The Evils of Spam

[Nirov]

I'm not talking about the breakfast food.

Althanas has been a very dear place to be for over two years. This is the first forum I've ever visited that has ever seemed to have a standard for posts. Perhaps not just a rule, but also lead through example of other posters.

Spamming has never been allowed on this site in me tenure. From the one word stories that were closed for providing no useful discussion, to when I instated the 5 post rule on the "Say Something Nice" thread after I saw the abuse it has gone through. Spam is not a personality set. Posting a few sentences or even three words half the time is not good posting habit. Posts are permanent, logged, achieved items that reflect upon our site as a whole and a community. We're judged on this.

Whenever I visit GiveUpAlready.com, I notice the awful shape their forums are in when it comes to "powerposting." Posts become ignorant and often blunted with no real meaning except a continued mass of letters blurring onward. Althanas isn't GUA, and I don't want it to become a clusterfuck like GUA.

There's nothing wrong with having a little fun, but moderation is needed in these situations, as too much random chatter devolves anything meaningful around it. Long ago, there was a group of people who stood against the creation of the flying stones tavern. I'm inclined to agree with them now.

I implore the people of Althanas to think about what I'm saying, and to consider what I've done for Althanas for any validation these statements would need. I was a moderator for well over a year (combining the two times), during my first term as a moderator I brought as many discussion *and unfortunately* spam threads back from the archives and created my own.

I'm tired of the spam. But I'm not leaving the board because people love to do it.

[Slayer of the Rot]

I cannot see a reason why Power Posting should be allowed. We here at althanas do not award high post counts; I've been here for over a year and my post count is relatively small compared to Letho's or Cyrus The Virus. Their post count was acquired through their work on the board and IC writing.

While the Flying Stone Tavern is a nice place to go and unwind, there are many members who spend a pointless amountf time and effort there, to the point that only a tenth of their post count is honest-to-god IC content.

We do not find it cute, or funny.

I personally find it mind numbingly irritating and if I see it continue I'm going to stop with my formalities and turn into a dick.

[Seth_Rahl]

You created the rule? Hmm. Not a surprise, but hmm.

I can't argue with you for the sake that you are right. I, obviously, have been guilty of spamming, and quite a bit. My post count (I just checked it >.<) goes far beyond what it "should" be.

I can argue, however, the point that even though spam=essence of all evils and that powerposting(spam)=creation of said essence, its really harmless. Sure, it can become a "clusterfuck" as you may have called it, mods can simply remove/lock threads that have gone far beyond their original purpose, correct? Like with Serriliant locking the "apologies" thread.

I apologize for saying earlier that if you were annoyed with it you should leave the boards. What I really meant to say is that if you don't like it, ignore it. That's what I do, in anycase, and its worked for me even up to this day. If it gets to the point like it was before where it was preventing more important things, then yes I see your irritation with it and motivation. But unless its that much, blow it off. Skip it. Whatever you do.

I don't mean to sound hypocritical in this statement; I simply try to achknoledge my own faults and, hopefully, fix them.

Truce?

EDIT: To slayer: As a powerposter myself, I don't care about my post count either. I simply have something to say to almost everything. Isn't that what the General Discussion Boards are used for? To put in your input? Well, (besides spam) others may have more things to say than say you on subjects.

I powerpost in my IC threads too, and actaully most people appreciate the fast response. I may not have the best posts, and I've said before Quanity does not equal Quality, but its fast and quick exp, perfect for people who can lack motivation easily.

[Nirov]

I'm going to bed now, so I'll edit this post in the morning. I just want to straighten out one fact.

I don't know of one mod with any power over the OOC forums. They all have jobs writing, bazaar running, approving characters, and judging. Only admins can close threads.

With that said, admins have things that they need to spend their time on. Ashiakin has to make sure that region writers and feature quests are coming along nicely, Letho needs to go over new mod admissions, and make sure everyone is active on the staff. And Serilliant, by far, does the most. He handles technical things that I'm not sure even exist.


Sure, it can become a "clusterfuck" as you may have called it, mods can simply remove/lock threads that have gone far beyond their original purpose, correct? Like with Serriliant locking the "apologies" thread.


