Changing of the Community Manager

[Tutankhamun]

I don't think anyone will dislike a post if they simply disagree with it. The whole point of a forum is to discuss and debate. The only way a post will get 10 dislikes is if it's just a worthless, stupid post.

That's incredibly naive.

[SchaffinOSX]

One person cannot keep clicking dislike to abuse it.

That's not what I meant. You'd be surprised how groups of immature people can randomly group together to gang up on another member for no reason other than to cause an inconvenience. For example, a user makes a post that receives two dislikes. So then another member sees it and thinks it'd be funny to get the post hidden, and then it snowballs until 10 people have disliked it.

I don't see that being too big an issue here, given I think a good deal of the community is mature. Nonetheless, we want to make sure that members aren't intentionally trying to hide posts made by certain members on the grounds of some grudge or the like.

[Ixion]

That's incredibly naive.

I'm just speaking in general terms. Of course it will happen occasionally, but not enough to be a problem.

I honestly don't think any post will receive 10 dislikes unless it's genuinely a bad post, or if people are being funny in the sub thread or something.

[Galvanise_]

Some people are more interested in having a position of authority, and when that is compromised, they leave. We've seen it with several staff members. The deletion of the account, that's odd, but nevertheless, it happens.

I don't know what happened, because I am not privvy to behind the scenes info anymore (and I wasn't really when I was a MOD either haha) but I suspect Coma felt disgusted that having done so much for the forums, that he was removed before much of his plans and ideas came to fruition. I would have been annoyed too. I suspect there was a bit of discomfort behind the scenes too.

A great many staff members have stepped down voluntarily and not returned, possibly because they felt their time had come. For me it was a mixture of anger and the realisation that everything I want from a forum existed elsewhere. The time was right. Not pushed. Not shoved. Walked.

Some members are definitely in it for the power, but the vast majority of them (Coma, Justin, Cuguy, Tribunal, Vintage, Vulgotha, Ixion, Gilly and many many more) really did/do want the best for the forums.

So many come. So many go. Everyone leaves their mark.

[Tutankhamun]

I'm just speaking in general terms. Of course it will happen occasionally, but not enough to be a problem.

I honestly don't think any post will receive 10 dislikes unless it's genuinely a bad post, or if people are being funny in the sub thread or something.

I can see it happening in any number of threads, especially controversial topics such as political threads or threads regarding some big event where people will have strong, and different, opinions. That will mean a great number of readers will miss a post when skimming a thread for something in particular such as a link or a keyword.

My main issue is this, can you really presume just because 10 people find a post worth of disliking that it provides no benefit to anyone? That's the presumption this plugin lives by.

[Ixion]

Some members are definitely in it for the power, but the vast majority of them (Coma, Justin, Cuguy, Tribunal, Vintage, Vulgotha, Ixion, Gilly and many many more) really did/do want the best for the forums.

I'm in it for the power.

I can see it happening in any number of threads, especially controversial topics such as political threads or threads regarding some big event where people will have strong, and different, opinions. That will mean a great number of readers will miss a post when skimming a thread for something in particular such as a link or a keyword.

My main issue is this, can you really presume just because 10 people find a post worth of disliking that it provides no benefit to anyone? That's the presumption this plugin lives by.

Honestly, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

As for your second point, of course there's an element of subjectivity involved, but generally, the hope is that people will avoid worthless posts. And if they really want to see them, they can. I'm sure most people will want to see what was so bad about the post anyway. lol

[Tutankhamun]

Well, that's another broad assumption that you can't make. My view is that a forum should be a fire hose of information - not information censored by a committee.

[F34R]

That's not what I meant. You'd be surprised how groups of immature people can randomly group together to gang up on another member for no reason other than to cause an inconvenience. For example, a user makes a post that receives two dislikes. So then another member sees it and thinks it'd be funny to get the post hidden, and then it snowballs until 10 people have disliked it.

I don't see that being too big an issue here, given I think a good deal of the community is mature. Nonetheless, we want to make sure that members aren't intentionally trying to hide posts made by certain members on the grounds of some grudge or the like.

I'm just speaking in general terms. Of course it will happen occasionally, but not enough to be a problem.

I honestly don't think any post will receive 10 dislikes unless it's genuinely a bad post, or if people are being funny in the sub thread or something.

I guess it's beyond my ability to realize why keep a feature that doesn't have any positive influence on the forums, on a "we'll see" basis.

I don't know what happened, because I am not privvy to behind the scenes info anymore (and I wasn't really when I was a MOD either haha) but I suspect Coma felt disgusted that having done so much for the forums, that he was removed before much of his plans and ideas came to fruition. I would have been annoyed too. I suspect there was a bit of discomfort behind the scenes too.

A great many staff members have stepped down voluntarily and not returned, possibly because they felt their time had come. For me it was a mixture of anger and the realisation that everything I want from a forum existed elsewhere. The time was right. Not pushed. Not shoved. Walked.

Some members are definitely in it for the power, but the vast majority of them (Coma, Justin, Cuguy, Tribunal, Vintage, Vulgotha, Ixion, Gilly and many many more) really did/do want the best for the forums.

So many come. So many go. Everyone leaves their mark.

