You were immersed in the internet culture of a different country before immigrating there and saw the real thing. What was that like, and did it change anything about how you viewed social media such as forums?
Sorry if it's not what you wanted as an answer. For an example of why I don't like them: there's a tv thread in SE right now. It's mostly talking about Westworld, but because it exists there's no Westworld thread. People looking at the forum don't go "oh cool I like Westworld, I'm going to talk about Westworld in that thread". The conversation isn't as good as it would be in a thread about Westworld. It ends up being a super generalist thread that is convenient but has no real positive traits apart from that.
I've always wanted a general TV thread because I tend to watch a bunch of old shows that don't warrant their own threads--there's never going to be enoigh discussion on like The Shield or The Twilight Zone for that to make sense, but a generalist thread might, just like there are lots of movies that get discussed for a handful of posts in the movie thread without being able to justify their own thread. (Not arguing, just offering my perspective.)
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I'm kinda hesitant to ask this, but... I basically started a blog out of some of the longer posts I used to make here, and now part of my activity here is "hey check out this new blog thing." Is that sort of thing reasonable behavior, obnoxious but tolerated, or something I should cease and desist?
On the first point, I think you'd be surprised. People may well want to still talk about The Shield or The Twilight Zone. Move that frame of reference to G&T: "nobody wants to talk about Bloodlines, surely? There should be a general games thread" and yet the Bloodlines thread has sixty odd pages. That thread never gets a shot because it just goes into the tv thread where people who may be interested will never see it.
Well, there is a Shield thread, it's just impossible to find if you didn't happen to make it and so hasn't had a post in three years. I agree with your point in general but until a thread gets the kinda status like the Bloodlines G&T thread, people don't remember it exists after a show stops airing. I don't know what the answer would be aside from some sort of giant index thread which is more work for somebody and likely to be ignored by posters anyways.
Really the current system means if somebody cares enough they bother to make a thread and usually grabs enough bookmarks from people it sticks around.
Regarding this:
Tube, is it really a problem to resurrect a thread that hasn't been posted in in a year, 2 years, 3 years...etc...if you legitimately want to discuss and continue the previous discourse?
I just marathoned True Detective Season 2 and the D&D thread on it has been completely dead since some time in 2015. I was thinking of posting in it but I wasn't sure what the etiquette really is on this.
Sorry if it's not what you wanted as an answer. For an example of why I don't like them: there's a tv thread in SE right now. It's mostly talking about Westworld, but because it exists there's no Westworld thread. People looking at the forum don't go "oh cool I like Westworld, I'm going to talk about Westworld in that thread". The conversation isn't as good as it would be in a thread about Westworld. It ends up being a super generalist thread that is convenient but has no real positive traits apart from that.
Tube, do you think there is a difference in conversational quality when it's a thread for a weekly television show versus one that has all of its episodes dumped at once?
For example, I can follow and participate in D&D's Agents of Shield thread because finding the time to watch one episode a week is doable for me and the weekly nature makes sure that everyone is on the same playing field. I get a similar feel in the SE++ comics threads.
I also think that the shows with a weekly release schedule tend to have longer running, slow-burning threads, where the Netflix-style shows experience a bright burst in conversation from those that can watch all the episodes but then that's it. Your thoughts?
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VanguardBut now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERSregular
edited October 2016
I have two questions:
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the most ethical choice?
Also, if I am one of the people on the tracks does that influence your decision in which option you opt for?
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SixCaches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhexRegistered Userregular
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the most ethical choice?
Also, if I am one of the people on the tracks does that influence your decision?
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the most ethical choice?
Also, if I am one of the people on the tracks does that influence your decision?
Are there other online forums/communities/whatever that you think do as good or better a job in keeping things less toxic/more beneficial with a similar size? It seems like the tendency in the well known ones is towards... not healthy culture
Sorry if it's not what you wanted as an answer. For an example of why I don't like them: there's a tv thread in SE right now. It's mostly talking about Westworld, but because it exists there's no Westworld thread. People looking at the forum don't go "oh cool I like Westworld, I'm going to talk about Westworld in that thread". The conversation isn't as good as it would be in a thread about Westworld. It ends up being a super generalist thread that is convenient but has no real positive traits apart from that.
