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Unsubscribing from threads

Started by ET21, October 15, 2018, 09:26:40 AM

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ET21

Is there a way to turn off notifications/unsubscribe from threads? There's a couple I posted in a while ago but haven't posted/read them since mainly due to relevancy. Was curious if there was a function
The local weatherman, trust me I can be 99.9% right!
"Show where you're going, without forgetting where you're from"

Clinched:
IL: I-88, I-180, I-190, I-290, I-294, I-355, IL-390
IN: I-80, I-94
SD: I-190
WI: I-90, I-94
MI: I-94, I-196
MN: I-90


hotdogPi

Unsubscribing can be done, but since I'm not subscribed to any, I don't know how.

Removing it from Recent Unread Topics cannot be done unless you delete all your posts in that thread.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

J N Winkler

Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2018, 09:29:50 AMRemoving it from Recent Unread Topics cannot be done unless you delete all your posts in that thread.

Does deleting all of one's own posts actually work?
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

hotdogPi

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 15, 2018, 12:10:32 PM
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2018, 09:29:50 AMRemoving it from Recent Unread Topics cannot be done unless you delete all your posts in that thread.

Does deleting all of one's own posts actually work?

Yes. I've done it when I only had to delete one. If you have several posts, it still works if you delete all of them, but it causes more discontinuities in the flow of conversation.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

J N Winkler

Thanks for this--it is good to know this approach has been tested.  My own solution, if I ever decide I absolutely need to unsubscribe from threads that are no longer of interest to me, will probably be to write a wget wrapper script that pulls "Unread replies," strips out links to threads that are on an unsubscribe list, and loads the modified HTML file in the browser.  (While it would be nice to have this functionality built directly into the UI, I am increasingly coming to the view that anything that requires the moderators or board administrators to take action amounts to ceding control.  This also applies to moderating actions, which I feel have been a bit too heavy-handed and capricious as of late.)
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

hbelkins

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 15, 2018, 01:31:05 PM
Thanks for this--it is good to know this approach has been tested.  My own solution, if I ever decide I absolutely need to unsubscribe from threads that are no longer of interest to me, will probably be to write a wget wrapper script that pulls "Unread replies," strips out links to threads that are on an unsubscribe list, and loads the modified HTML file in the browser.  (While it would be nice to have this functionality built directly into the UI, I am increasingly coming to the view that anything that requires the moderators or board administrators to take action amounts to ceding control.  This also applies to moderating actions, which I feel have been a bit too heavy-handed and capricious as of late.)

I readily admit to skimming some of the boards, and not reading some of them, but what prompts your comment on moderation? Other than trying to steer the NY limousine thread back on track after it got temporarily derailed by a discussion of hotel owners' nationality, I haven't noticed anything.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

webny99

Quote from: hbelkins on October 16, 2018, 03:53:39 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on October 15, 2018, 01:31:05 PM
Thanks for this--it is good to know this approach has been tested.  My own solution, if I ever decide I absolutely need to unsubscribe from threads that are no longer of interest to me, will probably be to write a wget wrapper script that pulls "Unread replies," strips out links to threads that are on an unsubscribe list, and loads the modified HTML file in the browser.  (While it would be nice to have this functionality built directly into the UI, I am increasingly coming to the view that anything that requires the moderators or board administrators to take action amounts to ceding control.  This also applies to moderating actions, which I feel have been a bit too heavy-handed and capricious as of late.)
I readily admit to skimming some of the boards, and not reading some of them, but what prompts your comment on moderation? Other than trying to steer the NY limousine thread back on track after it got temporarily derailed by a discussion of hotel owners' nationality, I haven't noticed anything.

Dare I say it? ... It looks like US71 is no longer a moderator, but I'm not sure if the two things are related.

jon daly

Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2018, 12:33:05 PM
Quote from: J N Winkler on October 15, 2018, 12:10:32 PM
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2018, 09:29:50 AMRemoving it from Recent Unread Topics cannot be done unless you delete all your posts in that thread.

Does deleting all of one's own posts actually work?

Yes. I've done it when I only had to delete one. If you have several posts, it still works if you delete all of them, but it causes more discontinuities in the flow of conversation.

I did that once, but when I see New Replies to my posts in thread I'm no longer interested in, I mark them as all read.