Yeah, but to outright delete your account? Cmon... I was disgusted, and extremely angry when I was "politically" demoted. I survived.

[jj03]

i never knew the fella but best of luck to him and his family...i'm sure there are plenty of people willing to step up....upwards n onwards...


.

[Ixion]

I guess it's beyond my ability to realize why keep a feature that doesn't have any positive influence on the forums, on a "we'll see" basis.

The benefit is that it allows the community to hide worthless posts. I've seen other communities use Dislikes or Negative rep, and if someone doesn't do research or just makes an outright stupid post, then they will get punished. In result, people try to make quality threads and what-not. Can it be abused? Yes, but that's where we come in.

[F34R]

The benefit is that it allows the community to hide worthless posts. I've seen other communities use Dislikes or Negative rep, and if someone doesn't do research or just makes an outright stupid post, then they will get punished. In result, people try to make quality threads and what-not. Can it be abused? Yes, but that's where we come in.

Isn't that what the report button and the staff are for?

[squirrelbo1]

I'm in it for the power.

*hi fve* me and you running this bitch soon

Yeah, but to outright delete your account? Cmon... I was disgusted, and extremely angry when I was "politically" demoted. I survived.

didnt have the ability to delete your account

[Galvanise_]

On the issue of the 'upgrades', these things should have been right at the bottom of the list of the things this place needs. Membership looks like its tanking.

Social media copycat features won't bring people in, or improve the quality of debate. If you look at a place like NeoGAF, it doesn't even have most of the conventional things that a forum has. What Evilore has done is allow debate to grow by letting people know that if you mess up, you are banned. No warnings, no incremental punishment system. If you've read the rules, you no not to screw up.

You need to foster debate and protect good debate. You do that by putting the fear of god into people breaking the rules. Everything else can then flourish.

This place is too fragmented. Fragmentation doesn't bring people together, it just emphasizes the differences between us.

[F34R]

*hi fve* me and you running this bitch soon


didnt have the ability to delete your account

Yeah, I did... for a while after too.

[Jaeger]

If you look at a place like NeoGAF, it doesn't even have most of the conventional things that a forum has. What Evilore has done is allow debate to grow by letting people know that if you mess up, you are banned. No warnings, no incremental punishment system. If you've read the rules, you no not to screw up.

You need to foster debate and protect good debate. You do that by putting the fear of god into people breaking the rules. Everything else can then flourish.

Yep, pretty much this.

NeoGAF is a forum for discussion only. No social gimmicks like the like/dislike button, no button to thank people for their posts, no reputation system, no 'Connect to Facebook...' crap. Just good, honest discussion. Nothing more, nothing less. I'd love to see a system similar to that of NeoGAF implimented here but we'd lose a lot of the PlayStation Universe userbase and I don't want that.

[Tutankhamun]

I just don't understand why it was necessary to demote Comatosed, we had two CM's now we have one. No replacement was promoted so how did it hurt having Coma on in a limited capacity? Doesn't make sense to me.

[F34R]

If you're not doing your job, you should keep the position? No.

[Tutankhamun]

If you're not doing your job, you should keep the position? No.

I don't necessarily see any connection between being active or not and doing your job as CM. Granted you need to be on the forum to gain an understanding how things are going but if Coma was still giving ideas to me he was doing his job. We can only speculate of course.

[VintageElise]

I don't necessarily see any connection between being active or not and doing your job as CM. Granted you need to be on the forum to gain an understanding how things are going but if Coma was still giving ideas to me he was doing his job. We can only speculate of course.

I like Coma, but he made about 2 posts in the staff section in about 4 months...

[Chille]

I like Coma, but he made about 2 posts in the staff section in about 4 months...

Maybe because unlike the rest of a cowardly staff section he was open and said everything to the public and did not hide behind the hidden forum section

[Rapture]

Maybe because unlike the rest of a cowardly staff section he was open and said everything to the public and did not hide behind the hidden forum section

This. The staff as of now are a bunch of pussies.

[VintageElise]

I've never been so hurt...

[manutdfan]

That's incredibly naive.

People will dislike a post just for the sake of it messing about.

[ps3isawesome]

People will dislike a post just for the sake of it messing about.

Who would do that?

[sainraja]

That's not what I meant. You'd be surprised how groups of immature people can randomly group together to gang up on another member for no reason other than to cause an inconvenience. For example, a user makes a post that receives two dislikes. So then another member sees it and thinks it'd be funny to get the post hidden, and then it snowballs until 10 people have disliked it.

I don't see that being too big an issue here, given I think a good deal of the community is mature. Nonetheless, we want to make sure that members aren't intentionally trying to hide posts made by certain members on the grounds of some grudge or the like.

That all depends on your view of the community here. Anyway, if you like or dislike a post, your name appears under that post. It's not hidden from anyone, so if you are part of that group, you'd reveal your intentions easily.

You will also know who is serious about the discussion and who isn't.

I can see if the text can go.

exactly... what we hoped the negativity of dislikes and such would do is cause people to pause before they post. a simple debate may yield negative posts, but people may still agree with them. It has to have a higher ratio of dislikes to likes in order to hide. I think right now if a post gets 10 consecutive dislikes, it minimizes.

Gotcha and thanks for taking the suggestion.