LightPhoenix
First Post
You suck!ArthurQ said:
*kicks ArthurQ in the head*
OT News Threads
- Thread starter BrooklynKnight
- Start date
*kicks ArthurQ in the head*
Skade
Explorer
Arthur do really must be a glutton for punishment, I mean you drink Pepsi Blue... Its the only substance more vile than Crystal Pepsi. 
Seriously though, does the OT posting really get to you? I have hardly even noticed it. I treat the OT like anything else, if the topic does not grab me, off I go.
LightPhoenix, your reducto ad absurdum argument does have some merit (look at me and the pigeon latin
), but good taste and a modicum of self restraint are what keep such things from happening.
I've always thought that the Hivemind was a good place to post most of the really out there OT posts that come up on the boards. We could always use a new barely tangental subject to discuss. Quite a few OT posts are useful to gamers though, like any odd creature or disease posts that come up pretty regularly, or news relating to science or archealogy. Sure most of this could really go into Plots and Places, and if that were the policy, and it were upheld I would have no problems with it at all.
I think the only real factors that should be addressed in deciding the lifespan or location of an OT post is whether it is against board rules, becomes an all out flamefest, or whether the mods belive it belongs best elsewhere. As it stands, when there are too many OT threads the mods remind us to keep it down.
I think the system works, but as I said, I really hardly notice the problem at all.
Seriously though, does the OT posting really get to you? I have hardly even noticed it. I treat the OT like anything else, if the topic does not grab me, off I go.
LightPhoenix, your reducto ad absurdum argument does have some merit (look at me and the pigeon latin
), but good taste and a modicum of self restraint are what keep such things from happening.I've always thought that the Hivemind was a good place to post most of the really out there OT posts that come up on the boards. We could always use a new barely tangental subject to discuss. Quite a few OT posts are useful to gamers though, like any odd creature or disease posts that come up pretty regularly, or news relating to science or archealogy. Sure most of this could really go into Plots and Places, and if that were the policy, and it were upheld I would have no problems with it at all.
I think the only real factors that should be addressed in deciding the lifespan or location of an OT post is whether it is against board rules, becomes an all out flamefest, or whether the mods belive it belongs best elsewhere. As it stands, when there are too many OT threads the mods remind us to keep it down.
I think the system works, but as I said, I really hardly notice the problem at all.
LightPhoenix
First Post
If nothing else, I am a master of absurdity.Skade said:LightPhoenix, your reducto ad absurdum argument does have some merit (look at me and the pigeon latin
Good point on the Hivemind thread - isn't this supposed to be exactly for these types of topics?
Well, there was a question of whether or not Plots and Places was going to be deleted entirely. The grey-area OT posts such as you describe (though I would contest science) that could go either way may be a moot point in the end. I don't think the mods had reached a decision on that though.
I'll be slightly honest here. In part I'm arguing this for the sake of arguing (or being a pain in the bum, your call
), though I do stand by all my points. I don't expect Morrus or any of the mods to read this and suddenly make huge sweeping policy changes. And I've mastered the subtle art of NRSIDL - "not reading 'stuff' I don't like", so the OT posts don't bother me too much, except when they get excessive.That said, the location of OT posts is pretty much nailed in stone. Some of the decisions by the mods may be arbitrary, but they are pretty consistent in upholding them.
Really though, the reason the system works is because as a community we're relatively good at self-policing and self-restraint. In many message boards, the sort of system that we have now just does not work. I'm constantly amazed that the messageboards, particularly General, are as civil as they are.
BrooklynKnight
First Post
My primary reason for making this post was to illustrate that either ALL OT posts should be cracked down on, or the OT thing should be left alone.
When i made OT posts, i usually had 2 kinds. One such as those regarding the photoalbums were about the community and bringing it together.
The other, was basically just getting people to laugh and to show that everyone has bad days.
But I got reamed for it. I dont see others getting reamed for OT threads, maybe i'm blind. Everyone should be treated the same. I've i'm being asked to lower the OT threads i make, fine, but I'd like others to be beholden to the same thing.
Oh, and it also ties into bandwith costs, the more OT posts, the more bandwith used. Less OT posts, less bandiwth. Its logic.
Now, i sit back, and wait to get flamed, and picked apart, by the indivuduals that oh so enjoy to do so to my posts. I'm quite sure they find a sick delight in doing so.
When i made OT posts, i usually had 2 kinds. One such as those regarding the photoalbums were about the community and bringing it together.
