Halforums Rampant Negativity
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W
Wasabi Poptart
I disagree that it should escalate like that. Perhaps instead people should be banned for a limmited time based on the severity of what happened.
For example, if I get into a heated debate and it's starting to get out of control on my end, that would really only be worth an hour or so ban as that's an alright time to let someone cool their jets. If someone specifically asked that I not joke about their situation, but I continued to do so anyway that would be more like a 24-48 hour ban. If I just come strait out and use some kind of slur that would be more like a month.
I disagree that it should escalate like that. Perhaps instead people should be banned for a limmited time based on the severity of what happened.
For example, if I get into a heated debate and it's starting to get out of control on my end, that would really only be worth an hour or so ban as that's an alright time to let someone cool their jets. If someone specifically asked that I not joke about their situation, but I continued to do so anyway that would be more like a 24-48 hour ban. If I just come strait out and use some kind of slur that would be more like a month.[/QUOTE]
Basically you are asking for the same thing. If you do something out of line you get a warning. Everyone can agree on that.
You go further, you get a 1 hour ban.
You push on and shit gets real.
I disagree that it should escalate like that. Perhaps instead people should be banned for a limmited time based on the severity of what happened.
For example, if I get into a heated debate and it's starting to get out of control on my end, that would really only be worth an hour or so ban as that's an alright time to let someone cool their jets. If someone specifically asked that I not joke about their situation, but I continued to do so anyway that would be more like a 24-48 hour ban. If I just come strait out and use some kind of slur that would be more like a month.[/quote]
Basically you are asking for the same thing. If you do something out of line you get a warning. Everyone can agree on that.
You go further, you get a 1 hour ban.
You push on and shit gets real.[/QUOTE]
I think he's also advocating infraction levels. A real life equivalent would be people who steal a pair of underwear don't go to jail as long as the guy who steal a car.
I disagree that it should escalate like that. Perhaps instead people should be banned for a limmited time based on the severity of what happened.
For example, if I get into a heated debate and it's starting to get out of control on my end, that would really only be worth an hour or so ban as that's an alright time to let someone cool their jets. If someone specifically asked that I not joke about their situation, but I continued to do so anyway that would be more like a 24-48 hour ban. If I just come strait out and use some kind of slur that would be more like a month.[/QUOTE]
Basically you are asking for the same thing. If you do something out of line you get a warning. Everyone can agree on that.
You go further, you get a 1 hour ban.
You push on and shit gets real.[/QUOTE]
not exactly. Basically what I mean is each instance should be looked at individually. Sure, if you got your one hour ban and came back for more that would mean upping the punishment. But what I'm talking about is if for some reason Cajungal, who surprises me whenever she drops an F bomb, just suddenly called someone a racial slur then that would require more than just the next level of punishment. Similarly, I don't think if someone already has a one day ban, should automatically go to a month ban for accidentally going too far with a joke.
infractions should be dealt with on a case by case basis to determine punishment.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Personally, I've been tempted to yell "Sit down and shut up!" to one or two folks here... But I've tried to keep things light with humour.
But if people so wish... Hammer of Justice it is.
Luckily we have some new folks here, and I sincerely hope that those who make me want to yell at them know who they are.
The gloves're comin' off.
The pants already are.
But if people so wish... Hammer of Justice it is.
Luckily we have some new folks here, and I sincerely hope that those who make me want to yell at them know who they are.
The gloves're comin' off.
The pants already are.
I meant the naming of names, or linking to posts etc by the people that think there's a problem.
A thought about the flame war section: If the New Posts function defeats the purpose of having a separate subforum for that stuff, is there a way to make Flame Wars (and NSFW, for that matter) invisible to the New Posts function.
That makes more sense for me anyways. If the point of making it a separate sub-forum was to make it so that you had to go LOOKING for it in order to find it, then it shouldn't show up in the New Posts anyways.
That makes more sense for me anyways. If the point of making it a separate sub-forum was to make it so that you had to go LOOKING for it in order to find it, then it shouldn't show up in the New Posts anyways.
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LordRavage
Sigh...we keep going back to the ban hammer.
I have to agree with North Ranger.....Humor is a much better weapon. Someone starts flaming..I rather throw water on them then blasting them into space. But its easier said then done. I talk to my employees to death and some of them never get it. I have had to let some go in the past because they simply didnt get that coming in late and screaming at people will get you fired.
