General Forum

[RabidMonkey]

Ok, I just decided to venture into it, and I was thinking for a second that I'd accidentally clicked on spame. It seems to have a lot of recent joiners, who post with a huge amount of AOLism's and without using their shift key. Has GF always been like this? Or is there just a mod who isn't harsh enough modding in there?
In any case, it just seems to be a extension to spame, but with slightly better grammar, and there seems to be too many posts to report them, so yeah, maybe it needs another, harder, mod.

[Kenneh]

Hey, give the mods a break, their jobs are hard. They also don't sign in every hour to check on shitty threads, be patient.

[Raxo]

They just assigned a new mod for the place give it some time and close this thread.

[RabidMonkey]

If you didn't notice, my first, therefore main, question was "Has GF always been like that?"
Because when I went in there, the two things I bothered to read looked like an extension of spame. And kenneh, their jobs wouldn't be hard if they kept it under control in the first place.

[Benjaman]

Or you could stop being a douche and report them. When I read through the threads, and I see a horrible post, I report it. Sugabe would always respond and Infrac them. It isn't that hard. You can't just sit there and make threads about your problems and hope that will fix them.

[Sugabe]

Why don't you check out the last few pages of the user dump. It's overwhelmingly GF infractions. Rob doesn't want us to be Grammar Nazis. Have a look at some infractions he overturned.

We aren't paid for this, so we put in what time we can without affecting our real lives too negatively.

[Rob]

maybe it needs another, harder, mod.

We've got BadAnkle who is probably the hardest guy on the forums. Give him time.

As for it looking like Spame, I don't think you're familiar with either forum if you think there's any similarity at all.

If there's a lot of AOLisms going on, use the report button. We're pretty good at nailing shit posters. It's just the gray areas that get difficult. Example: at what point between a perfect, on topic specimen of a post and an abbreviation-riddled post that looks like Hell and 4chan had a baby do you actually punish for it? The first dropped capital? When they start making O_o faces and going OLOLOL?

The GF definitely needs work, but it's not the mediocre posts we should be giving infractions for. That'll just make the place less fun and perpetuate the whole problem with that forum. Which is that it isn't very fun.

But yeah, like I said, use the report button. The mods have real lives and rely on the report system a lot.

[Rob]

Just out of curiosity, what do those of you who post a lot in the GF think of it?

[Benjaman]

I think it has potential. It has its on and off days but it always seems to even out. I also find it funny that when someone makes a horrible thread, Spame is the first there and pretty much just makes fun of them. It keeps the culture of Explosm alive.

[Mirrorman]

It has its funny hello threads once in awhile, but they get dumped pretty soon. It's ok,' I don't understand the whining. If you don't like it, report it.

[Oberlin]

We've got BadAnkle who is probably the hardest guy on the forums. Give him time.

And to encourage him being a hardass, you overturned the first infrac he made.

There are on and off days for the GF. The other night, I spent a while discussing the goings on in Burma with Audio, and Jallen and I were having a good conversation in the 'What drives you' thread. However, I think the birthday threads shouldn't be in there (as I pointed out a while ago). It's cooled off of late, but still. They're as big a postboost fest as the G&S.

[RabidMonkey]

Or you could stop being a douche and report them. When I read through the threads, and I see a horrible post, I report it. Sugabe would always respond and Infrac them. It isn't that hard. You can't just sit there and make threads about your problems and hope that will fix them.

I do report shit posts, I am sort of a Grammar Nazi. But I don't report posts in a stupid thread, I just report the guy who made the thread. Like some guy makes a completely dumb thread, and everyone gives him super shit for it, and all the posts contain AOLism's and the like. But it's when you have a person who double posts, has complete lack of capitals, and uses no grammar that it is annoying. A missing capitalization on an 'I' when the post contain 4 'I's and the rest are in capital form is accepted as a stuff up, but only having one 'I' in the post and it's not capitalized, especially if it's the first word, gets me reporting. Even I make errors, but I proof-read my posts and then if I missed anything, I edit. Not saying everyone has to sit there and proof-read their posts 3 or so times, but come on, at least try!

