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

[Henry]

I like that idea as well.

What say ye, Moderators?

It already happens, just not in that form.

When a thread topic is not inherently flame-inducing, but a given thread gets heated, we close the thread, the respondents move on to other things, and a few weeks later if the interest is still there, someone else totally unrelated usually starts said thread, and cooler heads usually post. We might have to pop in to remind newcomers to remain friendly, but it progresses from there.

The idea of closing a thread for a few days and then monitoring it to re-open has two problems in my mind:

1) I don't care to make a list of things to search for and monitor after a few days just to reopen them, post to them so as to make them rise back into public consciousness, and thereby bring them to the attention of all who were flaming in them before.

2) Take a look back at the date and time stamps of these most recent threads, and see how long they were going on. Most threads of a long-running nature last for days as it is, with no sign of tempers cooling in the event of a nasty argument. If a thread will go a week of posting as-is with slowly increasing vitriol until the boiling point of closing is reached, it will take more than a couple of days (more like, say, a few weeks) for people who are passionate about it to get back to level.

The idea of banning particular users who were offensive from a thread is an interesting idea, and if Jelsoft could do it successfully in this day and age of spoofed IP's, duplicate names & e-mail addresses, and other sneaky tricks, I'd be all for it. But the next best alternative is if someone is a repeated problem for other posters, we just ban them entirely, and using our devious wiles, make sure they STAY banned.

So while a nice idea, and we've discussed similar approaches in the past, it's not one that has ever struck us as being easily implemented.

 

[der_kluge]

I think the real solution is to make me a moderator. So I can just ban anyone that doesn't agree with me!

Or, better yet, find some way to keep controversy from following me everywhere!

 

[Crothian]

You obviously need to start more threads, they can't all be this bad so the more you start the more non flame ones you will have

 

[Hand of Evil]

Ginger.

Mary Ann

 

[Hand of Evil]

Or, better yet, find some way to keep controversy from following me everywhere!

HA! Diaglo, stop stalking die_kluge!

But that does bring up a point, we as posters have options, the use of smiles, placing statemments in parentheses (I may be wrong here or playing devil's advocate or fooling myself) to even a disclaimer, all can be used to keep threads from getting out of control.

 

[Crothian]

So, where are all the people proclaimning these folks in the new race and class threads as bad role players? I'm amazed at some of the reasons. And I thought I had problems

 

[arwink]

Ford vs Holden.

I lived on the edge of the Gold Coast indy for about six years, and I've been asked that question by far to many drunk guys looking to pick a fight.

Yech, thanks for the memories. If that debate breaks out here, my pedestrian self is leaving

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Oh, this was not my point. I was not really complaining that this board is too restrictive. I was just wondering why these topics develop into such serious fights despite the relatively restrictive atmosphere here. Maybe, it's just because I can't take insults like you'll get them on rpg.net too seriously *shrug*.

Because everyone has their own POV about things like these and stuff tends to fly when someone disagrees with them. Both subjects are volatile subject matter.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

i find it funny you think that way.

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

And I've seen a board over here on AOL that has gotten rather nuke-level flamey over religious arguments that get out of hand since that board has no moderator. Sure there's a guy who moderates OTHER boards who posts there..... but since it's not his job to patrol that particular board...... :\