Edition wars, cross-gender threads, what's next?

[Morrus]

I am a bit curious to know what the rationale is behind closing threads. I mean, it's like taking away the ball and saying, "now no one can play". Are we being too hasty when that's done? Wouldn't a better solution be to simply ask the offending parties to not post in the thread anymore? Or even ban them for a week if they attempt to. Closing the thread punishes everyone.

It's not a punishment; it's an attempt to keep things civil.

It's because the moderator in question would then need to sit up all night watching the thread - which he (understandably) can't and/or won't do. If the topic shows itself to be a flammable one (for want of a better word) and has already erupted, removing those who have flamed so far won't necessarily solve the problem; the topic itself will likely cause others to do so. In those cases, it's usually best to give the topic a rest and let everyone calm down.

 

[Gez]

Hitler is not the only reason to close a thread, despite what Godwin would want you to believe.

When people start talking about their RL issues and blaming them on other board users (!), nothing good can come by keeping them in the discussion.

I think that, if I were one of the programmers at Jelsoft or another messageboard software company, I'd work on a feature allowing to ban users from a thread. It could be a nice alternative to closing the thread. That way, the serious conversation could continue.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I was really dissappointed to see the cross-gender threads closed down (and after I'd convinced Harmon that things weren't as bleak and hostile as he believed - allow me to wipe this egg off my face! :\ ). Some really great conversation spoiled in the end by just a few users.

Oh well the thread had just about run its course anyway. Maybe in a few weeks/months the topic can be revisited.

die_kludge - I disagree about not being able to have civil discussion about cross-gender PCs. Those threads were very civil and it really was the actions of a few that spoiled it for all.

 

[diaglo]

I find it funny in comparison to rpg.net, where you are allowed to make political and religious remarks. There, the language often suffers on the grandma-friendly side, but they somehow manage to get along. Here, the discussions are most of the time much more serious. What really surprises me is that also the flame wars get much more serious, with real casualties . And this with a topic like cross gender PCs, where I don't really see the potential for deep personal involvement. Somehow, I don't get it.

i find it funny you think that way.

there is real hate over at rpg.net b/c of their policy.

 

[diaglo]

Alignment wars, bay-bee!

my mechanic, Ray, does alright by me. my truck is running smoothly.


i think lawful st00pid pallys are the next big thing.

 

[hong]

my mechanic, Ray, does alright by me. my truck is running smoothly.

What is this "truck" of which you speak? I'm talking about 32-bit alignment vs 64-bit alignment in compilers. It's just unholy, I tell you.

i think lawful st00pid pallys are the next big thing.

For best results, combine with chaotic greedy theives and rouges.

 

[Umbran]

dice verse point buy

Doritos vs Cheeze Curlz.

 

[hong]

Doritos vs Cheeze Curlz.

Ford vs Holden.


Hong "only Austrians will get this joke" Ooi

 

[der_kluge]

I think that, if I were one of the programmers at Jelsoft or another messageboard software company, I'd work on a feature allowing to ban users from a thread. It could be a nice alternative to closing the thread. That way, the serious conversation could continue.

That's the solution I'd like to see. I wouldn't think that that would be terribly hard to implement.

 

[Hand of Evil]

That's the solution I'd like to see. I wouldn't think that that would be terribly hard to implement.

Personally, I walk away from threads and post that 'I perceive' as flames for a day and then see how things are. I would like to see a 'time out period', where a thread is closed for a day or two and then re-opened to continue dicussions, allowing the posters to relax a bit and think about the topic.

Just because I don't like the things a posters puts in a post, does not mean I don't respect the poster.