*Shrugs*
I have to agree with North Ranger.....Humor is a much better weapon. Someone starts flaming..I rather throw water on them then blasting them into space. But its easier said then done. I talk to my employees to death and some of them never get it. I have had to let some go in the past because they simply didnt get that coming in late and screaming at people will get you fired.
*Shrugs*
K
Kitty Sinatra
You can still name names and link to posts if you think that'll do anything. Just not here.
Says the guy who named names. Here.
S
Soliloquy
Maybe I just haven't been around enough recently, but I've always felt that there's been a consistent level of underlying negativity ever since the Halfpixel days.
If we want to change that, then yes, the mods need to do something. Nothing changes on its own.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
If we want to change that, then yes, the mods need to do something. Nothing changes on its own.
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 AM ----------
The trouble is, then it becomes subjective, and just another version of mods saying "Because I said so."
T
Twitch
PM's work on this forum right? I'll feel pretty stupid if I sent my thoughts and it doesn't work. (I mention this because they don't show up in my sent folder)
ElJuski
Staff member
This all seems pretty sensationalist.
hwell:
hwell:Oh woopsThis all seems pretty sensationalist...
K
Kitty Sinatra
You have to select the option to save the sent message. I keep forgetting.
Also:
Okay, I got two things. The first one's a joke.Dave said:
1) So I'm now just 4 infractions away from a permaban? Gruebeard. Hollow. Alt. . . . Damn those are the only one's I can remember. But that's 3 of my names I've named. Gets me up to 1 Month. I may just have to make another alt and name him too (and he'll be named "Too"). Well, I'm down with any excuse to make an alt.
2) What you need is a judge. Not that Sherriff thing y'all tried (hey, there we go, enough names for a permaban! But I didn't get to make an alt ). what I mean is, when the moderators have an issue with someone, they send the info to this judge who decides what to do, not based on rules or anything like that. Rather, he makes the decision based on what he thinks this place should be. That judge would have to be you.
I lurk far more than I post, and I only hit the threads that I'm interested in, so I really don't see much of a problem.
Yeah, there have definitely been a few instances, but I've never seen an active forum with a sense of community beyond heaping praise on an individual webcomic that didn't have a few.
I do think we need to have more temp-bans, but more for folks who bring locked shit to new threads. I thought Zen's approach worked quite well for the most part, and when it didn't, well, that's what temp-banning is for.
We do need a crystal clear batch of rules that more or less everyone can agree with. I don't mean that we should spend a month haggling over line items, but more like a constitution - vague, but with enough principles that everyone can get behind it, and the mods can interpret at will.
I do think the Flame Wars section is kind of feeding the problem, though I'm not really sure.
Yeah, there have definitely been a few instances, but I've never seen an active forum with a sense of community beyond heaping praise on an individual webcomic that didn't have a few.
I do think we need to have more temp-bans, but more for folks who bring locked shit to new threads. I thought Zen's approach worked quite well for the most part, and when it didn't, well, that's what temp-banning is for.
We do need a crystal clear batch of rules that more or less everyone can agree with. I don't mean that we should spend a month haggling over line items, but more like a constitution - vague, but with enough principles that everyone can get behind it, and the mods can interpret at will.
I do think the Flame Wars section is kind of feeding the problem, though I'm not really sure.
We might want to stick up a warning for the politics subforum.
Honestly, though, for a politics subforum, it's pretty darn tame compared to some that I've seen.
While tempers may run high, I don't think it really gets personal. There were a couple times when I think it did get out of hand, but the impression I got was that the mods dealt with it.
M
Mutiny
Hi there.
I rarely post, but I do read the forums on a regular basis. I'm also leading the Halforum House of Pain fantasy football league as I write this, so my opinion counts quadruple. Don't deny that, as you know it's true.
Simply put, I'm a fan of as little moderation as possible. However, this also requires that people aren't asshats to each other. Yeah, I know. That's a really tall order, right?
Therefore, I propose the following:
Stop being assholes to each other and get along. I mean, really. I don't care who started it, roll with the previous punches and just be civil.
Yes, I know. Another tall order.
I rarely post, but I do read the forums on a regular basis. I'm also leading the Halforum House of Pain fantasy football league as I write this, so my opinion counts quadruple. Don't deny that, as you know it's true.
Simply put, I'm a fan of as little moderation as possible. However, this also requires that people aren't asshats to each other. Yeah, I know. That's a really tall order, right?
