Duggeh
Indeed
- Joined
- May 9, 2005
- Posts
- 9,618
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- 50
This topic has cropped up a couple of times in the past. The last time that it was brought up, Wayne went on a magnificent thread shutdown patrol, to the benefit of all. While things have not degenerated back to as bad as it was then (entire first page of the members lounge littered with pointless "What [X] Now?" threads) the rot still exists.
Many ongoing threads now, are I think, admirably focussed and offer a great self contained discussion for the topic. It's as though the format of the Stax Thread has moved on to apply for other self contained discussion within a single thread. The "pics of your rig" thread has always faciliated as much banter as it has free posting, and it will continue to do so indefinately insofar as one can see. Then theres threads about anime, Nikon (although that should probably be in gear-fi) etc.
However theres still more dross than substance. The "lets make a story" thread is massively vaccuous and totally pointless, it's of exactly the same pattern of inane spam as "TWO WORDS GAME" and "This Or That" both of which were mercifully, eventually, locked.
Then there's the "what headphones are you using now?" thread. Which you would think, this being a headphone forum, would be entirely apt? Incorrect, because this is a headphone forum, it's entirely ill-apt. It's just flowing page after flowing page of people pasting a headphone name and hitting post, sometimes with a person adding "THEY'RE AWESOME!" or similar. No discussion takes place, no conversations occur, and even if one starts up, its soon swamped in the quagmire of spam from the other people who haven't found any thread thats worth posting in or havent got anything to say but feel that they've got to fill up this time that they're spending on the internet doing SOMETHING, so they spam post their headphone.
Well that killed 5 seconds. Time to hit "new posts" again and find the "What are you listening to now? [PART 4MILLION]" thread because the next Abba track has started.
There are some people who are clearly more criminal than others in this habit of empty, void scattershot posting, you know who you are, at least I hope you do, it would be tragic if you really don't realise. Now I understand that you've got to keep up your post-per-day numbers, but just stop and think and ask if what you have to say actually constitutes a contribution of some kind or just fills a space.
Moving on, I point the forum as a whole to boomana's thread: Stop recommending gear you've never heard: rant warning. which has recently been bumped.
There are a lot of people doing this. I know it seems to sound elitist and snobby to say "newbies punching above their weight" but that is often the case. I understand that this is a new exciting hobby and that you're keen but please try to contain that a little. Everybody I think would do well to read the thread I've just linked because "X headphone" short posting in the multitudinous "what headphone shoudl I get for X reason" threads that we have here isn't actually constructive or helpful, and its even less constructive or helpful if its the only headphone you've heard, one you've only heard at meets or havent heard at all. Even providing the context of any of those three circumstances is actually helpful rather than hollow.
Now there are those of us here, who will not agree with what I have said here. And thats fine, you're entitled to make loads of posts that nobody ever actually reads before they post their own. That post-count isnt going to raise itself is it? Got to look keen after all.
I have a proposition which will help insofar as the long-and-winding pointless threads are concerned. Give them all their own sub-forum. Bring back the "what are you drinking?" "what are you wearing?" "what are you eating" now threads and mix them up with "what film are you watching" "what are you listening to now" "what headphones are you wearing" "what was the last thing you bought" "one word story" etc and put them all in their own sub forum. You could call it "the long winding endless road" or "gob****e" or something.
Here's the kicker. Tick the system box which means that not one single post made in these threads contributes to an individuals post count. Better yet, retroactively move all those old locked spam threads into the sub forum and watch those who don't help oil this machine but just steal its grease vanish from the supremus list. You can also bet that the levels of traffic in those threads will drop exponentially. People will say that they aren't about post count, that they dont care about post count, thats not the point. But I bet my bottom dollar that if post count was removed from those threads, those same people that say that wouldn't post any more.
Can't do anything similar for those users who individually have a bad signal:noise ratio, other than to point out to them that they spam a load of crap and hopefully get them to realise the error of their ways, which isn't readily allowable under the forum conduct rules because it's easily classifiable as an attack, but the threads plan is workable.