I've always wanted a general TV thread because I tend to watch a bunch of old shows that don't warrant their own threads--there's never going to be enoigh discussion on like The Shield or The Twilight Zone for that to make sense, but a generalist thread might, just like there are lots of movies that get discussed for a handful of posts in the movie thread without being able to justify their own thread. (Not arguing, just offering my perspective.)
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I'm kinda hesitant to ask this, but... I basically started a blog out of some of the longer posts I used to make here, and now part of my activity here is "hey check out this new blog thing." Is that sort of thing reasonable behavior, obnoxious but tolerated, or something I should cease and desist?
On the first point, I think you'd be surprised. People may well want to still talk about The Shield or The Twilight Zone. Move that frame of reference to G&T: "nobody wants to talk about Bloodlines, surely? There should be a general games thread" and yet the Bloodlines thread has sixty odd pages. That thread never gets a shot because it just goes into the tv thread where people who may be interested will never see it.
Well, there is a Shield thread, it's just impossible to find if you didn't happen to make it and so hasn't had a post in three years. I agree with your point in general but until a thread gets the kinda status like the Bloodlines G&T thread, people don't remember it exists after a show stops airing. I don't know what the answer would be aside from some sort of giant index thread which is more work for somebody and likely to be ignored by posters anyways.
Really the current system means if somebody cares enough they bother to make a thread and usually grabs enough bookmarks from people it sticks around.
Regarding this:
Tube, is it really a problem to resurrect a thread that hasn't been posted in in a year, 2 years, 3 years...etc...if you legitimately want to discuss and continue the previous discourse?
I just marathoned True Detective Season 2 and the D&D thread on it has been completely dead since some time in 2015. I was thinking of posting in it but I wasn't sure what the etiquette really is on this.
TV and movie threads are, in general, an exception to the necroposting rule. Nobody will complain if you bump a years-old TV show thread, you may even find a few people who want to reminisce about it.
Tube, you've stated that the @ function for you specifically should be used for the most severe and urgent of matters (and not like, "hey Tube check out this cute hedgehog picture or Hitman meme") because it like alerts your phone and sends you running to the forums. What's the general guideline on bat-signalling (hedgehog-signalling?) you specifically versus using the report function? I swear you've gone over this before but I tried looking for an answer on it and couldn't find one. Like what's a good ballpark on the kind of thing we should be hitting you with an @ for versus stuff that we should just be reporting to the mods?
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Giggles_FunsworthBlight on DiscourseBay Area SprawlRegistered Userregular
Tube, one of the things that seems to make threads and discussions degenerate is the use of language that is pointlessly snarky, superior, antagonistic, etc. Things along the line of:
"You do realize that [statement], right?"
"uh it's called [X], look it up"
I see people doing this to score points in their own mind, or for the satisfaction of inflicting some kind of shame or frustration on other people, or just because it's kind of a default mode for discussion both online and offline. People often don't seem to realize it's antagonistic, or think that it's a level of antagonism that is appropriate or somehow useful. But a series of posts with this tone will often drag a thread down. It's also a frustrating part of the way unpopular opinions are dogpiled.
I feel like it's difficult for the mods to police this kind of thing, in that it's either too small or too pervasive, and it often seems odd to report a post for being "snarky." What do you think we, as a community of posters, can do to improve the tone and charitability of posts and alter forum culture, if anything?
In general, of course, I do feel that tonal issues like this have improved tremendously in recent years, and that is a credit to our diligent mods.
You do realize that this is an amazing observation and one I bet a lot of people on here haven't considered before, right?
I did this literally a few hours ago on Facebook and will be mulling over this in all future interactions.
You were immersed in the internet culture of a different country before immigrating there and saw the real thing. What was that like, and did it change anything about how you viewed social media such as forums?
