just wanted to say thanks for everyone for the past few days of nice forums we have had

faxmachine

like the title says i just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the past few days of nice forums we have had.

i havent even been commenting but i have been reading and its been really nice to see people having real conversations with each other without the constant arguments.

if the rumors are true it will unfortunately be ending later this week on 9/30, but at least its been nice while it lasted.

i just wanted to say thanks to everyone for what we had even if it was only temporary.

davefenestrator

I blame the moderators for enforcing civil discourse

...even if they did remove my clever snarkpost about the latest blog date SNAFU

if the rumors are true it will unfortunately be ending later this week on 9/30,

What allegedly happens then, is Cryptic ending forum moderation or something? \m/ ANARCHY! \m/

faxmachine

davefenestrator wrote: »

What allegedly happens then, is Cryptic ending forum moderation or something? \m/ ANARCHY! \m/

i cant really say. i think it not allowed?

all i can say is "someone" said they will be back then.

if its true then unfortunately we will be back to the same old arguments again soon.

i hope not but thats what they said.

seaofsorrows

I know what you mean, and I'll just say I agree.. it's been nice around here.

Honestly, the fighting around here has been out of control and I am not entirely innocent in fueling it. I apologize to the community for my part, but sadly I fear things will soon be back to normal.

I can only speak for myself and try and do better. Beyond that.. we shall see.

darkbladejk

If I may say, we take no pleasure when we have to mod someone if/when it occurs. When we do have to step in as mods it's purely to do the job we agreed to help out with. Unless it's a spam bot then we nuke those things from orbit with a tricobalt warhead with extreme prejudice and keep score XD. last I checked I'm tied with wingedhussar for spam bots. From time to time I know it may seem like we're dragging out feet, but there's a process we have to go by with this stuff. We also prefer not to step in unless we have to.

From time to time I may have butted heads with some of you in here, but I'm glad there's enough of a respect there that it doesn't seem to have been taken personal by anyone when we do butt heads. Also the quiet makes my job easier XD

thegrandnagus1

Yeah, it's definitely been nice. I hope it stays that way

Unknown

This content has been removed.

seaofsorrows

keepcalmchiveon wrote: »

faxmachine#9639 wrote: »

if the rumors are true it will unfortunately be ending later this week on 9/30, but at least its been nice while it lasted.

eh? confused.

There are a couple of posters who have had their posting privileges temporarily revoked. There is not much more we can say and no specifics we can give as it violates forum rules to do so.

It’s not entirely on anyone that’s been suspended though, there are quite a few of us here that can probably do a better job dialing back the hostility.

trekfangrrrl

seaofsorrows wrote: »

It’s not entirely on anyone that’s been suspended though, there are quite a few of us here that can probably do a better job dialing back the hostility.

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you there.

I mean yeah, sure, everybody could be nicer. But setting that incredibly obvious statement aside, pretty much everybody here knows there is one specific person that thinks they are always right, all the time. And that one specific person will write an endless amount of posts with an endless amount of bullet points picking apart every sentence they disagree with until whoever their "target" is in that particular thread just gives up because they don't have as much free time to waste as "you know who".

So general platitudes about how everyone can "do better" aside, that one specific person is one of the most toxic people to ever set foot on any forum I have read, and there is pretty much no one else even remotely comparable to their behavior.

And if you can tell who I'm talking about, even though I gave literally ZERO personally identifiable information, that only proves just how "true" my description is.

roguealltrek

i have no clew who you all are talking about proving i spend little time reading this forums to start with. I can agree that the forums this go reading have been plesent and would like that to remain so maybe i will take more time reading actual post and not put off of coming here. that being said +1 to being nice

annemarie30

well, if it happens again I say we send Vedek Krin

seaofsorrows

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

seaofsorrows wrote: »

It’s not entirely on anyone that’s been suspended though, there are quite a few of us here that can probably do a better job dialing back the hostility.

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you there.

I mean yeah, sure, everybody could be nicer. But setting that incredibly obvious statement aside, pretty much everybody here knows there is one specific person that thinks they are always right, all the time. And that one specific person will write an endless amount of posts with an endless amount of bullet points picking apart every sentence they disagree with until whoever their "target" is in that particular thread just gives up because they don't have as much free time to waste as "you know who".

So general platitudes about how everyone can "do better" aside, that one specific person is one of the most toxic people to ever set foot on any forum I have read, and there is pretty much no one else even remotely comparable to their behavior.

And if you can tell who I'm talking about, even though I gave literally ZERO personally identifiable information, that only proves just how "true" my description is.

I am trying to be.. diplomatic and respectful of the forum rules. That being said, I can do that by just simply saying..

Agreed.

darkbladejk

The forums aren't going to explode in apocalyptic fire on the 30th. If any issues arise please report any offending posts and they will be dealt with swiftly. Feel free to tag myself or one of my cohorts in a thread you feel to be a problem.

trekfangrrrl

darkbladejk wrote: »

The forums aren't going to explode in apocalyptic fire on the 30th. If any issues arise please report any offending posts and they will be dealt with swiftly. Feel free to tag myself or one of my cohorts in a thread you feel to be a problem.

