The Soapbox - an option [modified]
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As a rule, I find the soapbox more interesting than the lounge. However, it seems to me that the SB, by it's nature, has become a breeding place for festering wounds such as CSS and Illion. In my book, if you close it, your only issue is how to deal with the cockroaches that moved into the house while the latrine was uncovered. If they go away, and the more reasonable aspects of the SB can exist on the lounge, or move somewhere less unfettered, then perhaps the site will be better off for it. If CSS starts posting his racist drivel all over the site, and Ilion fills every article with asinine links, then the SB would have been better kept as it was.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
Christian Graus wrote:
the more reasonable aspects of the SB can exist on the lounge
From what some folks have been saying, the idea of moving political, economic, religious, or meterological discussions to the Lounge would, in and of itself, pollute it. :sigh:
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Algoraphobia: An exaggerated fear of the outside world rooted in the belief that one might spontaneously combust due to global warming.
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The Soapbox degenerated into a forum more or less dedicated to US politics and personal bandwagons. It was absolutely pointless to my goal of providing free resources to Software Developers. However, removing it means that I no longer have a place to move inappropriate posts (I always prefer to move than delete) which means I'm going to be spending all my monitoring the lounge. I want to read and enjoy the lounge, not clean up everyone's mess. So how about: 1. I create a new forum 'After 8 Lounge' or something. Anything not PG rated goes there. I do miss bad, politically incorrect jokes. Anything totally inappropriate in either of the lounges gets nuked, zero tolerance. And... 2. I reopen the Soapbox and remove votes and remove the ability for casual members to vote messages off the island. There will be no exposure for the forum (no links from the homepage or menus). The current Soapbox crowd has a private place to vent their spleens. However since many of the members in there are in the US they understand more than anyone the issues of libel laws. We, as a site, cannot promote or implicitely allow anything that violates any of the hate-crime or libel laws. I simply will not allow the site to be legally exposed simply for the sake of a few. So, in order to participate in the Soapbox you will have to agree, with each post, that you are not violating our Terms of Use. Go nuts, but stay within the ropes. Further, I'll ask the Soapbox crowd to nominate a few members who will have the right to delete posts. You guys will have your own self-policed protected corner in which to continue your fun and will yourselves be responsible for ensuring this behaviour is within reason, and that it doesn't spill out on to the rest of the site.
cheers, Chris Maunder CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
modified on Sunday, March 1, 2009 11:43 AM
When I was a kid there was a rule at home that if I fought with a friend over a toy neither of us got to play with it and I would get it back when Mum or Dad decided it was time. Why not close the SB, remove all evidence of it and recreate it in a few months once everyone has either settled down a bit or moved on to some of the many other forums out there that are geared towards that kind of behavior.
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When I was a kid there was a rule at home that if I fought with a friend over a toy neither of us got to play with it and I would get it back when Mum or Dad decided it was time. Why not close the SB, remove all evidence of it and recreate it in a few months once everyone has either settled down a bit or moved on to some of the many other forums out there that are geared towards that kind of behavior.
Why not just be honest about the matter? Why not stop protecting certain delicate persons or fragile opinions ... that is, let the so-called Soapbox be what it is claimed to be? Or, why not just openly admit that only certain members and/or only certain opinions are allowed there?
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Christian Graus wrote:
the more reasonable aspects of the SB can exist on the lounge
From what some folks have been saying, the idea of moving political, economic, religious, or meterological discussions to the Lounge would, in and of itself, pollute it. :sigh:
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Algoraphobia: An exaggerated fear of the outside world rooted in the belief that one might spontaneously combust due to global warming.
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Computafreak wrote:
We need an air strike
I love the smell of napalm on a Sunday afternoon. :laugh:
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface Algoraphobia: An exaggerated fear of the outside world rooted in the belief that one might spontaneously combust due to global warming.
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The Soapbox degenerated into a forum more or less dedicated to US politics and personal bandwagons. It was absolutely pointless to my goal of providing free resources to Software Developers. However, removing it means that I no longer have a place to move inappropriate posts (I always prefer to move than delete) which means I'm going to be spending all my monitoring the lounge. I want to read and enjoy the lounge, not clean up everyone's mess. So how about: 1. I create a new forum 'After 8 Lounge' or something. Anything not PG rated goes there. I do miss bad, politically incorrect jokes. Anything totally inappropriate in either of the lounges gets nuked, zero tolerance. And... 2. I reopen the Soapbox and remove votes and remove the ability for casual members to vote messages off the island. There will be no exposure for the forum (no links from the homepage or menus). The current Soapbox crowd has a private place to vent their spleens. However since many of the members in there are in the US they understand more than anyone the issues of libel laws. We, as a site, cannot promote or implicitely allow anything that violates any of the hate-crime or libel laws. I simply will not allow the site to be legally exposed simply for the sake of a few. So, in order to participate in the Soapbox you will have to agree, with each post, that you are not violating our Terms of Use. Go nuts, but stay within the ropes. Further, I'll ask the Soapbox crowd to nominate a few members who will have the right to delete posts. You guys will have your own self-policed protected corner in which to continue your fun and will yourselves be responsible for ensuring this behaviour is within reason, and that it doesn't spill out on to the rest of the site.
