Thinking of an experment. #3

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by hitech
That could be a posible Outcome jackal1. But rember it is only for a week. And do you think it would change the "NORM"?

HiTech

If you did it for a week, then yes, I beleive that it would change the NORM ... but the next question is ... for how long ?

I think that you would need to do it for longer than a week ... go for it ... it just might work.

[Howitzer]

Originally posted by hitech
And it realy isn't that much work, and it wouldn't be skuzzy doing it, it would be me.

It isn't that much work, because I read almost all threads anyway, locking them is about as much work as hitting the back button.


HiTech

Careful here, these guys will hold you to this =)

It may in fact change the "norm" for a while but I feel that the BBS will probably migrate back to this way after that time passes.  That may stem from the fact that the player base in AH seems to be mostly older (I use this term loosely to mean that you guys are mostly out of high school/college), they have been playing these games, including AH1 for a long time, and are used to them, and when AH2 came out many reacted and are still reacting to the changes poorly.  I think this is due to the fact that many have mastered the way things were done and now have to relearn quite a bit of the game.  This, coupled with stress from everyday life leads some to lash out on the BBS even though many are good people at heart.  Guess what I'm saying is that there will always be gripes, but you have to ask yourself, do you think that your experiment will cut down on the overall gripes, or add to them by giving them something else to gripe about?

--Mike/Howitzer

[DipStick]

For a serious reply to the actual question:

Give it a try HT and see what happens. It's not like it's a life-changing decision or anything. I'd like to see most of the flames & whines go away. I'm just not sure what it'd leave.

[ghostdancer]

Here are my two cents .. not sure if it would change the norm. The people who go over the top tend to go over the top no matter what you do. The problem with the BBS is that only the minority of players participate here.

There are at least roughly 3800 people flying. There is definitely not 3800 posting here. However, there is a small minority who do post here that don’t see themselves, their idea, or rants in the light of the bigger context.

Yes, you might have a legitimate beef but you also have to step back and understand that on many issues, even if you get say 20 people agreeing with you here, that it is only a small drop in the bucket and that HTC has to take a look at the overall picture.

However, there is a small minority of this of posters (of this small minority of players) that think somehow if there snide enough, whine enough, beat a dead horse loud enough that it somehow out weighs all other considerations except for their own personal viewpoint. It is these people who consistently step over the line not just every now and then (somebody has a bad day) who think it might either be there right or is just how they related to the game or online experience.

Locking the general forum might possibly have an effect on the other people to show more self restraint, to post more professionally or respectfully, or to really post debates and discussions of ideas with a lower level of sarcasm, etc. (don’t think you can ever get rid of the negativity .. just tone it down).

But I think that as soon as you unlock the forum that the small minority who just don’t get it will be back very quickly to their old behavior.

So yes, it might have an affect on the majority but not everyone and not some of the people you might see with chronic behavior that you don’t like.

My two cents.

[Dennis]

Sounds pretty subjective to me.

For example, I think just about everything posted on these boards these days falls under one or more of your three categories.  Others might have different definitions of whines, attacks and flames.

But since you'd be the one locking, and it's your board, go ahead. The sniveling, taunting and other crap posted on these boards has just about pushed me away from the game.

The primary downside is that you'll only further irritate those who think you've locked their threads without warrant. I really doubt a one-week campaign will stop the major offenders.

And if you do try it, don't limit it to General Discussion.  The once-civil Combat Theater board is as bad or worse these days.

Splash1

[hitech]

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts

It boils down to weighing the choices of subtly and quietly nudging the whole thing in a better direction vs a more harsh attempt at a solution.

Have tried the nudging for a long time. Problem Im having is every time I nudge it leads more contrivery.

Currently I have been letting the flamers deal with the whiners.

Problem with this is that the flamers also somtimes flame legit questions/comments. So I have 2 identical post one I view should be delt with, 1 not.

For instance in Twitchy's latest, Is this aceptible where he complaines about be called a moron. Well read that thread, and it Was twitchy who started the name calling, and posted somthing just to be spitefull.

So in my view he was just asking to be flamed.

BTW, Not picking on Twitchy, just using it because it is the current example that comes to my mind.


My guess is that the first day almost all threads will end up locked.

Because almost every thread will end up locked, the offender is not fealing singled out.

After a few days,I belive things could settle out and be a lot more fun.


