Over-moderation, maybe?

[Dan!!]

Maybe it's just me, and it's not, but I've noticed a growing number of topics in the cafe forum that are locked with the reason "there's nothing to discuss here."

Now let me explain how a forum works:
Topics that don't have new posts in them (because there's nothing to discuss), get pushed out of the way by topics that do have things to discuss. So topics that do warrant a discussion stay on top and topics that don't go on to the other pages.

That's the nature of forums, really. So when someone locks topics because they're not discussion worthy, they're really only preventing users from posting in topics that he or she feel are discussion worthy. And frankly, I don't believe that's somebody's job. I think someone needs to be more of a moderator and less of a discussion nazi.

Discuss, unless someone thinks this doesn't warrant a discussion.

[jks]

LOCK.

[Tural]

So if a topic really serves no legitimate purpose, what is gained from leaving it open? The Cafe board really isn't a dump for every random thing found on the internet.

[Dan!!]

So if a topic really serves no legitimate purpose, what is gained from leaving it open?

Nothing. The problem is that it's completely subjective whether or not it warrants a discussion.

The whole thing can be avoided if he just left topics alone. Then naturally a topic that deserves no discussion will fall off. To me it's the same as if he was going to the last page of the Cafe and locking every topic up until a month ago. What he's doing is completely useless if a topic doesn't deserve discussion, but if a topic does deserve discussion, he's doing everyone a huge disservice. Again, if he just ignored the topic, everything would be fine.

[Tural]

So much of everything is subjective, I don't think that's a valid point to be making. We've had two massive arguments about subjectivity over the recent days, and there's not a whole lot that can be done about it. That's just the way it is.

I do suppose I'm going to have to agree with you though. As I was typing my contradiction to your scenario, I realized how bad of a point I was making, and that there really isn't an important reason for locking the topics. I do, however, think it's fair to lock a topic that is clearly going nowhere. If the replies are becoming increasingly useless things like "lol," "that's stupid," or whatever other incredibly generic comments may be posted. In that event, the topic has been given its chance and has proven that there is no intelligent discussion to be had, and all it would be doing would be suppressing topics which serve a much more logical purpose.

[ScottyGEE]

I'm with Iron_Forge, to a degree, if topics had nothing to discuss, they'd die and be left to collect dust like your old toy action figures. If that is the case and there is nothing to discuss, just allow it to die, no need to lock it.

I am not one of those people who lock other people's threads if there is little to discuss. However, apart from this thread, has there ever been an outcry? (That's more directed at the people who do lock them)
But yeah, there is discussion, and then there is the happiness/rant threads for all your random almost spam/posting of feeling needs.

Hmm....Have I just contradicted myself in just two paragraphs? You decide

[Dan!!]

However, apart from this thread, has there ever been an outcry?

Not directly on the forums, but yeah there has been, I just decided today to say it.

I do, however, think it's fair to lock a topic that is clearly going nowhere.

The problem is that the locks I have seen are not in topics that are "clearly going nowhere"

[GametagAeonFlux]

I'm not saying either one of us is right or wrong, but if you're going to make a devoted topic to me (I'm flattered, by the way)...at least show some links.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=67429 - The "Gamer's Corner" section is designed to discuss games. Is there something wrong with that lock?

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=67405 - I, as well as other staff members, agreed that there was nothing to discuss...it would just become "omg lol guis reed dis 1".

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=67014 - He had an image there and a link to a cheating site. There is absolutely nothing any of us could do, and as a staff member I was obligated to remove the link. If he really wanted to, he could have re-uploaded the image somewhere else and put it in the Rant thread.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=63721 - This is another one of the cases similar to the "odd laws" thread. It's just a stupid old joke with nothing to discuss.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=63324 - Halomods is up. Ok, now what do we discuss?

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=62864 - As my post said, the Emblem Discussion thread is meant for that sort of topic.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=62114 - I gave other fair options to leave discussion open.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=61598 - Do I even need to explain this one?

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=60936 - Happiness thread. There's nothing to say that couldn't be posted there. All that thread would have consisted of is "omg grats dude" and "thts cool wat school u goin 2?".

So please Dan!!, next time you want to call someone a "discussion nazi", provide some form of evidence. I post in every topic that I lock, so don't assume any topics that are locked without me posting in them were locked by me.

[Dan!!]

Ihttp://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=67405 - I, as well as other staff members, agreed that there was nothing to discuss...it would just become "omg lol guis reed dis 1".

You could, I don't know, discuss actual crazy laws and the various fallacies presented in the first post. Or just discuss the idiocy of chain email junk.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=63721 - This is another one of the cases similar to the "odd laws" thread. It's just a stupid old joke with nothing to discuss.

Plenty to discuss here. There's websites filled to the brim with odd ebay auctions. Don't have to be about a soul to be on topic. I mean shit, I saw a crazy auction about a stuffed lilo toy that was haunted and killing other stuffed toys.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=63324 - Halomods is up. Ok, now what do we discuss?

Perhaps why it was down? It's not like I'm saying every single one of your locks is unjustified.

