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In solidarity, I'll let free that I have an ignore list fifty two entries long.
Impressive.
I just don't buy the old line that, as Mustrum_Ridcully put it, "everyone has something to say that has merits." In fact, I think a lot of people have absolutely nothing interesting or worthwhile to say. The ignore list is just a handy tool for muting these people so they don't drown out the ones who are worth listening to. At least, that's why I'm so quick to use it.
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I just don't buy the old line that, as Mustrum_Ridcully put it, "everyone has something to say that has merits." In fact, I think a lot of people have absolutely nothing interesting or worthwhile to say. The ignore list is just a handy tool for muting these people so they don't drown out the ones who are worth listening to. At least, that's why I'm so quick to use it.
To be honest, a lot of my ignore list is probably composed of people who came to the forum, spewed textual vomit everywhere, and then gave up or created new screen names after the mods jumped them in an alley. At least half, maybe more, are probably inactive accounts.
I find it odd that people actually take notes on who annoys them. I've gotten in some heated arguments with people on this site, but it didn't occur to me to memorize their names and see if they irked me again. That's some holding of a grudge!
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To be honest, a lot of my ignore list is probably composed of people who came to the forum, spewed textual vomit everywhere, and then gave up or created new screen names after the mods jumped them in an alley. At least half, maybe more, are probably inactive accounts.
Man, it has been too long since I got to participate in a good alley-jumping...
I find it odd that people actually take notes on who annoys them. I've gotten in some heated arguments with people on this site, but it didn't occur to me to memorize their names and see if they irked me again. That's some holding of a grudge!
You're just taking it not serious enough.
I began noticing names - both positive and negative - once I started posting and discussing more. When you are in a thread that has gone to the, say, 10th page, and have posted at least once per page (which is a feat in and on itself, or dare I say, it's a mistake), you'll notice people with the same screen name. It started with the avatars, since they repeated themselves, but some people change them or multiple posters use the same (Raven Crowking, Samual Leming, I am looking at you! ), so I also picked up the names.
Long threads are not just a great way to learn posters names and link them to their preferences/goals/cool ideas, it's also a great way to run into pointless discussions that repeat that retreat old arguments...
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What bothers me most is that there are some posters who have great, great ideas, but who get bogged down in an almost Pavlovian fashion when certain topics come up. I suppose that's where the break comes between discussion and argument for me; some people just can't stop themselves from treading over the same territory again and again.
Like Rel, I try to stick to the positive things. I've never been one to begrudge anyone playing any game or version of a game they like, so most of the arguments fly past me - I avoid them because they hold absolutely no interest for me - they're just too repetitive.
__________________ "I hurt Firewing." is not something a huge number of people can say. "He dropped a parking garage on me," on the other hand, a lot of people can say. -Kazan, my Champions GM.
What bothers me most is that there are some posters who have great, great ideas, but who get bogged down in an almost Pavlovian fashion when certain topics come up. I suppose that's where the break comes between discussion and argument for me; some people just can't stop themselves from treading over the same territory again and again.
In that vein, i hate it when i learn to know a poster as a contributor of useful material, of great ideas and awesome discourse... and then something happens (forex, a new edition et al.) and suddenly its only the hot-button topics where he/she posts regularly. Often angrily. And always, always the same little concepts, over and over again.
I know that the creativity is now perhaps happening on some other forum, but this kind of change can be rather unsettling.
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To be honest, a lot of my ignore list is probably composed of people who came to the forum, spewed textual vomit everywhere, and then gave up or created new screen names after the mods jumped them in an alley. At least half, maybe more, are probably inactive accounts.
I actually have one on my ignore. Not three posts after I banned him (30 minutes, I'd guess) he was banned for being both a sock-puppet and a jerk.
Though this thread is convincing me of the merit of ignoring more people.
What bothers me most is that there are some posters who have great, great ideas, but who get bogged down in an almost Pavlovian fashion when certain topics come up. I suppose that's where the break comes between discussion and argument for me; some people just can't stop themselves from treading over the same territory again and again.
Like Rel, I try to stick to the positive things. I've never been one to begrudge anyone playing any game or version of a game they like, so most of the arguments fly past me - I avoid them because they hold absolutely no interest for me - they're just too repetitive.
