positive place. There's always been snark on the forum, but now a lot of people seem to only post in order to be sarcastic towards one another, and Random Thoughts is often the biggest breeding ground of that behavior.
Sometimes I have to close a thread in the Pop & Justice section because a conversation is moving so fast that even if I post for people to stop and move on to something else, it's ignored. It's hard to take the twenty minutes required to send a dozen personal messages when someone might be posting, "Stop being such a cunt!" which no one cares to see and only gets people more riled up.
It's nice to say, "Well, if the moderators just cracked the whip a bit more things could be fixed," but there's only about six people who responsibly report issues on the forum, and as much talk as there is of Random Thoughts forming a community, there aren't a whole lot of you who try to make it a very positive place. There's always been snark on the forum, but now a lot of people seem to only post in order to be sarcastic towards one another, and Random Thoughts is often the biggest breeding ground of that behavior.
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duckface
I really don't see what your point is about sarcastic behavior... everyone was in on it, so I don't see how that's hurting anyone?
Tribal Spaceman
Oh, OK.
I've never seen anyone told anything either. If it's being done via private message then of course it's not doing any good as only the person in question will know about it. Any time there is a problem it should be dealt with in a way so that we are all aware of it. Names need not be mentioned, just say roughly what the issue is and we'll keep it in mind the next time we go to post something.
The whole negative talk is about 2% of the actual discussion.
Also when a warning is given it is usually adhered to so I think the 'everybody misses my post' excuse doesn't hold. If you think it does then how hard is it to write in bold block capitals.
And yes it wasn't very active but don't get me started on the closing of the Girls thread coz that was 100% foolishness.
Also when a warning is given it is usually adhered to so I think the 'everybody misses my post' excuse doesn't hold. If you think it does then how hard is it to write in bold block capitals.
And yes it wasn't very active but don't get me started on the closing of the Girls thread coz that was 100% foolishness.
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