Feature request: Killfile

[darkplaces]

Use the ignore feature in your head and I think we need more ukcaving mods (maybe people looking after areas) and MODs should tighten up and get a more tougher and not care so much about users moaning about were the topic about the icecream van sales went. The IDLE chat should auto prune so topics disappear after 14 days and the shit heap topics disappear after 5 or 10 days, automaticly.

Forum users are unruly and must be rules with a rod of iron...

... get back you lot!

.. get back (swipes with bar).... gerrr

 

[Dep]

Or a feature that lets you reply to a post in a frivolous way but does so in a way that spawns a new topic - in a preselected subject, presumably idle chat.

 

[rich]

Killfile for some users isn't a bad idea in principle, but if over-used it can lead to a very quite forum with just a few very learned (and quite dull) people talking about one subject only, completely unaware that beneath the killfile level (and of couse invisible to them) there is a vibrant community of people all chatting about all sorts of things, having a good time, making friends and just occassinally even talking about caving.

Then that's the problem of the people doing the ignoring isn't it? And what's the problem if they do prefer it that way? It doesn't affect you if you don't use the feature.

I'm willing to take the risk!

Speaking as someone who has a very clear idea of how much work is involved in adminstering anything like this,

There isn't any work involved, other than installing the feature in the first place.

If you listen to people talking in The Hunters do they talk 'seriously' about caving all the time or does the topic deviate into meaningless drivel?? Like most pubs it goes to drivel in the end, or at least funny drivel.

I'd rather spend less time reading inanities on ukcaving so I can spend more time in the pub. 

Would it be too outrageous to suggest we have a Sulkers' Corner section, only for serious discussion, where any flicker of a smile is stamped on by some miserable curmudgeonly old sod of a moderator? And leave the rest of the forum for real people to relax with their friends?

It's not a bad idea. We could divide the site into two sections, say "ukcaving" and "idle chat". Anyway, first, I have no problem with humour, it's when it's *just* humour I find it tedious. Second, I'm not asking for extra moderation, I'm asking for an ignore feature -- try to stay on topic 

 

[darkplaces]

try to stay on topic 

That is the essence of the problem on ukcaving. Its not restricted to ukcaving it happens on Darkplaces and any other forum and it depends very much on the admin lead and moderators. I am rather strict on c**tplaces but I use my judgment not always for the best but I try. The idle chat area is what 40 pages and more of rubbish! Maybe idle chat should be auto-pruned and MODs should do more of locking trip reports and after a while removing the chitchat to leave just the trip report. A usefull feature used on c**tplaces is the MOD BBcode which makes it clear a post has been moderated and now and then a MOD will step in and say "BACK TO TOPIC"

Sorry I am off topic.....

Ignore feature - bad idea.. MODS PLEASE LOCK THE TOPIC my answer has been given.

Maybe add a poll. 

 

[Peter Burgess]

Hi Bubba

If it's not too much trouble, is there any chance we could get an "ignore" option for individual members? There's a few people on here who post pages of junk which I can't be bothered to wade through each time I visit. I see there is at least one mod available for SMF:

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=185

cheers

If it stops the killjoys moaning about people with a lively spirit doing what comes naturally, then I say please can we have it? But please leave the rest of us with the freedom to speak as we wish, and not feel fettered by miserable people tut-tutting in the corner.

 

[bubba]

Aaaghh, i've got to get to work in a minute so i'll deal with this over the weekend, but after a quick skim of this I'm thinking

• Add some sort of user ignore function for those that want it. They can use it at their own peril; they may miss some useful stuff in amongst the crap. Also, you won't be able to ignore the mods, sorry
• Heavier moderation on caving topics
• Continue with an anything goes policy on idle chat and let the club sub-forum moderators keep their own ships in order - ie, the global mods won't moderate any banter on the club forums where there is a local moderator, unless it starts breaking the forum guidelines
• Move more crappy idle chat topics to the shit heap
• Open the shit heap to allow replies
• The shit heap will auto prune topics after a certain time, e.g. 1 week

And to those who think this is boring and being over stern...well tough   I'm not having this forum turning into a chatroom where the useful information gets lost or mixed up in forum banter to the extent where the whole purpose of the forum is lost. I've seen it happen on many other forums as they grow and it's not going to happen here.

I know people want to have fun, and i'm just of guilty of forum banter on some forums myself, but there needs to be a culture on here whereby that banter doesn't dilute the caving topics. Surely everyone can see the benefit of that?

 

[JB]

• • Add some sort of user ignore function for those that want it. They can use it at their own peril; they may miss some useful stuff in amongst the crap. Also, you won't be able to ignore the mods, sorry

  
  Personally I don't think I'd use this. I'm sure everyone has something useful to say on some topic.
  