This isn't a job they should do. They can "simply" do these things. They can also simply ban members. This doesn't mean it should be common practice in the job. Both are punishments used only in the extreme. There's a reason Serilliant gives a small "speech" after he closes the thread. He wants to make sure we don't readily repeat the mistake again. He has other things to do with his time that improve Althanas; he shouldn't have to read through thirty pages of poison cookies, random chatting, lulz, rape jokes, and kudo points.

I'll finish my position tomorrow.

[Seth_Rahl]

Alright. So mods can't do the same stuff that I can on the site that i'm modding on -- my bad for assumption. On there mods and admins can do the same stuff, so I assumed so it would be on here. Again, oops.

He didn't really give a speech, just said "Ok that was fun but now I have to play the part of the big bad admin" or something like that. Like I assumed from the other site, closing a thread wasn't really a "punishment" as much as saying "ok, this things finished, lets get going guys."

Right, I'll wait for your answer tommorow. Just glad that this is...sorta straightened out. =/

I almost didn't know what you meant by poison cookies...wow my brain is dead. >.<

[Cyrus the virus]

The beautiful thing about Althanas is that we've rarely had to deal with huge amounts of spam. We generally have such high quality members that things are under control.

Everybody has something to say to any comment, Seth. The difference is knowing when you do and do not have something to actually add to the subject. Goofing off and just posting to rib someone is really fun, I know that as well as anyone, but not in every thread and at every opportunity.

This is Althanas, not generic-board-where-you-can-fuck-around-until-the-thread-is-locked. Please stop trying to change it into one, cool?

[Seth_Rahl]

Cool with me. :)

[Sidhe]

My two cents:

$0.01 --> I think the FST should stick around. Yeah, none of the topics are Althanas-related, but it gives people a secondary reason to hover around the site when they lack IC writing inspiration. It gives Althanas a more rounded community feel.

$0.01 --> What I believe this actually demonstrates is a need for some form of punishment system on-site. We used to have warnings that varied by the severity of the forum 'crime' (i.e. 15-spam, 30-flaming, etc.) and would ban a member for a week or something if warnings reached a certain level. I'm not saying we should bring that back, exactly, but some type of incentive against poor behavior would be cool.

[Seth_Rahl]

As much as I sound like a hypocrite at this moment (goddammit!), I agree with Sidhe that something more than a telling-off should be used if it gets out of control, a "punishment system". I think that maybe if it reaches a severe point members won't be able to post in anything other than IC threads for say whatever amount of time is needed. Then at least they (I) can learn to focus more upon the real roleplaying than the chatting on the boards.

However, if it reaches a point of severity beyond that bans are, I've been told, an option.

[Amaril Torrun]

I remember that system, but all I remember being punished was the flaming. Either way, I don't like the idea of punishing members based off of their posts. Punishment might help to stop spam, but has negative effects as well.

Like Nirov said, a standard of posting should be set by example, not punishment. Strictly enforcing a specific type of posting could hurt the appearance of the site in the sense that newer members might feel pressured to always say the right things at the right times.

Seth, you asked the people (well, Nirov, but it implied everyone) that have a problem with spam to ignore it. How many people do you know that log onto Althanas and say, "Awesome! Spam!" That was an exaggeration, of course, but it shows the point that hardly anyone wants to see it. If you know you are posting spam and you have the idea that people should ignore it, then it seems you are writing for yourself. Althanas is a collective of individuals working together to create a world where we can all write to improve our writing, not a site full of individuals that write with the intention of being ignored by others.

[Seth_Rahl]

Right, right I did say that. Well, upon seeing on how much spam is causing problems and this long of a discussion, I can safely say that I hereby change my view on that. The reason I originally said this was because as you said, I was more of a writer writing for himself, not trying to work with other members to make this a better roleplaying site. In other words, I just didn't care, and in that state of apathy spam bounced off of me like it wasn't even there. In more words, I was denying the fact that I was spamming myself, and more so the "fact" that spam didn't even exist.

I can see what you mean by members being pressured to say the right things at the right time, but are you saying that the "punishment" system shouldn't exist at all? I dunno if that would be a good idea, seeing as people could think they could just get away with it repetitively, but as you are the mod I respect your opinion and future decision.

EDIT: I realize that i've posted alot on this, but it isn't spam, its discussion. Although I've tried to tone the powerposting down, (like not directly posting to Sidhe's comment below) I still have the free time to actually think and still post fast. Blame it on my mother's side that I read so friggin' fast. But if its a valid discussion and not spam, then I don't see the problem.

