[I was David B.]

I found two threads in the powerbook forum that have been locked (.fpbf = what does it mean?, and Keynote cancelled!!!).
Reason posted by mod: wrong forum.

I agree with the reason but not with the procedure. I think these postings (that adress real problems, at least .fpbf...) should be moved instead of being locked. Thus a useful discussion can proceed instead of an annoying restart in another forum (with a new guess if it might be the right place...).

Or the moderator who locks them could at least post a suggestion where they should be posted. There are new members, and obviously also older, who might have a good point, but did not find the right forum (But thats only a second rate solution, if you ask me.).
Be a little more supportive in this case, please.

Opinions?

[Railroader]

Some mods will move a thread to the appropriate forum. I guess those forums just have better mods than the PowerBook forum.

[Randman]

Is there a mod for the PB forum? Other than GHPorter and networking, I'm quite unsure which mods handle which forums.

[OreoCookie]

The names of the mods of the forum you're browsing is shown at the bottom of each forum.

There are two basic philosophies to what you mentioned: (i) lock the thread for a learn effect via negative feedback and (ii) move the thread. There are pros and cons to each of them, and so it's personal taste of the mod. I'm more of a mover, though.

[Lateralus]

Originally Posted by Randman

Is there a mod for the PB forum? Other than GHPorter and networking, I'm quite unsure which mods handle which forums.

You can also check the Forum Leaders page.

[tooki]

I do a little of each. I try to close, in order to encourage people to post correctly, but if a thread has already begun a good discussion by the time I see it, or if it's a borderline case, I'll move it. (Moving takes more time than closing.)

tooki

[I was David B.]

Originally Posted by tooki

(Moving takes more time than closing.)
tooki

Ah, thats why... .

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

You can also check the Forum Leaders page.

Cool, I've never viewed that before...thanks for the link.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by I was David B.

Ah, thats why... .

Yep. When your hourly wage is $0.00, you will take some shortcuts, ya know?

tooki

[I was David B.]

Originally Posted by tooki

Yep. When your hourly wage is $0.00, you will take some shortcuts, ya know?

tooki

It is like with free apps. It cannot work as perfectly as you want it ( see my post here )

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Lateralus

You can also check the Forum Leaders page.

stibnite, MacNN Staff

Join Date: 12-24-2002
Total Posts: 4 (0.00 posts per day)



Not very active...

-t

[OreoCookie]

Yeah, he never appeared on my radar either.

[PookJP]

I'd like to add my opinion. It seems threads are locked for two reasons on this board. The first is when there is inappropriate conversation, in which the language becomes harassing, threatening, degrading, unnecessarily inflammatory, or otherwise not conducive to the good functioning of a community.

The second is where a thread is posted in the wrong area.

I agree with the first case, but find the second pejorative. It punishes everyone currently engaged in the conversation and leads to a collapse of entire conversations. That's counter to the point of a message board. I would understand warning the thread's creator, but killing a thread when it could simply be moved would be a much more decent way of treating the other members enjoying whatever conversation is occurring.

Unless this board is dramatically different than the one on which I'm an admin, moving threads doesn't take long.

[Kevin]

Certain people will post certain topics in the wrong forum over and over again even though the know better.

Good example, religious topics in the lounge. They go in the PL. But people will still post them in the Lounge.

Mods have just been locking these threads lately.

Maybe if the original posters don't want them locked, they will post them in the right place.

I believe they should move/lock them sooner than they do. IMHO.

[Randman]

Sometimes knowing the right place isn't that easy. For example, where does the Dotmac upgrade threads go? For example, I created one in the lounge and it was a discussion of the new upgrade though the headline was .Mac down (because it was at the time but I was guess that the upgrades were coming.

After a good number of people posted, Tooki posted that it was a stupid thread, which basically meant that he didn't read any of the posts, just the headline and went to lock-down mode when he could have easily edited the headline with the updated info and even moved to a different forum if necessary.

My view: rather than trying to police everything, it would be nice if a few more mods took a pro-active approach to guiding and nurturing this forum.

[Maflynn]

Originally Posted by PookJP

I agree with the first case, but find the second pejorative. It punishes everyone currently engaged in the conversation and leads to a collapse of entire conversations.

Some mods are more inclined to lock vs. move, not sure how much work it entails to move but it seems to me they have their hands full babysitting all of the things going on here and locking may be the most expediant.

With that said every member sees the descriptions for each forum, yet we see iTunes threads in the Mac OS forum, we see OSX questions in the PM forum. People need to be accountable and look at where they're posting. Its just plain lazy when I see "not sure if this is the right forum mods please move if not" The forum design here is pretty much clear cut and the mods are trying to keep it that way.

Another issue is if they let those threads continue because of the lively conversation, NN' would be chaos, everyone would start posting everywhere and there would be no order and trying to find/get help would be near impossble at that point.

There are exceptions, good and bad examples of thread locking but overall the vast majority of threads that are locked (other then the PL forum) appears that the OP should have known but chose to ignore where he was posting.

Mike

[turtle777]

What about posts from long-time members who post ANY- AND EVERYTHING in the Lounge, just because it has the most visitors ?

I think these posts should be delted right away. They should and DO know better.

-t

[Randman]

I wish there was a lounge lounge and a non-Mac but tech-related forum subset in the lounge.

For example, threads on the Treos, Dotmac and TV monitors could go in a forum called Non-Mac Tech. Leaving the lounge to babes, black cocks, friend was raped, etc.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Randman

I wish there was a lounge lounge and a non-Mac but tech-related forum subset in the lounge.

