Limiting Threads

[Henry Darkthief]

Why limit the number of threads a person can start?

We now have an Ignore function. If you think someone is starting threads for the purpose of playing a ranking game, just click on their name and add them to your Ignore list. Then you won't see their threads/posts and nobody gets unfairly limited.

Yes, unfairly. Some people do have legitimate issues and topics they want to discuss and some have more than 2 of those in a day.

Yes, there are other threads about this, but they all go on and on about quality postings and rank and "cleaning up the forums" and other crud. I started this one to point out the Ignore function.

[Wilhiam Hydraconis]

Not sure, Henry, but doesn't this Ignore function you mention only apply to PMs and not threads / posts ?

[Janelle Darkstone]

 

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Wilhiam Hydraconis wrote:

doesn't this Ignore function you mention only apply to PMs and not threads / posts ?

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I believe this is correct (and I really, really hope they fix this).

 

[Suspiria Finucane]

 

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Henry Darkthief wrote:

Why limit the number of threads a person can start?

Yes, there are other threads about this, but they all go on and on about quality postings and rank and "cleaning up the forums" and other crud. I started this one to point out the Ignore function.

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Any human can ignore someone or something without the use of a computerized program Whether they choose to or not is the true test of ones character.

 

[Argus Collingwood]

 

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Henry Darkthief wrote:

Why limit the number of threads a person can start?

We now have an Ignore function. If you think someone is starting threads for the purpose of playing a ranking game, just click on their name and add them to your Ignore list. Then you won't see their threads/posts and nobody gets unfairly limited.

Yes, unfairly. Some people do have legitimate issues and topics they want to discuss and some have more than 2 of those in a day.

Yes, there are other threads about this, but they all go on and on about quality postings and rank and "cleaning up the forums" and other crud. I started this one to point out the Ignore function.

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Ignore only works with PM .. Limiting threads started by a new signup might stop the spammers or increase their signups *shrugs*

 

[Persephone Emerald]

Are the forums still getting the spammer from Hell?  I blocked/ ignored him the 1st evening he showed up & haven't seen him since.

I tend to use such devices sparingly, because even someone who is annoying or idiotic most of the time can post something of value occationally. I've only blocked one person on Facebook & one (the spammer) on these forums. A group discussion envolves every member who speaks up & is responded to by other members. Their reactions wouldn't make much sense if I couldn't see the posts they're responding to.

[Griffin Ceawlin]

This is why:

 

 

Time of capture 8:55 SLT

[Patricia Mattercaster]

Please limit threads, the spam is ruining the forum! I love these forums, don't let them be ruined please.

[Persephone Emerald]

@ Griffin

Yes. I see them now. I guess I haven't been on the forums that much lately so I missed the spam posts.

[Ishtara]

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Patricia Mattercaster wrote:

Please limit threads, the spam is ruining the forum! I love these forums, don't let them be ruined please.

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Alternatively, LL could give us the 24/7 moderation that was promised for the forums. At this point, I'd even be glad if they brought back resmods.

[Griffin Ceawlin]

Cleaned up.. for now. From the front page, at least. Bravo, mods. The weekends are the worst..

[Void Singer]

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Ishtara wrote:

Alternatively, LL could give us the 24/7 moderation that was promised for the forums.

At this point, I'd even be glad if they brought back resmods.

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hah, better bite your tongue or else....

ETA:

yes I desperately wish Ignore worked on posts.... surely this software has that very basic feature? don't make me or Cerise have to write another add-on to make it work... seriously I have better things to do. I'm sure Cerise does too.

 

[Cato Badger]

@Void: A quick survey of the Lithium support forums suggests that there is no standard facility available to "ignore" the posts of designated individuals. What is even *more* interesting is that their legal people (and they are in the forum business remember) have categorically stated that if someone leaves the forums and wants to have her posts removed then it is incumbent upon the forum administrators to effect the request. That would mean removing where all or part of posts that have been quoted, which would require even more manual effort.

[Cato Badger]

By the way, has anyone else noticed a little message that comes up saying that you can't post within 3,600 seconds (That's six minutes for the calculationally-challenged) of a previous post. Or is it just me that they are trying to stifle the flow of?

[Prokofy Neva]

Some people are abusing the ability to put up threads and essentially spamming the view, posting numerous specious and vacuous threads just so they can hog the view.

They do this either as a means of essentially advertising their stores, or gaining power over the forums in a manifestation of their "lifestyle".

Not everyone will figure out to put on ignore, nor will they put on ignore before first being spammed for a time.

Attention is a scare resource, and the top view is scarce "real estate" in a forums. It's not about being able to use a filter if you don't want to see a particular person; it's about no one person grabbing the scarce resources in a community in this fashion.

Proof that of these intentions being dishonest is the fact that this kind of thread-mongering didn't occur with the old software because it didn't have a top view in the same fashion.

The real question is why you are carrying water for the people doing this.

There are other ways of dealing with this problem besides limiting everyone, of course. The moderators have the discretion to apply the TOS. And they can apply it with a warning of spamming to specific individuals who do this with threads so they stop feeling impunity in doing this. This shouldn't be a "scaling" problem as most people don't have a burning need to start a dozen threads to get into the view.

[Prokofy Neva]

Any human can chose to exercise self-restraint in the first place. Whether they chose to do so is a manifestation of character or absence of it.

[Cato Badger]

@Prok: It's fairly obvious that you haven't bothered to read enough of these forums to learn that, as has been mentioned umpteen times, the facility to ignore only applies to Private Messages within the forum, and does not remove posts made by those who you have listed as unworthy of your attention.

[Venus Petrov]

@Prokofy:  The other argument that has been put forward against limiting threads is stifling creativity.  Just FYI....

[Henry Darkthief]

As for the Ignore function: When I first saw the spam back, I used the Ignore function. It didn't seem to work. However, a few minutes later I logged out to go deal with something. I returned about a half an hour later and all the spam threads were gone from my display. I haven't seen that L$ scammer spam since.

As for the reasoning that limiting threads is needed to deal with the spam, why should we all suffer a limits and restrictions to our discussions when it is Linden Lab's responsibility to put in proper blocks and filters?

I know one thing that may help. Some forums will hold your posts 24 hours until you fill out a profile. How many spammers will bother with that? It doesn't have to be much and each bit of information can be set to be displayed or not, but it would take a human to check each box.