I come from an online background posting in forums that sometimes have interesting digressions that make it worth continuing to read a thread over multiple pages, but a lot of threads here seems to be a question by the OP (I learned the lingo here!) followed by answers by various other members.

To name an example, because it is current today. There's the "how many states have you been to thread." It'd be more interesting to me if there were more comments about how mobile we are as forum members and people in general. I think webny99 mention something like that in this, or a previous similar thread (maybe it was a thread asking people how many places they've lived,) but I don't think that convo went anywhere.

I've been to quite a few states, but a lot of that was in my Army days. I think military and academics travel more often than most people. Uncle Sam likes to transfer people around an grad students often wind up going to schools in 3 or more states; getting the BA at one school and their other degrees elsewhere.

jakeroot

Deleting all posts has not worked for me. I tried doing that in several of the 1-2-3 threads, and the North Carolina thread (no offence NC), but they still show up in the new reply section. I'd rather they only appeared in the unread posts section.

J N Winkler

#9
Quote from: hbelkins on October 16, 2018, 03:53:39 PMI readily admit to skimming some of the boards, and not reading some of them, but what prompts your comment on moderation? Other than trying to steer the NY limousine thread back on track after it got temporarily derailed by a discussion of hotel owners' nationality, I haven't noticed anything.

I have a similar reading pattern and my feeling is based more on things I have noticed over the past few months than on any one specific incident.  I have come to feel that the moderators are too lock-happy, too ready to deal with problematic posts by hiding or deleting them in a way that amounts to rewriting history, and not responsive to sincerely expressed concerns about squelched discussion.

To cite a few examples:

*  Schoharie limo crash thread--a temporary lock to cool down discussion was the right call, but deleting the derogatory comments about South Asian motel owners looked like an attempt to cover up misbehavior by a moderator.

*  CONELRAD thread--locked, notwithstanding ongoing policy-oriented discussion over whether the public interest was best served by labeling the top-level alert a "Presidential" alert in times when the sitting President is widely disliked by a large share of the electorate.

*  Forum stats thread (the last one)--there was moderator involvement and I laid out a case for unhiding the forum stats page and reopening discussion of forum stats, for the purposes of analysis rather than as an implicit scoring mechanism.  I felt some of the moderators participating might be coming around to my view, but as soon as Webny99 jumped in and began making some of the same arguments I did, I could see attitudes harden almost in real time.

In the past I have suggested that over time, the forum should transition to democratic governance mechanisms, including open election of moderators.  While this has never been explicitly ruled out, the answer has invariably been "He who has the gold makes the rules," i.e., it is up to Alex as forum owner.  I think failure to make progress on governance has led to the forum continuing to be run by a comfortable clique, where certain new members are brought in fairly early and experience rapid progression in responsibility, while others--including long-time members with relevant skills and experience--are left out.  I have come to think this has led to individuals being tapped to serve as moderators even when they didn't really want to but also didn't feel comfortable saying No.

Edit:

Quote from: jon daly on October 16, 2018, 06:44:25 PMI come from an online background posting in forums that sometimes have interesting digressions that make it worth continuing to read a thread over multiple pages, but a lot of threads here seems to be a question by the OP (I learned the lingo here!) followed by answers by various other members.

To name an example, because it is current today. There's the "how many states have you been to thread." It'd be more interesting to me if there were more comments about how mobile we are as forum members and people in general. I think webny99 mention something like that in this, or a previous similar thread (maybe it was a thread asking people how many places they've lived,) but I don't think that convo went anywhere.

In this community this problem goes back all the way to MTR days.  There has always been a certain share of threads that have been about round-robin show-and-tell with no real analysis or content offered to show why the activities of B, C, D, E,  . . . should be of interest to A, or why A's should be of interest to B, C, D, E and so on.  These can very rapidly degenerate into point-scoring or one-upmanship.  I try to limit my participation in such threads because I find I later regret it when they keep coming up in "Unread replies."

Quote from: jon daly on October 16, 2018, 06:44:25 PMI've been to quite a few states, but a lot of that was in my Army days. I think military and academics travel more often than most people. Uncle Sam likes to transfer people around an grad students often wind up going to schools in 3 or more states; getting the BA at one school and their other degrees elsewhere.

