This applies, in general, to any low-content threads. What's a low-content thread? Well, here's an example of one!
RandomUser123: Hey Guys what do you think about Ron Paul? I really think he's great.
Here's another one:
RandomUser123: Do you think the Fed has to go? I do. It's bad. Check out my unreasonably long, one-sided youtube video on the subject [that doesn't explain anything beyond the most shallow level].
Or here:
RandomUser123: Are we turning into a police state? I think so, especially because of recent current events.
Please note: these aren't bad starts to threads. However, let me simplify this, and maybe then everyone will see the problem. Here's the most basic form:
<Question about controversial opinion>? [Personal conviction with essentially no backing or argumentation]
That's not okay. That's essentially saying, "all right, here's a thread. You guys do all the work of informing yourselves and thinking about it". That is not how you make a thread. Why not, you ask? Well, when a thread like this shows up, one of three things will most likely happen in the mind of the person reading it: 1. They will already know and understand the topic, and as such have their minds made up, and be uninterested in the discussion 2. They will not know and understand the topic, and the OP will offer no insight into it, making it essentially useless. 3. They will see that the topic is a one-line OP, report as low content, and move on to the next thread.
How would you do it right? Here's an example of how to make such topics reasonably interesting:
RandomUser123: Hey Guys what do you think about Ron Paul? I support his policies, primarily X, Y, and Z. I feel that critiques A, B, and C leveled against him are invalid for reasons 1, 2, and 3. Here's a list of his policies: [link], and here's some more information: [information]
Granted, it's still a crappy topic (mostly because we've seen it a hundred times before), but it's no longer a crappy topic due to low content.
RandomUser123: Do you think the Federal Reserve has to go? I do. It has lead to the corruption of our monetary system and major inflation, along with <more reasons here>. I feel that while there are certain positive qualities speaking in its defense, most notably <qualities>, I find these irrelevant/outweighed by the negative.
See the difference: once again, it's not just throwing a controversial question out with a biased opinion (which has no apparent backing), it's actually informing the readers. It's saying "here's a bunch of good information, here's what I'm using to inform my opinion, what do you think about it?" That leaves a LOT of room for discussion, and no room for "TS;DR". That's the guide. Any questions?
Just for kicks, let's do the last one as well.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
evilneko: I knew who this thread was about before even clicking on it.
Yes, yes... we all knew who this thread was about.
One more thing to add: if you're talking about something relatively complex, like, say, a piece of legislation, please put a brief explanation of what the hell you're talking about instead of just posting a link and saying "This shit is bad dude. What do you think?"
I'm not entirely sure whether I'm reading the subtext of this thread right or not so I'm just going to say what's on my mind: the great Danyal has finally been floored, and in a lolicon thread no less, who would have thought it?
I'm a little sad he didn't go down fighting in one of his classic bestiality threads, perhaps finally confessing his undying love for his pet horse in his last few breathes. Oh well, can't have everything in life.
JoJo: I'm not entirely sure whether I'm reading the subtext of this thread right or not so I'm just going to say what's on my mind: the great Danyal has finally been floored, and in a lolicon thread no less, who would have thought it?
Wait, seriously?
O.o
...
*double-checks*
Wow.
Um... He will be missed? Maybe?
But no, this is more of a general thread (read: it's about someone else).
I'm a little sad he didn't go down fighting in one of his classic bestiality threads, perhaps finally confessing his undying love for his pet horse in his last few breathes. Oh well, can't have everything in life.
Oh my god I almost just fell out of my chair.
evilneko: I knew who this thread was about before even clicking on it.
I'm not too pleased with the odds of him, you know, actually reading it, but... Well, maybe some other new poster will?
Actually, I thought this would be about Danyal...oh well, at least I can finally make that thread that touches on beastiality without it getting derailed.
Not wanting to defend the threads you are attacking, though, but at least the title reflected the content. Very often that isn't the case, and I find that infuriating.