Basically, I know when something is funny and is obvious sarcasm or bullshitting and doesn't deserve to be reported, or when a person occasionally lapses back into using 'wtf' 'omg', but are people who post well 99% of the time. But it's when you have a AOLism riddled, Shift key lacking post in a serious thread that isn't bullshitting, or if it is a bullshitting post, it sucks, that I report.

Anyways, when I went into the general thread today, it really did look like a tamed spame. So my main concerns were "Is it always like this?" and "Is anyone doing anything about it?", as I don't venture into GF very often, I didn't know what the mods were like or the such, so it looked rather bad. I must've just gone in at a bad time.

Sorry about any offensive I may have caused, in future I will base my judgments on a forum over a period of a week, that way, I can tell if it's just one part of the day, or if it's just shit all the time.

[Fodniethan]

I don't think the mods can do a lot more. They can stop bad posts but they can't force people to make good ones.

[Assassin]

I like the GF better than I used to. There are a couple good threads going on that are fun to read, unlike how it used to be with stupid news threads and shit.

And with BadAnkle as a mod now, noobs won't get a chance.

[Mr Anorexia]

We've got BadAnkle who is probably the hardest guy on the forums.Wouldn't you know it.

[John Travolta]

An extension of the spame wouldn't be a bad thing, since every spamer, except die hard, is mildly intelligent.

[Beefynick]

The GF is getting there. It just needs hard modding for a while. Once people see that they will get an infraction for stupid posts and threads, the number of bad posts and threads will decline.

[DieHard]

An extension of the spame wouldn't be a bad thing, since every spamer, except die hard, is mildly intelligent.

Hey, I act the way I do in spame because its spame, I can act intelligent in any other forum if I posted there

[John Travolta]

I can act intelligent in any other forum if I posted there

Ahahahaha

[ne3]

Hey, I act the way I do in spame because its spame, I can act intelligent in any other forum if I posted there

I really, really, doubt that.

[Shagg]

I used to like the GF, but its threads are too boring these days. Threads like "Reporter gets black eye" aren't enticing enough to go over. I rather just go to the Whorehouse, where I actually enjoy the threads being made.

[DieHard]

Ahahahaha

It's really not that funny, and what about you, you dont really make that many intelligent threads either

[Mr Anorexia]

It's really not that funny, and what about you, you dont really make that many intelligent threads either
He does it because he's actually funny.

[Audioslave]

Not trying to pull the "I've-been-here-long-than-you" card, but I've been here longer than most of you jokers (besides John Travolta, Sugabe and of course Rob) and the GF has had a steady decline (not to say that it was ever that great) I think it's most that the more people on the forum, the higher the percentage or morons there is. I think the best thing to do would be to restore the "You must be registered for such-and-such a time to make a thread..." rule, make the banning more harsh and have some sort of gf-booting system. It won't make the gf a utopia, but it'll make it less shitty.

[Shagg]

Not trying to pull the "I've-been-here-long-than-you" card, but I've been here longer than most of you jokers (besides John Travolta, Sugabe and of course Rob) and the GF has had a steady decline (not to say that it was ever that great) I think it's most that the more people on the forum, the higher the percentage or morons there is. I think the best thing to do would be to restore the "You must be registered for such-and-such a time to make a thread..." rule, make the banning more harsh and have some sort of gf-booting system. It won't make the gf a utopia, but it'll make it less shitty.


I think it hit it's lowest point when they started to put the GF next to Spame.. :ahe:

[Mr Anorexia]

You should bring back exiling.

[Beefynick]

I think the best thing to do would be to restore the "You must be registered for such-and-such a time to make a thread..." rule, make the banning more harsh and have some sort of gf-booting system. It won't make the gf a utopia, but it'll make it less shitty.

I agree, that rule should be brought back. It would prevent the introduce yourself threads that we have seen a rash of lately.

[Benjaman]

I do report shit posts, I am sort of a Grammar Nazi. But I don't report posts in a stupid thread, I just report the guy who made the thread. Like some guy makes a completely dumb thread, and everyone gives him super shit for it, and all the posts contain AOLism's and the like. But it's when you have a person who double posts, has complete lack of capitals, and uses no grammar that it is annoying. A missing capitalization on an 'I' when the post contain 4 'I's and the rest are in capital form is accepted as a stuff up, but only having one 'I' in the post and it's not capitalized, especially if it's the first word, gets me reporting. Even I make errors, but I proof-read my posts and then if I missed anything, I edit. Not saying everyone has to sit there and proof-read their posts 3 or so times, but come on, at least try!