Ability to travel is also a function of status markers like income and leisure.  This is one reason I try to be restrained in what I post about my own travels, not just here but also on Facebook, generally by giving myself permission to describe only specific trips that are weekend trips, plausibly fit within the two-week vacation window most Americans typically get, or reflect expanded opportunities to travel in connection with graduate school.  I try to steer between the opposite extremes of poor-mouthing and making an open display of privilege.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

hotdogPi

Quote
*  Schoharie limo crash thread--a temporary lock to cool down discussion was the right call, but deleting the derogatory comments about South Asian motel owners looked like an attempt to cover up misbehavior by a moderator.

US 71 is no longer a moderator. Until a few months ago, I thought he was the best moderator. He should still have the ability to warn/ban (note: I have classified information).

Except for one partisan moderator (not naming who), I feel like the mods have been doing fine.

----

I was considering running for Fictional Highways moderator, but I don't think I need the job. It would just be extra work, and I would be afraid of making mistakes.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

vdeane

#11
I imagine many of the post hidings/deletions are so people coming across the thread later don't misinterpret those posts as an example of acceptable conduct.

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
*  CONELRAD thread--locked, notwithstanding ongoing policy-oriented discussion over whether the public interest was best served by labeling the top-level alert a "Presidential" alert in times when the sitting President is widely disliked by a large share of the electorate.
That was probably it, actually.  No politics unless it's road-related, and CONELRAD isn't road-related (incidentally, I didn't know it was called that until the thread here - I just through it was the "presidential alert").

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
Quote from: jon daly on October 16, 2018, 06:44:25 PMI come from an online background posting in forums that sometimes have interesting digressions that make it worth continuing to read a thread over multiple pages, but a lot of threads here seems to be a question by the OP (I learned the lingo here!) followed by answers by various other members.

To name an example, because it is current today. There's the "how many states have you been to thread." It'd be more interesting to me if there were more comments about how mobile we are as forum members and people in general. I think webny99 mention something like that in this, or a previous similar thread (maybe it was a thread asking people how many places they've lived,) but I don't think that convo went anywhere.

In this community this problem goes back all the way to MTR days.  There has always been a certain share of threads that have been about round-robin show-and-tell with no real analysis or content offered to show why the activities of B, C, D, E,  . . . should be of interest to A, or why A's should be of interest to B, C, D, E and so on.  These can very rapidly degenerate into point-scoring or one-upmanship.  I try to limit my participation in such threads because I find I later regret it when they keep coming up in "Unread replies."
I've been known to follow those threads early, sometimes post an example or two, and then stop reading them if it becomes clear that they won't evolve into an interesting discussion (as they sometimes do but usually don't, or they might have snippets here or there).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

kphoger

Note:  This subtopic should probably be split into its own thread or merged with an existing one about moderation.

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
I have come to feel that the moderators are too lock-happy, too ready to deal with problematic posts by hiding or deleting them in a way that amounts to rewriting history, and not responsive to sincerely expressed concerns about squelched discussion.

I greatly favor temp-locking or perma-locking a thread over hiding or deleting posts/threads.  IMHO, it can be useful to have historical record of what can happen on these boards.  For example, if a thread gets dangerously close to the tipping point, then someone might want to link to an old locked thread and warn other members not to cross that same line again.  Unless a post is potentially damaging to someone (incriminating), then I believe it should be left up for everyone to see.  But I've got no problem in general with locking threads, nor with moderator editing of individual posts to remove certain offensive bits–so long as the post is annotated to indicate what was done.

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
In the past I have suggested that over time, the forum should transition to democratic governance mechanisms, including open election of moderators.  While this has never been explicitly ruled out, the answer has invariably been "He who has the gold makes the rules," i.e., it is up to Alex as forum owner.  I think failure to make progress on governance has led to the forum continuing to be run by a comfortable clique...

I enjoy the stability of a non-elected board of moderators.  If Alex has too much singular control, then maybe something like a triumvirate would be better.  But I honestly don't think most members have any idea what computer skills, people skills, organizational skills, etc. different users have to either qualify or disqualify them from a position of leadership.




Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
Ability to travel is also a function of status markers like income and leisure.  This is one reason I try to be restrained in what I post about my own travels, not just here but also on Facebook, generally by giving myself permission to describe only specific trips that are weekend trips, plausibly fit within the two-week vacation window most Americans typically get, or reflect expanded opportunities to travel in connection with graduate school.  I try to steer between the opposite extremes of poor-mouthing and making an open display of privilege.