JoJo: I'm not entirely sure whether I'm reading the subtext of this thread right or not so I'm just going to say what's on my mind: the great Danyal has finally been floored, and in a lolicon thread no less, who would have thought it?
I'm a little sad he didn't go down fighting in one of his classic bestiality threads, perhaps finally confessing his undying love for his pet horse in his last few breathes. Oh well, can't have everything in life.
Hehe. While I avoided many of his threads, it was always entertaining to see what he came up with next. I'm gonna miss that crazy kid.
Also, the sad thing is that IIRC at least in the US... cartoon depictions of such is legal.
JoJo: I'm not entirely sure whether I'm reading the subtext of this thread right or not so I'm just going to say what's on my mind: the great Danyal has finally been floored, and in a lolicon thread no less, who would have thought it?
I'm a little sad he didn't go down fighting in one of his classic bestiality threads, perhaps finally confessing his undying love for his pet horse in his last few breathes. Oh well, can't have everything in life.
*sigh* I warned him, after seeing another one on pedophilia closed in the off topic forum a day or two before I just knew that his thread would get closed and that he would likely get banned for it given his history of controversial topics.
Mortai Gravesend: *sigh* I warned him, after seeing another one on pedophilia closed in the off topic forum a day or two before I just knew that his thread would get closed and that he would likely get banned for it given his history of controversial topics.
Isn't that still a topic that almost agressively isn't touched on the Escapist?
While I do admit the plague of low content posts has been kind of harsh lately, my respect for you has dropped to quite blatantly attacked another forum member, no matter how dumb his arguments are. I reported and I am out.
Mortai Gravesend: *sigh* I warned him, after seeing another one on pedophilia closed in the off topic forum a day or two before I just knew that his thread would get closed and that he would likely get banned for it given his history of controversial topics.
Isn't that still a topic that almost agressively isn't touched on the Escapist?
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Mortai Gravesend: *sigh* I warned him, after seeing another one on pedophilia closed in the off topic forum a day or two before I just knew that his thread would get closed and that he would likely get banned for it given his history of controversial topics.
Isn't that still a topic that almost agressively isn't touched on the Escapist?
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Well, there was a mass of similar threads in the months leading up to when I left for a while, including even a debate as to whether or not the discussion should even take place, so I can understand the aggressiveness in which said topics are handled.
Isn't that still a topic that almost agressively isn't touched on the Escapist?
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Well, there was a mass of similar threads in the months leading up to when I left for a while, including even a debate as to whether or not the discussion should even take place, so I can understand the aggressiveness in which said topics are handled.
He will be missed simply for the lulz of his strange and bad arguments. First powder then bymidew now Danyal. Man, we are losing all our radicals.
Isn't that still a topic that almost agressively isn't touched on the Escapist?
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Well, there was a mass of similar threads in the months leading up to when I left for a while, including even a debate as to whether or not the discussion should even take place, so I can understand the aggressiveness in which said topics are handled.
Not sure when you left, but I think it got particularly bad last May in the new forum rules thread.
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Well, there was a mass of similar threads in the months leading up to when I left for a while, including even a debate as to whether or not the discussion should even take place, so I can understand the aggressiveness in which said topics are handled.
Not sure when you left, but I think it got particularly bad last May in the new forum rules thread.
Yeah, there was a huge like 10+ pages thread in off-topic where people criticized the decision to ban any discussion about this particular topic. Not sure when that was, though.
Yup, they seem quick to come down on it once they see it. So I wasn't surprised in the end.
Well, there was a mass of similar threads in the months leading up to when I left for a while, including even a debate as to whether or not the discussion should even take place, so I can understand the aggressiveness in which said topics are handled.
He will be missed simply for the lulz of his strange and bad arguments. First powder then bymidew now Danyal. Man, we are losing all our radicals.
Hey Byrmidew is still around - only under his(her?) old username arbane....
