Threadcrapping report option

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Certainly. And how about a Flag option for "Threads Doomed to Become Another Front in the Never-Ending GRAR! WARS"?

Because constant uncivil "discussion" of the real world politics, religions, economics, civil rights, poverty, etc. contribute immensely to enjoyment of the RPG hobby and Paizo products? [/sarcasm]

I usually use the 'Breaks Other Guidelines' choice for posts like that.

Because constant uncivil "discussion" of the real world politics, religions, economics, civil rights, poverty, etc. contribute immensely to enjoyment of the RPG hobby and Paizo products? [/sarcasm]

I'm unclear what this has to do with disruptive, contentless single posts in an ongoing thread.

Ambrosia Slaad wrote:

Because constant uncivil "discussion" of the real world politics, religions, economics, civil rights, poverty, etc. contribute immensely to enjoyment of the RPG hobby and Paizo products? [/sarcasm]

I'm unclear what this has to do with disruptive, contentless single posts in an ongoing thread.

As opposed to passively and not-so-passively aggressive "on-topic" posters who have long ago lost sight of the thread topic and just want to sling disruptive "contentless" poo at everyone else? I guess content is in the eye of the poster.

Or when reason and civility fails, the Paizo mods.

I tend to use "Thread breaks other guidelines", but a 'threadcrapping' option might be nice.

I guess content is in the eye of the poster.

I want to be clear on what I'm referring to.

Posts of the form:

"*yawn*, this thread is boring."

"[long quote]

+1"

"This argument is sad."

Those are contentless. I'd like a good flag for reporting them.

"This argument is sad."

+1

Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

On a more seriouse note, most people do put content in their posts, the more drivel posts normally only come after the thread has either gained some steam or have already been derailed from their original content.

Flagging or reporting those sorts of posts just kinda feels more stern than is necessary. Sometimes some light and drivel posting is what's needed to vent frustration or have a little bit of fun.

I for one do not see a problem with the current system.

And on that note: The argument made me sad, not was sad in and of itself.

And on that note: The argument made me sad, not was sad in and of itself.

I didn't link posts because I didn't want to be calling anyone out, for what it's worth.

I didn't link posts because I didn't want to be calling anyone out, for what it's worth.

Oh I know, I was just giving you a little bit of a hard time is all.

I get where you're coming from, and the frustration at seeing contentless posts is definably understandable. I just tend to enjoy it more often than not.

Why so serious?

For long post +1 posts... maybe an option for the reader to collapse quotes?

Can I flag the OP for forum crapping? Has this thread gone that meta yet?

For long post +1 posts... maybe an option for the reader to collapse quotes?

That would also be nice too, but "+1" plus the header for a post, etc. is contentless inanity as it is.

Another thread complaining about threads... boring. :)

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I suspect the answer may be on the site somewhere, but I don't know where.

What, exactly, does it mean to mark a post as a favorite? Is it necessarily the equivalent of a good old-fashioned "+1?" Or might it have other shades of meaning?

Might someone mark a post as a favorite as a method of "bookmarking" it? Maybe (s)he simply likes reading it again and again, regardless of whether (s)he agrees with it.

Personally, I could easily envision myself wanting to post a quote and a +1, rather than adding a post as a favorite. Suppose I marked as a favorite some post that was made weeks ago, and hundreds of posts ago? It's very possible that no one will notice.

Or am I misunderstanding something very fundamental, here?

What's fundamental is that there's no crying in baseball.

Personally, I could easily envision myself wanting to post a quote and a +1, rather than adding a post as a favorite. Suppose I marked as a favorite some post that was made weeks ago, and hundreds of posts ago? It's very possible that no one will notice.

It's completely empty noise to post +1, especially with a full quote. It's been bad conduct on online messageboards for longer than USENET has existed. If all you have to say is "I agree with this post," then you just don't have anything to say.

Indeed, now that there is a Favorite button, you can make a simple +1 without wasting space with a new post.

Indeed, now that there is a Favorite button, you can make a simple +1 without wasting space with a new post.

+1!!!

7 hours? What took you guys so long?

Ambrosia Slaad wrote:

I guess content is in the eye of the poster.

I want to be clear on what I'm referring to.

Posts of the form:

"*yawn*, this thread is boring."

"[long quote]

+1"

"This argument is sad."

Those are contentless. I'd like a good flag for reporting them.

You forgot my least favorite.

"Smurf!"

EDIT: Honorable mention goes to "Don't like it? Don't use it."

If all you have to say is "I agree with this post," then you just don't have anything to say.

I'm sorry, but I just can't agree.

Okay, maybe in an EXTREME case, where someone quotes a whole post hundreds and hundreds of words long, I would agree. But in many cases, +1 sends a very powerful message, for several reasons.