[Sidhe]

If only we could all be counted on to be decent human beings, we'd live in the land of wishes and candy sprinkles. ;)


Seriously, though, I agree that avoiding spam is the personal responsibility of every user on Althanas. However, a punishment system could be set in place to better demonstrate what is considered improper posting. This needn't scare off newer members.

As I recall, new members were hardly ever officially warned, just told to improve with suggestive remarks. Those who had something to fear were the ones who repeatedly broke rules and were offensive to fellow users.



EDIT: Seth, I didn't realize you had such a problem. On this single thread, which is oddly enough devoted to a discussion on spam, you account for every other post since you've joined in the argument. Out of twelve, you posted numbers 3, 5,7,9 and 11. Come on, man.

[Serilliant]

The former warning system never punished "spam" under its definition in this thread. What it targeted, which it did very infrequently, was only blatant advertising. We no longer have this system because this community is mature enough to function without it. It will not be making a return.

This level of maturity means that I, as the out-of-character moderator, have to do very little to keep the forums of an acceptable level of quality. There are a number of unspoken 'rules' that members agree to follow. One of those agreements is the subject of this thread. As I see it, this topic can be broken into two types of 'spam': the creation of spammy topics, and the addition of spammy posts. I'll address each individually.

With regards to threads, the first thing you should always ask yourself before making one is, "will this topic cause an interesting or informing discourse?" This is why we often discourage threads like the aforementioned 'one word story' which could never initiate a conversation but would merely be a home to a long series of one-word posts. You'll notice that threads like, "what's your sign?" includes a discussion on the merits of astrology. This is good. But a chain of posts simply listing ones sign would not be.

I admit I have been softer than usual on this policy as of late because I did not want my methods to appear draconian. I still do not believe that the OOC forums have spiraled into vileness to the degree that this topic seems to suggest, but I can see your point. Rather than asking for a topic to be locked, though, I encourage you to take a more proactive approach and instead steer the conversation to something more productive (such as discussing astrology in the "what's your sign?" thread). Or, even better, set an example by creating 'good' threads of your own.

Now, with regards to spammy posts, my advice is similar. Before posting, consider, "am I adding something to this discussion?" Also remember the unique aspects of forum-based conversation. This is not a one-on-one conversation, but instead a meeting of hundreds of people. In a large auditorium full of people and with only one microphone, you certainly wouldn't approach it and speak unless you were sure that everyone was getting their fair chance, would you?

I recognize that this metaphor isn't entirely appropriate as we are not bound by the same limitations a speaking auditorium would be, but the spirit remains the same. Remember that no thread should contain a one-on-one conversation. It's fine to respond specifically to someone's individual comment, but it should still contribute to the topic as a whole.

I hesitate to tell any contributor to this forum to contribute less. I also want to remind anyone who may be thinking it that there is no one source of the 'evil spam' that this thread is about. Further, I don't think it is necessary to change or add any sort of official policy dealing with OOC content, nor do I plan to make any sort of guideline short of the unofficial one in this post. Instead, I merely encourage you to think about the level of quality you would like this forum to be, and then make posts that you believe adhere to that level of quality. This community is comprised of many members and this forum exists and thrives because of these members. Appropriate discussion and contribution is whatever you believe it to be and whatever you want it to be.

If anyone has any questions about our OOC policies official or unofficial, please feel free to ask.

[Nirov]

I will never advocate a punishment system for spam. Where we draw the line will be too hazy, and spam is, and always will be, an individual responsibility. I completely oppose punishments other than a stern talking to.

I want to add a scenario for you all.

Lets say (at random) Witchblade wants to great a thread about the plight of the Jewish minority in Uzbekistan. Well, we're not exactly sure why, but she includes some compelling articles and articulate speech and some other stuff that makes people smart. We all contribute, giving our two cents. Then (at random) Dan and Godhand come in and talk about how they're being punished because they killed Christ. Well, that's them being them and we all laugh and maybe throw a few comments back. No harm, no foul.

Someone comes to this site and sees this. They might be offended, but more likely than not they think we're a pretty cool and open community that lets little jokes slide and has fun.