I don't know what anyone else (or the mods) thinks about this, but could this be turned into a 'stickied' R&P-specific guide? If you felt like doing a bit of legwork, and taking out the angry references to that particular person, it could be somewhat useful to new posters. I had the idea from this forum guide in the Off-Topic section:
recruit00: While I do admit the plague of low content posts has been kind of harsh lately, my respect for you has dropped to quite blatantly attacked another forum member, no matter how dumb his arguments are. I reported and I am out.
While I wouldn't go so far as to report this thread, I kind of agree with this guy. All this is is an incredibly thinly veiled attack on a member of these forums, who's purpose could be better achieved by a simple PM that would keep the issue out of the way of everyone else, and have a better chance of attracting his attention.
I don't know what anyone else (or the mods) thinks about this, but could this be turned into a 'stickied' R&P-specific guide? If you felt like doing a bit of legwork, and taking out the angry references to that particular person, it could be somewhat useful to new posters. I had the idea from this forum guide in the Off-Topic section:
Again, I don't know if anyone else would like it, but I think it could be useful!
I don't think this thread fills any specific need. It's made specifically to bitch at Mr. Tarlow, and I only got a kick out of it because I'm also not a moderator. This doesn't have much of a discussion value, and to make it a useful guide, it would require multiple times more effort.
Captcha: fuck pretentious reliant energy and SOLVEmedia for its needlessly elaborate captchas.
I'll miss you Danyal I never got a chance to say it, but I always enjoyed reading your threads. You were wildly flamboyant and probably had secret desires for livestock, but none the less you will be sorely missed. This place will hold an absence of color without you. At least you went down being controversial rather than rude. Goodnight sweet prince and god speed.
Bohemian Waltz: Since everybody else is doing it in this thread.
I'll miss you Danyal I never got a chance to say it, but I always enjoyed reading your threads. You were wildly flamboyant and probably had a secret desires for livestock, but none the less you will be sorely missed. This place will hold an absence of color without you. At least you went down being controversial rather than rude. Goodnight sweet prince and god speed.
Taking a thread calling out a specific user and probably breaking the rules and repurposing it as a "Goodbye Danyal" thread. Sounds like a good idea.
Well that's the end of an era with Danyal gone. Although his posts were very definitely flamebait they had some interesting discussion, and they were relatively regular (although many view this as a downside).
I think that maybe we should be encouraging more people to make threads. I've subjectively noticed that the rate of this forum is slowing down, and maybe encouraging people who haven't generally been on forums before (the escapist seems to attract a lot of us) would increase the content. Maybe a stickied guide or something, to complement moderation faq?
Mortai Gravesend: Taking a thread calling out a specific user and probably breaking the rules and repurposing it as a "Goodbye Danyal" thread. Sounds like a good idea.
Sounds like a positive thread hijacking.
I tinkered around with the idea of bringing back the Harlan Ellison avatar for a day or two as a tribute, but then I remembered the escapists against the machine fell a bit short of advocating against the repression of discussion of lolicon/paedophilia.
He could always ban evade like everyone else does, but I image it would be even more obvious than others in part because the first bestiality thread that pops up will be sure fire give away.
Mortai Gravesend: Taking a thread calling out a specific user and probably breaking the rules and repurposing it as a "Goodbye Danyal" thread. Sounds like a good idea.
Sounds like a positive thread hijacking.
I tinkered around with the idea of bringing back the Harlan Ellison avatar for a day or two as a tribute, but then I remembered the escapists against the machine fell a bit short of advocating against the repression of discussion of lolicon/paedophilia.
He could always ban evade like everyone else does, but I image it would be even more obvious than others in part because the first bestiality thread that pops up will be sure fire give away.
If he ban jumps he would stand out like a sore thumb. Part of his charm is his distinctive posting and it'd get him caught in an instant.
recruit00: While I do admit the plague of low content posts has been kind of harsh lately, my respect for you has dropped to quite blatantly attacked another forum member, no matter how dumb his arguments are. I reported and I am out.