Basically, I know when something is funny and is obvious sarcasm or bullshitting and doesn't deserve to be reported, or when a person occasionally lapses back into using 'wtf' 'omg', but are people who post well 99% of the time. But it's when you have a AOLism riddled, Shift key lacking post in a serious thread that isn't bullshitting, or if it is a bullshitting post, it sucks, that I report.

Anyways, when I went into the general thread today, it really did look like a tamed spame. So my main concerns were "Is it always like this?" and "Is anyone doing anything about it?", as I don't venture into GF very often, I didn't know what the mods were like or the such, so it looked rather bad. I must've just gone in at a bad time.

Sorry about any offensive I may have caused, in future I will base my judgments on a forum over a period of a week, that way, I can tell if it's just one part of the day, or if it's just shit all the time.


No, it's robs forum. he can do as he damn well pleases.

From the "TO Tag" Thread.

No, it's Rob's forum. He can do as he damn well pleases.


I don't want this thread turning into Beef, but I seriously think you should not be so hypocritical with your arguments. That was the first post I saw from you after I saw you respond to my post.

I didn't say you didn't know what posts to report, I just said to do it more without abusing it. I don't think the mods see a shit post you report and just go "Nahh, I'm not infracting that guy, I just don't feel like it." If they do, I'm sorry for arguing with you and it's their fault. I doubt that though.

/truth

[I_Smell]

Shutup guys, threads made by new people are allways either good, or funny because they're so bad.
every spamer is mildly intelligent.

LOL

[spaj]

The GF's alright.

Quite frankly, I'm happy that mods aren't as ban-happy as they were previously. If you want good discussion and a bit more humour, you have to make sure users don't feel pressured into being goody-goody posters. I used to worry the entire time about making a stupid grammar/spelling mistake, whether or not I was on topic, and whether it was appropriate for me to make a joke or not. These days I enter the GF and post feeling a lot more relaxed, and I think a lot of other people do too -- that stirs up some decent discussion and has ultimately made some pretty humorous posting.

[Fodniethan]

Yeah I don't see what the big problem is with the GF. There are a lot of decent threads, some funny posts, and the odd shitty thread that we all have a laugh in before it gets dumped.

[Morfrock Yartz]

I agree with Fodniethan stop the complaining and just sit back and have a laugh.

[RabidMonkey]

From the "TO Tag" Thread.




I don't want this thread turning into Beef, but I seriously think you should not be so hypocritical with your arguments. That was the first post I saw from you after I saw you respond to my post.

I didn't say you didn't know what posts to report, I just said to do it more without abusing it. I don't think the mods see a shit post you report and just go "Nahh, I'm not infracting that guy, I just don't feel like it." If they do, I'm sorry for arguing with you and it's their fault. I doubt that though.

/truth

I'm confused by this post.

[MistyTehMoose]

GF used to be the place I posted the most when I was new, as I am sure it is for all new joiners. It's the most easy to fit into in explosm, where in the other forums they can be even more brutal if you disagree. The Gf is going to be littered with newbs all the time, because of this.

Most of them are ok, and the shit posters soon learn to post properly after their first infrac. Those who don't, leave. I don't see any similarity with spame, unless you count the spamers who post in GF. The mods do a good job of keeping the balance.

[RabidMonkey]

The similarity is that most of the threads in there are pointless wastes of time. Like spame. But I suppose it is a General forum. And there are also many dumb posters in there.

[Audioslave]

You should bring back exiling.

DO THIS

[RabidMonkey]

What exactly is exiling? Banning a person from a certain forum?

[Assassin]

Exilees can only post in spame

[DieHard]

You should bring back exiling.

GREAT idea, you should do this

[Beefynick]

I was not around for exiling apparently, but I like the idea. I think it would solve quite a few problems.

My only question is if you exiled do you eventually get to post in the rest of the forums or are you stuck in spame forever?

[DieHard]

I was not around for exiling apparently, but I like the idea. I think it would solve quite a few problems.

My only question is if you exiled do you eventually get to post in the rest of the forums or are you stuck in spame forever?