Apocalyptic fire isn't the problem. The problem is if "I'm always right and you're always wrong and here are 100 bullet points to prove it" comes back, it will be impossible to have any positive conversation again, just like it was a week ago. And the problem is that kind of behavior isn't technically against the forum rules, meaning there is nothing to "report". But that kind of behavior is extremely toxic and actually creates a lot of the hostility and arguments we normally have. There needs to be a policy in place to deal with someone that isn't technically "breaking a rule" but only wants to argue all the time, because that just sucks.

davefenestrator

Perhaps if people ignore instead of responding it will be less of a problem? It's worth a try.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

davefenestrator

It's too bad these forums lack the "hide posts from person x" feature. If people never saw a poster that annoys them they wouldn't reply, and threads might stay on topic.

alcyoneserene

I'm surprised there's no forum ignore option that I can see here.

This type of thing is very common on many forums, and it works really well to no longer see that user's replies, topics, or anything.

The main problem is posters think they need to reply and defend their points of view so that others who view the forum can judge them on that. What is important to realize is, you don't need to justify your position to anyone if you don't feel like it. Those who understand you will continue to do so despite ignoring certain discussions or members, while those new to forums (or the public in general) have yet to learn this on their own so no need to worry about that either.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

davefenestrator

keepcalmchiveon wrote: »

its not like any of us have ever strayed outside the boundaries a few times...lol.

Guilty as charged. Sometimes when I think I'm right and "someone on the internet is wrong!" it's hard not to take it personally.

legendarylycan

There is a block function...but not native to Vanilla - it relies on installing third-party scripts, and you know how absolutely insane people get over those, even when those scripts are completely safe and the source code is transparent.​​

rattler2

alcyoneserene wrote: »

The main problem is posters think they need to reply and defend their points of view so that others who view the forum can judge them on that. What is important to realize is, you don't need to justify your position to anyone if you don't feel like it. Those who understand you will continue to do so despite ignoring certain discussions or members, while those new to forums (or the public in general) have yet to learn this on their own so no need to worry about that either.

The problem is... some people do. I hate to say it but I think we're all guilty of falling into that at one point or another. Especially on subjects we feel strongly about, or in cases where we feel we're being personally attacked and... I guess it just becomes a matter of honor or something to defend yourself.

I know I have a couple times, especially when the other person singles me out specifically, or decides they know me better than I know myself to try and say I'm wrong about something.

That's honestly when, at least how I see it, you kinda lose yourself and go all in.

alcyoneserene wrote: »

I'm surprised there's no forum ignore option that I can see here.

Honestly that probably would have made life a whole lot easier. But we live rent free in this particular forum so... do what you can with what you got. And unfortunately... what we got is pretty much limited.

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

Apocalyptic fire isn't the problem. The problem is if "I'm always right and you're always wrong and here are 100 bullet points to prove it" comes back, it will be impossible to have any positive conversation again, just like it was a week ago. And the problem is that kind of behavior isn't technically against the forum rules, meaning there is nothing to "report". But that kind of behavior is extremely toxic and actually creates a lot of the hostility and arguments we normally have. There needs to be a policy in place to deal with someone that isn't technically "breaking a rule" but only wants to argue all the time, because that just sucks.

Unfortunately... that's kinda all that can be done. Report and move on. In cases like that where "no rules have technically been broken"... it can take longer to investigate. Don't forget atm there's only three of us mods and Kael, who we do coordinate with. Especially on bigger issues. It may not be visible on the forums, but we do run issues by Kael, usually in real time with an IM. We have a fine line we have to walk. There may be times that yea someone's being a jerk, but according to forum rules they haven't crossed a line yet. What do you do? Smack the jerk and give the appearance of mod abuse or step back and get accused of not doing more?

Sometimes... being a mod is a lose/lose until you get the ammo you need. Once that happens though, and you CAN act...

It ain't easy. And I can confirm that there are nuances that I'm still figuring out myself in some situations. Its not always black and white like a necro post or an obvious attack on another forumite. Darkblade and WingedHussar can back me up, there have been times we've had serious discussion regarding some subjects. And this is on top of RL obligations as well. So while we may not act immediately... we do act. And when we have the evidence... its go time.

darkbladejk

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

darkbladejk wrote: »

The forums aren't going to explode in apocalyptic fire on the 30th. If any issues arise please report any offending posts and they will be dealt with swiftly. Feel free to tag myself or one of my cohorts in a thread you feel to be a problem.

Apocalyptic fire isn't the problem. The problem is if "I'm always right and you're always wrong and here are 100 bullet points to prove it" comes back, it will be impossible to have any positive conversation again, just like it was a week ago. And the problem is that kind of behavior isn't technically against the forum rules, meaning there is nothing to "report". But that kind of behavior is extremely toxic and actually creates a lot of the hostility and arguments we normally have. There needs to be a policy in place to deal with someone that isn't technically "breaking a rule" but only wants to argue all the time, because that just sucks.

let us worry about that. there is a fine line between having a debate, which is permissible and full on trolling. If folks are concerned about a post going the wrong way that's part of why we're here. Sometimes reports we get are valid, sometimes there's nothing we can take action on. Sometimes the process we have to use sucks for addressing immediate problems, but we also have to make sure we leave a paper trail if you will so it protects Cryptic and everyone else.

lnblade

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

darkbladejk wrote: »

The forums aren't going to explode in apocalyptic fire on the 30th. If any issues arise please report any offending posts and they will be dealt with swiftly. Feel free to tag myself or one of my cohorts in a thread you feel to be a problem.

