Time for the RED PEN WILL?

[ronlyre]

What does everyone think of asking Will to drop the notion of allowing everyone a voice and asking him (or someone else) to wield a big red pen and EDIT some posts. In this way we won't get the same old boring voices patting each other on the back or making the site their own with reams and reams of disjointed thought.People like this need not only to get a life but a blog also.
I think in particular of the poor Visitor who has to plough through yards of dross before they come to anything they might like to join in with.
Free comment may sound like a good idea but in the end its the people who post and post and post who create a monster in their own image. *Einstein.

*Norman Einstein (my uncle)

[chillitt]

I think the mods are doing quite well with a looose hand on the tiller. The trouble starts when you get the nutter who adopts a pub and upsets all the locals, eventually nobody goes in that pub again.
It will drive the grown ups to distraction if they have to edit or approve every thread, and its quick and easy to report a thread if someones going overboard
best way to deal with it is swamp the place with great threads, and drown em out!

[Madhatter]

This site is the ONLY site doing any good that I go on at the moment including my own sites, and sites with far more to offer than this. We can't be doing that much wrong.
People who post and post make the forum look used even if a lot of it is dross.

I know for a fact that if I was still a regular poster on my old forum, it would not now be dead.
One regular poster sitting talking to himself waiting for someone who posts once a week doesn't work.
You're also never going to get a forum where everyone agree's with everything you say no matter how much of a nice person they think you are and it would be boring if they did.

Please never use red pen will, use blue, red is like being naughty at school, it's so embarassing.

[Madhatter]

I think the mods are doing quite well with a looose hand on the tiller. The trouble starts when you get the nutter who adopts a pub and upsets all the locals, eventually nobody goes in that pub again.
It will drive the grown ups to distraction if they have to edit or approve every thread, and its quick and easy to report a thread if someones going overboard
best way to deal with it is swamp the place with great threads, and drown em out!
Exactly, why go in threads if you know you don't like whats being posted in those threads. Just mark them as read and leave it for those who do want to comment to get on with it and start your own threads.

[optrex]

The thing about forums is that they need content. Posters posting is a form of content and the more diverse the topic, the more visitors we will get.

BTW, content is not "newsbots" posting one line of an RSS news feed. Whilst they are OK for an established forum (in small amounts) they are useless for growing a foruma as people come in on the links subject matter, then follwo it back out for the story.

The KEY is that you need to categorise the forums correctly so that the "dross" goes in sub forums and the "useful" stuff is brought to the front. This is assisted by having a moderator/admin team that can "move threads" and keep subjects on topic.

[optrex]

What does everyone think of asking Will to drop the notion of allowing everyone a voice and asking him (or someone else) to wield a big red pen and EDIT some posts. In this way we won't get the same old boring voices patting each other on the back or making the site their own with reams and reams of disjointed thought.People like this need not only to get a life but a blog also.

big brother, restriction on freedom of speech, clique are words that spring to mind and goes against the ethos Will wants to promote.



I think in particular of the poor Visitor who has to plough through yards of dross before they come to anything they might like to join in with.


Thats what the "search" is there for!

Also guest only see "todays posts" from the last 24 hours, rather than reams and reams from your "last vist" that members get.

In terms of user functionality, you have the "mark as read" to get rid of those topics you do not wish to plough through. You have "show threads from" to reduce what you actually see date wise, and you have the "ignore user" option for the same old boring voices.

On that last line, Chillitt has the best idea - if you join in and express your view they its not just the same old boring vioces .......

[ronlyre]

I'm surprised no-one has noticed that there is already a clique. It's all very well going on about freedom of speech but look what it leads to, in my opinon, a stifled site. And please, don't tell me to leave if I don't like it. I shall do everything I can to assist Will in turning this into something vibrant and worth reading.

And what does Madhatter think I am, psychic ?

[ronlyre]

...todays posts looks very much like a clique to me. And I believe enough to put visitors off. For God's sake Jobee's still on WWII and new threads are drying up before our very eyes. This is only a website it is not the constitution, take control. What are you men /women or mice?

Here's one for you...has prostitution saved more marriages than it's ruined?

[optrex]

Only your point of view.

This next bit, could be taken in the wrong context, but it is not meant that way, but I do feel the point needs to be made.

If new threads are drying up before our eyes, why not make some of your own? I notice you have been on the forum for nearly 12 months and you've started 7 threads, imho this hardly puts you in good stead for complaining about the lack of new content!

Forums are only as good as the input of its membership. If you are not prepared to put much in, dont expect much out!