Before when you were exiled, you were sent to the pit and there you would stay

[Shagg]

Before when you were exiled, you were sent to the pit and there you would stay

Die Hard, were you even around for exiles? I don't even remember them myself.. :ahe:

[Mr Anorexia]

I'm pretty sure he wasn't.

[Mirrorman]

He either lurked, or heard it from somebody.

[Assassin]

My only question is if you exiled do you eventually get to post in the rest of the forums or are you stuck in spame forever?
You were released back after a month or so
Before when you were exiled, you were sent to the pit and there you would stay
Not really

[Mr Anorexia]

Yeah they should bring back use of the Pit.

[BAN ME PLEASE]

guys you have to remember die hard lurked since 2001

[Mirrorman]

He did? We just need the 2 week rule back. Or baybe more. Although these noob threads are funny sometimes, they get irritating when theres too much of them.

[RabidMonkey]

How about make a rule that after joining, you can't even post for a week, giving you time to lurk, and then another 14 days later you can make threads?

[HappinessMan]

I have no problem with the GF, theres usually a shitty thread there by the time I get to my computer class so I laugh at that. The thing I hate which I know can't be changed is the people. I love when spamers use sarcasm and some GFers take them seriously.

[Assassin]

How about make a rule that after joining, you can't even post for a week, giving you time to lurk,
That'd be lame as hell

[RabidMonkey]

It'd rid us of stupid noobs though.

[Assassin]

Not really.

[Oberlin]

It'd rid us of stupid noobs though.

No, it would give us a one week buffer against stupid noobs.

[Audioslave]

http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?p=213310

Take heart, the GF is not dead yet.

Fatality :roffle:

[jewishjosh]

No, it would give us a one week buffer against stupid noobs.

It would force them to lurk a bit. It's not a bad idea.

[Shagg]

http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?p=213310

Take heart, the GF is not dead yet.

Fatality :roffle:

You're just saying that because you got to say "U-G-L-Y". I see through your tricks!

[Audioslave]

You're just saying that because you got to say "U-G-L-Y". I see through your tricks!

No, all the other replies are great too. (Mine was the best.)

[BadAnkle]

I'm giving mostly warnings right now. I don't want to be such a dick that nobody posts in there, but I want people to put a little effort into not sounding like a total shit-for-brains. I'm also trying to give more leeway if the post is funny. I mean, that's why we're here, right? If I want to argue about globalization, I'll probably go somewhere else.

I think the GF should be a mix of people telling funny stories and making fun of each other. When I think of all the posts that have made me laugh in the past, most of them fall into one of those two categories, so I'd like to see more threads started that lay the groundwork for those sorts of responses. The Freaky Dream thread, for instance, has some potential for that. I realize that a lot of that sort of discussion is now in the bailiwick of Games & Surveys, but I'd still like to see things lean in that direction.

In any event, I have a grip on the fact that it isn't going to happen overnight.

[RabidMonkey]

No, it would give us a one week buffer against stupid noobs.

It would force them to lurk a bit.

AND

Good to see Badankle. People will always post in there, they'll just realise that they have to post properly. But the way you're going about it is all good in my opinion. Even though I don't really have a say in the matter.

[Assassin]

Has the thought came into your head that they might just stay away for a week and come back or never come back?

[Mirrorman]

The week thing is stupid. I bet alot of the regulars wouldn't be here if they were restricted to post for the first week.

[MistyTehMoose]

The people who have the sense to lurk will do so before they join.

I doubt people who join and can't post for a week will lurk for that week, they'll just leave it be. We can't help having stupid people in the forums, the mods do a good job of keeping them under control, though.

[Rob]

I realize that a lot of that sort of discussion is now in the bailiwick of Games & Surveys

I never really intended that to happen. G&S was originally for polls and couple of word responses ("Post sad songs!!")

If there's a lot of discussion going on in G&S we could put that back into GF.

[BadAnkle]

I posted the following as a sticky. I thought it best to reproduce it in the Comment Dump, as the thread is turning into a discussion that really belongs here.

So, you've decided to become a member of the Explosm Forums. You can congratulate yourself on having selected one of the finest forums on the entire interwebs!

This thread is here for you to familiarize yourself with the rules and to introduce yourself. As with most forums, you can expect a certain amount of hazing from the established members. That should pass fairly quickly; if it doesn't, it probably means that you are some kind of asshole. In any event, you may as well get it over with.