First of all, there's the situation I decribed, which A Man In Black quoted but did not address.

More importantly, +1 allows you to select the quote to which you're agreeing. I remember strongly agreeing with one post's first sentence, and strongly DISagreeing which its second sentence. Quoting allowed me to make this clear.

A +1 can encourage a person to express his/her opinion, when (s)he knows exactly WHAT got plussed. This "Favorite" system won't always do that.

Just look at my own post above. Tarlane marked it as a favorite. Perhaps I ought to be grateful, or something. But I'm not sure what it means.

Most likely, Tarlane meant it as a joke. But maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe Tarlane meant that he, too, was not sure what "Favorite" meant. Or that he, too, wondered where to find the explanation of what it meant. Or that he, like myself, wondered if there might be other shades of meaning. Maybe he wanted to ask the same question, but was afraid to? Or maybe he meant that he might mark as a favorite a post with which he disagrees, but wants to "bookmark". Or that he might envision someone else doing so. Maybe he was only "bookmarking" my post himself! Or maybe he meant that he, too, was bothered by the possibility that a "favorite" might go unnoticed, where a +1 would not. Maybe he had been bothered by this before I made my post, and was glad that someone spoke up about it. Or maybe he was bothered by it only AFTER reading my post. I don't know.

And seeing the only responses I got from A Man in Black and TriOmegaZero (not counting Urizen's "joke" answer) which answered only the surface of my question, without getting into the finer points about which I asked, I'm getting the distinct impression that different users could easily have different understandings of what "Mark as Favorite" means. I saw no explanation of what "Mark as Favorite" means in the FAQ page.

So I'm not repenting from my "+1" habits until I get a clear and authoritative answer. And perhaps not even then. If A Man In Black wants to flag me for posting +1, let him. But I'd like to believe that other people, including (but not limited to) the people whose views I'm +1ing, will appreciate it.

stuff

All fine points about the granularity of replying versus favoriting, but they're talking past my point. If all you have to say is "I agree with that thing you said," you aren't contributing to a conversation, just making noise in the space where people who are making comments worth agreeing with are talking.

That said, I don't actually care about +1 posts that much, and the discussion is mostly tangential. It's more (usually passive-aggressive) spam of nonsense in otherwise productive threads that's the issue.

It's completely empty noise to post +1, especially with a full quote. It's been bad conduct on online messageboards for longer than USENET has existed. If all you have to say is "I agree with this post," then you just don't have anything to say.

+1

oops. er I agree with this post.

darn.

In today's episode of Paizo Forums Meta: vocal minorities attempt to even the playing field by making less seem more.

Can I flag the OP for forum crapping? Has this thread gone that meta yet?

+1

As to the question, "what does a favorite mean?", my answer is that it's pretty much an emergent property of the favorites system that will probably evolve over time. You can't really read specific meaning into any particular favorite. For example, I use them almost exclusively to bookmark posts I want to be able to find later, while others may use them to "vote" for a post or show agreement. Or possibly even extreme disagreement. Having said that, I have no problem with interpreting a post with a large number of favorites as a post that I should probably read, if only because a lot of other people have specifically noticed that post.

I am not crazy about +1 posts myself but do not see much good in trying to ban the practice. I do think that those who quote an entire long post and add a +1 are being lazy. Snip out the part you agree with so the rest of us don't have to scroll past the same words repeated over and over on the page. Or use the favorite button—it's even easier than clicking reply, typing the +1, then clicking the submit post button.

I am not crazy about +1 posts myself but do not see much good in trying to ban the practice. I do think that those who quote an entire long post and add a +1 are being lazy. Snip out the part you agree with so the rest of us don't have to scroll past the same words repeated over and over on the page. Or use the favorite button—it's even easier than clicking reply, typing the +1, then clicking the submit post button.

PMG? Would you have hurt me if I +1'd this?

One idea I've been toying with is to steal from Ravelry and add "educational / interesting / funny / agree / disagree / love" buttons. Note that we would not use any sort of Slashdot-style filtering. You still have to read the entire page of posts. But these buttons would have specific meaning that a favorite (by design) lacks.

One idea I've been toying with is to steal from Ravelry ......

But...but...stealing is wrong! Mammazombie always said so!

We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.

Thank you very much, Gary Teter, for your answer.

Now I can +1 with as much conviction as ever. And in case anyone complains about that, I'll keep a link to your post handy. And in keeping with the silly irony so prevalent in this thread, I think I'll make that link by marking your post as a favorite. It will be my first.

In all seriousness, thank you. I really do appreciate the clarification.