Therefore, I propose the following:
Stop being assholes to each other and get along. I mean, really. I don't care who started it, roll with the previous punches and just be civil.
Yes, I know. Another tall order.
I guess I don't see the point of the Flame Wars section. It's being used as an excuse to be a jackass, and from what I can tell, no one needs an excuse around here to do that.
As for the general level of discourse on the forum, most people know who the main offenders are and it's relatively simple to avoid them. That said, I don't believe that the entire forum should tiptoe around those who can't keep their nose clean for whatever reason.
It's a privilege to post here. However, it also is quickly becoming evident that there's no 'common bond' between posters. Whether it's discussing a webcomic or a common hobby, there has to be something that ties the participants to the community, otherwise there's no sense of responsibility TO the community. And without that responsibility, it essentially comes down to "Who can throw the most shit in an attempt to bring everyone else down?" That unfocussed energy, exacerbated by an 'anonymous' online community becomes a double edged sword.
I'd suggest that outside of just recruiting new members that a concerted effort to have a daily thread for something that we'd all read about, or at least something to comment on would probably alleviate this whole 'idle hands are the devils plaything' phenomenon going on.
As for the general level of discourse on the forum, most people know who the main offenders are and it's relatively simple to avoid them. That said, I don't believe that the entire forum should tiptoe around those who can't keep their nose clean for whatever reason.
It's a privilege to post here. However, it also is quickly becoming evident that there's no 'common bond' between posters. Whether it's discussing a webcomic or a common hobby, there has to be something that ties the participants to the community, otherwise there's no sense of responsibility TO the community. And without that responsibility, it essentially comes down to "Who can throw the most shit in an attempt to bring everyone else down?" That unfocussed energy, exacerbated by an 'anonymous' online community becomes a double edged sword.
I'd suggest that outside of just recruiting new members that a concerted effort to have a daily thread for something that we'd all read about, or at least something to comment on would probably alleviate this whole 'idle hands are the devils plaything' phenomenon going on.
I agree with this completely.
Frankly...I hate the "new posts" button. I think it only increases the problem. Seriously...If you want everyone to go that way, why even have subfora anymore? It makes no difference to most if I put a thing in General, Movies, or Flames...People react the same everywhere, becauseo f a combination of lack of moderation, and a lack of distinguishing between the differnet fora.
As far as I'm concerned:
a) Scrap the New Posts button. Yes, it's handy, but it makes all of HFs one big pile
b) Set seperate rules - and, probably best, separate moderators - for the different subfora. General shuld be relatively civil. Movies and Comics should expect strong differing opinions, but nothing too hard. Politics is, as mentioned, pretty tame for its topic; it's probably fine as it is - no slurs, and most other stuff goes. NSFW and Flaming can be where the trolls can go if they really can't keep it in their pants.
A big problem right now is that the community is quite limited (30-odd regular posters), of which quite a few are either straight-out out for trolling, or do enjoy putting on the troll guise from time to time. I certainly don't mind, but some people here are very active, and yet, seem to do rather little except troll. Others are quite active and fun and interesting members, yet sometimes seem to feel the need to go berserk. I, personally, approve of Grue/Hollows take back when he still used both: have one "serious" account, and one for trolling/joking/whatever. Some might find it a bit schizo,but it made it more clear what tone of voice to read things in.
Anyway, I do think somethnig needs to be done. I'm theoretically against heavy moderation (certainly of the "Sheriff" levels), but it seems some people here can't take a hint, and they should be dealt with. The problem is that heavy moderation to drive away any and all trolling would pretty much kill off the forum as it stands now - it's easily half of the activity.
Oh, and I do agree with what someoen said. It works both ways, of course, and I've participated in it, but if I were a comic artist, and I saw what we did with Tom's forum, I wouldn't want to be here either.
As far as I'm concerned:
a) Scrap the New Posts button. Yes, it's handy, but it makes all of HFs one big pile
b) Set seperate rules - and, probably best, separate moderators - for the different subfora. General shuld be relatively civil. Movies and Comics should expect strong differing opinions, but nothing too hard. Politics is, as mentioned, pretty tame for its topic; it's probably fine as it is - no slurs, and most other stuff goes. NSFW and Flaming can be where the trolls can go if they really can't keep it in their pants.