  Possibly the best way of doing this long-term would be to allow users to select which forums they are interested in. I use 'Show unread posts since last visit' and if I could set my preferences so that no Idle Chat or Shit Heap topics appeared in there that would be perfect. You could then auto-prune Idle Chat or not depending on the amount of disk space that you want to pay for and I wouldn't care because I wouldn't be reading it. I think you could then also merge Idle Chat and the Shit Heap into one forum as there'd be no need for both. Obviously I have no idea whether you can do this with Simple Machines but it would be good if you could. (might also be useful for ukb as committed boulderers could ignore anything involving a rope).
  
  

  • Heavier moderation on caving topics

  
  This makes sense. If someone's asked for or offered information on a specific subject I think it's just bad manners to reply with your own random shite.
  
  

  • The shit heap will auto prune topics after a certain time, e.g. 1 week

  Makes sense.

 

[Peter Burgess]

Idle Chat can be Useful Idle Chat or Pointless Idle Chat. I think the Shit Heap is the only place you want auto-pruning. Then the mods can decide which of the Pointless Idle Chat to sent to the Shit Heap, and leave the Useful Idle Chat for posterity, or until space becomes an issue.

 

[kay]

Yes, I think the idea of confining all 'idle chat' to a separate section away from the information threads is good. I like the idea of having two sections, 'idle chat' where topics can continue for a long time (though maybe they could be deleted after, say, a year?) - eg the conservation ones, and 'law and order' and so on, where the discussion helps me clarify my own views -  and 'shit heap'  for pure dross that is amusing at the time but really doesn't have a shelf life - in other words, restore the ability to post in there, but delete the thread a week or two weeks after it started.

It might be worth considering calling it something other than 'shit heap'. That title may be a good expression of Bubba's feelings, but it doesn't give a good impression to someone coming to the forum for the first time.

 

[Downer]

Aaaghh, i've got to get to work in a minute so i'll deal with this over the weekend, but after a quick skim of this I'm thinking

• Add some sort of user ignore function for those that want it. They can use it at their own peril; they may miss some useful stuff in amongst the crap. Also, you won't be able to ignore the mods, sorry
• Heavier moderation on caving topics
• Continue with an anything goes policy on idle chat and let the club sub-forum moderators keep their own ships in order - ie, the global mods won't moderate any banter on the club forums where there is a local moderator, unless it starts breaking the forum guidelines
• Move more crappy idle chat topics to the shit heap
• Open the shit heap to allow replies
• The shit heap will auto prune topics after a certain time, e.g. 1 week

And to those who think this is boring and being over stern...well tough   I'm not having this forum turning into a chatroom where the useful information gets lost or mixed up in forum banter to the extent where the whole purpose of the forum is lost. I've seen it happen on many other forums as they grow and it's not going to happen here.

I know people want to have fun, and i'm just of guilty of forum banter on some forums myself, but there needs to be a culture on here whereby that banter doesn't dilute the caving topics. Surely everyone can see the benefit of that?

Well...

I can't see how you can have an "anything goes policy" on Idle Chat and also have a Shit Heap operated by the mods. If a topic is so rubbish that it stinks even on Idle Chat, why not just delete it altogether? To be honest, the whole thing creates a very bad first impression. For one thing the very term "Shit Heap" undermines the professional image you're seeking, for another it makes newcomers feel that Big Brother is watching. Not to mention the pointlessness of moving a topic only to delete it a week later. You've only felt it necessary to remove 16 topics over nearly three months, what's the point in having a dung heap in your living room?

Now, as to encouraging a culture that doesn't dilute the caving topics with excessive banter, I'm all in favour of that. However, you cannot enforce it with moderation and especially by being po-faced when people make a joke or two. If you act all high-handed like you're some sort of headmaster, you will only put people's backs up or drive them away altogether. Very few topics get seriously derailed and I think most people are rather aware when it happens but are simply caught up in the flow. In those cases you could step in and do some severe pruning - right back to the original subject - but for goodness sake, give a day or two's notice and explain that you're only doing it because the topic is too important to be wasted. You won't get the result you want by wavinga  big stick around, you might by persuading people rationally.

 

[Geoff R]

while thinking of changes, IMHO it would be nice if subjects such as "Equipment" could be kept as pure technical without any side-tracking banter and expanded into appropriate sub-sections such as equipment, gear review, techniques.

Geoff

 

[darkplaces]

Keep the shit heap - its aim is to make a point about what is unacceptable and what is tolerated which goes in idle.

"professional image" er apart from a couple of qualified people who do charge for caving services were all amateur's lets have a more fun and distinct difference to the BCA forum which does have to appear boring and professional.

 

[Peter Burgess]

Keeping the shit heap serves one purpose. If a topic is dumped there for a week, say, it allows anyone to recover any information from it if, for some strange reason, they think there is anything worth saving, before it vanishes. Information can be saved by those who want it, before it passes out of the air-lock and evaporates into the eternity of deep space.

