To all members of the Escapist: Please help us improve this site

[Ultrajoe]

I think a delete post for your own replies could be a good thing, I rarely preview as I usually don't do anything "fancy". The amount of time that I have reconsidered a post just before or, after pressing the post button or, receiving a reply. Then again, It could make the forums quite disjointed if mass used.

The issue is that a troll or general asshat can write what he pleases, anger everyone, then delete the post before the banhammer can fall. Sure, he can edit away the words, but he still has a post there, and people can call him on the edit.

Long story short, it causes for problems than it fixes, and the edit button is your eternal friend.

Take it from the biggest attention whore in the joint, there's a right and wrong way to do these things.

I will drink so hard to you saying that.

It's why you love me, baby.

 

[Inverse Skies]

I think the best thing to do about people that jump on the "repeat thread" slogan bandwagon, is to ignore them altogether. Act as if their post didn't amount to more then the sum of their effort to write it, and hopefully one day they'll stop writing it. It is obviously only the people that have been here for awhile (except myself, apparently) that get annoyed by it, so there really are only a certain number of them. Once the culture of the forums makes a shift to not caring about repeat threads anymore, that really would be that.

However, trying to make sure newbies aren't making repeat threads is a fruitless endeavor since there's a virtual infinite amount of them to come and break your little stigma. In addition to there not being a point to caring about that in the first place, it really doesn't make much sense to carry on with that line of thinking.

Some of the more experienced members have been stating the only real way we'll change anything around here is too lead by example and how others will follow. If we could change the culture say, from one that has a go at people for opening repeat threads or who consistently use poor grammar with little or no capitalisation (there is a few threads in gaming right now which accurately fit that description...) to one where such threads are not justified with a response people might change their ways to ones that more accurately reflect how we would like the Escapist forums to be conducted.

What would you say to something like that?

 

[Aries_Split]

Pointless resurrection of Argument that led to nothing but a flame war

Ares, we're done, we've all dropped our swords and walked away from this, don't start it again.

Clearly not, or you wouldn't have responded.

Right?

You sound just like Richard.
Drop it.

Again, Hypocrisy.
If you were done, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Right?

"Nuh-uh, you're the bad person!"
"Nuh-huh, you are!"
"No, you!"
"No! You!"

I wonder who'll win. I'm at the edge of my seat.

Depends on who gets the lulz.
Oh god, I sound like a /b/tard.

 

[Inverse Skies]

There, Everyone loses.

On Topic...

I think when making a topic when you hit "Post" there should be a window that pops up and says "are you sure?" That would remove accidental (no text) threads because of that damn enter button!

... I think I want that picture as the background of my computer now...

On topic: That would be an easily implemented and sensible idea, stopping all of the no text threads before they've even started.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Oh god, I sound like a /b/tard.

Take it from a /b/tard, you really don't.

 

[Aries_Split]

Oh god, I sound like a /b/tard.

Take it from a /b/tard, you really don't.

Can I grow up to be a /b/tard just like you UltraJoe?

*eyelash flutter*

 

[sorry user name taken.]

improving this site?...hhmmmm..

maybe making competitions for the UK and everywhere else instead of America only..=/

also maybe deleting older threads so..
-no re-posting of new threads on the same subject
-new people responding to old threads where subject is far to old
-maybe a chat room?

making this site a bit more social able to new comers

 

[090907]

I think a delete post for your own replies could be a good thing, I rarely preview as I usually don't do anything "fancy". The amount of time that I have reconsidered a post just before or, after pressing the post button or, receiving a reply. Then again, It could make the forums quite disjointed if mass used.

The issue is that a troll or general asshat can write what he pleases, anger everyone, then delete the post before the banhammer can fall. Sure, he can edit away the words, but he still has a post there, and people can call him on the edit.

Long story short, it causes for problems than it fixes, and the edit button is your eternal friend.

Fair point. I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for not just saying something like "Nah, it'll get abused."

Thanks Ultrajoe

 

[sorry user name taken.]

Oh god, I sound like a /b/tard.

Take it from a /b/tard, you really don't.

Can I grow up to be a /b/tard just like you UltraJoe?

*eyelash flutter*

ah escapist romance lol...

just another thought why does the escapist have a welcome page? always wondered how many people found out about this site

 

[Inverse Skies]

ah escapist romance lol...

just another thought why does the escapist have a welcome page? always wondered how many people found out about this site

I'm pretty sure you'll find that Zero Punctuation would be the answer to around 90% of people finding this site.

 

[Jenny Creed]

1 WHAT actions do you believe have a detrimental effect on the community yet cannot be overseen by moderators?

We have threads like this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.91909?page=1], this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.87945?page=1], this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.87888?page=1], this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.87872] and last but not least this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.87361?page=1] that go on for page after page with people spewing ignorant, hateful bullshit. I believe that'd be a problem to any community.

2 HOW, as a community, would we go about responding to such indiscretions? How should we act when someone does not do something in the spirit of the Escapist community?

I think it'd be more constructive to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the first place. Perhaps if posters were somehow forced to read through some rules for basic civil behavior, such as using the word "gay" as an insult demeans gay people, and do read the contents of a thread before responding to ensure that you're not just repeating something that's been said fifty times already.

