The Thunderdome

6th

faceman wrote:

The dome can be borderline hairy at times. I dont agree with your suggestion re starting threads about other boardsies. Similar threads there were recently deleted entirely before they even got in anyway offensive. Could it potentially leave the owners open to litigation? I dont know, havent seen it happen but...

Well I'm sure an Admin could comment on that a bit more. As for threads about other users it was me how reported the previous comments and thread. Its not so much that they where bad but that it was all done behind the persons back. If people are going to bitch then at least give the persona a chance to comment.

faceman wrote:

I still reckon the place needs a charter to cover one's rear etc but to set strict OTT rules takes away from what it is.

I dont think I am suggesting anything strict.

faceman wrote:

As for ranting about stuff, sure you can do that anyway?

You can but if you look at some threads they all turn into clones of the insults threads.

faceman wrote:

you mentioned a post above about comments about the mccann's that would see you banned in AH. Are you suggesting that it would/should be ok to post that in the Dome? Maybe i have started to become a bit PC in my old age but it would be highly insensitive and uncalled to lash it in the dome instead. (on that particular topic anyway)

I chose one example, if you read the Dome you will see regular comments about child abuse, made in a light hearted way, they go unchecked ... I am not saying these commenst are right or wrong.

faceman wrote:

Also im sure the admins have to be careful about what is said in the dome even though its a free-for-all forum. (hence the need for a charter of some sort?) Im sure no judge would accept "ah sure its the thunderdome judge, it doesnt count in the real world" as an excuse for naughtiness!

I regularily see comments suggesting people kill themselves or that they are Pedophiles and the mind set is that anything is ok in the forum?

---

I havent suggested that people cant discuss things and anyone who reads the opening post will see that.

I know some people are attached to the place but surely they arent blind to its faults.

popebenny16

6th wrote:

The Thunderdome should be a place where you can rant about a subject. Think about a topic you would like to post in a forum like Humanities, Soccer etc but where you have to keep your brain in check for fear of getting slapped with the ban stick. Sometimes we are just pissed off and need to vent.

With that in mind it might not be a bad thing to actually try to keep threads on topic.

Most current threads should be locked. Obviously there are some that are active and seem to work, the majority though seem to just gathering dust or descending into insults for the sake of insulting.

Personal Abuse/Insult: The insult thread should be kept active but carrying over this style of posting into other threads should be kept to a minimum.

Threads directed at fellow Boardsies: Ok sometimes other members can do something to annoy you ... it happens.

Edit If some people think that this will water down there ability to abuse each other then I suggest a seperate private forum where people can talk to each other in any fashion they choose..

I bolded the last bit, because that's what I think you can do in the dome anyway. You can start any thread in there, and if you dont like Degsey and the like, just put them on ignore.

Anyway, what you are looking for dont fit for me in boards anyway. The ideas you gave about the mccanns for example, i dont think the mindset of boards and its users will allow you to post that anywhere here (maybe lolocaust but you not making a joke but a point). I dont think any new forum would work, the vast majority of posters would turn it into another AH clone and for me one forum full of jumper wearing right on precious PC gits telling you they dont agree with yourt opinion and therfore you get banned if you defend yourself is enough.

RoundyMooney

Okay, some interesting thoughts here.

6th wrote:

Anyway here are some ideas:

The Thunderdome should be a place where you can rant about a subject. Think about a topic you would like to post in a forum like Humanities, Soccer etc but where you have to keep your brain in check for fear of getting slapped with the ban stick. Sometimes we are just pissed off and need to vent.

With that in mind it might not be a bad thing to actually try to keep threads on topic.

Absolutely. That seems to be the consensus (among other issues) among users as to why the 'dome exists in the first place.

6th wrote:

Personal Abuse/Insult: The insult thread should be kept active but carrying over this style of posting into other threads should be kept to a minimum.

Again, I concur.

6th wrote:

Threads directed at fellow Boardsies: Ok sometimes other members can do something to annoy you ... it happens. In cases where someone wishes to rant or bitch about someone they must *send a PM informing them of the thread. If you want to bitch about someone then have the balls to let them reply. If they dont like it they can request the thread be locked. If they reply to the thread then its fair game. This type of thread should not proceed until the victim/target responds.

