Mods: an appeal

[heavycola]

I'm assuming at least some degree of consensus among some of the posters here, so please forgive the arrogance if i'm way off. It would be interesting to hear any other views about how the community here feels this place (this forum specifically) should be modded...

Dear moderators:

Look-
1) We all come here to entertain ourselves, whether by playing non-hasbro-affiliated hexagon assault games, or by posting drivel, or by arguing endlessly about world events or pointless trivia. That's what this forum (NYB, NYR, whatever) is about.
It's understandable that you got all shitty when we had our cheeky OT laffs in the geekpit, and when we weren't really serious about congratulating each other or anything, but here can you just let us get on with it? please?
For example: If a thread in here goes off-topic, who cares? The ONLY people who ever complain or act on it are the mods. This suggests that the actual community doesn't mind, and in fact (in my case anyway) gets a kick out of the free-association fun that can ensue. If we don't mind, why do you care? Why can't you let us get on with our off-topic-topics?

Which leads to:

2) Spam is either luncheon meat or unwanted email of a commercial nature. It is not a blanket term for posts that don't fall within whatever narrow, lock-happy strictures y'all have decided matter here in some way. They don't. Not to most of us. If people want to have a convo about dice probabilities, they have GD. If they want to flame, they have FW. Posters in those forums prolly have every right to be annoyed if their threads are derailed or trolled - but NYB is entirely non-specific in its scope for subject matter and conversation. If posters want to post an amusing thread, or parody an exisiting thread, or take a thread somehwre interesting for no other reason than to amuse themselves and other posters in here, why not let them?

3) trolling - fair enough, guilty your honour, but FFS a lot of us come in here to argue, and i think here, as in general, a lighter touch would make many people a lot happier.

Look - my point is basically this:
Cui bono? Who benefits from these locks and thread mergers and warnings for straying off-topic? If people in here are complaining about these things then tell us and we can sort it out. But if not, it's just strangling this place bit by bit.

Would there be any harm in trying some lighter-touch moderation and seeing whether that worked?
or, first, how about listening to what the community has to say about how it is policed?

I never really thought I gave a shit but apparently i do. And like I said, if i've overstepped the mark or anything, then post about it. This is my peace, would be v interested to hear what others have to say.

[Anarkistsdream]

I agree with HC.

[Sentinel XIV]

Spot on, ol' chap!

[Sentinel XIV]

How about we all sign this, petition-style. Maybe, for once, the moderation around here will listen to the voice of the people!

[pimpdave]

[clapper011]

I beg to differ! I look nothing like that man!

[got tonkaed]

+ 1

[cena-rules]

signed

[mandyb]

I agree with heavy. We did have a 'serious business' thread over at NOTA in which people could discuss the more...well, serious topics without the interuptions, but the chat forum was definitely the busier of the two.

It's like if you go to the pub with your mates - your conversation flows from serious to lighthearted to funny to downright daft and back again. That's the way normal chit-chat works.
And if the people are happy with it like this then why not give them it?

[b.k. barunt]

Excellent summation of our combined feelings HC. This thread has the Honibaz seal of approval.


Honibaz

[pimpdave]

And just to be completely serious for a moment, I also completely agree with everything in the OP.

[Neoteny]

Fo Sho.

[muy_thaiguy]

Agreed.

[comic boy]

Comic says yes

[jonesthecurl]

Curl says "Yes".

Most specifically, if something is funny, it's not spam.
Locking should be reserved for : those who get their water all heated, and should move over to FW;
Racism and certain other -isms (though don't come down too heavy even here).

And finally: most (not all) locked threads are threads I wanted to continue reading at least. Most "you're locked " messages are not something I want to read.

WHAT DO WE WANT?

LESS LOCKS!

WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

[Frigidus]

Even if one or two people disagreed I might reconsider, but I think the consensus is almost universal. Maybe I'm wrong there. Any objections to the OP?

[strike wolf]

I thought this was gonna be an appeal on his multi statis but I guess I was wrong. As for the argument, I more or less agree. There are a few arguments here that even earlier today I would have disagreed on though congratz you have won me over.

[InkL0sed]

InkL0sed stamps this thread with his approval.

[Frigidus]

To put this in perspective, here's the communities opinion so far:

Those Who Agree: 15
heavycola
Anarkistsdream
Sentinel XIV
got tonkaed
cena-rules
mandyb
b.k. barunt
pimpdave
Neoteny
muy_thaiguy
comic boy
jonesthecurl
Frigidus
strike wolf
Inkl0sed

Those Who Disagree: 0



While the Heavy Dancer crowd has certainly showed up, there are plenty of other forum regulars who've signed on as well.

[TheProwler]

Even if one or two people disagreed I might reconsider, but I think the consensus is almost universal. Maybe I'm wrong there. Any objections to the OP?

There has to be order.

The best threads are the ones that have a very narrow scope and go on and on and on for pages while people make the same arguments and give the same examples. Now that is great reading.

And jokes have no place here.

[sam_levi_11]

right on, i agree

[nagerous]

Why not? Sign me up.

[Frigidus]

An update, since I'm taking it upon myself to tally votes.

Those Who Agree: 17
heavycola
Anarkistsdream
Sentinel XIV
got tonkaed
cena-rules
mandyb
b.k. barunt
pimpdave
Neoteny
muy_thaiguy
comic boy
jonesthecurl
Frigidus
strike wolf
Inkl0sed
sam_levi_11
nagerous

Those Who Disagree: 1
TheProwler

The best threads are the ones that have a very narrow scope and go on and on and on for pages while people make the same arguments and give the same examples. Now that is great reading.

I can't agree more, despite my spammy nature. I love the 300 page long threads debating the existence of God, the theory of evolution, 9/11, etc. It get the brain moving. If I were to go to a random forum those are the first threads I'd go to (they were the first ones I went to here, in fact). But does that mean that less serious threads have no place? Personally, I'd disagree. But almost as soon as I posted the "one or two" line I knew it would bite me in the ass. Point taken.

[DAZMCFC]

Curl says "Yes".

Most specifically, if something is funny, it's not spam.
Locking should be reserved for : those who get their water all heated, and should move over to FW;
Racism and certain other -isms (though don't come down too heavy even here).

And finally: most (not all) locked threads are threads I wanted to continue reading at least. Most "you're locked " messages are not something I want to read.

WHAT DO WE WANT?

LESS LOCKS!

WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

NOW or sometime in the near future would be OK.

signed.

[sam_levi_11]

this is twill's new plaything