Which poster? RandomUser123 is a real person? O.o
Zekksta: For everyone saying "I know who you're talking about", want to shed some light? I personally have no fucking idea.
Neither do I. It's not like anyone has been creating a slew of low-content threads recently.
On a (seriously) completely unrelated point, why was Ultrahammer banned? o.o
Zekksta: For everyone saying "I know who you're talking about", want to shed some light? I personally have no fucking idea.
Zachary Tarlow. Yes, I'm a buzzkill, but I can't let Stagnant keep up his sarcasm indefinitely or he'll run out.
Also, yes, I have noticed that Ultrahammer is gone, too. He, unlike Danyal, wasn't banned for any specific post from what I can tell, once again leading me to ask what happened specifically. His way of asking questions and arguing was quite annoying (especially since he usually only focused on a tiny detail of the response, ignoring everything else, and wasn't above twisting the content to ask a more provocative question), but as annoying as that may have been, I don't think that warranted banning.
As for Danyal, well. It's too bad, but he was warned repeatedly and he kept reposting the same threads over and over again. Honestly, I was surprised he wasn't banned for the tenth bestiality thread or whatever, but it was either that or something even weirder, I was sure.
It will feel strangely empty on these boards now that Danyal is gone. Engaging in discussion with him was strangely envigorating and he brought some panache and flair to this forum with his over-the-top rethoric and radical opinions. I will miss you, Danyal, even if never agreed on anything.
Gethsemani: It will feel strangely empty on these boards now that Danyal is gone. Engaging in discussion with him was strangely envigorating and he brought some panache and flair to this forum with his over-the-top rethoric and radical opinions. I will miss you, Danyal, even if never agreed on anything.
I can kill a brain cell or five and rage every ten minutes if you need to feel invigorated.
Gethsemani: It will feel strangely empty on these boards now that Danyal is gone. Engaging in discussion with him was strangely envigorating and he brought some panache and flair to this forum with his over-the-top rethoric and radical opinions. I will miss you, Danyal, even if never agreed on anything.
I can kill a brain cell or five and rage every ten minutes if you need to feel invigorated.
But you can never replicate that original Danyal feeling. The feeling you got only from discussing things with Danyal. I fear the master of Heels has left us.
Foreword: I am not a moderator. I am, however, somewhat irate.
The Code of Conduct has the following to say on the matter:
Content
--
This applies, in general, to any low-content threads. What's a low-content thread? Well, here's an example of one!
Here's another one:
Or here:
Please note: these aren't bad starts to threads. However, let me simplify this, and maybe then everyone will see the problem. Here's the most basic form:
<Question about controversial opinion>? [Personal conviction with essentially no backing or argumentation]
That's not okay. That's essentially saying, "all right, here's a thread. You guys do all the work of informing yourselves and thinking about it". That is not how you make a thread. Why not, you ask? Well, when a thread like this shows up, one of three things will most likely happen in the mind of the person reading it:
1. They will already know and understand the topic, and as such have their minds made up, and be uninterested in the discussion
2. They will not know and understand the topic, and the OP will offer no insight into it, making it essentially useless.
3. They will see that the topic is a one-line OP, report as low content, and move on to the next thread.
How would you do it right? Here's an example of how to make such topics reasonably interesting:
Granted, it's still a crappy topic (mostly because we've seen it a hundred times before), but it's no longer a crappy topic due to low content.
See the difference: once again, it's not just throwing a controversial question out with a biased opinion (which has no apparent backing), it's actually informing the readers. It's saying "here's a bunch of good information, here's what I'm using to inform my opinion, what do you think about it?" That leaves a LOT of room for discussion, and no room for "TS;DR". That's the guide. Any questions?
Just for kicks, let's do the last one as well.