On CM, someone linked to a thread on the WotC boards that was a "great" example of such:
A poster asked a question and people immediately started with edition warring instead of giving him any constructive advice. I suppose there is a place in such threads to say: "I don't think that will work", but... But there is no need to say at any point: "No, D&D 4 is not D&D! You can't use it for Star Wars!" Maybe the first part is right, but... d6 Star Wars isn't D&D, and it was used for Star Wars, very succesfully so!
But even without edition wars this can happen, especially in house rule threads. I agree that many people seem to experience trouble I don't, and therefor I don't see the need for the changes they want to make. But I don't think it's nice to the OP to constantly tell him he's doing it wrong and shouldn't bother with house ruling, just playing the game "right". At least try to mix in something constructive (like what flaws are in his rules, or how you'd do it) and talk about repercussions of his changes.
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For me at least, there are certain people that - if I wasn't ignoring them, then every time I saw their name my hackles would raise, my blood would pump hard, and I'd snarl "THAT GUY" and gear up for a fight. Even if all he did was post smilies, I'm still viewing it in a negative light.
That guy might very well have valid points and be a very nice person, but I am so biased against them that I'd never see the point through my crimson-tented glasses. So, it's better for both of us that I can't see his post.
... Boy, I seem to be the only guy confessing their horrible natures in this thread.
Oh...don't worry. I am the same way. There are certain names that just turn my crank. They might be great people, for all I know. I just haven't had any pleasant experiences with them here. And this is coming from someone who has primarily been a lurker for most of his time at ENWorld.
It would take a lot to be placed on my ignore list. The sucker isn't very long but not seeing the posts of those on it makes me a happier man.
I think the point that I am shutting out the good posts with the bad posts has merit. But I think, for now, it is better for my health if I don't see certain posts in the threads I enjoy reading.
I will be the first to admit my foibles. One of the very biggest is an over-reactionary nature. But I am working on it. Maybe, in time, I can have an empty ignore list. Just not right now.
Last edited by alleynbard; 11th May 2009 at 05:06 PM..
How about other people? Giving up on the arguements or keeping the "good fight" going?
I've learned the value of the delete post option as well as simply not clicking on the submit reply button. I can vent my spleen into a reply, take a deep breath, then close the window or surf elsewhere without adding the reply to the discussion. Self-editing has saved me a lot of grief.
I find it odd that people actually take notes on who annoys them. I've gotten in some heated arguments with people on this site, but it didn't occur to me to memorize their names and see if they irked me again. That's some holding of a grudge!
For me, it wasn't that I kept notes as much as I noticed patterns.
Like I said, I was a lurker for a long time. I had been coming to ENWorld from nearly the beginning (back in the Eric Noah days) but had never really posted. Around the time 4e was announced I tried my hand at posting. And promptly stopped. I still nosed around the boards looking for helpful advice, but I never said anything.
Recently I decided to change that because I thought I could enjoy some of these conversations more if I was taking part in them. It was at that point that I observed certain patterns that became associated with screen names. No grudges or anything. I haven't been around long enough to build any (I think ). But, based on patterns, and the context of how other posters react, I put a few people on my ignore list to help alleviate some stress.
I have to agree that one of the least seen things on the intarwebz is someone actually acknowledging they've changed their mind. I mean, most times this happens, that poster just drops out of the thread, or plays it off as if he was saying that all along, or in some other way just avoids it.
I've argued here and on RPGnet, and several times my decisions changed based on solid arguments. I try to acknowledge it when it does, because it makes me feel original ;-)
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I've learned the value of the delete post option as well as simply not clicking on the submit reply button. I can vent my spleen into a reply, take a deep breath, then close the window or surf elsewhere without adding the reply to the discussion. Self-editing has saved me a lot of grief.
I sometimes write posts three or four times, then never actually send them. Saves me a ton of grief and frustration.
We recently suspended one of those people who always needs to get in the last word... and, unsurprisingly, he was suspended for not being able to let an argument drop. Via email he argued that the forums were hostile and unfriendly. I pointed out that in this case it was because he kept attacking people and was consistently hostile, and that people often reap what they sow. He couldn't see it. And again, he wasn't able to let the subject drop and needed to get in the last word by email as well. Self-editing came in really handy for me here.
