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Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« on: January 26, 2004, 09:04:43 PM »
Oh, welcome to the new Suggestions and feedback forum by the way.

Ok.  We all know how important the Talk About forums are to this site.  They are, essentially why the site remains popular through this time where there is little actual news to discuss.

The problem here is that Amiga.org's DMZ is being taken over by trolls.  Three or four to be exact, but banning them only seems to make things worse.

Once upon a time, Amiga.org's DMZ was a place of lively and intelligent discussion which actually BROUGHT people back to the site on a daily basis.  Now the same people who used to post such great inciteful posts have seemingly disappeared.  

How do we get them back?  

Can we recapture the intelligence in the Talk about forums that we used to have?  

If so, how?

I would like to hear your input on how to resolve the issue, short of making everyone a moderator.

Wayne
 

Offline sir_inferno

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2004, 09:21:00 PM »
[off topic:] how come you're officially a "webmaster" again?


and woah!

39 guests
20 members

 [/off topic]


trolls, annoying little things, i say lock them in cages


 :-D

what about having a team of "DMZ 'stimulators'" that go around posting links and stuff to make people comment, but the links have to be like, anti-troll designed. [they don't get any powers, just a nice little rank  :-) ]
 

Offline redrumloa

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2004, 09:33:38 PM »
I would have to guess that the 'anything goes' theme will be no more. Maybe changed to 'Any intelligent discussion' that is 1)In good taste, 2)legal, 3)Not for the sake only trolling alone. Maybe also add 4)Political arguements are allowed until they get unreasonably heated, at which time they will be closed.

 :-?
Someone has to state the obvious and that someone is me!
 

Offline Amiperson2K3

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2004, 09:38:46 PM »
To save time just set up a forum called AmigaOrg-Uncut where people can do what the hell they want when they want, unrestricted and uncensored.
 

Offline Abou27

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2004, 09:38:53 PM »
Making everyone a moderator might not be a bad idea!  What I mean is: people should be capable of moderating themselves and not posting inappropiate material.  However, surely there is a place for banal banter aswell as more intelligent discussion?

As far as the trolls are concerned, the solution is to just ignore them.  It is usually pretty obvious who they are and if they are ignored (I admit I am guilty of replying to a couple in past), then hopefully they may get bored and move on.

Just a couple of my thoughts off the cuff...
 

Offline lempkee

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2004, 09:39:01 PM »
wayne:my suggestion is to make guide lines for the trolls , we all know who and how and why.

i know i can be a troll aswell but thats only when i have been triggered by a comment earlierin the thread by another troll...GRRRRRR!

i suggest that DMZ should be shown on the front page , but only 1 at a time or something (latest) ..

dont know if its possible but it would surely attract others to answer/read them aswell as the regulars, i for one mostly only read whats on the main page!.

cheers
Whats up with all the hate!
 

Offline Lo

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2004, 09:40:32 PM »
Quote
Once upon a time, Amiga.org's DMZ was a place of lively and intelligent discussion which actually BROUGHT people back to the site on a daily basis. Now the same people who used to post such great inciteful posts have seemingly disappeared.
Did this time coincide with when DMZ topics were viewable on the home page?  Perhaps folks don't like to "dig" thru all the banter on talk about, not sure.
[color=0000CC]GVP 060 @50 Pwr Twr [/color][color=FF0000]AMD_Amithlon_UAE[/color]
 

Offline Cyberus

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2004, 09:40:58 PM »
Quote

Abou27 wrote:#
... people should be capable of moderating themselves and not posting inappropiate material.  

Well, in theory yes!

Quote

As far as the trolls are concerned, the solution is to just ignore them.  It is usually pretty obvious who they are and if they are ignored (I admit I am guilty of replying to a couple in past), then hopefully they may get bored and move on.

But when you or I resist the temptation to reply, someone else does... :-(
I like Amigas
 

Offline lempkee

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2004, 09:42:20 PM »
amiperson2k3; thats a silly thing! , amiga.org is a serious board (or tries to be anyway) and dooing such a thing would be a fatal flaw!.

look whats going on at ann.lu , i seriously dont go there more than umm once every week because of all the friggin lame stuff going on there, oh and they even have moderators, how do u think it will be if there was NONE at all??