It's also prudent not to post anywhere online that your house will be unoccupied for the next nine days.  Best not to post pictures or commentaries until you get back home again.




Quote from: vdeane on October 17, 2018, 12:53:23 PM
(incidentally, I didn't know it was called that until the thread here - I just through it was the "presidential alert").

It isn't.  CONELRAD ended in the 1960s.  The OP, in fact, stated "There will be a CONELRAD-type test"–not that it was actually CONELRAD.

Also, if the CONELRAD thread was locked, then it appears to have been subsequently unlocked.  I have the option to reply.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

J N Winkler

Quote from: vdeane on October 17, 2018, 12:53:23 PMI imagine many of the post hidings/deletions are so people coming across the thread later don't misinterpret those posts as an example of acceptable conduct.

While I understand that rationale, I think the underlying purpose is better served by leaving the posts in place with a clear signal that they attract sanction, such as a purple-text post indicating the thread is being locked temporarily or permanently and providing an explanation that tactfully but clearly delineates the unacceptable conduct.  Simply making the offending text disappear is too reminiscent of the vanishing commissar.

Quote from: 1 on October 17, 2018, 12:03:08 PMUS 71 is no longer a moderator. Until a few months ago, I thought he was the best moderator. He should still have the ability to warn/ban (note: I have classified information).

It is always good to respect personnel confidentiality, and the best way to keep a secret is to avoid putting oneself in a position where it is known that one has access to it.

All of us have lives apart from the forum, and I have had experience with cases where moderators or others with management responsibilities had to resign as a result of the emotional overhead of dealing with family events such as divorce, the death of a treasured relative, etc.  Generally they came back later and did a much better job.

Quote from: 1 on October 17, 2018, 12:03:08 PMI was considering running for Fictional Highways moderator, but I don't think I need the job. It would just be extra work, and I would be afraid of making mistakes.

My understanding is that on this forum, one does not "run" for moderator positions as such.  One is simply tapped to serve and one's chances of being so chosen go down if one expresses any interest in the position.

If moderators were chosen through an open process and had to run for election at regular intervals, I would be interested in serving and would mount a candidacy if, during the election cycle in question, I felt I had the capacity to serve if elected.  I do have experience serving as an elected moderator on another roads-related forum and I have found that even-handedness, empathy, and a preference for trying minimum interventions first are key qualities in a successful moderator.  But yes, serving as a moderator consumes time, and in my experience the bulk of the time is spent coordinating response to threads that "go hot" rather than the actual mechanics of carrying out police action when it is required.

As regards US 71's case, I do not think I give away anything that was not said in public if I mention that it is my understanding he did not seek appointment as a moderator and agreed to become one only when another abruptly resigned.

Quote from: kphoger on October 17, 2018, 01:19:42 PMI greatly favor temp-locking or perma-locking a thread over hiding or deleting posts/threads.  IMHO, it can be useful to have historical record of what can happen on these boards.  For example, if a thread gets dangerously close to the tipping point, then someone might want to link to an old locked thread and warn other members not to cross that same line again.  Unless a post is potentially damaging to someone (incriminating), then I believe it should be left up for everyone to see.  But I've got no problem in general with locking threads, nor with moderator editing of individual posts to remove certain offensive bits–so long as the post is annotated to indicate what was done.

Yes--this is a nice succinct summary of my own views about moderation.  On the board I managed, we had a hiding area and we normally moved threads or individual posts there only if they contained admissions of criminal conduct (e.g., "What's the fuss with cocaine?  I like a pinch of the white stuff up my nose every now and then") or could create legal liability for the forum (generally in connection with copyright issues).  We did find post editing was problematic because people tend to have a strong emotional response to words being put in their mouths, so to speak, as we have seen here with the controversies over post merges.

Quote from: kphoger on October 17, 2018, 01:19:42 PMI enjoy the stability of a non-elected board of moderators.  If Alex has too much singular control, then maybe something like a triumvirate would be better.  But I honestly don't think most members have any idea what computer skills, people skills, organizational skills, etc. different users have to either qualify or disqualify them from a position of leadership.

