Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?
- Thread starter Snarf Zagyg
- Start date
I was wondering how message boards would work if people could color code their posts to let the reader know where they were coming from (Red - people who put pineapple on pizza are satan, Orange - I hate pineapple on my pizza and look down on people who like it, Yellow - I don't like pineapple on pizza but whatever, Green - pineapple is one toppings among many, Blue - I like pineapple on pizza but whatever, Indigo - I love pineapple on pizza and look down on people who don't, Violet - people who don't put pineapple on pizza are satan).
But then there would be fights about the OPs choice of what the different identifying labels would be. And fights about whether folks mis-coded themselves.
Of course, individual posters could just always start with what they thought was a clear, brief, boilerplate of where they were coming from at the top of each post if they were worried about being misconstrued. (Each post because a lot of people jump into things in the middle or at the end). And then they could be accused of lying about the boilerplate.
Nevermind.
But then there would be fights about the OPs choice of what the different identifying labels would be. And fights about whether folks mis-coded themselves.
Of course, individual posters could just always start with what they thought was a clear, brief, boilerplate of where they were coming from at the top of each post if they were worried about being misconstrued. (Each post because a lot of people jump into things in the middle or at the end). And then they could be accused of lying about the boilerplate.
Nevermind.
Meech17
WotC President Runner-Up.
Reddit Enhancement Suite, a chrome add-on for Reddit has this feature and I really loved it. It of course was very helpful in smaller sub-Reddits. It was also a lot of fun when you were just browsing the main subs and randomly came across someone you tagged.
On the one hand, I've often wanted this myself. Notes like "This person knows a lot about dice" or "This person is a devoted simulationist" would be useful.
OTOH, I know I would escalate to pithy notes like "User doesn't understand the difference between games and novels" or "So-and-so is disingenuous about pizza."
In the long run, I'm afraid it would be a tool for holding grudges, not making friends.
I sometimes use the ignore list when I really, really, really, really can't put up with the way someone is being about something in a thread that I want to be in. And then every so often I go through the list and if I can't remember why they're there I take them off. I'm guessing the longer notes would end up with more folks staying there and me missing out on them in other threads.
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The ignore list is a hatchet, not a scalpel.
Meech17
WotC President Runner-Up.
Yeah, I did notice it was often used for negative notes. I was very active on a sub for yoyoers and one example I remember was one particular user who just really, really hated a particular yoyo company. So I tagged them with a note that was simply
"Hate's YoYoCompany". It was nice because you'd see them leave a negative comment that seemed kind of weird, and realize it was about a new yoyo this company had made, or perhaps a player on their contest team. It clicks and you go "Oh that's right.. They hate this company, they will never be charitable towards anything about them." and move on.
But over time I found myself looking at all of this user's comments with... I don't know.. What's the opposite of rose-tinted glasses? I just assumed everything they said was in bad faith moving forward. And that's not really fair.
I think it is better for me than the site permaban I would likely earn if I said what I really wanted to though.
I don't usually use it for people I find odious. They are usually a problem that solves itself (as recently seen).I think it is better for me than the site permaban I would likely earn if I said what I really wanted to though.
I use it more to keep myself in check. There are some posters with whom I have a hard time interacting. And for most of them, it is a me problem (even if I am not entirely sure why). So if I find myself sniping with a poster, I will IL them just so I personally don't get the red text.
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