Adding more subforums - UPDATE - NOT CHANGING

[The UnDoug]

vision63 wrote:
Ahhhaaa. April Fools! wait...

That was exactly my first thought, as well. I was like, this can't possibly be serious. Is there some holiday reason for the gag? What gives?

[RgrF]

davester wrote:
I probably spend more time on the political side than on the tips and deals side, and I find it stimulating and valuable because I learn a lot of things about what other people are thinking across the country (and in other countries). I have never seen another forum as good as this one when it comes to discussions of political topics. I would probably end up drifting away from the forum in general if the political forum was axed.

Larry mentioned that there were other more appropriate political forums but I sure haven't ever seen any. The news site forums are populated by completely belligerent crazies. The political forum here has some very engaging and mature discussions mixed with the crazy stuff...something I haven't seen elsewhere.

That said, there are some posters on the political side who are completely nutso and whose obvious sole purpose is to try to tick people off (i.e. they are "trolls"), and I just know that they cause problems for the moderators. I would guess that those posters are a very small fraction of the posting population and I would be happy to see them axed if they are the cause of excessive effort by the moderators. Why not do that? Three strikes and you're out!

Also, as I recall, the genesis of the original political forum at DM was to create an outlet for more heated discussion that many on the main site didn't want. That arrangement morphed into the identical arrangement here. If you axe the political side then is this side going to be ruled with an iron fist to squash discussions that get heated? I frankly don't think that is going to work.

What davester said.

This is really about the squeaky wheel syndrome. There will always be a small number of thin skinned posters who will consume a disproportionate amount of moderator time. Maybe if you were to cap allowed complaints at - say once a month, mods refereeing time would become more managable.

Squeaky wheel is what drove Brian Moon, amongst others, stark raving bonkers and eventually killed DM.

Impose a forum version of sports "luxury tax", if a poster registers more than one complaint within a thirty-day period they pay a tax of $2 per event - paid directly to the mods. :punch::judge:

[The UnDoug]

graylocks wrote:
[quote=rgG]
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

please, don't dealmac us, bro!
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

[SteveO]

I was also a regular on the old forums at DM for several years (starting in '95 or so) before they imploded. My take on it then was the same as many here have shared: they subdivided it to monetize it and it royally messed everything up. The banishments and odd rules followed or maybe were in tandem with that, and the place quickly lost its attraction for a great many of us.

The Minnow (or Ark!) landed safely here, thankfully, and many of us purchase here and recommend owc for batteries, ram, cases, drives and countless other gizmos. I know I speak for all of us when I say THANK YOU for the forums and I'd also like to think they bring in some good biz, known or otherwise. So all good there I hope.

I don't often post on the other side (maybe 1-2x every week or two I'd guess) these days but I often go over there to learn some things I didn't know and to get some other views. Sure there are those a lot of us [hopefully] know to simply ignore without even hitting that button. If moderating it is a drain then I'd suggest just leaving it alone. If it becomes too vituperative, it would weed itself out I'd hope.

In conclusion, what PeterB and Zoid (and others) said. Great community here and lots to share and learn from each other just the way it's set up right now. I love that everything is together on this side, it's fun and you can always find an interesting topic, all in one click. Thanks for listening.

[The UnDoug]

OWC Larry wrote:

Bottom line is that it's not being used in to the original framework and the small group who continue to utilize it are continually offended and reporting each other.

What a bunch of pussies!

Psychotic pussies, at that!

LOL

[The UnDoug]

OWC Larry wrote:
.

Maybe it's time for it to be more of an anything goes. Pay to play/see. If you don't like it - don't be a part of it. Maybe it's $1.99 a month or $9.99 a year. I don't know. I do know it sucks that people can't stick to their own 'facts' - right or wrong - and agree or agree to disagree vs. bring it down to personal snipes and worse. If it wasn't anonymous, bet would be a lot different too.

Maybe you should charge to report posts. Only on the ranting side. Charge .99 per report. That way people can either tough it out, get lost, or waste their money.

[The UnDoug]

decay wrote:
if the political side becomes pay to play, the terrorists have won.

LOL LOL LOL

[Black]

The UnDoug wrote:
[quote=OWC Larry]
.

Maybe it's time for it to be more of an anything goes. Pay to play/see. If you don't like it - don't be a part of it. Maybe it's $1.99 a month or $9.99 a year. I don't know. I do know it sucks that people can't stick to their own 'facts' - right or wrong - and agree or agree to disagree vs. bring it down to personal snipes and worse. If it wasn't anonymous, bet would be a lot different too.

Maybe you should charge to report posts. Only on the ranting side. Charge .99 per report. That way people can either tough it out, get lost, or waste their money.
Good luck with that. The heavy reporters are probably funded by the Koch brothers.

[PeterB]

The UnDoug wrote:
[quote=OWC Larry]

Bottom line is that it's not being used in to the original framework and the small group who continue to utilize it are continually offended and reporting each other.

What a bunch of pussies!

Psychotic pussies, at that!

LOL
X( :villagers: oapbox: :fawkdance: :cursin: :devil: :rant: :censor: :nono:

There, that oughta about cover it.

[Uncle Wig]

If the political side went away, I would not be sorry to see it go.

I do not believe that the absence of that forum would make this side more course. But dividing this side into various subforums is a bad idea: it works just great the way it is. If people can't discern the tips from the jokes from the trivia from the workshop kinks from the deals then they probably shouldn't be on the internet.

OWC Larry wrote:
initially there was more activity on that other side and it was, for the most part, 'friendly'. At this point, it's become more vindictive and personal rather than a true sharing of viewpoints and ideas. Bottom line is that it's not being used in to the original framework and the small group who continue to utilize it are continually offended and reporting each other.

I figure I've been reported a number of times. It's been a long, long time since I reported anyone. I don't see a whole lot of value in that forum, or any forum on the internet that leans to the political, beyond the brief satisfaction individuals get from venting about on topic or another, or the positive reinforcement they get of previously held beliefs. Thinking is not influenced, minds are not changed, Liberal and Conservative never come to any consensus. It's just more fun to thump one's chest or to poke someone else in the eye with a sharp stick (guilty as charged).

This side, on the other hand, is full of great information, humor, news, history, pictures, and yeah: tips and deals. It's a valuable resource and I'm grateful for it.