Forcing people to read something rather than scroll past it is tricky of course. Maybe if there was some kind of test asking "What did you just read? Explain in your own words." In the end that might require a human to judge what qualifies to be posted which may be impossible with a board this popular and may in fact make it unpopular if it was implemented, so maybe not.

More moderation in some capacity would definitely improve the community anyway. In my opinion.

 

[bad rider]

I think we should have a ban on all meme's. AKA no using rofl copter, lolcats or Any refererence to the cake being a lie. But I doubt anyone agree's with me.

 

[Inverse Skies]

I think it'd be more constructive to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the first place. Perhaps if posters were somehow forced to read through some rules for basic civil behavior, such as using the word "gay" as an insult demeans gay people, and do read the contents of a thread before responding to ensure that you're not just repeating something that's been said fifty times already.

Someone else came up with the idea of producing a video for people to watch through when they first joined. Prehaps if people were made to read the forum posting guidelines before they posted? (ie not able to post until they have looked at it). But again people can just scroll through the text. Sigh, there has to be something we can do to make people at least acknowlege the standards we expect as a community before they start posting.

 

[megapenguinx]

We started getting more 4chan commentators in recent times.
I actually don't mind some of their posts as long as they are tasteful, but one thing that does tick me off is super bad (illegible) grammar and spelling. Another thing that has always bothered me are the fanboys who create one post just to stir up an argument. I agree with the OP we need to start acting and weeding out these trolls.

PS: I think one of the reasons older members are posting less and less is because forum topics aren't what they used to be.

 

[D_987]

List threads are irritating...that and it seems the same people keep making similar threads over and over "Whats your ideas for game X", that and the incessant amount of sheep. If one person posts they hate Halo everyone follows suit and ironically they all seem to have the same complaint with it (usually the one posted by the OP).

I've given up trying to sugar-coat suggestions, hence a recent PM I received letting me know "70% of your posts I've seen have been trolling". I personally think we regard the people on this forums with to much respect; if people can't attempt to use the search button (admittedly it is a terrible system so I don't usually pick on people for that - but an example would have to be a recent thread I witnessed - it had an identical thread started days before with the exact same title - the user hadn't even looked down the first page and realized there was an active thread about the topic they had posted on.

Posting about peoples grammar is a good thing as long as its not nit picking (such as "You miss-spelt word Y")

 

[curlycrouton]

I don't feel like I'm one of those people, but I do share this sentiment.
I've been posting less and less for the past few months. Things are getting bad. I'm losing interest in the site, everyday you see repeated threads and pointless repeated arguments that have been debated over and over again.

You know what I'm the most tired of on this site? Atheists in religious discussions.
Notice I used the term discussion. Because it's a pleasant conversation until several members, and they know who they are, come in, and can't accept that somebody could believe in something they don't, and fuck it up for everyone else.
Every religious thread I have seen has been closed, and it's because the damned atheists and and such are militant pricks. And that makes me mad. That something that carries such weight in life can't be discussed between gamers because some of them out there, are just suck pricks that they ruin it for everyone else.
Then again, there are some dumb people on this board who just shouldn't post in such threads, atheist or otherwise.

Absolutely. People with avatars saying "Thank God I'm Atheist" (oh, how witty), and stumbling blindly into religious-type threads declaring their undying hatred for all things spiritual are one of the worst parts of this website.

On a lighter note, however, these set of rules, or some kind of commitee that you suggest sounds like a fine idea.

 

[Gamine]

I am a newbie..sure, i was posting in a thread yesterday, next ting i knew, it was locked...i still wonder why?

I am still looking around but i have noticed a few things. .the grammar thing, not so much

 

[Ultrajoe]

PS: I think one of the reasons older members are posting less and less is because forum topics aren't what they used to be.

Far from it, it's dragging around this sack of sweet lewt that does it.

In truth, and a bit of seriousness, it's because anyone who has been here for a while has seen most of these threads before. For the most, we don't mind, but it's the reason some of us go Deja Nazi on newer folks... like you, we enjoy new things. We still love the forums, but after 10 or so monster religion threads, your desire to post away in them gets a little blunted. Trust me, when you have a new idea we'll turn up with schoolgirlish glee to bicker and talk with the best of them.

We're not jaded, just experienced, and we know when a topic is headed down the same street as the last one... and often just like to watch.

Besides, I still post like an old maid giving out market gossip. Don't you like my posts?

 

[Inverse Skies]

I am a newbie..sure, i was posting in a thread yesterday, next ting i knew, it was locked...i still wonder why?

I am still looking around but i have noticed a few things. .the grammar thing, not so much

Have a look at this thread for abuse of the English langauge. There is no reason why capitalisation couldn't easily have been a part of the OP's post.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.92353

 

[MercurySteam]

I'm sorry, but I just assume people who have ZP avatars, or worship Yahtzee, are new here.

That does not make sense, something you have against Yahtzee Mr. Juge A Book By Its Cover?

Allow me to direct you to the ZP comments sections [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.92977], almost everyone there made a profile the same day simply for the purpose of being the first poster, the ones who didn't made idiotic posts.

Yeah they're just idiots though. But did any of them have a ZP avatar?

You should stop saying stupid things.