In practice, turnover is about the same with annually elected moderators.  You have people serving multiple consecutive terms, others serving one term and coming back years later to serve another, etc.  What you do tend to have less of is people sticking around when they don't really want to, because the end of each election cycle furnishes a convenient opportunity to call it a day.

For technical skillsets, there is a fairly deep gap between the skills required to be a successful moderator and the skills needed to mind the "boiler room"--keep the forum online, follow a structured upgrade path, evaluate and implement any proposed mods, and avoid data loss.  On the forum I managed, we dealt with this by annually electing not just moderators, but also a figurehead with reserve powers to appoint programmers to keep the site running.  Programmers agreed to serve on an informal understanding that they would stay in role until replaced (across multiple annual terms if necessary) and that the figurehead would seek to maintain a bench of possible replacements, not just to allow programmers to "retire" but also to split transiently heavier loads among multiple programmers.

As for communicating the skill and time requirements to prospective candidates, retiring incumbents often did this as part of the elections process.  Another part was canvassing, where each candidate supplied a manifesto giving basic particulars such as screen name, real-world name, length of time on the forum, and a paragraph or two stating his or her proposed approach if elected; then members would ask the candidates questions on a canvassing board that was normally kept hidden but exposed in the run-up to each election.

Quote from: kphoger on October 17, 2018, 01:19:42 PMAlso, if the CONELRAD thread was locked, then it appears to have been subsequently unlocked.  I have the option to reply.

So do I (just checked).  I don't recall that the locking was accompanied by a purple-text explanation.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

webny99

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
*  Forum stats thread (the last one)--there was moderator involvement and I laid out a case for unhiding the forum stats page and reopening discussion of forum stats, for the purposes of analysis rather than as an implicit scoring mechanism.  I felt some of the moderators participating might be coming around to my view, but as soon as Webny99 jumped in and began making some of the same arguments I did, I could see attitudes harden almost in real time.

I have nothing to add to this, other than:
(a) to apologize for my involvement,
(b) to note that this is well-put and I fully agree, and
(c) to thank you for being free to share your (well-founded) beliefs, regardless of what the powers that be may think.

jon daly

BTW, not long after I mentioned the states thread kphoger made a wry quip about Ice Road Truck in Nunavut in that thread that cracked me up. Sometimes it pays to keep following threads.

Alps

Quote from: 1 on October 17, 2018, 12:03:08 PM
Quote
*  Schoharie limo crash thread--a temporary lock to cool down discussion was the right call, but deleting the derogatory comments about South Asian motel owners looked like an attempt to cover up misbehavior by a moderator.

US 71 is no longer a moderator. Until a few months ago, I thought he was the best moderator. He should still have the ability to warn/ban (note: I have classified information).

Except for one partisan moderator (not naming who), I feel like the mods have been doing fine.

----

I was considering running for Fictional Highways moderator, but I don't think I need the job. It would just be extra work, and I would be afraid of making mistakes.
As a former admin and someone who seems to always have various nonstandard moderator labels attached (like right now I show up as Global Mod but I'm not), I would be interested in what you think and why. US 71 was definitely the most active moderator in terms of closing threads and deleting offensive material. I try to manage the worst offenses either in terms of misquoting, broken links, or actual offensive content, but my philosophy has evolved to minimizing the impact on removing material only to where arguments are pointlessly going back and forth off-topic.

hotdogPi

Quote from: Alps on October 17, 2018, 06:23:27 PM
Quote from: 1 on October 17, 2018, 12:03:08 PM
Quote
*  Schoharie limo crash thread--a temporary lock to cool down discussion was the right call, but deleting the derogatory comments about South Asian motel owners looked like an attempt to cover up misbehavior by a moderator.

US 71 is no longer a moderator. Until a few months ago, I thought he was the best moderator. He should still have the ability to warn/ban (note: I have classified information).

Except for one partisan moderator (not naming who), I feel like the mods have been doing fine.

----

I was considering running for Fictional Highways moderator, but I don't think I need the job. It would just be extra work, and I would be afraid of making mistakes.
As a former admin and someone who seems to always have various nonstandard moderator labels attached (like right now I show up as Global Mod but I'm not), I would be interested in what you think and why. US 71 was definitely the most active moderator in terms of closing threads and deleting offensive material. I try to manage the worst offenses either in terms of misquoting, broken links, or actual offensive content, but my philosophy has evolved to minimizing the impact on removing material only to where arguments are pointlessly going back and forth off-topic.