It was fascinating. There's a lot of things about a culture you can't pick up on the internet. Like: conservatives can be nice people, nicer than liberals, while still being wrong about a lot of important stuff. Over the internet, they frequently seem like just... monsters. A big thing for me as a young man was "why are black Americans angry all the time?". That's a pretty common thing to hear in England, because we assume that racism is pretty much the same as it is in the UK (not to minimise it in the UK, it's still bad). Once you go to the states and see the way black people are treated, unthinkingly, day in and day out it's a completely different story. Gun culture is another thing, that I moved to the right on. As an outsider, anyone wanting to own a gun is essentially a fucking maniac. Once you've been here, met gun owners, gone shooting and experienced the culture of guns, you realise that there are actual reasons why people hold to the 2nd amendment so closely, and how counter-productive all of the "just take the fucking guns away" arguments are.
You can't comprehend stuff like this through internet culture, you just can't. But you can fool yourself into thinking that you have, which is dangerous.
It made me realise the limits of the internet as a form of communication. It lacks nuance and viscerality. It allows insight into other cultures, but not with any real depth. It's also just as America-centric as every other form of media, which is the opposite of what American culture needs. It needs to be looking at other cultures, other countries, and realising that some of its sacred cows aren't so sacred and that some of the things that are automatically written off by US culture are, in fact, pretty good. The isolation of America only seems to be getting worse since the advent of social media, while the perception of it by Americans is that it's getting better.
Is using the PA brand for things like clan badges cool with legal
Also who handles legal now
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
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TraceGNU Terry Pratchett; GNU Gus; GNU Carrie Fisher; GNU Adam WeRegistered Userregular
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the most ethical choice?
Also, if I am one of the people on the tracks does that influence your decision?
Sorry if it's not what you wanted as an answer. For an example of why I don't like them: there's a tv thread in SE right now. It's mostly talking about Westworld, but because it exists there's no Westworld thread. People looking at the forum don't go "oh cool I like Westworld, I'm going to talk about Westworld in that thread". The conversation isn't as good as it would be in a thread about Westworld. It ends up being a super generalist thread that is convenient but has no real positive traits apart from that.
Tube, do you think there is a difference in conversational quality when it's a thread for a weekly television show versus one that has all of its episodes dumped at once?
For example, I can follow and participate in D&D's Agents of Shield thread because finding the time to watch one episode a week is doable for me and the weekly nature makes sure that everyone is on the same playing field. I get a similar feel in the SE++ comics threads.
I also think that the shows with a weekly release schedule tend to have longer running, slow-burning threads, where the Netflix-style shows experience a bright burst in conversation from those that can watch all the episodes but then that's it. Your thoughts?
I am not Tube [citation needed] but I pretty much agree with this distinction between binge tv and regular tv. I have barely posted in the Luke Cage thread, for example, because it's a hassle to try and pick which posts I can read and dodge spoilers. By the time I finish, a lot of the traffic will have dried up, and it might not be worth bothering.
I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
Sorry if it's not what you wanted as an answer. For an example of why I don't like them: there's a tv thread in SE right now. It's mostly talking about Westworld, but because it exists there's no Westworld thread. People looking at the forum don't go "oh cool I like Westworld, I'm going to talk about Westworld in that thread". The conversation isn't as good as it would be in a thread about Westworld. It ends up being a super generalist thread that is convenient but has no real positive traits apart from that.
Tube, do you think there is a difference in conversational quality when it's a thread for a weekly television show versus one that has all of its episodes dumped at once?
For example, I can follow and participate in D&D's Agents of Shield thread because finding the time to watch one episode a week is doable for me and the weekly nature makes sure that everyone is on the same playing field. I get a similar feel in the SE++ comics threads.
I also think that the shows with a weekly release schedule tend to have longer running, slow-burning threads, where the Netflix-style shows experience a bright burst in conversation from those that can watch all the episodes but then that's it. Your thoughts?
I am not Tube [citation needed] but I pretty much agree with this distinction between binge tv and regular tv. I have barely posted in the Luke Cage thread, for example, because it's a hassle to try and pick which posts I can read and dodge spoilers. By the time I finish, a lot of the traffic will have dried up, and it might not be worth bothering.