HiTech

[Jackal1]

Gettin involved in a flame war or pissing match is a tad too easy. I am as guilty , if not more, than most. Usualy it doesn`t start out that way or is not the original intention. You beleive you are making a valid point. someone disagrees and before you know it the "chipping" back and forth starts, then it`s all down hill from there.

And old joke that I think relates.....
............................. ............................. ........

 Some guys at work entered a break room for their 1st break of the day. In came one of their coworkers who was cut, bruised and battered with 2 black eyes.
  One guys asks him what happened.
 He says" Well I had to go to the doctor`s office yesterday and the first thing he did was to tell me to pee in a bottle. I told him to go fart in a jug and from there one thing led to another.
............................. ............................. ....
 All in how we take some things I beleive.

[Dead Man Flying]

I'd rather have the account in violation banned for a week.  This way HTC remains in control rather than the miscreants attempting to disrupt otherwise perfectly fine threads.

-- Todd/Leviathn

[hitech]

Dead Man:

I can think of 2 problems with that.
1. Admistatively It takes much more time to ban some one then simply lock the thread.

2. Banning would be viewed as being singled out and a punishment wather than an attempt to change things.


But if some one was obviously making post just to get stuff closed, we still have the banning option available.


HiTech

[Furious]

I think we can all agree that mrblack wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack, but he had zero problem getting around the bannings.


...a side note since we have HT's attention.  It would be nice and maybe help with some of the frustration if the HTC crew were to be seen in the arenas more.  Not in blue text, but in jugs or really slow planes.

[Adogg]

Lets give it a spin HT. If nothing else no one could complain that you weren't trying to rectify a situation.

Who should I slag first to get locked?

[Estes]

This just in!!

Arlo is STILL a poopy head.. He is posting nothing constructive to this thread.

[DipStick]

Originally posted by Dead Man Flying
I'd rather have the account in violation banned for a week.  This way HTC remains in control rather than the miscreants attempting to disrupt otherwise perfectly fine threads.

-- Todd/Leviathn

I was thinking the same thing earlier. The banning seems to work well. As HT said many posts have some good suggestions/valid points that are worth reading. Just ban the offenders for a week and maybe delete their post and it would work well.

Then use the 3 strikes and you're out thing. Say something like get banned 3 times in 3 months and you're permanently banned.

Really, I think this should only pertain to flames/personal attacks myself but that's up to you. While the whines and such are annoying sometimes folks get frustrated ingame and come here to vent. I'd rather see a whine here than on 200 or worse range vox!

[Roscoroo]

I wonder what Einstien would do ...

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Originally posted by hitech
Have tried the nudging for a long time. Problem Im having is every time I nudge it leads more contrivery.

Currently I have been letting the flamers deal with the whiners.

Problem with this is that the flamers also somtimes flame legit questions/comments. So I have 2 identical post one I view should be delt with, 1 not.

For instance in Twitchy's latest, Is this aceptible where he complaines about be called a moron. Well read that thread, and it Was twitchy who started the name calling, and posted somthing just to be spitefull.

So in my view he was just asking to be flamed.

BTW, Not picking on Twitchy, just using it because it is the current example that comes to my mind.


My guess is that the first day almost all threads will end up locked.

Because almost every thread will end up locked, the offender is not fealing singled out.

After a few days,I belive things could settle out and be a lot more fun.


HiTech

Question: Did you mean contrivery or controversy?

Regarding the Twitchy threads: The stated policy on posting about cheating is plain and well known, although perhaps it should be prominently displayed somewhere. Anyone who has been here knows about it. This goes back to the benevolent dictatorship thing. Threads like that should be locked, and ONE warning issued. Post about it again and get locked out. Period. Make it plain for everyone. And I'm not picking on him either.

Letting flamers deal with whines does have the upside of having the community deal with it. However, some of the flamers just flame for the sake of the flame, not for the sake of the discussion. And they look for ANY reason to flame ANYONE. I see your problem.

I see where you're heading, and I understand why. I just don't think it will bring about a permanent change. And I do think it will bring about other serious problems.


I'm just looking at this from the perspective of hoping the cure isn't worse than the disease. As an example, I wouldn't take an allergy medicine with the possible side effects of nosebleeds, headaches, nausea, diarhea, and sexual side effects. I'll just sneeze and blow my nose.