Boards is becoming a Ghost Town

LuckyLloyd

K-9 wrote: »

The anonymous (well semi-anonymous) aspect of Boards doesn't matter anymore either with social media.

The difference argued here is obviously that people feel they have the ability to delete their content at a whim on social platforms and believe (possibly incorrectly) that due to them controlling those accounts they are safer and more private.

I don't buy it as the main driver behind this stuff tbh. You see weak people deleting social media accounts in a fit of pique or removing comments from their own facebook posts that they don't agree with, etc. What is trotted out as a 'privacy' issue is really a preference issue - some of the time it can be embarrassing to have to stand over something you said or frustrating to have your opinions challenged in public.

What many people really want is the right to say / upload whatever they want into a public space on the Internet and then have it all deleted at a time of their choosing. It gets couched in different terms but that's really what it boils down to.

Wibbs

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

What many people really want is the right to say / upload whatever they want into a public space on the Internet and then have it all deleted at a time of their choosing. It gets couched in different terms but that's really what it boils down to.

QFT.

Lovely Bloke

But is it right that someone can post something in 2006 and still be held to that ten years later, either?

We've all typed some pretty foolish shít over the years, and I think it's wrong that Boardsies aren't allowed to delete or get rid of certain posts like they can on Facebook, Twitter or whathaveyou.

There's a fine line between the "right to be forgotten" and "shure it's only an anonymous account anyway" imo.

LuckyLloyd

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

But is it right that someone can post something in 2006 and still be held to that ten years later, either?

We've all typed some pretty foolish shít over the years, and I think it's wrong that Boardsies aren't allowed to delete or get rid of certain posts like they can on Facebook, Twitter or whathaveyou.

There's a fine line between the "right to be forgotten" and "shure it's only an anonymous account anyway" imo.

People shouldn't be held to it. It shouldn't have to go away for you not to be held to it however. The war that should be waged here is against a mindset of looking to hold things against people. People change, their opinions change, their range of behaviours change and they mature. Fighting for the right to just press delete when you feel like it fails to tackle the real problem - that people are small minded and petty and will look to hold the past against people.

K-9

The right to be forgotten then.

You get it the odd time here with people wanting opinions removed, rare enough and we don't really agree to it. Personal stuff divulged in error is different, we try to facilitate that.

I suppose the closed account option is used like that while us sods with 30 or 40k odd (sometimes very odd) posts get on with it.

The problem is that gets abused by trolls and tantrumees.

intheclouds

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

What many people really want is the right to say / upload whatever they want into a public space on the Internet and then have it all deleted at a time of their choosing.

I think that people should be allowed to say/upload things and then have those things deleted later if they wish.

K-9

I don't see the dragging up stuff from years ago as much these days, probably because there aren't as many accounts from years ago about!

And yeah, people get older, learn and experience more, views change, such is life. It's the combative online thing again.

Lovely Bloke

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

People shouldn't be held to it. It shouldn't have to go away for you not to be held to it however. The war that should be waged here is against a mindset of looking to hold things against people. People change, their opinions change, their range of behaviours change and they mature. Fighting for the right to just press delete when you feel like it fails to tackle the real problem - that people are small minded and petty and will look to hold the past against people.

Yeah but people will always be small minded and petty, it's what people are.

Look, I'm not talking about a guy digging up posts about what someone said about a certain football manager last week, last year or in 2006 - I'm talking about someone perhaps unwittingly posting some identifiable information (or even wittingly) and having that linked to an opinion that may have been ok in 2006, but not ok in 2020.

LuckyLloyd

intheclouds wrote: »

I think that people should be allowed to say/upload things and then have those things deleted later if they wish.

Understood. So do many others. I and others disagree with that viewpoint. You don't get to unsay stuff in real life or have written documents / letters deleted at a time of your choosing.

LuckyLloyd

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Yeah but people will always be small minded and petty, it's what people are.