This isn't just here, it's pretty much everywhere I discuss TV. The binge release means that very rapidly, for most people I know, they've either seen the whole thing or not seen any. By the time any significant number of us have watched the whole thing, nobody gives a shit anymore. I mean you can have a short conversation about it, but you're not gonna go deep and really discuss it.
Basically every Netflix show might as well be a movie from the 80's. You've seen it or you haven't, but there's not much left to say.
Whereas having a fresh hour of content, week after week, encourages ongoing conversation. Whether that's on a forum, around a water cooler, or with friends.
Though I am also not Tube, and this is super tangential. Still, interesting.
Tube, do you have any thoughts on the weird cult of personality that, at times, develops around certain forumers? I know you mentioned not caring for use of real names in conversation on here, which got me thinking about that.
Tube, I've noticed that even in threads you are just hanging out in you almost never use reaction buttons. Is there some kind of rule against forum staff using them? Do you not want to have us think you are conferring favor upon a specific user? Is it something you just don't do and haven't really thought about? Is this just something I've made up in my mind because of confirmation bias?
A moderation philosophy I've seen on other forums is "praise publicly, criticize privately" where posts that break forum rules are deleted and any moderation action with specific users is done via email or PM. Is this a moderation strategy you have any experience with, and if so do you have any conclusions on its long-term effectiveness in fostering a positive community?
I've enjoyed reading your blog entries and posts on moderation strategies. Aside from the old vanilla blogs is there any where else that has good insights on moderation strategy and techniques?
A moderation philosophy I've seen on other forums is "praise publicly, criticize privately" where posts that break forum rules are deleted and any moderation action with specific users is done via email or PM. Is this a moderation strategy you have any experience with, and if so do you have any conclusions on its long-term effectiveness in fostering a positive community?
Let me volunteer my unsolicited opinion on this! :rotate:
When posts are deleted and users are reprimanded without any public statements by moderation staff, it becomes impossible for the rest of the community to know who broke what rules, and therefore no one can have a lesson by example on what not to do. Behind-the-scenes moderation also makes it much easier for moderators to abuse their powers, as there is no accountability visible to the community at large.
Obviously, moderators still need private places to discuss infractions and such, but some transparency is necessary. Otherwise it fosters an environment where new-comers are punished for not understanding unspoken rules and all users have to tip-toe around discussions rather than accidentally cross an undefined line that leads to deletion of posts. It stifles conversation instead of moderating it.
Posts
Regarding this:
Tube, is it really a problem to resurrect a thread that hasn't been posted in in a year, 2 years, 3 years...etc...if you legitimately want to discuss and continue the previous discourse?
I just marathoned True Detective Season 2 and the D&D thread on it has been completely dead since some time in 2015. I was thinking of posting in it but I wasn't sure what the etiquette really is on this.
Tube, do you think there is a difference in conversational quality when it's a thread for a weekly television show versus one that has all of its episodes dumped at once?
For example, I can follow and participate in D&D's Agents of Shield thread because finding the time to watch one episode a week is doable for me and the weekly nature makes sure that everyone is on the same playing field. I get a similar feel in the SE++ comics threads.
I also think that the shows with a weekly release schedule tend to have longer running, slow-burning threads, where the Netflix-style shows experience a bright burst in conversation from those that can watch all the episodes but then that's it. Your thoughts?
There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options: (1) Do nothing, and the trolley kills the five people on the main track. (2) Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the most ethical choice?
Also, if I am one of the people on the tracks does that influence your decision in which option you opt for?
Which track are you on?
Steam - Talon Valdez :Blizz - Talonious#1860 : Xbox Live & LoL - Talonious Monk @TaloniousMonk Hail Satan
We're all busy writing paragraphs of historical context and humorous allegory in order to properly frame our questions.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Or meticulously combing through posts looking for contradictions.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
...
I swear, it's true!
Alternatively, everyone is in the Trump presidential thread watching the nuclear meltdown.
