[Closed] So here's the deal

Have a hard limit of 500 posts per thread. Easy.

[quote=jimjam ]if the thread starter/OP takes ownership and reminds posters who are going off topic about the thread rules

gah - just realised that I was the OP for the Farron thread which seems to be the current arguathon. Sorry folks!

[quote=futon river crossing ]Have a hard limit of 500 posts per thread. Easy.

and deny us moments of glory like this http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/eu-referendum-are-you-in-or-out/page/1000 ? 😉

What about all those people who don't read threads with click-baity titles like "here's the deal"? Not me obvs.

futon river crossing - Member
Have a hard limit of 500 posts per thread. Easy.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-dear-old-things-its-stw-tms

Some things last longer than 500 posts

and http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/f1-2017-bound-to-contain-spoilers

scotroutes - Member

Sounds awful. I prefer "consistent" modding by the same team, not trying to follow the rules for each thread.

Could you elaborate as to what sounds awful about people posting their own opinions and not posting memes, walls of quoted text or rambling videos or external links, particularly on political or religious threads?

Fewer threads about the same topic would be good though. Mind you, that way lies all the sub-forum nonsense.

No you just use the thread as a sub forum, in the same way the brexit thread is essentially a brexit sub forum.

I guess that if folk really wanted that then they'd gravitate to those sites.

Not so long ago I remember it was the done thing on stw to have a thread to post pictures of attractive ladies each Friday. If there's an effort to change, change can be made. I'm not the one complaining about the work loads of the moderators, just trying to be constructive and point out possible changes which could alleviate the need for moderation.

Some things last longer than 500 posts

Test cricket lasts longer than most things to be fair

Expanding on my previous suggestion, keep tables of who is reported the most, and who does the most reporting.
Every week ban the top spots for three months.
You'll get rid of the biggest arsehole and the biggest fairy. 🙂
The more I think about it, the better this seems to be.
Do it! 😀

Wouldn't that be an almost permanent ban for you?

STW will eat itself.

STW will eat itself.

....washed down with some sort of artisan craft beer from a hipster microbrewery.

No pudding.

scotroutes - Member

Wouldn't that be an almost permanent ban for you?

I honestly don't know.
I would be amused to learn that I was reported that regularly, I doubt STWers are that delicate.
The beauty of the system is that the reporter as well as the reportee get banned so spats should be reduced exponentially.
It's genius I tells thee. 😀

ETA: How else will these people know that they are the biggest dick/pussy of the forum?
Are there any downsides to this at all? I think not.

Jimjam that sounds a terrible idea. A forum is a conversation so it can and should be allowed to drift away. It’s not a official meeting where we need a chair to step in if someone moves away from the subject.

[quote=Drac ]Jimjam that sounds a terrible idea. A forum is a conversation so it can and should be allowed to drift away. It’s not a official meeting where we need a chair to step in if someone moves away from the subject.

We have had the situation where some folk just take to posting random images in order to disrupt the conversation though. Indeed I (in a former guise) once received a ban for this. It seems to be ignored now.

Jimjam that sounds a terrible idea. A forum is a conversation so it can and should be allowed to drift away. It’s not a official meeting where we need a chair to step in if someone moves away from the subject.

Agreed. I belong to another forum which considers itself "really friendly and accommodating". I find it sterile and over-moderated, although there's some interesting content which keeps me there. One of the tactics is to lock any thread which goes off topic, immediately. It's absolutely infuriating as it often curtails some interesting (if only vaguely relevant) discussion.

It seems to be ignored now.

Guess it’s not a priority then

Even tho I would probably suffer from it as apparently I was the most reported poster pre my long ban ( hopefully not now) I think firmer interventione earlier would help stop threads descending into a bitchfest.

IE warn them once that they are approaching the edge and publicly so everyone can see then next step out of line on that thread ban.

We have had the situation where some folk just take to posting random images in order to disrupt the conversation though. Indeed I (in a former guise) once received a ban for this. It seems to be ignored now.

Depends how out of hand it gets, if it's clear it's done to troll they may get a warning. That still happens.

IE warn them once that they are approaching the edge and publicly so everyone can see then next step out of line on that thread ban.

At times we do that.

The issue Cougar was refering to more was to do with the EU thread where we were getting regular reports along the lines of.