Look, I'm not talking about a guy digging up posts about what someone said about a certain football manager last week, last year or in 2006 - I'm talking about someone perhaps unwittingly posting some identifiable information (or even wittingly) and having that linked to an opinion that may have been ok in 2006, but not ok in 2020.

'Yeah I said / thought that in 2006 but I don't believe it now'.
'Fair enough'.

And assuming the person's actions fit with that apostasy so be it. I think we're going down a road in society that leads to those who would refuse to accept the above statement when it suits / benefits them winning.

Lovely Bloke

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

'Yeah I said / thought that in 2006 but I don't believe it now'.
'Fair enough'.

And assuming the person's actions fit with that apostasy so be it. I think we're going down a road in society that leads to those who would refuse to accept the above statement when it suits / benefits them winning.

-Yeah, I said that in 2006, and I still think it now
-Oh you absolute monster, no job for you

intheclouds

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

You don't get to unsay stuff in real life or have written documents / letters deleted at a time of your choosing.

Unless someone records you saying something then most of what you say is simply memory.

Letters and documents are not public the way internet accounts are.

I appreciate your point but I do not think you are making a like comparison.

It might be a like comparison in the case of a politician say, who is on record (video, newspaper) as saying certain things, but they choose to hold public office.

If I want to have a photo removed that I posted 10 years ago I think I should be allowed to have it removed. Or an opinion.

smash

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Understood. So do many others. I and others disagree with that viewpoint. You don't get to unsay stuff in real life or have written documents / letters deleted at a time of your choosing.

If something CAN be deleted. Then why shouldn't it be allowed to be deleted? I mean, you're not allowed to re-open old threads anyway so why restrict the deletion of old threads or posts? I think if a thread is inactive for 12 months then it should be wiped out and not just locked.

intheclouds

smash wrote: »

If something CAN be deleted. Then why shouldn't it be allowed to be deleted? I mean, you're not allowed to re-open old threads anyway so why restrict the deletion of old threads or posts? I think if a thread is inactive for 12 months then it should be wiped out and not just locked.

Yes, I am failing to understand why we should not allow deletion.

K-9

I want to read the 05 CL Istanbul thread if I want, 2012 All Ireland, 9/11 thread etc.

If ye want a year cut off get Facebook and Twitter do the same.

K-9

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

'Yeah I said / thought that in 2006 but I don't believe it now'.
'Fair enough'.

And assuming the person's actions fit with that apostasy so be it. I think we're going down a road in society that leads to those who would refuse to accept the above statement when it suits / benefits them winning.

You get it with Politicians.

The extreme example is Trump, who has changed his opinion on a host of things.

smash

K-9 wrote: »

If ye want a year cut off get Facebook and Twitter do the same.

Isn't this what boards is aspiring to be? In an era where user generated content is disposable and temporary, Boards wants to be one of the big boys but refuses to follow suit with best practice for user engagement.

intheclouds

K-9 wrote: »

I want to read the 05 CL Istanbul thread if I want, 2012 All Ireland, 9/11 thread etc.

Thats fine, but Id like my posts deleted from them.

K-9

smash wrote: »

Isn't this what boards is aspiring to be? In an era where user generated content is disposable and temporary, Boards wants to be one of the big boys but refuses to follow suit with best practice for user engagement.

Eh, so you don't want the 9/11 thread archived on the site, say AH memorable threads from the past.

You want a snapchat Boards? Is that best practice?

K-9

intheclouds wrote: »

Thats fine, but Id like my posts deleted from them.

Then we don't have an archive, Doh!

intheclouds

K-9 wrote: »

Then we don't have an archive, Doh!

So your right to read archived material should trump my right to remove content I have generated?

smash

K-9 wrote: »

Eh, so you don't want the 9/11 thread archived on the site, say AH memorable threads from the past.

You want a snapchat Boards? Is that best practice?

I couldn't really care less about the 9/11 thread. Or if there was a memorable threads forum. And I didn't say I wanted a snapchat boards. What I would like is a boards that either allows users control over their own content or at least takes control over the content themselves and nukes old stuff.