Interestingly, as an admin I can't really put anyone on my ignore list. Even if I could, the number of people could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
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I have to agree that one of the least seen things on the intarwebz is someone actually acknowledging they've changed their mind. I mean, most times this happens, that poster just drops out of the thread, or plays it off as if he was saying that all along, or in some other way just avoids it.
A side effect of this is that I have quite a bit of respect for those posters who put their hand up and say "yep, I was wrong".
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I sometimes write posts three or four times, then never actually send them. Saves me a ton of grief and frustration.
We recently suspended one of those people who always needs to get in the last word... and, unsurprisingly, he was suspended for not being able to let an argument drop. Via email he argued that the forums were hostile and unfriendly. I pointed out that in this case it was because he kept attacking people and was consistently hostile, and that people often reap what they sow. He couldn't see it. And again, he wasn't able to let the subject drop and needed to get in the last word by email as well. Self-editing came in really handy for me here.
Interestingly, as an admin I can't really put anyone on my ignore list. Even if I could, the number of people could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
I do that all the time too, and not only with posts I think will serve as nothing more than aggravation but also when I just realise my point is not as relevant or the people who will read it are not really going to process it anyways. As for people who have to have the final word . . . there was this one girl on WoW that I ignored. She kept making alts so she could keep pestering me and I had to ignore each one. Then at some point she found my guild's website and started posting there. After banning her from that place as well she started sending e-mails. Seriously.
Argument is a good thing when people lay out their positions, make their explanations, think about each other's view points, etc.
But too many arguments around here turn into bickering and posts start talking past each other rather than too each other. I think it's a symptom of getting too entrenched in your argument and thinking of your responses than actually understanding what the other poster is saying. And quite frankly, there's little that's as annoying on a message board than reading a response in an argument that doesn't indicate that they really understood or even tried to understand your last post.
I'd really like to see more of us actually restating the position of the post they're responding to so that they can confirm they got the point. Or asking for clarification. Something like:
Poster A: "I don't like 4e. It's too video-gamey..."
Poster B: "It doesn't feel like any video games I've played, what do you mean..." (seeking clarification)
Poster A: "You blow some powers that won't recharge in the course of the encounter and then hammer the at will attack button until the enemy goes down... like WoW."
Poster B: "I can see where, in that light, it parallels WoW, (making it at least appear you get the point) but a lot of games, including older editions aren't that different, like hitting repeatedly with a sword in nearly any edition. Plus they draw from the same source of tabletop gaming, it's no wonder there's some convergence..."
__________________ Bill D
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I am one of those people that doesn't let things drop. I always want to get in the last word, and I always jump into things when i seee things I disagree with.
The funny part I am 100% diffrent in person. I also do better at expressing myself in person. I hate myself on messege boards. Like right now, I tried to start a thread the other day to avoid a fight I saw comeing, and all it did was start another fight. SO then I saw a simalar thread, and tried to go there to talk civil, and now I am in another argument.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Remathilis
Those of you who fretted that monsters have too many hp and fights take too long: meet the barbarian. The ULTIMATE "Lets speed this combat up, I need to whiz" class!
Some of the threads I've seen lately get so derailed by people arguing the same points over and over again.
And I know the mods have told me a time or two to tone it down a notch.
It's hard to avoid arguing isn't it?
It's hard to avoid hitting the old reply button.
But man, I'm trying harder and harder lately. It's just not worth it. No one ever goes, "Man, that's an awesome point. I've completely changed my mind. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction."
How about other people? Giving up on the arguements or keeping the "good fight" going?
It depends kind of. I can see the validity of it in politics and more "mature" topics that affect our society today as something to debate and argue over, but stuff like what alignment is Batman or other dorkrage topics are not worth getting into an argument and half the time aren't even worth discussing.
A question one could ask themselves is why they feel the need to respond? What is the benefit or perceived benefit from doing it?
), so I also picked up the names. 
). But, based on patterns, and the context of how other posters react, I put a few people on my ignore list to help alleviate some stress.
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