Whats up with all the hate!
 

Offline mikeymike

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2004, 09:46:44 PM »
Quote
Redrumloa wrote:
I would have to guess that the 'anything goes' theme will be no more. Maybe changed to 'Any intelligent discussion' that is 1)In good taste, 2)legal, 3)Not for the sake only trolling alone. Maybe also add 4)Political arguements are allowed until they get unreasonably heated, at which time they will be closed.

and 5) posting guidelines still apply
and 6) users will be suspended for what moderators believe is attempting to up their post count for the sake of it.

Otherwise yeah, I think that sounds like a plan.

Hey red, you really ought to be a moderator, you know that? :P
 

Offline alx

Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2004, 09:47:56 PM »
@Wayne

You've voiced my concerns exactly - however I cannot think of one great fix-all solution.

The idea I had on the other thread was limiting DMZ participation to people with more than x posts (perhaps anyone above "merely curious?"), but I'd imagine that could lead to borderline spamming to get to "DMZ status".

Some amount of user moderation like slashdot could maybe help - if a very large number of people "voted" a post bad then it could go down a level of significance or be reported automatically to mods.  But I guess that'd be a lot of work to implement, and might not work with sites smaller than /.

Perhaps a filter could be implemented that stops pictures larger than a small size appearing and converts them into links (so custom smilies will appear, but nothing else).  Or one that blocks posts with less than ten or so characters.  Or, perhaps a timer could be added like on phpBB to stop posting in quick succession (the infamous double/triple posts).

But one good thing - when was the last flamewar? :-o  :-)

Offline Amiperson2K3

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2004, 09:49:57 PM »
@lempkee

It is hard as hell to stamp out the problem but if you put all the vermin in one section of this website and allow them to do their stuff in one place it will be better all around.

It sounds like a bad idea but that imo is the only way to combat the problem or worse close this site down.
 

Offline mikeymike

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Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2004, 09:52:26 PM »
Quote
Some amount of user moderation like slashdot could maybe help - if a very large number of people "voted" a post bad then it could go down a level of significance or be reported automatically to mods. But I guess that'd be a lot of work to implement, and might not work with sites smaller than /.

I'm sorry, but I really hate that idea.  It encourages weenies to make comments to look clever.  Just look at slashdot for beaucoup de examples :-)

 

Offline Ilwrath

Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2004, 09:55:40 PM »
Honestly, Wayne....  I tend to think you're kind of stuck with the trolls for the time being.  It's kind of a cycle, and trying to manipulate that cycle only seems to make it worse.

I've seen it time and again, from back in Usenet to old BBS to modern forums.  

A new forum starts...  Things are good.  New users arrive, and friendships are formed.  But as time goes on, cliques form.  They form their own 'in jokes' etc, and turn a bit on people who aren't in their group.  The people outside that group then resent the group, and purposefully troll to irratate the in group...  Eventually, everyone grows bored, the forum sits underused for a while, and then slowly picks back up again, only to restart the cycle.

Right now, I'd say the "Talk about" area is getting near the stage where everyone is growing bored.  Let it go another couple months, and it should start healing itself.

The more you try to control people into acting a certain way, the more they're going to act against your attempts.  Unfortunatly, it seems to be human nature.  To me, it's the right call to have a single mostly unmoderated forum, while patrolling the rest.  I think if you start policing the talk about too much, the problems are going to spill out to the rest of the site.
 

Offline alx

Re: Fixing the problems with the forums and trolls
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2004, 09:59:00 PM »
@Amiperson2K3

Quote
It is hard as hell to stamp out the problem but if you put all the vermin in one section of this website and allow them to do their stuff in one place it will be better all around.


But if what Wayne's said is true, that'd only eventually lead to server problems :-(

@mikeymike

I never said anything about moderating comments up :-P