The other, was basically just getting people to laugh and to show that everyone has bad days.
But I got reamed for it. I dont see others getting reamed for OT threads, maybe i'm blind. Everyone should be treated the same. I've i'm being asked to lower the OT threads i make, fine, but I'd like others to be beholden to the same thing.
Oh, and it also ties into bandwith costs, the more OT posts, the more bandwith used. Less OT posts, less bandiwth. Its logic.
Now, i sit back, and wait to get flamed, and picked apart, by the indivuduals that oh so enjoy to do so to my posts. I'm quite sure they find a sick delight in doing so.
KidCthulhu
First Post
LP, I buy your arguments completely. I agree that OT should be labeled as such. It just helps keep the boards flowing smoothly if everyone can tell something about a thread by its title.
I'd love to post all about the rest of this topic, but I've let myself get lured in again, and forgotten my cardinal rule. Rule 1: Ignore attention trolls.
Rule 2: (in case you're curious) Spell check.
I'd love to post all about the rest of this topic, but I've let myself get lured in again, and forgotten my cardinal rule. Rule 1: Ignore attention trolls.
Rule 2: (in case you're curious) Spell check.
Last edited:
I'd follow KidCthulhu's cardinal rules with one more:
Rule 3: Use proper capitalization.
Don't look for the OT threads to go away. As long as they don't get out of control, we're okay. When they do get out of control, we lock some as necessary. It's worked for better than 3 years now, so why "fix" it?
Rule 3: Use proper capitalization.
Don't look for the OT threads to go away. As long as they don't get out of control, we're okay. When they do get out of control, we lock some as necessary. It's worked for better than 3 years now, so why "fix" it?
LightPhoenix
First Post
I agree, and as Dinkeldog posted above, the current situation isn't going to change.KidCthulhu said:
The solution I propose, which I honestly do not know is possible, is two-fold.
First, people start having to use the right tags. Not just an [OT] in the subject line, but the actual colored tag.
Second, it would be great if users could filter out posts based on the tag. That way, if you don't want OT posts to be seen, just change a setting, and it's done, no more OT posts in General. I don't know if this is possible though, and could very well necessitate a giant hack in the board software. Not to mention it would probably raise bandwidth slightly, due to an increase in database queries.
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
At what point does an OT post impact a member of the EnWorld community so much, that it is perfectly fine that it be posted?
I know, when my fiancée and I lost our baby, these boards were a tremendous help for me. But those posts were totally off topic.
We've had members of this community die, or dying, and discussed it. I think those discussions were some of the most helpful things that have ever happened on these boards. But they, too, were way off topic.
If you decide to eliminate off topic threads, you are doing great damage to the sense of community this board creates. I promise you that, if off topic threads were banned (or just all shoved into Hive), the sense of community here would be a lot lower. And when the sense of community is lower, the desire to donate to EnWorld is also much lower.
EnWorld just went through a financial crisis. But for that sense of community, I doubt it would have made it through intact. I contend that, if you did ban OT discussions, or shove them all into Hive, EnWorld would not be here today for you to be reading this message.
Should we limit OT discussions? Yes, within some reasonable boundaries. I think the mods do a pretty good job at this. There is a big difference between "I got a parking ticket" and "my house just burned down". I'm not sure exactly where the line should be drawn (and wouldn't want to be the one making that decision), but I know which side of the line each of those topics belongs, and I think the mods do as well.
I know, when my fiancée and I lost our baby, these boards were a tremendous help for me. But those posts were totally off topic.
We've had members of this community die, or dying, and discussed it. I think those discussions were some of the most helpful things that have ever happened on these boards. But they, too, were way off topic.
If you decide to eliminate off topic threads, you are doing great damage to the sense of community this board creates. I promise you that, if off topic threads were banned (or just all shoved into Hive), the sense of community here would be a lot lower. And when the sense of community is lower, the desire to donate to EnWorld is also much lower.
EnWorld just went through a financial crisis. But for that sense of community, I doubt it would have made it through intact. I contend that, if you did ban OT discussions, or shove them all into Hive, EnWorld would not be here today for you to be reading this message.
Should we limit OT discussions? Yes, within some reasonable boundaries. I think the mods do a pretty good job at this. There is a big difference between "I got a parking ticket" and "my house just burned down". I'm not sure exactly where the line should be drawn (and wouldn't want to be the one making that decision), but I know which side of the line each of those topics belongs, and I think the mods do as well.