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=62114 - I gave other fair options to leave discussion open.

I don't know about you, but I only go to the rant and happy threads to post. I rarely read anything there. There's more actual group discussion in an IRC with 3 people than those topics. I forgot to add: like detox did you try and corral people back to the subject at hand. If they don't then you lock. You sound like my parents here. My mom will say "take a break from games and do your homework" and then my dad comes in and says "NO GAMES FOREVER!"

http://forums.halomods.com/viewtopic.php?t=60936 - Happiness thread. There's nothing to say that couldn't be posted there. All that thread would have consisted of is "omg grats dude" and "thts cool wat school u goin 2?".

Yeah! Or perhaps what school I OR ANYONE ELSE IS GOING TO. The whole topic doesn't have to be a Q&A with the original poster.

So please Dan!!, next time you want to call someone a "discussion nazi", provide some form of evidence.

I post in every topic that I lock, so don't assume any topics that are locked without me posting in them were locked by me.

I don't, and I actually sincerely thank you for doing that because it's just about the most annoying thing when staff doesn't post. If I see those damn green letters one more time... I'm looking at you shadowkhas (I think)

All this is completely irrelevant to the point: locking a topic because "there's nothing to discuss" is pretty much like locking a topic so it doesn't get bumped. If there's nothing else to discuss, then no one will post. If there actually is something to discuss and you locked it, then well fuck, what now?

Maybe it's because on the first page is SEVEN STICKIED purely post-and-go topics that are more lists than they are discussions and then we have gems like "post your" (car setup, favorite movie quote, myspace, favorite drink). I see a whopping TWO nice discussion-orientated topics. One is about MP3 players and is already halfway down the page and one about "grades vs. intelligence"

Perhaps we can sticky the car setup, the movie quotes, the myspace, and the favorite drink one! I can make one about computer setup, you can make one about favorite colors, Tural can make one about favorite letters of the alphabet, and jks can do one about horsies.

Or we can give every topic a shimmering chance of living past 5 posts and at least see if we can have a discussion.

[jks]

I am in agreeance with Danke on this one.

[GametagAeonFlux]

Perhaps we can sticky the car setup, the movie quotes, the myspace, and the favorite drink one! I can make one about computer setup, you can make one about favorite colors, Tural can make one about favorite letters of the alphabet, and jks can do one about horsies.

The stickies weren't my idea, and I don't agree with all of them being stickies. People do have conversations in the stickied threads, they just don't last quite as long. It's better than having everyone create a new thread every single time some minor event happens in their life and cluttering up would-be good topics. The programming section is way worse, and it was supposedly cleaned out sticky-wise recently.

So moving on.

1) Point taken, but I wasn't the only one involved with that decision, I was just the one who did it.

2) The topic wasn't called "Odd eBay Auctions", it was simply to discuss that one object. If he wanted to make an odd eBay thead, he would have.

3) The staff will make announcements as to why the site was down. In that case, I'm not sure we knew exactly why...but I'm most likely wrong.

4) Again, point taken...I'd also like to note that that particular topic was before Detox was staff.

5) He said it himself, "that is all". I figure that meant he didn't want to talk about anyone other than himself.

I don't lock things when it's so much "there's nothing to discuss", it's more of a "the only things people will post will be spam" deal.

[Ombre]

Scotty, IronForge didn't post in this topic. I think topics like "Describe the lint in your pocket" or "I just ate a cracker" should be locked, other then that it just depends on how the topic is going.

[GametagAeonFlux]

Scotty, IronForge didn't post in this topic.

He's talking about Iron_Forge's post in the emblems thread about locking topics.

Thanks for helpin me out there, didn't want to have to go get quotes ;p -SGEE

[Dan!!]

Well anyway, I'm just trying to say

GIVE LOVE A CHANCE

[Cryticfarm]

I think wanksta got into the reader club for having to many lines in his sig by veegie. Seriously, do you need to take his posting privileges away for having too many lines in his sig.

[Tural]

I think wanksta got into the reader club for having to many lines in his sig by veegie. Seriously, do you need to take his posting privileges away for having too many lines in his sig.

He was put into the RC for having continuous signature offenses. Not one specific event, but rather he kept breaking signature rules, and then he decided to use an image that was absolutely unacceptable.

His notes:
[7/18]Sig H, FS
[8/13]Sig T
[8/17]Violated signature rules twice more. RCd.
[8/17]Extended RC two weeks for "Veegie, the sig nazi" signature image.
[8/17]Sig animated.

Four signature offenses before he was RC'd, then using an inappropriate image, and then having an animated image in his signature.

Also, this thread is not about that at all.

[Cryticfarm]

Sorry then.

[CabooseJr]

If you think this forum is strict? your dead wrong, FacePunch Studios is very strict.

[JK-47]

If you think this forum is strict? your dead wrong, FacePunch Studios is very strict.

They are known for being quite strict, but I had no problems surviving there without being banned.

[CabooseJr]

Neither have I, but that is the thing, you do something wrong, your banned so fast.