Gary Teter wrote:

I am not crazy about +1 posts myself but do not see much good in trying to ban the practice. I do think that those who quote an entire long post and add a +1 are being lazy. Snip out the part you agree with so the rest of us don't have to scroll past the same words repeated over and over on the page. Or use the favorite button—it's even easier than clicking reply, typing the +1, then clicking the submit post button.

PMG? Would you have hurt me if I +1'd this?

-1

One idea I've been toying with is to steal from Ravelry and add "educational / interesting / funny / agree / disagree / love" buttons. Note that we would not use any sort of Slashdot-style filtering. You still have to read the entire page of posts. But these buttons would have specific meaning that a favorite (by design) lacks.

For the record, I'd love this.

One idea I've been toying with is to steal from Ravelry and add "educational / interesting / funny / agree / disagree / love" buttons. Note that we would not use any sort of Slashdot-style filtering. You still have to read the entire page of posts. But these buttons would have specific meaning that a favorite (by design) lacks.

I approve of this, if just because of the Ravelry reference. 8^)

Most likely, Tarlane meant it as a joke. But maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe Tarlane meant that he, too, was not sure what "Favorite" meant. Or that he, too, wondered where to find the explanation of what it meant. Or that he, like myself, wondered if there might be other shades of meaning. Maybe he wanted to ask the same question, but was afraid to? Or maybe he meant that he might mark as a favorite a post with which he disagrees, but wants to "bookmark". Or that he might envision someone else doing so. Maybe he was only "bookmarking" my post himself! Or maybe he meant that he, too, was bothered by the possibility that a "favorite" might go unnoticed, where a +1 would not. Maybe he had been bothered by this before I made my post, and was glad that someone spoke up about it. Or maybe he was bothered by it only AFTER reading my post. I don't know.

To be fair it actually wasn't any of the above in this situation. Recently have been reduced to only having my phone for internet access and its browser is really wonky on this forum, not normally letting me post or do things like favorite. I had been fiddling with some settings and your post made me think I should see whether the forum buttons were working now and it worked too well going all the way with a single touch.

This is one of those malice/incompetence situations.

Ah. Thanks, Tarlane.

So there you have it, folks. Marking a post as a favorite doesn't inherently mean ANYTHING.

One idea I've been toying with is to steal from Ravelry and add "educational / interesting / funny / agree / disagree / love" buttons. Note that we would not use any sort of Slashdot-style filtering. You still have to read the entire page of posts. But these buttons would have specific meaning that a favorite (by design) lacks.

My gamer fiance LOVES that feature of the web site. It's incredibly addictive, gives lurkers a way to participate quickly and focuses threads.

It's completely empty noise to post +1, especially with a full quote. It's been bad conduct on online messageboards for longer than USENET has existed. If all you have to say is "I agree with this post," then you just don't have anything to say.

It's true. We're doing important work here, vital to national security. The internet is not to be used frivolously.

-1

I like this.

I shall start making heavy use of the "-1".

Aberzombie wrote:

Gary Teter wrote:

I am not crazy about +1 posts myself but do not see much good in trying to ban the practice. I do think that those who quote an entire long post and add a +1 are being lazy. Snip out the part you agree with so the rest of us don't have to scroll past the same words repeated over and over on the page. Or use the favorite button—it's even easier than clicking reply, typing the +1, then clicking the submit post button.

PMG? Would you have hurt me if I +1'd this?

-1

+1

I don't approve of the 'Mark As Favorite' button; it is incredibly divisive to the community, and simply adds to the skewed sense of importance given to some characters.

We should be given the opportunity to state our preferences, not just for Mark, but for Jason, Tiny, Princess and Kiopp.

Why so serious?

I will now make this pencil disappear!

We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.

Isn't that the guy from the company that claims to have invented basically everything with batteries?

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

Would it be possible to add a report option for spamming nonsense, whining that a thread exists, and the like? It generally doesn't contribute to a conversation to spam nonsense, announce that you're bored with a thread, post +1 (now that the favorite system exists), and suchlike. I assume that it's not allowed, but right now there's no good way to flag it.

+1

(I had to copy and paste the same thing over and over to be able to do this.)

A Man In Black wrote:

It's completely empty noise to post +1, especially with a full quote. It's been bad conduct on online messageboards for longer than USENET has existed. If all you have to say is "I agree with this post," then you just don't have anything to say.

It's true. We're doing important work here, vital to national security. The internet is not to be used frivolously.

-Kle.

That's why I'm so frivolous all the time. I want to shatter your national security. Brings me closer to world domination.

+1

This.

KaeYoss wrote:

+1

This.

0

Gorbacz wrote:

Why so serious?

I will now make this pencil disappear!

What pencil? There is no pencil.