In an effort to not be a festering pile of AOLisms and flamewars like 99% of the Internet, we have a few simple rules we ask our members to comply with. The Explosm Forum rules can basically be summed up by the phrase 'Don't be a jerk.'

If you are naturally a jerk, or if you just want the specifics, here's a nice concrete list of rules:

1. Write like a reasonably intelligent person

Your posts are going to be on this forum for the world to see. Don't make people struggle to read them. if u write like this u mite find urself in srs trouble LOL

2. Try to contribute to threads

Before you reply, ask yourself if what you're posting adds anything to the discussion. Don't just post 'OK', 'I agree', or 'lol'. No single smiley replies.

Also, try to stay on topic. A discussion may naturally evolve to cover things not specifically mentioned in the thread starter, but posting about the relative merits of the PS3 vs. the X-Box 360 in a discussion about mankind's transition from hunter-gatherers to an agrarian economy is going to bring on the banhammer.

3. Mark all Not-Safe-For-Work images 'NSFW' and link to them

Never post a pornographic/offensive picture in any of the forums. Link to it and give a warning.

4. Don't ask for or offer illegal stuff

This includes drugs, cracks, bootlegs, copyrighted mp3s, etc.

5. Don't post personal info about people

Nobody cares if you tracked down the phone number or address of someone you don't like. Keep it to yourself.

6. Be civilized

Don't troll or flame people. If you disagree with something, say so and why. If you really, really hate someone, send them an email or abuse them via instant message. Don't derail a thread just to call someone a fag.

7. Report responsibly

You have the ability to report posts that break any of these rules. Please do. The mods appreciate being alerted to troublemakers. At the same time, don't abuse the reporting system, or you might find yourself banned.


These rules aren't all-inclusive. If you want to find out what annoying trends to avoid, check out the User Dump (http://forums.explosm.net/forumdisplay.php?f=19) for a list of who has been banned, why they were banned, and a link to their incriminating post.

Crime and Punishment

Decisions are made by the moderators. If you feel you were given an infraction unfairly, you may PM the mod that gave it to you to plead your case. Don't be a pain in the ass about it, though, or you could find yourself in even deeper trouble.

The Explosm forums use a system of Infractions to let people know when they're not toeing the line. When you do something that is deemed inappropriate, the moderators will give you a number of Infraction Points based on the gravity of the offense. Points are bad; you don't want them.

As you accumulate points you will find your account getting suspended. This is called a Time Out or TO, and it happens automatically when you reach certain point totals. This chart shows how it works:

Points.........Ban Period
3...............1 Day
5...............3 Days
10...........iiii7 Days
15...........iiii2 Weeks
20...........iiii1 Month
25...........iiiiForever

[Raxo]

If you're not new and you're posting in that thread you should be infracted.

Do this because other members will surely ruin that thread.

[RabidMonkey]

Ok due to the responses, I have changed my thought to just make sure they can't make threads for 14 days.

[MistyTehMoose]

Thanks for the update, Rabid.

[Shagg]

The week thing is stupid. I bet alot of the regulars wouldn't be here if they were restricted to post for the first week.

Well when you couldn't make a thread until you had 25 posts, etc..etc, it really taught me to lurk and learn the rules before I made a shitty thread. I'm guessing that it could influence the noobs into learning more before making shitty posts too.

[MistyTehMoose]

That's the thing though, if you're smart enough to learn the forum you will, but some never don't, and those are the ones who don't stick around.

Unless you're Arkain :blanky:

[Dr. Gentlemen]

How about make a rule that after joining, you can't even post for a week, giving you time to lurk

yea, im sick of all the new guys...:lol:

[MistyTehMoose]

:blanky:

[RabidMonkey]

And as we can see above, Dr. Gentlemen didn't lurk, due to his lack of punctuation and capitals. They're the ones that annoy me greatly, if he posted that above post like this;
"Yes, I'm sick of all the new guys...:lol:" It would have been funny, but he just made it into fail.

[MistyTehMoose]

Thanks for the update, Rabid.

[RabidMonkey]

Misty your one smilie replies and quoting irritates me.
Actually I'm going to close this because it's been and gone.