For example, threads on the Treos, Dotmac and TV monitors could go in a forum called Non-Mac Tech. Leaving the lounge to babes, black cocks, friend was raped, etc.

Not a bad idea.

I would actually call it the Tech Lounge, and NOT exclude Mac and Apple related stuff.

The other Lounge will be the Crap/Blog/Rant/Spam/Idiot/Postwhore Lounge.

-t

[Randman]

Tech Lounge would be good. Mr. Data, make it so.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by turtle777

What about posts from long-time members who post ANY- AND EVERYTHING in the Lounge, just because it has the most visitors ?

I think these posts should be delted right away. They should and DO know better.

Agreed.

Some people post flamey threads in the Lounge even when they don't belong there to get more attention.

Defeats the whole purpose of having a PL.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by tooki

Yep. When your hourly wage is $0.00, you will take some shortcuts, ya know?

tooki

Maybe you guys should charge $2.00 for every banning offence. Wanna get unbanned send 2.00 via paypal. You'll have a $120 000.00 a year job

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by Athens

Maybe you guys should charge $2.00 for every banning offence. Wanna get unbanned send 2.00 via paypal. You'll have a $120 000.00 a year job

I heard of a forum like that, can't think of the name though. You can pay to get someone banned, a different avatar, put someone into "molasses" mode where it takes pages forever for them to load. Actually, you can pay for just about anything if you have the money for it. When someone gets banned, they get dropped to the banned forum for a while. This place could be a cash cow with those kinds of rules in place.

[Maflynn]

Originally Posted by iLikebeer

I heard of a forum like that, can't think of the name though. You can pay to get someone banned, a different avatar, put someone into "molasses" mode where it takes pages forever for them to load. Actually, you can pay for just about anything if you have the money for it. When someone gets banned, they get dropped to the banned forum for a while. This place could be a cash cow with those kinds of rules in place.

Except they'd just create a new nic, that's how people around here get around the banning.

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Except they'd just create a new nic, that's how people around here get around the banning.

I think users weren't allowed to post to the lounges until they had a certain number of posts in techical forums that were very heavily modded.

Another solution: Try to join Tampa Bay Buccaneers forums. No free email accounts are allowed to be used. Hotmail, yahoo, excite....all the free ones are banned. You have to use a permanent email from a school, ISP, etc. Don't know if they've tried that here, but if they prohibited new users from using free emails, it might cut down on the problem. I'm sure there are ways around that, but if people know they don't have infinite chances to register, then maybe some of this silliness would go away.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Except they'd just create a new nic, that's how people around here get around the banning.

You've got that right. Some people just don't get it though.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by iLikebeer

I think users weren't allowed to post to the lounges until they had a certain number of posts in techical forums that were very heavily modded.

Another solution: Try to join Tampa Bay Buccaneers forums. No free email accounts are allowed to be used. Hotmail, yahoo, excite....all the free ones are banned. You have to use a permanent email from a school, ISP, etc. Don't know if they've tried that here, but if they prohibited new users from using free emails, it might cut down on the problem. I'm sure there are ways around that, but if people know they don't have infinite chances to register, then maybe some of this silliness would go away.

Charter for example lets you create alot of email accounts. And even change existing ones.

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Charter for example lets you create alot of email accounts. And even change existing ones.

So ban any place that will give multiple accounts. If that won't do, then contact them and let them know one of their users registered as soandso@charter.com is violating the terms of service. If someone has to use an email account to register that might get them into trouble if abused (school, work, ISP), they'd probably be less apt to cause trouble.

[Kevin]

Most large ISPs get so many complaints daily, they really don't care about a web forum complaining.
Hell, they don't care much about pirating either. I used to work for a few.

Now, if you are a bad customer, they will use such things as an excuse to axe you, but only then.

If you are a good paying customer, esp one that doesn't complain, they turn a blind eye to such shinanigans.

As long as it doesn't effect them or their servers.

A co-worker of mine gets atleast 1 email a week from his ISP warning him about something illegal he downloaded. And how the NEXT time could bring consequences.

This has been going on for almost 2 years. He has a big folder full of these things.

This is the ISP making whoever complained to them happy by attempting to look like they are doing something.

In reality, they wont do squant but warn you. And keep warning you.

Back when service providers were few and far between they used to yank accounts. They didn't have to worry about the compitition.

Now they do.

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Most large ISPs get so many complaints daily, they really don't care about a web forum complaining.
Hell, they don't care much about pirating either. I used to work for a few.

Now, if you are a bad customer, they will use such things as an excuse to axe you, but only then.

If you are a good paying customer, esp one that doesn't complain, they turn a blind eye to such shinanigans.

As long as it doesn't effect them or their servers.

A co-worker of mine gets atleast 1 email a week from his ISP warning him about something illegal he downloaded. And how the NEXT time could bring consequences.

This has been going on for almost 2 years. He has a big folder full of these things.

This is the ISP making whoever complained to them happy by attempting to look like they are doing something.

In reality, they wont do squant but warn you. And keep warning you.

Back when service providers were few and far between they used to yank accounts. They didn't have to worry about the compitition.

Now they do.

so like i said, if an ISP won't do anything, ban that one from the list of accepted registering email sources. it's not like there are hundreds of people that need more than a regular ban. people already registered have no problem. most other people that might be affected would probably have another accountable email address they could use. a few people might still sneak through, but it would make it a lot harder than simply going to hotmail and creating a new account.

[Kevin]

iLikeBeer, what I am saying is, it's not worth going through all that trouble.

If someone is wanting to get on the forum bad enough, the will regardless of the measures taken.