The qualification here, as suggested by tbh and myself, is that the thread should not be created (or at least not approved by a mod) until PM agreement is received by both protaganists.

On that note, all threads therein should be moderated at the outset, as happens in other fora at present.

6th wrote:

When a thread is moved over to the Thunderdome it should continue on topic but with a twist of 'Dome.

A charter would be good. Nothing too heavy, just something to appeal to peoples common sense.

I'm still nodding here.

Degsy wrote:

I really cant see what this obsession is you have with the thunderdome.

irishbird wrote:

6th, you appear to have an obession with the 'dome

This from two users who spend little time elsewhere.

6th

RoundyMooney wrote:

The qualification here, as suggested by tbh and myself, is that the thread should not be created (or at least not approved by a mod) until PM agreement is received by both protaganists.

Bingo, otherwise it could be seen as bullying. Noone replies uptil the target does.

John Mason

RoundyMooney wrote:

This from two users who spend little time elsewhere.

emm, i actually spend very little time there, you will usually find me in a the bar :cool:

6th

Irishbird, do you think the Thunderdome could be improved? Serious question.

John Mason

6th wrote:

Irishbird, do you think the Thunderdome could be improved? Serious question.

yes but not by having a charter or mods

RoundyMooney

To add, I feel this thread, although commendable in intent, will achieve little.

I'm not the only one to have banged on about this ad infinitum, with the sole result to date being one admin's response (to their credit) telling us that we were right.

yes

Is that it?

subsequent edit by user wrote:

...but not by having a charter or mods

How then?

As one of the most frequent users, your input interests me.

6th

If people dont want to improve it then why not make it private? Maybe then it would make room for a proper Rant Forum?

6th

irishbird wrote:

yes but not by having a charter or mods

Would you care to make some suggestions?

John Mason

one or two of the guys need to learn a bit of self control, there was one thread there which was going along nicely without too kiddie fiddling business but it has now being hi-jacked

all that sort of stuff should be kept in the insult thread and we should be able to have other threads. tbh this is the reason,i dont spend much time there anymore, i am not angry enough to be in there anymore.

my sense of humour has got me bannings in other forums and i like somewhere where i can say what i like with the risk of being banned.

6th

Then surely by your response my suggestions would suit you?

Would you ever report a post in there for going off topic?

6th

The insult thread would be free to keep going and I'm sure it would be as popular as ever.

AlmightyCushion

irishbird wrote:

one or two of the guys need to learn a bit of self control, there was one thread there which was going along nicely without too kiddie fiddling business but it has now being hi-jacked

all that sort of stuff should be kept in the insult thread and we should be able to have other threads. tbh this is the reason,i dont spend much time there anymore, i am not angry enough to be in there anymore.

my sense of humour has got me bannings in other forums and i like somewhere where i can say what i like with the risk of being banned.

Well a mod would be able to keep it on topic. I don't think 6th is suggesting that the dome should be heavily moderated. Just that whenever a thread gets hi-jacked, the mod can step in and tell them to keep it to the insult thread..

6th

Exactly, some people seem to think that mods all have to follow one set of rules for the hole of Boards .... have they never seen Amp moderate a forum?!

RoundyMooney

irishbird wrote:

one or two of the guys need to learn a bit of self control, there was one thread there which was going along nicely without too kiddie fiddling business but it has now being hi-jacked

all that sort of stuff should be kept in the insult thread and we should be able to have other threads. tbh this is the reason,i dont spend much time there anymore, i am not angry enough to be in there anymore.

my sense of humour has got me bannings in other forums and i like somewhere where i can say what i like with the risk of being banned.

Thank you.

As it happens, I do agree with what you're saying.

However, I don't see a way to make that happen without moderation.

Hence my suggestions.

Moderation does not equal heavy handedness. I don't see much of a workload bar keeping the insult thread to itself, setting up a charter, and approving or rejecting new threads as they arise.

I really think we're all coming at the same ball from different parts of the field.

John Mason

6th wrote:

Then surely by your response my suggestions would suit you?