“What he’s saying isn’t true, can you stop him from posting these?”

When we’ve tried to look at some cases it was just a mess so our patience was running out. I’ve been pretty inactice over the last few months for personal reasons as a mod, Cougar and other have held the fort. The said thread causing these daily issues is tiring, there was even reports on Xmas Eve.

all the more reason to make me a mod! I am so moderate I would be the bestest ever bigly time!

In all seriousness the mods make the forum and its a difficult balancing act generally done well.

Like a watchi a rugby game I complain about the decisions at the time often but once I step back a bit they are usually right.

apple for the mod sir? Can I ingratiate myself any further? ( apart from stopping being a stroppy cow ) 😉

The issue Cougar was refering to more was to do with the EU thread where we were getting regular reports along the lines of.

“What he’s saying isn’t true, can you stop him from posting these?”

Ironic that this thread is now at 5 pages and still going.....

We have had the situation where some folk just take to posting random images in order to disrupt the conversation though.

[img] [/img]

Well somebody had to do it.

How else will these people know that they are the biggest dick/pussy of the forum?
Are there any downsides to this at all?

Yes... [url=

.

[img] [/img]

On the EU thread the constant posting of clear untruths by some that they continue with no matter how much its refuted by links and facts leads to folk getting very exasperated and then either reposting the untrue posts ( not me) or having exhausted all the options in terms of refuting them intellectually they resort to ridicule which then generates more reports for the ridiculing posts ( at a guess)

Hence my solution being to intervene earlier. " Fred stop posing nonsense and Bill stop calling him a liar please or you will both be banned"

[quote=tjagain ]" Fred stop posing nonsense and Bill stop calling him a liar please or you will both be banned"
And who checks it's nonsense?

Drac - Moderator

Jimjam that sounds a terrible idea. A forum is a conversation so it can and should be allowed to drift away. It’s not a official meeting where we need a chair to step in if someone moves away from the subject.

It works fine in practice and yields (generally) more informed and interesting debate, and less personal bickering and name calling on the kinds of problem threads being discussed in Cougars OP despite the same forum having no real rules regarding content or swearing. Regarding the conversation, and the drifting, there are numerous other threads for that - casual threads to discuss minor, boring or inconsequential things. But you would avoid doing that on say, the political or religious threads. It means people posting in those threads are there for serious debate, not bickering, point scoring or "winning" for their side.

njee20 - Member

Agreed. I belong to another forum which considers itself "really friendly and accommodating". I find it sterile and over-moderated,

And yet it's not. It's the least moderated forum I'm a member of and some of the content comes close to 4chan levels of depravity - but obviously only in the correct thread/sub forum.

So you'd be more likely to be banned or sent to the bin for starting a new thread on an existing subject, than say, posting porn. The honus is on the thread starters to start good, original or different threads. This doesn't detract from the quality of forum members posts. It's like an iq test - can you use the search function to find the right thread. Can you read the thread rules. If yes, post. If not - bin.

Can we have a referendum on the EU thread?

Also I was wondering if after serving a ban forum users had to do a forfeit to get back on the site- like truth or dare?

Hence my solution being to intervene earlier. " Fred stop posing nonsense and Bill stop calling him a liar please or you will both be banned"

Interesting choice of [s]naymes[/s] names 😉

Scotroutes
Opinion of the mod. some of the posts I refer to are so obviously nonsense as shown by those rebutting them with facts and links. Obviously only stuff that is obviously factually incorrect not those things that are opinion.

If I state. "Scotroutes cheats at hillwalking 'cos he has 3 feet instead of two". You reply with a photo showing only two feet. I say "photoshop" You post a pic of yourself from a neutral sources showing only two feet. I say " what would you expect from a propaganda rag like that" You ( well actually you probably wouldn't) get somewhat irritated and then launch into me with a rant bout how I can't count feet.

it really has reached that sort of level on that thread

[quote=Drac ]The issue Cougar was refering to more was to do with the EU thread where we were getting regular reports along the lines of.
“What he’s saying isn’t true, can you stop him from posting these?”

Well that's just silly. Surely such reports should take no time at all - you just issue a stock reply "that isn't the job of the mods".

