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Downsizer Forum Index -> Site guidelines, Announcements, Problems and Suggestions

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Silas

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 6848
Location: Staffordshire

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:25 pm Post subject:
What happened to the topic title?

snowball
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 6246
Location: swindon

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:25 pm Post subject:

I would be very unhappy if we didn't have Chat and does it really matter. They are the most popular sections precisely because this is such a friendly site and people feel comfortable discussing and sharing news with each other. It is also the case that they are the two sections that, inevitably, get the most complaints and take up most of the Mods time. That is not a reason for not having them. I was simply pointing out that the method of modding, apart from dealing with complaints, is to keep an eye on the overall impression given.
That does not mean everything is serious. In fact, most of the time, the chat section adds to the interest and friendliness of the site.
Also, at one time, mafia dominated the latest post bit, so we created the games room so that only people interested needed to go there.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28247
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:26 pm Post subject:
I think you are misreading me, yes of course an offtopic argument on the site is likely to be in chat, the general point I'm making is that is there is a lot of offtopic to the site scrapping going on already, then have the decency not to start another one.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:27 pm Post subject:

Brownbear wrote:

sean wrote:

we don't ban or moderate people just for the sake of it, most of us (apart from me) have better things to do than be on the interweb all day.

Who's talking about moderating and banning? I thought we were just discussing overall tone and whether it's a good or bad thing to have a lot of wittering. In fact, I thought the new name of the thread gives a better idea to what strikes me as having the makings of an interesting and informative discussion.

Ahh, my response was based in part on your original thread title. I've no particular problem with wittering.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:35 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Brownbear wrote:

sean wrote:

we don't ban or moderate people just for the sake of it, most of us (apart from me) have better things to do than be on the interweb all day.

Ahh, my response was based in part on your original thread title. I've no particular problem with wittering.

Well the title wasn't about moderating or banning either, just asking what people thought were acceptable topics of conversation on a forum like this, in view of the idea suggested by someone, I forget who, on another thread, that people set their tone by the TV watershed guidance.

And TBH if you're going to have much by way of humour, you're bound to upset someone, so lots of levity, wittering etc does have a direct bearing on that.

lettucewoman

Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:37 pm Post subject:

I would be extremely sad if we didn't have our chat threads...I am one of those who occasionally post fairly personal stuff because I feel that this forum is one of the friendliest and most helpful and interesting on the net. I have been reassured , comforted and received lots of helpful practical advice, which has been appreciated hugely..I am fairly isolated here in that I left my friends to move down here with my OH and although he is the centre of my universe, getting another perspective on things from people who ahave similar interests to myself, not to mention the fact that i have met a fair few and enjoyed their company, has helped me cope. Perhaps I should stick to forums which specialise in helping, but I love it here, enjoy reading all the threads, even the ones about for instance chicken keeping which can only be a dream for me at the moment, love the occasional feisty threads, and don't want anything to change...if it aint broke don't fix it!!

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:50 pm Post subject:

Snowball wrote:

Chat and does it really matter... they are the two sections that, inevitably, get the most complaints and take up most of the Mods time.

Also, at one time, mafia dominated the latest post bit, so we created the games room so that only people interested needed to go there.

Couldn't you do that with the chat section then? A section that is declared to have a slightly more anarchic air to it would mean that, when the complaints come rolling in, you could just say, "well avoid that bit then and just use the rest of the site, which is probably more to your taste"?

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 6:52 pm Post subject:

Brownbear wrote:

Well, for one thing, debating the offensiveness or otherwise of using "swear words" is clearly not acceptable. Beyond that, promoting illegal activities is usually frowned on. As is slagging off religious beliefs. Not sure about morality - one man's morals are another man's mushrooms...

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:03 pm Post subject:

Brownbear wrote:

'Sandbox' section type thing. Works for some sites, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work here.

lettucewoman

Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 7834
Location: Tiptoe in the Forest!!

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:06 pm Post subject:
..................if it aint broke don't fix it!! really.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:09 pm Post subject:

marigold wrote:

Well, for one thing, debating the offensiveness or otherwise of using "swear words" is clearly not acceptable.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:33 pm Post subject:

marigold wrote:

Well, for one thing, debating the offensiveness or otherwise of using "swear words" is clearly not acceptable..

I assume you're joking? Being helpful, debating sensibly etc, etc is all fine. When things start going round in circles and someone seems to just want to argue for the sake of it then things, very occasionally you have to admit, get halted. Seems more than sensible to me, perhaps it's just too sensible?

Take the swearing matter, it seems people at both extremes of the argument aren't happy so there's no possibility of pleasing everyone.

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:38 pm Post subject:
If the chat section goes, wittering is banned and silly and vulgar humour is being stopped then I better start looking for somewhere else to play

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:39 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

marigold wrote:

Well, for one thing, debating the offensiveness or otherwise of using "swear words" is clearly not acceptable.

Was it really adding much to downsizer?

Generally if you're in company and are asked to refrain from swearing you either stop, or leave that company, else you are deliberately being offensive, regardless of what you personally feel is acceptable.

A forum is for many things, usually based around something a group of people are passionate about. No doubt someone will start a swearing forum, if it bothers them that much.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 09 7:46 pm Post subject:

Given we're a mixed bunch with mixed sensibilities, views and non-modal activities, the middle ground of general courtesy seems to be a way of a maintaining a pleasant online environment that can discuss interesting, off beat, contentious and controversial issues without it degenerating too often into a fistfull of expletives. For some reason I moderate my behaviour depending on the company I'm keeping. I don't talk to my work colleagues like I talk to my footy team mates on a beery sunday afternoon. I'm a bit old fashioned like that. I do the same in shops, bus queues and cringe worthy social gatherings where my mind is screaming 'run away', the magistrates, etc. I am not the centre of the universe, well some people think that, but they're wrong.

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