Now, lets take the above scenario again. Instead of Dan and Godhand saying their two cents, I jump in and mention the blood of Christ running through their vampires veins, and Dan and Godhand join in and start talking about jews and 9/11. Then Cyrus comes in, lulz, talks about booze. Next thing you know we're a large spamfest of rather random comments, taking away from the original discussion.

Someone new comes this time and sees a clusterfuck, odds are they won't want to stick around. Even worse, they may want to join in.

People have to account for their own spamming. Once in a while is cute. Constantly is annoying as hell.

[Max Dirks]

I thought there was an option at registration where a player could choose NOT to view the FST, and only the YW and RPC forums. I haven't signed up for a new account in awhile, is that feature gone?

[Nirov]

I thought there was an option at registration where a player could choose NOT to view the FST, and only the YW and RPC forums. I haven't signed up for a new account in awhile, is that feature gone? The hell?

Dirks, I've never seen that in my over two years of Althanas. I've, in fact, never heard of that.

Besides that simple fact, just because I don't like spam doesn't mean I don't want to see the FST threads. I like to wish the happy birthday and see who's taking a break from Althanas. I like to watch Serilliant and Madison argue about how superior the gay race is to the rest of humanity (and win, somehow). I love some of the discussions, and I shouldn't be deprived of these just because I don't want to see spam. I'm not alone in this.

People on this site love to debate.

[Reiko]

The hell?

Dirks, I've never seen that in my over two years of Althanas. I've, in fact, never heard of that.

Besides that simple fact, just because I don't like spam doesn't mean I don't want to see the FST threads. I like to wish the happy birthday and see who's taking a break from Althanas. I like to watch Serilliant and Madison argue about how superior the gay race is to the rest of humanity (and win, somehow). I love some of the discussions, and I shouldn't be deprived of these just because I don't want to see spam. I'm not alone in this.

People on this site love to debate.

that's because it's 3 years old and from the age of Tanalthans^^

I myself never really thought there was a spam problem on Althanas since everyone was mature and only a couple of people really did it. Even right now it seems pretty good though the spambots occasionally get through Seri's
defenses. I actualy like the the thread about saying something nice thread as it makes people feel good about themselves and Althanas needs more of that.

[Slayer of the Rot]

I actualy like the the thread about saying something nice thread as it makes people feel good about themselves and Althanas needs more of that.

Which can be easily done through PM or Instant Messenger. The last Say Something nice thread was cluttered by only three or four members going back and forth for days with stupid, inane compliments that were simply a rehashing of compliments said sixty pages before.

[Nirov]

Which can be easily done through PM or Instant Messenger. The last Say Something nice thread was cluttered by only three or four members going back and forth for days with stupid, inane compliments that were simply a rehashing of compliments said sixty pages before. Surprise, I agree with Dan.

I created the five post rule because of that thread. And, surprise again, the thread didn't nearly fill up as fast. A bad thing? No, because the compliments were usually well thought out, articulate, and from the heart. I was never sorry for the five post rule.


I actualy like the the thread about saying something nice thread as it makes people feel good about themselves and Althanas needs more of that.

No. What was occurring is not something Althanas needs. "Reiko's awesome!" "Cyrus is super-special awesome!" - These things are not compliments. They're a stupid excuse for ego masturbation.

When I brought back the say something nice thread, I never imagined this. Let me show you a real compliment.

Reiko, you're a popular member who has stuck it out time and time again. Though you've left many times, you've come back as many and have always had the support of a strong network of friends. People enjoy your characters; and, while I may think you wrong, you're always willing to crusade against what you see as elitism. I commend you on trying your very best for Althanas and hope you will continue in the future. You inspire new and old members alike.

Now, compare my above statement to:


(Note that I'm not trying to single him out, he was the first post I found to compliment Reiko.)
Reiko gets +20 Kudo Points just for being awesome like that!
If you consider the two examples equal, than I'm incredibly offended, and saddened.

[Seth_Rahl]

Lol, yea.....I couldn't think of really anything else at the moment, actually. The say something nice thread was "nice" when it was new and everyone had something fresh to say about everyone else, but I've found it hard to make actual substantial compliments lately. Unless, of course, something big happens, etc ......

I only brought the thread back to life in the first place because it was one of things I like most about Althanas and I noticed it gone when I came back. But it feels to me that it's dying once more.....but I'll try and feed it life with good compliments, none of that Kudo shit.

Well, back to you guys.

[Atzar]

Which can be easily done through PM or Instant Messenger. The last Say Something nice thread was cluttered by only three or four members going back and forth for days with stupid, inane compliments that were simply a rehashing of compliments said sixty pages before.

I think that's an understatement. They weren't compliments. The people in question would pick one detail from the above poster's sidebar profile, quote it, and presto! That would be a compliment. Having done their civic duty, the person would then go to the main page of Althanas and, with bated breath (and possibly with dick at the ready,) refresh the page until a new post would appear. Upon reviewing their forum-mate's comment, they would commence masturbation.

It's this kind of stuff that irritates me in that thread. When it's actually thoughtful comments, it's all cool. I participate in the thread myself when it's along those lines. But when it's meaningless comments and spam, that's when the thread is boring and useless.

[Seth_Rahl]

Sorry Atzar that it wasn't up to par. I just edited my post in the thread (my last one) so it says about the lack of quality and creativity in the compliments, so hopefully that will help. Maybe.

I have another topic to bring up that has been puzzling me for awhile, and while it may seem random at first it has to do with spam. Why does all those people make those spam threads in the Citadel? Are they stupid? Or can they not read? I don't know what it is, but its threads like that that have been bugging me. I took Cyrus's advice on to just ignore them, but the urge to bitch them out has been scratching at the skin for ages.

Thought I'd get that off my chest.

[Atzar]

I'm not trying to call you out personally. In fact, it's not a call out at all. It's more of a reminder of the original purpose of the thread.

Those are bots, mostly. We have an excellent filter for them, but no filter can catch everything. Apparently, there's something attractive about the Citadel that makes all of the bots that get through seem to congregate there. Nobody knows the reason for it.

[Elijah_Morendale]

Those Citadel spammers are bots.

From what I understand, they are programmed to generate accounts, then they post in the Citadel.

I believe Cyrus also mentioned that in the same exact post...


edit - Fark! Ninja'd!

[MageBlade]

I agree with some of the aforementioned statements. I don't truly think that spam should be officially punished, though, in any way shape or form. I've quickly noticed that this is indeed a site for the mature, and as thus people should know better than to say stupid one word posts in anything.

If it does get out of hand though, action should be taken. I also think that there are exceptions to this unspoken law, because if you're posting in someones introduction thread you shouldn't have to write them a paragraph or two, as opposed to saying "Welcome!"

[Bullet Witch]

It's alright Atzar, I just felt responsible as I was the one who created the thread and have also broken the unspoken rule. many times.

I don't think the introduction thing is that much of big deal, its the threads like Say something nice and things like that that people get ticked off when its filled with just spam, as it diverts from the threads original purpose and often pisses people off.

[Cyrus the virus]

Lol, yea.....I couldn't think of really anything else at the moment, actually.

That's when you pack up your speedy typing fingers for the night, sonny.

So much name-dropping! I'm popular again! I'm so happy!

Anyhow, I used to post a ridiculous amount and a good chunk of them, though hilarious/charming/witty/handsome, were not relevant posts. The important thing is that I stopped! Yay!

[Melancor]

.... Would.... that be spam?

Well I would like to difer on the appeal that the spam would give the forum. In a way spam contributes to the forum vitality it keeps people talking over what's most of the times useless topics but it maintains them in the comunity to wich they can do (I think) more good by staying, chatting much and contributing some to the real concept of Althanas, than leaving and become a ghost In someone's memory. An active forum is always more apealing than a-post-per-day forum, no matter if that one post has some substatial material, it makes it feel less like a desert.

I have to admit that when I found Althanas I was simply looking for some kind of social forum where I could just simply talk to people you know, cuz' I have no life. And then it make me acually take the time to see what Althanas really whas all about, which was a totally new concept to me, quite appealing, since I considered myself a good writer (atleast creatively).

I have admit though, that as a foreighner is sometimes hard for me to follow topics when its full with spam. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to avoid reading spam, that I move along and when I finaly get a substatial post I have lost the concept and the following that it acually makes me go back, and read over the trash to find that small spec of information that was merged with spam and that gave following to that one substatial post.
Other times, the comversation is a topic I am interested in, but because there is this kind of...spameous blob of a post, before where mine would be, I can't give an aswer to.. because my language skills don't allow me to be funny, spontaneous, simple and consitent at the same time. I sometimes feel like being pushed to spam to contribute to a coversation.

I don't think that Spam should be a punishable offence when commited in small amounts, just worthy of a call of attention. Only when the member posts 'Lolz' over and over then it should be punished. but the again, people already do this: They use logic and remove what is anoying and what's not, rather to what's spam and what isn't

I think it's just the issue to finding a comfortable combination of spam and worthit content in a post. Like someone said, its cute from time to time, but anoying as hell when persistent.

And since this has been a pretty much spam-free topic this one was easy to follow.

[Zook Murnig]

That's when you pack up your speedy typing fingers for the night, sonny.

Then again, they could be put to other uses... >.>

Anyway, I personally don't enjoy having to sift through pages of spam to get to genuine posts, especially in the threads I frequent more than others, like the Something Nice thread. I understand that it may appeal to some certain people when a forum has a lot of posts on a regular basis, like GUA does, but when those posts are nothing but steaming piles of shit where people try to call each other idiots or geniuses, or are nothing but the posters trying to boost their post counts, it's pointless. I'd rather see a forum like Althanas, with a bunch of good posts, mostly of a story-based nature or on topics that are the subject of heated debate, than go back to GUA where everyone posts just to post, half of them typing like they have one hand shoved up their own ass and the other jacking off, leaving them to type with their toes.

Sorry, I don't mean to be vulgar, but spam just bothers me in general, especially after what happened with that thread on Magic and Spirituality I took part in months ago...

[AdventWings]

...Those are bots, mostly. We have an excellent filter for them, but no filter can catch everything...

I'm the second line of filter. ph34r my Power of Unapproving Threads! Rawr.

And as to not be spammy (lol) I'll throw in my two cents.

I think when you really think about it, the only way to stop spamming is to stop and think. If you have something meaningful to say, do it with a point. If you don't have anything relevent, shut up and move on. (Note: This is a SUMO tip of the day, by the way. :D)

Self-restraint is the only thing that can really prevent spam. Therefore, all your posts are belong to you.

:p

[Cyrus the virus]

On Poseidon's note, I have to suggest that there are no real benefits to spam. There's a potential for more posts, but if they're of so little substance that they distract from our good posts, I'm really not interested in having it. We love to goof off here, and that's okay, but try to give yourself a maximum quota or something :p 3 bullshit, off-topic posts a day or something, ha.

[Slayer of the Rot]

Not to mention all that time and effort making spam could be spent working on IC content and advancing your character to be known as a writer with a good reputation instead of an irritating bastard.

[Seth_Rahl]

I fell asleep last night. Wow, looking back on it, I "put my speedy typing fingers away for the night". 0.o

I talked with Cameron aka Rok the Blade about this, and he says that some spam is okay to a certain point, like Witchblade's "poison cookies" or the random crap that happens in Introductory threads. Like I said before, this subject doesn't really touch on why we're having this discussion as the spam we're talking about is in threads like SSN:TR and others, but since Nirov mentioned it in his first post I thought I might as well insert Cam's input as he can't get on lately.

Other than that I can say I agree with Slayer and Cyrus both. Goofyness is okay, but not to the point where its an "effort", as your "effort" should be going to roleplaying on here, as this is a roleplaying site.

[Nirov]

Actually Seth, I have to disagree with you on introduction threads. While we can goof off in them, I think only one post should really have any goofing off in it. Those threads quickly become four pages of complete bullshit that I think needs to stop.

Witchblade's cookie thing was cute the first few times, but she does it in every thread. I can understand the argument of fairness, as she needs to appear to be equal to every new member, but that doesn't mean we need a resulting 5 pages of people talking about slavery, red heads, boozes, and nazis.

Can we actually welcome the person with some friendly advice, and maybe a story or two of how we came to love Althanas, and then start with the bullshit stuff afterwards?

[Reiko]

but that doesn't mean we need a resulting 5 pages of people talking about slavery, red heads, boozes, and nazis.


at least the rape jokes stopped. But I do kinda agree that has gotten ridiculous in that people really goof off in those threads and often forget about the newcomer. Maybe if the PGs got going then they can fight over new guys like they did me when I fist came here.

