Is this forum too moderated?

[Brandon]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

Well, there's no viatologists here that I know of, so it's nowhere near mtr yet.

[US71]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

Well, there's no viatologists here that I know of, so it's nowhere near mtr yet.

We just have to keep the wannabe Trolls in line 

[Grzrd]

We just have to keep the wannabe Trolls in line 

And have what happens in Alanland stay in Alanland.

[bugo]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

Well, there's no viatologists here that I know of, so it's nowhere near mtr yet.

We just have to keep the wannabe Trolls in line 

And you end up harming serious posters while you do it.

[vdeane]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

I'm sure that people in MTR's early days wouldn't have believed that MTR would become what it is today.

[Brandon]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

I'm sure that people in MTR's early days wouldn't have believed that MTR would become what it is today.

No, we didn't.  We thought that kind of nonsense was for the alt.* groups.

One thing I do disagree with, and may agree to disagree with, is the constant post merges.  A fair number of them are overkill IMHO.

[Scott5114]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

[Brandon]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

I can see it when the posts address the same issue or comment, but when they address different comments, I don't really see the point to post merges.

[agentsteel53]

One thing I do disagree with, and may agree to disagree with, is the constant post merges.  A fair number of them are overkill IMHO.

I don't care if someone merges my posts; so long as I don't get warned about it.

I read the forum in a manner which I believe is unlike that of the majority: look at "recent posts" regardless of topic or board - so if several posts trigger a reply from me, I may or may not notice that they are in the same thread and therefore will end up posting consecutively.

[bugo]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

If they are three different thoughts, then yes.

[US71]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

I usually try to go back and edit/update my posts

[deathtopumpkins]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

If they are three different thoughts, then yes.

As we've pointed out before, different thoughts can be separated by one of these babies:



See? This is one thought.



And this is another!

[hbelkins]

My current issue has been settled and all is well. I will speak no more of it.

[Alps]

Well, we're succeeding and that's what matters. 

That sounds so incredibly Nazi.

[Alps]

You'd still be succeeding if you didn't try as hard.  There's no way this forum is going to end up like MTR.  Hyperbole much?

Well, there's no viatologists here that I know of, so it's nowhere near mtr yet.

We just have to keep the wannabe Trolls in line 

And you end up harming serious posters while you do it.

Agreed. I'm also tired of the moderation we've been doing, which is why I'm no longer going to take part in it. I'm going to speak out against our current moderation practices. We should be fixing quotes and typos and adhering to the guidelines. Far too often I see people's personal tastes and prejudices creep in. For example, someone is going to try to merge this post with my previous one, and I will do nasty things to that person's cat.

[Alps]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

I can see it when the posts address the same issue or comment, but when they address different comments, I don't really see the point to post merges.

I agree with Brandon strongly. Scott, have you really not figured out how to turn off sig lines in posts? It's a basic forum setting. If something annoys YOU, why don't you fix it for YOU, instead of imposing your will on everyone else?

[Alps]

What is the purpose of a string post? Is there any real reason to have the same avatar and signature three times in a row because someone posted three separate posts, when we could have it once with no loss of content or clarity?

If they are three different thoughts, then yes.

As we've pointed out before, different thoughts can be separated by one of these babies:



See? This is one thought.



And this is another!

CAN be. Not MUST be.

[corco]

Yeah, but you're still filling up the "Recent Posts" list which is really, really annoying and actually hinders navigability.

Honestly, can somebody explain to me why the fuck somebody merging your posts is so terrible beyond the fact that it's perceived as overmoderation? You're not losing any content, it just makes the forum more legible and doesn't spam the recent posts lists.

[Alps]

Yeah, but you're still filling up the "Recent Posts" list which is really, really annoying and actually hinders navigability.

Honestly, can somebody explain to me why the fuck somebody merging your posts is so terrible beyond the fact that it's perceived as overmoderation?

Overmoderation is not a good thing. The best moderators go unnoticed. Also, I tend to visit and post all around the forum at once. So no matter what, your recent posts feed is going to fill up with me. Tough shit, I'm not going to space out my posting for someone else's feed.

[corco]

But why is it overmoderation? You're not losing any content!

If you're in different conversations, I know multiple threads are active and that's cool, but I gain nothing by seeing 9 "New post in x by Steve" when they're all identical

[Alps]

But why is it overmoderation? You're not losing any content!

If you're in different conversations, I know multiple threads are active and that's cool, but I gain nothing by seeing 9 "New post in x by Steve" when they're all identical

If they're all identical, then something is very wrong somewhere. My posts are not identical. Each of them is responding to a different aspect of the conversation.

[corco]

In my recent post lists at the bottom of the screen which I and I know others use to see what's going on when checking real quick, I see 5 of the 9 slots occupied by:

Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)

That's really obnoxious. What that says to me is not "oh hey,there's a conversation going on there" but "oh hey, that person really wants to be heard" which means I'm probably not interested in what they have to say.

[Alps]

In my recent post lists at the bottom of the screen which I and I know others use to see what's going on when checking real quick, I see 5 of the 9 slots occupied by:

Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)
Re: Is this forum too moderated? by Steve (Off-Topic)

That's really obnoxious. What that says to me is not "oh hey,there's a conversation going on there" but "oh hey, that person really wants to be heard" which means I'm probably not interested in what they have to say.

We're friends off-forum. Let's discuss it there rather than clogging up other people's news feeds with our back and forth.

See what I did there?

Also, you did come over here and post, so clearly you were interested in what I had to say.

[J N Winkler]

A question and an observation:

*  When someone posts and then edits that post, does it generate a new instance in "Recent Posts" or bump an existing instance to the top?

*  Posts that are produced in a single posting session but contain substantive comment at some length won't take up a high percentage of the slots in "Recent Posts" unless the forum is going through a period of prolonged inactivity.

[corco]

*  When someone posts and then edits that post, does it generate a new instance in "Recent Posts" or bump an existing instance to the top?

No- note that I edited the previous post at 9:28 or whatever time zone but the "Recent Posts" kept the 9:26 stamp