No Restrictions - Period !

The current ` rash ` of kneejerk reactions to the none issue of troll threads is getting rather silly

the latest " proposal " is a 3 month probation - 3 MONTHS ????????????????????

bottom line - it doesnt matter what you do - the trolls / spammers / hoaxers WILL beat the restriction

just look at all the people who derail thier own intro thread to spew forth thier " ideas "

the way forward is less restriction - not more , make the board open - and let the mods deal with hoaxers / spammers / idiots on a case by case basis - and help the staff do it - by using post alert or PMing your favourite mod

attempting to pre-screen , has only one real effect - and thats to make the genuine signups feel like they are beeing treated like children .

also and lastly - any restriction effectivly neuters anny one with on the spot , breaking news

by the time they have jumped through the hoops - thier ` breaking news ` is history

so - remove all restrictions - its the only way that works



[Mod Edit - converted all caps to lower case in title]

It would be under control if members would ignore the "trolls" and "troll threads".

Do Not reply to them. Alert them and let staff handle.

Eventually they'll get tired of trying and go away.

The best think on ATS, in my opinion, before becoming a Mod, is the high quality membership. BS doesn't fly here, and the members flame it routinely. The Mods do a great job as well, but they work best with the support of the members. Use the alert function, use the PM as elevatedone suggested, but most imporantly, use your head and "deny ignorance."

The Government We Deserve

I don't think ATS has a shortage of rules, nor do I think it's too easy to register and post. If it wasn't easy, I wouldn't have registered, myself.

In terms of content, ATS is highly member-driven. What most people actually want may not be what we want them to want, but so it goes in any society. We all vote with stars and flags if we want to, but most importantly, we vote with our feet.

Threads that get lots of attention and responses tend to float to the top of a forum, and threads that don't tend to sink. It's frustrating when a really lousy thread (e.g., topic: "wut r u hai? lol") gets spammed with stars, flags and replies while well-researched and insightful threads often die a quiet death, but we as members make that call, and what results is what we see now.

ATSers will, no matter what sorts of restrictions people may try to put on us, make up our own minds and decide for ourselves what to discuss, and what to believe.

Everyone is welcome to join and welcome to stay as long as they respect the forums and follow the rules. No matter how well-intentioned any effort at prior restraint may be, it will always be inferior to what we have now.

It ain't always pretty, but it works.




And, to add to the mod-pile in this thread...

Trolling, And What To Do About It

Troll-taming is just one of the services we offer.

reply to post by ignorant_ape


I have to agree with you . . . else you are forced to open multiple accounts via unique IP's. Another sad item relating to this is the fact that you are not allowed to discuss deleted threads. I believe, we (ATS community) should be allowed an explanation of why a thread was deleted. I am not saying that we should necessarily be able to discuss the reason behind the deletion as a democratic sub-populace, but at least be given a reason why a thread that we see added via RSS was, suddenly and without reason, made unavailable to our piddly little consciousnesses. Just a thought, an idea, just my two-cents.

Taking Out The Trash

Originally posted by nonnez
I believe, we (ATS community) should be allowed an explanation of why a thread was deleted. I am not saying that we should necessarily be able to discuss the reason behind the deletion as a democratic sub-populace, but at least be given a reason why a thread that we see added via RSS was, suddenly and without reason, made unavailable to our piddly little consciousnesses.

Yeah, I would like that too. It's understandable that people are going to wonder when something -- especially something that looks controversial -- disappears from the forums without warning or explanation.

Naturally, theories will arise which assume the worst: any duplicate or spam thread we trash becomes "ATS suppresses the truth!" or some other evil deed on our part.

Of course Bill would have to script it, and it's always easier for me to want something than to get it, but I do agree that having a page which pops up for trashed threads which would display an explanation mods can fill in would be a nice thing to have.

In general, the less guessing members have to do, the better.

reply to post by Majic


Hehe, but then again . . . this does add an atmosphere of mystery . . . does it not? I do, however, really feel strongly about a mechanism for Mods to post a reference for a deleted thread, even if it is a brief explanation or canned response. At least we would have something other than the explanation we have thus far: "It is against terms of service to discuss a deleted thread" which would be perfect if this community was in Egypt, Sudan, or China.

reply to post by nonnez


This can create a sticky wicket situation, IMO. Sometimes members will ask staff to delete threads... Maybe they became emotional and over-shared, or posted drunk and then sobered... Among a plethora of fairly innocent scenarios.

If I made a mistake, and either requested for it to be corrected, or if it were corrected as part of my "ATS learning curve" I wouldn't want the community to see me with my proverbial pants down. People make mistakes and discussing them, in public, seems a bit disrespectful to me.

~Heff

Originally posted by ignorant_ape


the latest " proposal " is a 3 month probation - 3 MONTHS ????????????????????

I actually just responded to that thread... I agree with what GreenEyedLeo said in that thread along with what Elevatedone has said in this thread.

If you see a violation of the T&C. Report it. Don't reply to them and egg them on or encourage them... In other words, don't feed the trolls. All they want is attention, and if you give them that, good bad or otherwise, they will keep on coming.

The staff cannot do it alone. There are only 60 some odd mods ( give or take) and there are over 200,000 regular members....They can't catch it all... So report any rule violations and then ignore those troll threads and posts and it will be taken care of.

Originally posted by Hefficide
reply to post by nonnez

 

This can create a sticky wicket situation, IMO. Sometimes members will ask staff to delete threads... Maybe they became emotional and over-shared, or posted drunk and then sobered...
~Heff

Oh, you clever moderator you, I have little to say at this moment. You did touch home so very well. I am guilty of that, as i am sure you know. You have forced me to reconsider every word I have said so far within this conversation . . . naughty!

Agreed... The only thing that restrictions do is prevent open and honest dialogue ... And as has been said by many before here - dont feed the trolls ( always reminds me of the signs at zoos not to feed the animals.. Oops minor sidetrack apologies.. )

Majic:

it's always easier for me to want something than to get it, but I do agree that having a page which pops up for trashed threads which would display an explanation mods can fill in would be a nice thing to have. In general, the less guessing members have to do, the better.

Nice. I also want to be able to STAR board business suggestions, so I don't have to stop and write to say:

STAR.