Apocalyptic fire isn't the problem. The problem is if "I'm always right and you're always wrong and here are 100 bullet points to prove it" comes back, it will be impossible to have any positive conversation again, just like it was a week ago. And the problem is that kind of behavior isn't technically against the forum rules, meaning there is nothing to "report". But that kind of behavior is extremely toxic and actually creates a lot of the hostility and arguments we normally have. There needs to be a policy in place to deal with someone that isn't technically "breaking a rule" but only wants to argue all the time, because that just sucks.

Much like the game of global thermonuclear war, the only winning move is to not play. Those particular posts get me riled up too, especially in the rare instances where it's a direct response to something I posted. But as hard as it is sometimes, the best thing to do is just ignore it and continue the discussion like the post was never made. There's nothing that says you have to engage with the poster and you don't need to prove anything to anyone here, including them.

trekfangrrrl

I've got an idea. Let's try this:

1: Person-A makes a completely legitimate opinion post.

2: Notorious-Troll-X does their typical "nope, you're wrong, and here are a dozen bullet points why" response.

3: Person-B quotes Person-A's post and tells them they agree and they are right (if you think so) completely ignoring everything Notorious-Troll-X said.

This steals the "last word" away from Notorious-Troll-X and gives the spotlight back to Person-A's opinion.

So my suggestion is that all of us collectively play the "Person-B" role.

I'm not saying we should pretend to agree with something we don't, but there are enough of us here with enough variety of opinion that someone should always be able to agree with "Person-A". So every time Notorious-Troll-X does their thing, there should always someone who can play the "Person-B" role and take the "last word" away from Notorious-Troll-X.

Who wants to join the team on this project?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

alcyoneserene

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

Who wants to join the team on this project?

Sounds good.

meimeitoo

seaofsorrows wrote: »

keepcalmchiveon wrote: »

faxmachine#9639 wrote: »

if the rumors are true it will unfortunately be ending later this week on 9/30, but at least its been nice while it lasted.

eh? confused.

There are a couple of posters who have had their posting privileges temporarily revoked.

Just testing whether I'm amongst those. If you can read this, I am not.

P.S. I must have missed something; saw no particular, extra fighting of late. All good, I guess.

meimeitoo

trekfangrrrl#6910 wrote: »

I've got an idea. Let's try this:

1: Person-A makes a completely legitimate opinion post.

2: Notorious-Troll-X does their typical "nope, you're wrong, and here are a dozen bullet points why" response.

3: Person-B quotes Person-A's post and tells them they agree and they are right (if you think so) completely ignoring everything Notorious-Troll-X said.

This steals the "last word" away from Notorious-Troll-X and gives the spotlight back to Person-A's opinion.

So my suggestion is that all of us collectively play the "Person-B" role.

I'm not saying we should pretend to agree with something we don't, but there are enough of us here with enough variety of opinion that someone should always be able to agree with "Person-A". So every time Notorious-Troll-X does their thing, there should always someone who can play the "Person-B" role and take the "last word" away from Notorious-Troll-X.

Who wants to join the team on this project?

I only have a vague idea who Troll X might be; but I honestly don't feel entirely comfortable with your suggested approach. If it is who I think it is, he isn't always wrong, btw, just highly argumentative. But I don't feel preemptive ganging up on him like this is something I want to be a part of, sorry. Even when I know you mean well. I sometimes reply to him, then he tells me I'm totally wrong, LOL, but it never escalates further. So, I see no reason to join a premade possy, as it were, made to humiliate him by agreeing with his every word, as if he were a child, just because he tends to be a wee contrary at times. I can handle him just fine 'as is.'

ktanner3

davefenestrator wrote: »

Perhaps if people ignore instead of responding it will be less of a problem? It's worth a try.

For the life of me I've never understood why more people can't do this. If an annoying poster isn't breaking any rules, then just ignore them. It isn't hard.

trekfangrrrl

meimeitoo wrote: »

So, I see no reason to join a premade possy, as it were, made to humiliate him by agreeing with his every word,

That's actually not what I suggested at all. Notorious-Troll-X thinks they are always right and will reply endlessly until the other person just gives up.

My suggestion is to quote and agree with the OTHER person (meaning the one that Notorious-Troll-X is arguing with). The goal/purpose is to stop Notorious-Troll-X from getting the "last word" by:

• always replying after them, and
• agreeing with the person they are arguing against

If you don't want to, that's cool. But hopefully others will. We have to come up with a way to deal with this kind of behavior. And it's not against the forum rules to agree with someone, so maybe this will be a start.