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
TV and movie threads are, in general, an exception to the necroposting rule. Nobody will complain if you bump a years-old TV show thread, you may even find a few people who want to reminisce about it.
I did this literally a few hours ago on Facebook and will be mulling over this in all future interactions.
It was fascinating. There's a lot of things about a culture you can't pick up on the internet. Like: conservatives can be nice people, nicer than liberals, while still being wrong about a lot of important stuff. Over the internet, they frequently seem like just... monsters. A big thing for me as a young man was "why are black Americans angry all the time?". That's a pretty common thing to hear in England, because we assume that racism is pretty much the same as it is in the UK (not to minimise it in the UK, it's still bad). Once you go to the states and see the way black people are treated, unthinkingly, day in and day out it's a completely different story. Gun culture is another thing, that I moved to the right on. As an outsider, anyone wanting to own a gun is essentially a fucking maniac. Once you've been here, met gun owners, gone shooting and experienced the culture of guns, you realise that there are actual reasons why people hold to the 2nd amendment so closely, and how counter-productive all of the "just take the fucking guns away" arguments are.
You can't comprehend stuff like this through internet culture, you just can't. But you can fool yourself into thinking that you have, which is dangerous.
It made me realise the limits of the internet as a form of communication. It lacks nuance and viscerality. It allows insight into other cultures, but not with any real depth. It's also just as America-centric as every other form of media, which is the opposite of what American culture needs. It needs to be looking at other cultures, other countries, and realising that some of its sacred cows aren't so sacred and that some of the things that are automatically written off by US culture are, in fact, pretty good. The isolation of America only seems to be getting worse since the advent of social media, while the perception of it by Americans is that it's getting better.
You can never go back again
The D&D is inside you now
Also who handles legal now
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
no mention of fucking in essay
F
This may literally be my favorite video of all time.
ucking
yeah, Stormy's of course
We won't find out until the Netflix series comes out.
I am not Tube [citation needed] but I pretty much agree with this distinction between binge tv and regular tv. I have barely posted in the Luke Cage thread, for example, because it's a hassle to try and pick which posts I can read and dodge spoilers. By the time I finish, a lot of the traffic will have dried up, and it might not be worth bothering.
This isn't just here, it's pretty much everywhere I discuss TV. The binge release means that very rapidly, for most people I know, they've either seen the whole thing or not seen any. By the time any significant number of us have watched the whole thing, nobody gives a shit anymore. I mean you can have a short conversation about it, but you're not gonna go deep and really discuss it.
Basically every Netflix show might as well be a movie from the 80's. You've seen it or you haven't, but there's not much left to say.
Whereas having a fresh hour of content, week after week, encourages ongoing conversation. Whether that's on a forum, around a water cooler, or with friends.
Though I am also not Tube, and this is super tangential. Still, interesting.
I mean, it's in a tube thread.
I'll see myself out/
It’s not a very important country most of the time
http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
Will there ever be another Secret Saints Auction thingie? Or have I just missed them through some weird combination of work and booze?
Steam - Talon Valdez :Blizz - Talonious#1860 : Xbox Live & LoL - Talonious Monk @TaloniousMonk Hail Satan
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
If you can find the drawing Ketchum_Ash did of me getting molested by tentacles I would really appreciate it.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
I've enjoyed reading your blog entries and posts on moderation strategies. Aside from the old vanilla blogs is there any where else that has good insights on moderation strategy and techniques?
Let me volunteer my unsolicited opinion on this! :rotate:
When posts are deleted and users are reprimanded without any public statements by moderation staff, it becomes impossible for the rest of the community to know who broke what rules, and therefore no one can have a lesson by example on what not to do. Behind-the-scenes moderation also makes it much easier for moderators to abuse their powers, as there is no accountability visible to the community at large.
Obviously, moderators still need private places to discuss infractions and such, but some transparency is necessary. Otherwise it fosters an environment where new-comers are punished for not understanding unspoken rules and all users have to tip-toe around discussions rather than accidentally cross an undefined line that leads to deletion of posts. It stifles conversation instead of moderating it.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar