slashdot threading

[sckeener]

I'd love it if the forums scored posts similar to slashdot where the user could moderate the posts.

My reasons are scaling, community moderators, and encouraging quality posts over quantity of posts.

Scaling

If enworld is going to host the worlds gaming community as the most popular site, then scaling is always an issue. I find that many of the threads started might continue for a long time over many pages, but I won't read 6 pages of posts just to get to the latest reply. It would be nice if the posts could be reduced to the higher scored replies.​

Community moderators.

Nice to have a ton of eyes looking at posts modded too high or low or modding down quickly the trolls or flamebaits.
​

Quality posts over quantity of posts.

Nothing as annoying as seeing your favorite thread resurrected from the dead by a bump only to have one new reply with maybe 2 words.​

regardless of what method is used, slashdot or something else, I think the boards could stand some tweaking to improve the reading experience of the community.

Just a suggestion

Thanks,
Sterling

 

[Michael Morris]

In a word, no.

The code of the site would have to be outright replaced to make that possible, or so massively rewritten one might as well have started with new code.

There are several features being planned for the revision which I'm trying to get time to work on, but I don't want to talk on them too much as I don't want to raise expectations. I will say the next iteration will be based off vbulletin 3.6.x so all the features there will finally be here.

 

[Morrus]

In addition, sckeener - and I mean this will all due respect - the idea sounds hideous to me.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I don't want to put words in Michael's or Morrus's mouth, but I don't think it's a good idea either.

For one, Slashdot (which I read daily) has a totally different feel as far as posts go. While we aren't sticks in the mud, the majority of posts there that are modded to 5 are also modded as Funny - generally snarky and/or witty one-liners. Great for Slashdot, but here it would only encourage quantity over quality, which is the exact opposite of what you're suggesting. Sure, there are a number of posts modded as Insightful, and they're usually very informative. However, those threads are the vast minority, as browsing any 200+ post there will show.

To extrapolate on the Slashdot/ENWorld differences, there's the general purpose of both sites in general. Slashdot is predominantly a news site - commentary there is welcome, often hilarious and sometimes very informative. However, on a very busy day there might be fifty different topics. ENWorld is a news site, yes, but that isn't it's primary purpose now. Mostly, ENW is about having a civil place to discuss our hobby, it's a discussion board more than a news site. I haven't ever counted, but there are easily fifty different topics in General a day - and that's not counting the other RP-related boards, and not counting the OT-boards.

As far as my own personal bias goes, I feel that scoring is generally abused on most message boards. Slashdot is, IMO, the exception to this rather than the rule. It promotes the idea that some people's opinions are worth more than others - which, when you're talking about astronomical physics, might be true. I don't feel that tenet holds true here though. One of ENW's biggest strengths is it's diversity of opinions, and that new players and/or posters have just as much to say and talk about as someone who has played for twenty years.

I'd like to also address the last point about thread resurrection. While in theory scoring would encourage that, in actuality thread rezzing just doesn't happen. I would estimate that 95% of the time people just make a new post instead of looking for the old one. Yes, I know Search is disabled right now, but even back when it wasn't it wasn't uncommon to see the same general topic three or four times in a month. Heck, you still see that now a lot in General, especially regarding 4E.

So, to sum up, while I feel the scoring system works really well for Slashdot, I'm not convinced at all that it would work here. Then again, I'm also anti-Post Count as well, so make of that as you will.

 

[sckeener]

Thanks,

I figured it was a long shot for scoring.

I'll take anything that helps me find the interesting posts and reduces the spam posts.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I figured it was a long shot for scoring.

I'll take anything that helps me find the interesting posts and reduces the spam posts.

If I may inquire (and I'm not a mod or anything), because I don't necessarily think there is no room for improvement in the boards, what exactly do you consider spam?

I know you mentioned the "me too" posts - how might you reduce those? I honestly don't have much of an idea... I suppose you could implement a minimum post size, say fifty characters or so. I'm not sure that would be fair to boards like PbP, where short posts are a little more common (dice rolls, actions, etc)... but I'm also unsure if something can be implemented on a per-board basis. I know for a while Post Count was turned off in the OT forum. Also, that's part of the reason I'm against post count. I'm not going to name names, but there are some posters I deliberately skim over because the vast majority of their posts offer little in a discussion. Post count promotes that, and there are members that have, IMO, abused that.

Anyway, while a scoring system may not be in the cards, I'd like to hear a little more about what you think can be done to improve the quality of posting.

 

[sckeener]

If I may inquire (and I'm not a mod or anything), because I don't necessarily think there is no room for improvement in the boards, what exactly do you consider spam?

I know you mentioned the "me too" posts - how might you reduce those? I honestly don't have much of an idea... I suppose you could implement a minimum post size, say fifty characters or so. I'm not sure that would be fair to boards like PbP, where short posts are a little more common (dice rolls, actions, etc)... but I'm also unsure if something can be implemented on a per-board basis. I know for a while Post Count was turned off in the OT forum. Also, that's part of the reason I'm against post count. I'm not going to name names, but there are some posters I deliberately skim over because the vast majority of their posts offer little in a discussion. Post count promotes that, and there are members that have, IMO, abused that.

Anyway, while a scoring system may not be in the cards, I'd like to hear a little more about what you think can be done to improve the quality of posting.

I thought about the minimum post size as well, but as you describe it would have to be done on a board by board basis....

For awhile slashdot had a horrible lameness filter....I mention it (because maybe it has been updated) but don't want to see it ever again...

I think it would be helpful to be able to sort the posts. In some cases I want to see all the replies on a branch inside a thread. Some branches in threads are ones I really have no interest in, but they go on and on....with basically two people in a spiral argument.

Other times it would be nice to sort by poster or date posted inside a thread.

 

[Michael Morris]

vbulletin has a threaded mode you can turn on - but since most of the posters here don't use it the threads may not always tree out like you'd expect.