...perhaps I'm too defensive, but hey ho ;)

[Madhatter]

Come on behave, you know what I'm on about and we know what you are. Jobee and his religious threads wind you up so why even look at his threads?
There is no clique, If one of you annoys me You can be sure I'll say, and I know the same goes for the others. Just because we agree on some things does not any of us a clique. I've got my own mind and i'll use it.
To be honest if any one is wrong you are, jobee started a thread, i was the only one who chose to enter into debate on it and suddenly two people who had until that time not posted enter and post, but not in reply to anything, just 'comments'
Thats what I call wrong and thats whats likely to put people off. They'll think bloody hell i'm not giving my opinion on there, if they don't agree they'll make me out to be some sort of mental case.
I know, I've just been through it on another site.
If you don't like his threads just ignore them, and if you don't like him or me ignore us.

[ronlyre]

Actually I don't think 7 threads is anything to be ashamed of at all and I'm surprised you use the fact to seemingly score a rather hurtful point. As an inherently shy person I must say I'm quite pleased that I have scored that many. Anyway, never mind, I've quite enjoyed the on-going discussion and am feeling a little more hopeful whilst at the same time a little disturbed at Madhatter's 'we know what you are' comment. (Who's 'We'? Is there a plot against me?)
I also don't understand why he suggests I don't look at Jobees religious threads if they wind me up (which they do) yet he (madhatter) will look at a thread if it annoys him. Still, not to worry, I gave up trying to understand his confused yet always entertaining logic some time ago and will continue to enjoy it as I do Jobee's McGonigallisms. The first verse of the The Tay Bridge Disaster I reproduce here...

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

William Topaz McGonagall

[Will]

Thank you for the suggestion Ron, but you've already guessed my reply. Moderation is about keeping the peace, not acting like big brother. I think the quickest way to kill this forum off, would be to start dictating what people can and can't say.

There's plenty of room on here for people to both have as serious a debate or as nonsensical a thread as they like. As long as they are not annoying or upsetting everyone else, anything goes.

I don't see a clique either, if anything the opposite, new members are welcomed and encouraged to join in, not shunned.

If you want to start a debate on prostitution, go for your life, I won't be stopping you. As long as it remains civil, anything is open for discussion. Please do lead by example.

[Leofric]

...todays posts looks very much like a clique to me. And I believe enough to put visitors off. For God's sake Jobee's still on WWII and new threads are drying up before our very eyes. This is only a website it is not the constitution, take control. What are you men /women or mice?

Here's one for you...has prostitution saved more marriages than it's ruined?

Jobee has already ruined one site.

[optrex]

I'm surprised you use the fact to seemingly score a rather hurtful point. As an inherently shy person I must say I'm quite pleased that I have scored that many.

C'mon Ron I did say it wasn't meant to be taken personally.

[Madhatter]

Come on behave, you know what I'm on about and we know what you are. Jobee and his religious threads wind you up so why even look at his threads?

Come on behave, you know what I'm on about and we know what you are.(on about)

[Madhatter]

Actually I don't think 7 threads is anything to be ashamed of at all and I'm surprised you use the fact to seemingly score a rather hurtful point. As an inherently shy person I must say I'm quite pleased that I have scored that many. Anyway, never mind, I've quite enjoyed the on-going discussion and am feeling a little more hopeful whilst at the same time a little disturbed at Madhatter's 'we know what you are' comment. (Who's 'We'? Is there a plot against me?)
I also don't understand why he suggests I don't look at Jobees religious threads if they wind me up (which they do) yet he (madhatter) will look at a thread if it annoys him. Still, not to worry, I gave up trying to understand his confused yet always entertaining logic some time ago and will continue to enjoy it as I do Jobee's McGonigallisms. The first verse of the The Tay Bridge Disaster I reproduce here...

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.

William Topaz McGonagall

If I look at a thread and it annoys me I'll debate my point. SOMETIMES I give up because no matter what I write or how I explain something the person doesn't 'get' my point of view, at that point I will stop looking at the thread . I MAY periodically return just to see whats been said mainly by others but I won't participate. Some threads of that person I won't even read. I got like that on accrington web and burnley web, two sites I no longer go to, one through choice because the idiots kept coming and trollong me in mine and others threads the other through choice also and same reasons but I decided to have my say until I got banned, which I did.
That to me is logical, if he annoys you and you can't post to prove him wrong avoid him.


What people shouldn't do is enter a thread that TWO others have been discussing something in and leave comments that add nothing and are nothing to do with that subject. Neither should people start name calling in a thread or trying to put a person down.

And anyway, since when as madhatter logical, why do you think I've got this name:D