An alternative solution would be to remove the post count display altogether, although I do not believe that it would work so well to reduce noise posting.
Many ongoing threads now, are I think, admirably focussed and offer a great self contained discussion for the topic. It's as though the format of the Stax Thread has moved on to apply for other self contained discussion within a single thread. The "pics of your rig" thread has always faciliated as much banter as it has free posting, and it will continue to do so indefinately insofar as one can see. Then theres threads about anime, Nikon (although that should probably be in gear-fi) etc.
However theres still more dross than substance. The "lets make a story" thread is massively vaccuous and totally pointless, it's of exactly the same pattern of inane spam as "TWO WORDS GAME" and "This Or That" both of which were mercifully, eventually, locked.
Then there's the "what headphones are you using now?" thread. Which you would think, this being a headphone forum, would be entirely apt? Incorrect, because this is a headphone forum, it's entirely ill-apt. It's just flowing page after flowing page of people pasting a headphone name and hitting post, sometimes with a person adding "THEY'RE AWESOME!" or similar. No discussion takes place, no conversations occur, and even if one starts up, its soon swamped in the quagmire of spam from the other people who haven't found any thread thats worth posting in or havent got anything to say but feel that they've got to fill up this time that they're spending on the internet doing SOMETHING, so they spam post their headphone.
Well that killed 5 seconds. Time to hit "new posts" again and find the "What are you listening to now? [PART 4MILLION]" thread because the next Abba track has started.
There are some people who are clearly more criminal than others in this habit of empty, void scattershot posting, you know who you are, at least I hope you do, it would be tragic if you really don't realise. Now I understand that you've got to keep up your post-per-day numbers, but just stop and think and ask if what you have to say actually constitutes a contribution of some kind or just fills a space.
Moving on, I point the forum as a whole to boomana's thread: Stop recommending gear you've never heard: rant warning. which has recently been bumped.
There are a lot of people doing this. I know it seems to sound elitist and snobby to say "newbies punching above their weight" but that is often the case. I understand that this is a new exciting hobby and that you're keen but please try to contain that a little. Everybody I think would do well to read the thread I've just linked because "X headphone" short posting in the multitudinous "what headphone shoudl I get for X reason" threads that we have here isn't actually constructive or helpful, and its even less constructive or helpful if its the only headphone you've heard, one you've only heard at meets or havent heard at all. Even providing the context of any of those three circumstances is actually helpful rather than hollow.
Now there are those of us here, who will not agree with what I have said here. And thats fine, you're entitled to make loads of posts that nobody ever actually reads before they post their own. That post-count isnt going to raise itself is it? Got to look keen after all.
I have a proposition which will help insofar as the long-and-winding pointless threads are concerned. Give them all their own sub-forum. Bring back the "what are you drinking?" "what are you wearing?" "what are you eating" now threads and mix them up with "what film are you watching" "what are you listening to now" "what headphones are you wearing" "what was the last thing you bought" "one word story" etc and put them all in their own sub forum. You could call it "the long winding endless road" or "gob****e" or something.
Here's the kicker. Tick the system box which means that not one single post made in these threads contributes to an individuals post count. Better yet, retroactively move all those old locked spam threads into the sub forum and watch those who don't help oil this machine but just steal its grease vanish from the supremus list. You can also bet that the levels of traffic in those threads will drop exponentially. People will say that they aren't about post count, that they dont care about post count, thats not the point. But I bet my bottom dollar that if post count was removed from those threads, those same people that say that wouldn't post any more.
Can't do anything similar for those users who individually have a bad signal:noise ratio, other than to point out to them that they spam a load of crap and hopefully get them to realise the error of their ways, which isn't readily allowable under the forum conduct rules because it's easily classifiable as an attack, but the threads plan is workable.
An alternative solution would be to remove the post count display altogether, although I do not believe that it would work so well to reduce noise posting.