Unless of course you're actually referring to the people posting alternative facts then reporting the posts which suggested they had a difficult relationship with the truth (as I understood was happening).

You really should try the shadow ban thing (if that's what it's called where only the poster can see his posts?) out, if only so we can see if the usual suspects continue when they're getting no engagement.

My money says it'd make no difference whatsoever.

[quote=tjagain ]If I state. "Scotroutes cheats at hillwalking 'cos he has 3 feet instead of two". You reply with a photo showing only two feet.

Well a mod would hardly need to bother refuting nonsense that way would he? duh!

Well that's just silly. Surely such reports should take no time at all - you just issue a stock reply "that isn't the job of the mods".

You’d think that would have worked wouldn’t you?

I loved to know where this well moderated but least moderated forum is.

[i]it really has reached that sort of level on that thread [/i]

Walk away from the thread.

Just walk away.

You won't win with clever arguments, you won't feel better for one more rebuttal of an obvious untruth. It's not going to end because you craft the perfect post.

Watch it pop up to the top and drop down the most recent threads list and don't open it.

Find threads that are fun, informative, life affirming. Give up on the shitty ones.

[quote=chakaping ]You really should try the shadow ban thing (if that's what it's called where only the poster can see his posts?) out, if only so we can see if the usual suspects continue when they're getting no engagement.

Except we wouldn't be able to see would we?

wwaswas - thats why I only dip in and out now and then. Sometimes however there is informative stuff on both sides in there

[quote=wwaswas ]Walk away from the thread.

[img] [/img]

Personally I've more or less given up on the EU thread, most of my recent contributions have just been piss takes of the trolls (apologies, I'm probably part of the problem). The Donnie thread is at least more worthwhile (and the troll baiting more fun!)

aracer - Member

tjagain » If I state. "Scotroutes cheats at hillwalking 'cos he has 3 feet instead of two". You reply with a photo showing only two feet.

Well a mod would hardly need to bother refuting nonsense that way would he? duh!

But the only report the mods get is from me saying "scotroutes is calling me a liar ban him" ON the face of that one reported post Scotroutes would merit a ban however once the context is seen I am actually the instigator. so intervene earlier and tell us both to play nicely so as to avoid banning anyone..

Jambalaya is often accused on that thread (rightly as far as I can see) of making sweeping assertions which are unsubstantiated and without any proof or evidence to back them up.

However, the one time that I noticed he did provide a link to an article to back up some of his statements, it was [u]completely[/u] ignored by all other posters. The article he linked to was long and technical, but it was from the man had been at the very heart of UK/EU relations and probably understood the issues better than anyone else.

As I say, that evidence was completely ignored by all other posters. So when Jambalaya is blamed for spoiling the thread by posting untruths, I think those posters also have themselves to blame for failing to engage when presented with the opportunity to discuss substantive issues. All of which makes me think those posters are not interested in such discussion, only shouting out their own pithy soundbites into the vacuum of that thread, so their contribution is not actually any better than Jambalaya's. In fact, in asking that he be stopped from posting untruths, they are seeking impose censorship on the thread, which is worse.

Drac - Moderator

I loved to know where this well moderated but least moderated forum is.

It's private. But in addition to self moderating threads it also has sub forums, and quote buttons and many other features that would just blow your mind.

[quote=slowster ]However, the one time that I noticed he did provide a link to an article to back up some of his statements, it was completely ignored by all other posters.

A stopped clock is right twice a day. Or maybe:

[img] [/img]

[quote=jimjam ]But in addition to self moderating threads it also has sub forums, and quote buttons and many other features that would just blow your mind.

<reported> just the sort of unsubstantiated rubbish which causes all the problems. Everybody knows such things don't really exist.

<Poe's law requirement: 😉 >

Except we wouldn't be able to see would we?

Cougar would tell us, I'm sure.

One of the tactics is to lock any thread which goes off topic, immediately. It's absolutely infuriating as it often curtails some interesting (if only vaguely relevant) discussion.

It's a good job that never happens then. We'll close a thread if it descends into nothing more than squabbling / personal abuse, but not for thread drift. Look at SaxonRider's religion thread, for example.

Surely such reports should take no time at all - you just issue a stock reply "that isn't the job of the mods".

It takes even less time than that. (-: