Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Lounge

Concerning changes to the rules, styling, etc. As this is a new forum, feedback is appreciated.

Should on-topic be enforced in the Members' Lounge?

Yes.
9
60%
No.
4
27%
Yes, with caveats. (Post below.)
2
13%
 
Total votes: 15

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Iv121
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Iv121 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:20 am

Think the results are already obvious, the problem is with the enforcement ...
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Vinyl » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:34 am

"Off topic"
"Oi cut that out"
"Ok"

Or

"Off topic"
"Oi cut that out"
"No"
"Thread locked"
cats wrote:I literally cannot be wrong about this fictional universe

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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Error » Thu Sep 25, 2014 12:18 pm

Essentially, yes.

Caveat: if the OP specifically requests it, on topic will not be enforced in that thread; but that may not stick.
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Tau » Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:54 pm

I like the idea of simply inverting the current rule, as Error suggests - but that's just my 20 mills. It's not up to me, though (obviously).
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by cats » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:23 pm

As I recall, we could never even decide what off-topic means. Well, except for LJS, whose definition is anything that isn't directly related to the OP no matter how dull the original topic is or how long the conversation has developed.
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cannonfodder wrote:it's funny because sonic's face looks like a * and faces aren't supposed to look like a *

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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by  ҉  » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:24 pm

adjective
1.
not on the main topic; irrelevant to the discussion:
to delete off-topic comments on a blog.
Abbreviation: OT.
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Error » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:25 pm

Off topic is essentially any discussion that is not relevant to the contents of the OP; i.e. discussion of Minecraft in a thread about Discworld books.
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by cats » Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:06 pm

Then threads would be five posts long.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a completely ad-hoc plot device"
— David Langford
Spoiler:
cannonfodder wrote:it's funny because sonic's face looks like a * and faces aren't supposed to look like a *

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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Error » Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:22 pm

Which is rather sad; this community cannot go even one page without off topic.

Perhaps we could all make an effort to correct that.
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by cats » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:46 pm

A static topic can only be discussed for so long. Especially if that topic is star wars LEGOs. I don't see how anyone could think otherwise.

Don't be a self-righteous white knight. Why are you even still a mod. That was a rhetorical question. I'm sure you're doing at least okay.



You're dealing with twelve people in a room, making conversation, playing some games, sharing some things. A few people shout out "WHO WANTS TO TALK ABOUT _____!?" So people gather around to discuss blank. Of course, eventually, after inputting their opinions of blank, they either run out of shit to say about blank or begin to discuss and argue and converse.

At this point, one must ponder the question, "How does basic human interaction work?" Well, during conversation, sometimes people introduce slightly different points. Over several posts that discuss those different points, the conversation leads to even more different points. It can be scary, but bear with me here. If the topic dries up and there's no more points to discuss, then people start conversing about whatever again. The corner is now a miscellaneous discussion area for conversing, playing games, sharing some things until people get bored of it and leave, then the thread dies naturally. If the topic is a halfway decent one about which the OP or someone else has multiple points to discuss, then they can always insert their point into the thread, so that discussion returns to "on-topic." If no one has any other "on-topic" things to add, then that topic is dead anyway.

Now, the one shouting says "IN THIS CORNER, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT _____ AND ONLY _____! YOU MUST LEAVE THIS CORNER IF YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT _____!" and, if you don't keep talking about blank, then another, non-shouting person comes in and bops you with his/her * and makes you disappear. That's fine if the OP or someone else has an interesting, evolving, or complex topic to discuss with many points to keep the talking-about "on-topic." In that situation, if you post offtopic, you're just being intentionally annoying and deserve a *-bopping. The thread can stay on-topic until it dies naturally and people leave the corner. If you censor every topic (and most are shitty, boring topics with little room for evolution or complexity), then people stop conversing and playing games and sharing things.

It's a roomful of people. Not a national government.



Why do I care? Do whatever you want, it'll just hurt the pitiful "system" that keeps this community in its semblance of unity.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a completely ad-hoc plot device"
— David Langford
Spoiler:
cannonfodder wrote:it's funny because sonic's face looks like a * and faces aren't supposed to look like a *

 ҉ 
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by  ҉  » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:57 pm

The forum as it currently stands is more like one or two people trying to talk about something surrounded by a roomful of shrieking gibbons.
;.'.;'::.;:".":;",,;':",;

(Kzinti script, as best as can be displayed in Human characters, translated roughly as "For the Patriarchy!")

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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Iv121 » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:19 pm

Im afraid that "talk about something" is an exaggeration considering how all these topics look like, lets just admit that what you are trying to achieve is stupid at best, catastrophic at worst, depending on how you plan to uphold this rule. I don't get why you’re not satisfying with the compromise we've been using so far where the OP can decide whether he wants off-topic in his thread or not. I want to hear the position of all 9 ppl who voted for , BTW its somewhat weird we were able to assemble so many voters on such short notice, I hope you are not falsifying votes right ? Couse I already saw cases of falsifying votes before here and its an ugly affair ...
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Shadowcatbot » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:29 pm

Iv121 wrote:Im afraid that "talk about something" is an exaggeration considering how all these topics look like, lets just admit that what you are trying to achieve is stupid at best, catastrophic at worst, depending on how you plan to uphold this rule. I don't get why you’re not satisfying with the compromise we've been using so far where the OP can decide whether he wants off-topic in his thread or not. I want to hear the position of all 9 ppl who voted for , BTW its somewhat weird we were able to assemble so many voters on such short notice, I hope you are not falsifying votes right ? Couse I already saw cases of falsifying votes before here and its an ugly affair ...
I agree with Iv on the votes, Id like to see the opinion of the voters or at least who voted.
I put yes with caviots, I like the current system of off topics ok unless the OP says get back on topic.
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by Vinyl » Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:48 pm

I said of straight up yes
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Re: Formal petition to enforce on-topicness in Member's Loun

Post by  ҉  » Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:39 am

Iv121 wrote:lets just admit that what you are trying to achieve is stupid at best
Go fuck yourself. C:

Obviously I voted yes.
;.'.;'::.;:".":;",,;':",;

(Kzinti script, as best as can be displayed in Human characters, translated roughly as "For the Patriarchy!")

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