 

[Downer]

Keep the shit heap - its aim is to make a point about what is unacceptable and what is tolerated which goes in idle.

I can't say I'm greatly bothered but I don't see why the ptb can't just issue forum rules and then axe topics/posters who flout them. Arbitrarily consigning posts to the Shit Heap just because you hold the keys to the system is petty.

"professional image" er apart from a couple of qualified people who do charge for caving services were all amateur's lets have a more fun and distinct difference to the BCA forum which does have to appear boring and professional.

Well, choose a better word then, nit-picker.

 

[Downer]

Keeping the shit heap serves one purpose. If a topic is dumped there for a week, say, it allows anyone to recover any information from it if, for some strange reason, they think there is anything worth saving, before it vanishes. Information can be saved by those who want it, before it passes out of the air-lock and evaporates into the eternity of deep space.

So would a notification within the thread.

 

[Peter Burgess]

Perhaps seeing your precious words in the air-lock would focus the mind better.

 

[Downer]

Perhaps seeing your precious words in the air-lock would focus the mind better.

Yeah, right. "In their lives there's something lacking, what they need's a darn good whacking..."

 

[anfieldman]

If you listen to people talking in The Hunters do they talk 'seriously' about caving all the time or does the topic deviate into meaningless drivel?? Like most pubs it goes to drivel in the end.

Not drivel, but not necessarily caving. I go to the Club pub meet most weeks. I talk club business ('cos I'm the treasurer & some barsteward always wants money) I talk caving, especially when there's been a new discovery or someone's back from a trip abroad. But I also talk about just about everything else under the sun, 'cos these guys are my mates, close friends, some of whom I have known for a hell of a long time.

Sorry Graham you're right. Not drivel all the time but then I can only make it there on some Wednesdays.
I'm sure everyone knows that I mean cavers are a funny bunch and even the most serious topics have humour injected into them.

 

[bubba]

I can't see how you can have an "anything goes policy" on Idle Chat and also have a Shit Heap operated by the mods.

Read my post - i said the shit heap would be opened up for posting (replies only, no new topics of course). I mean by "anything goes" discussion on any topic.

If a topic is so rubbish that it stinks even on Idle Chat, why not just delete it altogether?

Because the shit heap demonstrates to newcomers or infrequent users what sort of topics are not welcome.

To be honest, the whole thing creates a very bad first impression. For one thing the very term "Shit Heap" undermines the professional image you're seeking,

Well that's my problem, not yours...and what "professional image" exactly is it that i'm seeking?

for another it makes newcomers feel that Big Brother is watching.

Good, that's the idea. It's a moderated forum, not a free for all.

Not to mention the pointlessness of moving a topic only to delete it a week later. You've only felt it necessary to remove 16 topics over nearly three months

As i've said, it demonstrates what is and what isn't acceptable and stops all the invevitable "where's my xxxxxx topic gone?" style posts that would appear if we just deleted things straight away. Also I suspect the shit heap is going to get a lot busier once the moderation is tightened.

However, you cannot enforce it with moderation and especially by being po-faced when people make a joke or two. If you act all high-handed like you're some sort of headmaster, you will only put people's backs up or drive them away altogether.

Well yes i can actually. The sort of people who's backs are put up are most likely to be the people who aren't really welcome here anyway so that's doubly good imho.

Very few topics get seriously derailed and I think most people are rather aware when it happens but are simply caught up in the flow. In those cases you could step in and do some severe pruning - right back to the original subject

I think there's a lot of topics that get derailed and I've received countless complaints on the matter. I suspect your idea of derailed and mine is quite different.

but for goodness sake, give a day or two's notice and explain that you're only doing it because the topic is too important to be wasted. You won't get the result you want by wavinga  big stick around, you might by persuading people rationally.

No. I don't have time to study every topic and then give days of notice that it's going to be pruned. I don't sit here reading this forum all day, i have a job to go to.

I've tried over and over to explain that we don't want drivel in the forums, but some people just won't listen, which is why some users are asking for an ignore user function, etc.

 

[Hughie]

• Add some sort of user ignore function for those that want it. They can use it at their own peril; they may miss some useful stuff in amongst the crap. Also, you won't be able to ignore the mods, sorry
• Heavier moderation on caving topics
• Continue with an anything goes policy on idle chat and let the club sub-forum moderators keep their own ships in order - ie, the global mods won't moderate any banter on the club forums where there is a local moderator, unless it starts breaking the forum guidelines
• Move more crappy idle chat topics to the shit heap
• Open the shit heap to allow replies
• The shit heap will auto prune topics after a certain time, e.g. 1 week

Sounds ok to me. Not sure heavier moderation is required - the present level works just fine (for me anyway). Any moderation I've noticed has been justifiable and neatly done (nice one, Cap'n!  ).