Is it any wonder that user numbers are down when whatever you post is portrayed as being finite? Because there's a very limited market for people who actively seek out to use such services. On the flip side there seems to be an increasing number of people who seek out this content for malicious reasons.

Wibbs

smash wrote: »

Isn't this what boards is aspiring to be? In an era where user generated content is disposable and temporary, Boards wants to be one of the big boys but refuses to follow suit with best practice for user engagement.

Does Reddit delete archived stuff? Does Twitter? Facebook does and users think they have a "safe space". Right, with your name photos and all your "friends" and "tags" and "likes" for others to see. Unless you have your account nailed down to friends only rendering it pretty limited. Boards is a lot safer on that score. For pity's sake there's already the closed account so you can distance yourself, join up anew with your new face to the world and off you trot. Which a daft number already do. What more do ye want?

intheclouds

Wibbs wrote: »

What more do ye want?

Has this not been made clear?

I would like the ability to delete any content I have ever generated on boards.ie.

K-9

intheclouds wrote: »

So your right to read archived material should trump my right to remove content I have generated?

No, everybody else's right to read that archive trumps your, 1 person's, right. Personal info, identifying info will be deleted or snipped on request

Delirium

intheclouds wrote: »

Has this not been made clear?

I would like the ability to delete any content I have ever generated on boards.ie.

and what about posts that quote your contributions?

Wibbs

Never gonna happen and I for one hope it never does. Though with some of our idiots in government…

Here's an easy way out. Don't post anything you can't stand over down the line.

KERSPLAT!

Tough. Users deleting content would ruin threads.

I've no issue with deleting content that may identify an individual but bar that, I generally won't delete anything. If you said something stupid 10 years ago, so what. If you changed your views in the meantime, brilliant. If someone drags it up/then explain how your views have changed.

smash

Wibbs wrote: »

Does Reddit delete archived stuff? Does Twitter? Facebook does and users think they have a "safe space". Right, with your name photos and all your "friends" and "tags" and "likes" for others to see. Unless you have your account nailed down to friends only rendering it pretty limited. Boards is a lot safer on that score.

These other platforms give users the control over their own content. and two of these three have privacy settings to limit the audience.

Obviously boards won't allow the limitation to various audiences but they could follow suit with the content control.

Wibbs wrote: »

For pity's sake there's already the closed account so you can distance yourself, join up anew with your new face to the world and off you trot. Which a daft number already do. What more do ye want?

The close account feature is in fact utterly useless to everyone. It leaves threads looking dull and the site looking empty. You've said this yourself. And it leaves breadcrumbs all over the place for the previous account owner.

I could list dozens of users who close and reopen again under a new guise. Maybe this wouldn't happen if they had control over their history. Or if their posts and threads were nuked upon account close then you'd have much newer and fresher threads.

I still don't understand why people are so precious about holding on to old content. It's just hoarding for the sake of it.

LuckyLloyd

Wibbs wrote: »

Does Reddit delete archived stuff? Does Twitter? Facebook does and users think they have a "safe space". Right, with your name photos and all your "friends" and "tags" and "likes" for others to see. Unless you have your account nailed down to friends only rendering it pretty limited. Boards is a lot safer on that score. For pity's sake there's already the closed account so you can distance yourself, join up anew with your new face to the world and off you trot. Which a daft number already do. What more do ye want?

Total victory is total disassociation at a time of the individual's choosing. That would be achieved via a non expiry on edit / delete function of your own posts. That is what some people genuinely want.

The Close Account option was an attempt at meeting people halfway. But those who want a similar experience to what happens when they 'delete' their facebook / twitter / instagram account will never be satisfied with anything less, and the Close Account option is already a pain for those of us who believe in the idea of owning your own public online presence.

No - one is really happy at the moment is the end result of where we are.

And I believe this is a key issue pertaining to the question of the site's falling popularity and way ahead of the queue relative to issues over moderation or the tone taken with serial dickheads in the prison forum.