US 71 was definitely an active moderator, and I don't think he should have lost his powers. He was usually the fastest one to catch Marf socks, and I don't remember him locking any threads prematurely. This "scandal" will probably be forgotten in a few weeks; it happens to everyone several times per year, and the "scandal" had nothing to do with use of moderator powers (SSOWorld was the one that used them, and he handled it perfectly).

SSOWorld is similar to US 71, but not quite as active. I prefer SSOWorld's approach of temporary locks, rather than US 71's approach of permanent locks.

You, rickmastfan67, and Scott5114 seem to fix quotes and move threads to the correct location much more often than locking threads or warning/banning, although rickmastfan67 was involved in the webny99/Marf incident.

Some of the moderators aren't active much. This isn't a problem, as there is no harm in someone remaining an admin if they're mostly inactive, while abuse of moderator power (which has only happened here with V'Ger, before my time) is much worse. I will say, however, that un1, who has not logged in since 2013, still claims he is a regional moderator (Canada and Off Topic) in his signature. That line should probably be removed, as it could cause confusion.

The recent 1-week tempban of NE2 worked well; he seems to have changed character for the better.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Alps

I was actually very active in the Marf incident - I was given more power to be reactive and deal with clones and registration for awhile.

Takumi

QuoteThe recent 1-week tempban of NE2 worked well; he seems to have changed character for the better.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

jon daly

Quote from: J N Winkler on October 17, 2018, 11:45:54 AM
Quote from: jon daly on October 16, 2018, 06:44:25 PMI've been to quite a few states, but a lot of that was in my Army days. I think military and academics travel more often than most people. Uncle Sam likes to transfer people around an grad students often wind up going to schools in 3 or more states; getting the BA at one school and their other degrees elsewhere.

Ability to travel is also a function of status markers like income and leisure.  This is one reason I try to be restrained in what I post about my own travels, not just here but also on Facebook, generally by giving myself permission to describe only specific trips that are weekend trips, plausibly fit within the two-week vacation window most Americans typically get, or reflect expanded opportunities to travel in connection with graduate school.  I try to steer between the opposite extremes of poor-mouthing and making an open display of privilege.

That's true, but I think I misspoke. I was thinking more along the lines of relocation; especially for the hoi polloi or slightly above. I think someone figured out most of the denizens at a baseball board I used to frequent lived within 20 miles of where they grew up and a lot of those guys were upper middle class and seemed to have a lot of free time at work to gab all day online. I met a lot of them in person at SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Conventions back when I was single. FWIW, most of those were in states that I already visited, but I did go to Toronto, Ontario for one; thus netting my second Canadian Province.

webny99

Quote from: 1 on October 17, 2018, 07:12:39 PM
I don't remember [US71] locking any threads prematurely.

Generally speaking, I agree, although I'm still just a little bitter about this one, and I know plenty of others agree.


hbelkins

I've noticed that one person in particular has been a moderator in the past, was not for awhile and appears to be one again. Of course, this is the same person who threatened to kick me off this forum for a post on my own personal Facebook page, which he did not see because he is not a Facebook friend anymore and it's a rare instance when I post something viewable to the public. In fact, most my posts aren't even visible to all of my friends; I try to make use of the friends list feature as much as I can so those easily triggered may not see my political posts, non-roadgeeks aren't bothered by my pictures of sign goofs, etc.

Also, I will note that US 71 and I have had a whole lot of battles over the years on politics and current issues. However, I can't think of any instances where that may have factored into his moderation decisions where my content is concerned. I don't really have any issues with how he may have treated me.

I have, in the past, volunteered to be a moderator. I would still be willing to serve. I'm pretty sure I'm toxic, though.  :bigass:


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

jakeroot

Ironically, I'm now attached to this thread, even though I don't give a damn about the moderation discussion.

As long as I'm locked in, I don't have any qualms about the current moderation. Although I agree with Mr Winkler about post deletion. Keeping old posts up, as an example of what's not allowed, is probably a superior option than deleting history.

Takumi

I didn't see the posts in question, but I have seen deleted posts and keeping the thread open about as often as I have seen a permanent lock. I don't think I've seen a temp lock before.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.



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