A big problem right now is that the community is quite limited (30-odd regular posters), of which quite a few are either straight-out out for trolling, or do enjoy putting on the troll guise from time to time. I certainly don't mind, but some people here are very active, and yet, seem to do rather little except troll. Others are quite active and fun and interesting members, yet sometimes seem to feel the need to go berserk. I, personally, approve of Grue/Hollows take back when he still used both: have one "serious" account, and one for trolling/joking/whatever. Some might find it a bit schizo,but it made it more clear what tone of voice to read things in.
Anyway, I do think somethnig needs to be done. I'm theoretically against heavy moderation (certainly of the "Sheriff" levels), but it seems some people here can't take a hint, and they should be dealt with. The problem is that heavy moderation to drive away any and all trolling would pretty much kill off the forum as it stands now - it's easily half of the activity.
Oh, and I do agree with what someoen said. It works both ways, of course, and I've participated in it, but if I were a comic artist, and I saw what we did with Tom's forum, I wouldn't want to be here either.
W
wana10
i used to post more and have really stopped because of the tendency for threads to devolve into shit throwing. i now only try to involve myself in the joke fun threads because anything with even the slightest bit of possible/kinda sorta/maybe controversy can and will become a pissing match. maybe things have gotten better since i started backing off, maybe not, i dunno and the sad part for me is i don't really care to find out.
Cajungal
Staff member
I've noticed I've been saying, "Things have been kind of hostile, but it'll blow over like it always does..." more often lately. I feel like we've been grating on one another a bit. Not sure what to do about it. Frankly there are some people that I feel I should have given a warning to in the past, at least. I don't want to go banning people left and right, but there's a difference between speaking freely and taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere.
R
Rubicon
I tend to agree with the vibe lately... granted I'm at work most of each day and gaming at night in my free time but when I do browse the forums.. Its like you have to walk on egg shells cause any thread, even something perfectly innocent like Ross's computer thread may degenerate into god knows what kind of bitchfest between people (note, this thread is fine, theres no drama there just used it as an example of what might happen)..
I think it went downhill when Chaz left (prior to coming back), that seemed to really bring out the inner /b/tard in most people in terms of just pointless flames.
I think it went downhill when Chaz left (prior to coming back), that seemed to really bring out the inner /b/tard in most people in terms of just pointless flames.
If it's ever me, send me a message telling me that my normally fun snack is getting stale. I'll get the idea.
Cajungal
Staff member
I tend not to remember who says what, because I only go through those aggressive forums to moderate, mostly. So I remember a lot of nasty things said without remembering who says them... But like Dave I'm not here to name names anyway. 
I feel partially responsible for not taking more action in some cases--not necessarily anything rash, just saying what I think about what's going on.
I feel partially responsible for not taking more action in some cases--not necessarily anything rash, just saying what I think about what's going on.
I'm just going to leave this here.
We've lost quite a few people, and it sucks. I didn't like some of the people that left, and still think the way they left sucked. People are still ganging up on members of this community and it's really lame.
I have been saying this for quite some time. I am sincerely tired of this stuff.
We've lost quite a few people, and it sucks. I didn't like some of the people that left, and still think the way they left sucked. People are still ganging up on members of this community and it's really lame.
Cajungal
Staff member
^Agreed. It was a nice idea in theory, but people are going out of their way to say things that, I'm convinced, they wouldn't have the guts to say if they knew these people personally. It's just rude and pointless... not that everything here has a point, but I think that area has done more harm than good.
Every so often, it's nice to remember examples of threads that didn't go down the typical flamefest path. Every post that shows up in the "News In Catholicism" thread that DOESN'T send it careening down into a pit of shit makes me happy.
I'm proud of us.
Maybe we should have a 'Bump this thread every time you discover that a controversial thread hasn't become a pissing match/flamefest.'
I'm proud of us.
Maybe we should have a 'Bump this thread every time you discover that a controversial thread hasn't become a pissing match/flamefest.'
L
LordRavage
FTFY.
R
rabbitgod
I agree with this. I belong to only one 'general interest' forum. Halforum. Every other forum I belong to has a common interest. Beer making, dog breed, scooter, etc. In fact I belong to a forum with about 8 regulars. As a result I'm always hesitant to join a forum like this.
But in the end, I'm still pretty new and don't post a lot, so in the end maybe I don't have an opinion.
I have noticed an increase in negativity since I've been there. I recommend a giant hug. Cajun can get us started, she's into hugs.
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