[Elijah_Morendale]

Am I the only one who gets a kick out of seeing a thread about the mostly negative effects of spam reach four pages over the course of 24 hours?

[Nirov]

No, not really. Serilliant pointed the same thing out to me.

But I don't really consider this spam. I think its done something of a service to Althanas; several members now know that spam isn't liked in the least. New members who see this will realize the subtle difference between goofing off and pointless banter.

[Atzar]

Nah. See, I think the nature of the introduction threads is fine. Trying to stamp down on that would just be Nazi-ism.

It shows new members that we know how to play around and have fun, despite our appearance in other areas of the forum. If you take the playfulness away from the introduction threads, then immediately we come across as prudish to the new members. Besides:

"Hey! PM a mod if you have any questions."

"Welcome to Althanas!"

"Welcome to Althanas."

"Welcome to Althanas!"

"Welcome to Althanas. I hope you enjoy it here."

Seems pretty boring, don't you think? Kinda... devoid of life or creativity? I think goofing off in intro threads is productive - it makes us look friendly and... well... not boring.

The random shit in introduction threads is fine. Leave it alone.

[Slayer of the Rot]

Nah. See, I think the nature of the introduction threads is fine. Trying to stamp down on that would just be Nazi-ism.

It shows new members that we know how to play around and have fun, despite our appearance in other areas of the forum. If you take the playfulness away from the introduction threads, then immediately we come across as prudish to the new members. Besides:

"Hey! PM a mod if you have any questions."

"Welcome to Althanas!"

"Welcome to Althanas."

"Welcome to Althanas!"

"Welcome to Althanas. I hope you enjoy it here."

Seems pretty boring, don't you think? Kinda... devoid of life or creativity? I think goofing off in intro threads is productive - it makes us look friendly and... well... not boring.

The random shit in introduction threads is fine. Leave it alone.

As long as we're on Introduction threads and new members, I think we should block the Jews.

ATZAR.

[Abenaki]

The random shit in introduction threads is fine. Leave it alone.

I have to disagree with you Atzar. While I have no problem with people being funny, random, or creative with their welcoming posts, I do think it's a problem if a thread gets completely hijacked by a side-conversation that rehashes the same inside jokes over and over again. Sometimes it gets so bad that I have to wonder how new members feel to be literally forgotten in their own thread. I'm sure many don't have a problem with it, and probably even find it amusing, but you always have to wonder.

"Hello, welcome, etc" posts are fine.

"In answer to your question" posts are fine.

"lulz *attacks*" posts that have no bearing on the introduction, or even reference the new member who created the thread, are not fine.

In my opinion.

[Bullet Witch]

Ah, it wasn't my opinion, it was Roks. I really have no opinion when it comes to Intro threads. >.< *hides away to dodge random bits of "Wait, you just said __________" stuff*

Right...I think i've said all I can say for now. I'll keep an eye out on this thread and see if there is anything I can input.

[Melancor]

I don't want to say that there should be a mod named who's only function is runing the forum's post content. :|

[Zook Murnig]

Slayer, you're confusing Atzar for me. If you want to ban Jews, the most obvious one would be me.

On topic, I love the poisoned cookies thing, cause that's one of the staples of the intro threads, along with the random shit showing the dynamics of the boards. "Watch out for Cyrus and Lucien, they'll eat your soul and use it to fuel their creative energies!" and "Don't eat the cookies, you'll become her slave!" are awesome. The intro threads shouldn't be boring things with just "Welcome" "Hey, new guy, ask the mods any questions" and other shit like that.

[Nirov]

And they shouldn't degrade into page after page of in joke. Fooling around is one thing. But if you're going to keep on with the joke after it stopped being funny, that's a whole 'nother ball game. You may enjoy that aspect of welcome threads, which is why you take part and continue the joke. But, I don't believe everyone enjoys it. I'd rather a quick joke to the player that they can understand, and not some rehashed "you're enslaved!" "No I'm not, pixie +10" crap.

[Serilliant]

All that reasonably could have been said has been said by now. This discussion has run its course. If you have anything to add in to the concept of moderating spam, please PM me. Other than that, I hope this topic has been enlightening in that it has revealed what other members think about the level of quality expected in OOC forums.

Questions, as always, can be directed to any staff member.