Would you ever report a post in there for going off topic?

no, i wouldnt

if you are out having a conversation with your mate and go off topic, does your mate punch in you the head and say "off topic posting with get you ban from my friendship list"?

conversations meander, thats a fact. sometimes the best threads come from not being structered. look at the yore ma's - that place is always packed for the simple reason that no one comes in and go - off topic, you're banned.

i just think a certain type of insults should be kept in the insult thread

6th

But its not just a conversation between mates ... all users should be free to post and lets be honest - we dont all have to be friends.

RoundyMooney

6th wrote:

If people dont want to improve it then why not make it private? Maybe then it would make room for a proper Rant Forum?

IMO it's not that users don't want it improved (double negative there, apologies), but rather they fear that any moderation will stifle the forum, which is not, rather would not be the case.

irishbird wrote:

if you are out having a conversation with your mate and go off topic

The point is, there are degrees of OTness.

Meandering discussions are fine.

Insult thread type crap (which has already been defined on this thread by a number of users) isn't.

Simple really.

John Mason

RoundyMooney wrote:

Moderation does not equal heavy handedness. I don't see much of a workload bar keeping the insult thread to itself, setting up a charter, and approving or rejecting new threads as they arise.

if mods are going to be put in, it should be something like fat guts and baldies forum where you never see the mods

6th

But you've said that there are problems so surely the mods could address them? I'm not saying heavy modding at all but something is needed - plus a bit more structure.

John Mason

6th wrote:

But its not just a conversation between mates ... all users should be free to post and lets be honest - we dont all have to be friends.

there a posters on this site, that if i knew what they looked like, i would run them down and reverse over them many times just to make sure i had done the job properly. you just ignore these people the same as i would do in the real world.

AlmightyCushion

irishbird wrote:

no, i wouldnt

if you are out having a conversation with your mate and go off topic, does your mate punch in you the head and say "off topic posting with get you ban from my friendship list"?

conversations meander, thats a fact. sometimes the best threads come from not being structered. look at the yore ma's - that place is always packed for the simple reason that no one comes in and go - off topic, you're banned.

i just think a certain type of insults should be kept in the insult thread

I think the conversation should be allowed meander too. There is a difference between meandering and going completely off topic. Let the thread go off topic but if someone comes into the thread and posts something like 'Look you bunch of cnuts, blah blah blah' that has nothing to do with the thread or anything in the thread at all and whose only purpose is to turn that thread into the insult thread do you not think that something should be done?

6th

Its happened on every thread moved over there in the last while.

6th

irishbird wrote:

there a posters on this site, that if i knew what they looked like, i would run them down and reverse over them many times just to make sure i had done the job properly. you just ignore these people the same as i would do in the real world.

Thats fine but lets say in the middle of a thread in motors I say to you "Hey, hows things? You go out at the weekend?" .... its not a place to have a chat which is why some forums have a chat or social thread to keep that stuff in one place.

No one us have the right to take a thread of topic just to suit ourselves.

FlutterinBantam

6th wrote:

Exactly, some people seem to think that mods all have to follow one set of rules for the hole of Boards .... have they never seen Amp moderate a forum?!

I have and I wouldn't want Amp within a thousand miles of the 'Dome.

6th

Flut you are one of the more regular users of the 'Dome, what do you think of my suggestions and the Forum in general?

RoundyMooney

irishbird wrote:

if mods are going to be put in, it should be something like fat guts and baldies forum where you never see the mods

You see them, but they do a markedly good job of modding while not stifling the flow of the comunity.

There is absolutely no reason why forum no. 484 should be any different.

6th

RoundyMooney wrote:

There is absolutely no reason why forum no. 484 should be any different.

Its sexy when you say it like that.

FlutterinBantam

Generally The 'Dome is ok.

I would agree that threads can disintegrate into insults and stuff and personally would prefer to be allowed fairly free rein but to stay on topic on threads other than the insult thread.

'Dome users cannot start threads,probably for a good reason,but it is difficult to get to the nub of an argument 20 or thirty posts in.

I feel it is going thru some kind of a hiatus right now as the protagonists get a second wind:D and i wouldn't mind a few minor changes provided the general "ethos" of fun and frolics was maintained.