cheers, Chris Maunder CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
modified on Sunday, March 1, 2009 11:43 AM
I stopped visiting the soapbox some years ago when a particularly nasty exchange created tension that crossed over into other forums. At one point the lounge got so bad, I stopped visiting this site for a while and almost pulled all my articles. My own preference is that the Soapbox be removed entirely and offending posts elsewhere simply be nuked. There are plenty of other places on the internet for people to spew their vile; let them do it there.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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The Soapbox degenerated into a forum more or less dedicated to US politics and personal bandwagons. It was absolutely pointless to my goal of providing free resources to Software Developers. However, removing it means that I no longer have a place to move inappropriate posts (I always prefer to move than delete) which means I'm going to be spending all my monitoring the lounge. I want to read and enjoy the lounge, not clean up everyone's mess. So how about: 1. I create a new forum 'After 8 Lounge' or something. Anything not PG rated goes there. I do miss bad, politically incorrect jokes. Anything totally inappropriate in either of the lounges gets nuked, zero tolerance. And... 2. I reopen the Soapbox and remove votes and remove the ability for casual members to vote messages off the island. There will be no exposure for the forum (no links from the homepage or menus). The current Soapbox crowd has a private place to vent their spleens. However since many of the members in there are in the US they understand more than anyone the issues of libel laws. We, as a site, cannot promote or implicitely allow anything that violates any of the hate-crime or libel laws. I simply will not allow the site to be legally exposed simply for the sake of a few. So, in order to participate in the Soapbox you will have to agree, with each post, that you are not violating our Terms of Use. Go nuts, but stay within the ropes. Further, I'll ask the Soapbox crowd to nominate a few members who will have the right to delete posts. You guys will have your own self-policed protected corner in which to continue your fun and will yourselves be responsible for ensuring this behaviour is within reason, and that it doesn't spill out on to the rest of the site.
cheers, Chris Maunder CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
modified on Sunday, March 1, 2009 11:43 AM
An excellent plan, Chris. Although I seldom waste my time there since the original degenerated into a childrens' namecalling forum, the concept of the Soapbox was a great one, and I much appreciate a bit of healthy anarchy in a world grown too controlled. I would add the suggestion that participation in the Soapbox be limited to those who have been around long enough to understand how we operate here. Whether that is measured by longevity or a minimum number of posts in the other forums, some minimum requirement should be imposed to stop the asinine first-post abusers and grazing trolls.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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The difference lies in the way the votes were cast - true It is still debatable whether the message removed link should have been active - true They were done by multiple people - true Went through the proper channels - true What happened on Saturday was a wiping out of posts in a seemingly random fashion - probably true, I'm rubbish at spotting patterns One of my posts was nuked with no vote being cast - true (check my profile if you want proof) This is impossible by normal means - true (marking a message for removal also univotes; thirteen hides the message)
Ilíon wrote:
For months, *my* posts have been vanished in much the same way that "the community's" were vanished yesterday.
False. Yours were done in a more democratic way. Multiple people voted. Not always thirteen, but sufficient enough to ensure that it wasn't just one person making the decisions
Ilíon wrote:
Just what, exactly, was the point of the so-called Soapbox, after all, if that point can be so easily obviated by a few hours of the more obnoxious posters getting a taste of their own medicine?
I'll be honest; I wasn't around to see its creation. However, I always thought of it as a non-kid sister safe alternative to the Lounge, where you (plural) would have the more inane posts shouted down and/or univoted
Computafreak wrote:
I wasn't around to see its creation
I was.
Computafreak wrote:
I always thought of it as a non-kid sister safe alternative to the Lounge, where you (plural) would have the more inane posts shouted down and/or univoted
Correct. Except that, until two or three years ago we didn't have such a volume of morons. Although crude language and weird ideas were common, thoughtful and responsible discussions usually ensued. There were occasional flamewars, but they were rare. As in monthly, not daily. If things got too boring, some of us would meet elsewhere, coordinate a sequence of outrageous posts intended to spark discussion, then launch our attack and enjoy the subsequent donnybrook. Few people got their feelings hurt, and none were slandered, as the crowd then was comprised of gentlemen (and ladies) who were respectful of those with whom they disagreed. Perhaps we need a new member ranking method, one which tallies the number of '1' votes received in a period of time. Anyone who garners more than the limit might be deemed unsuitable for membership in the community and banned. In any social group there are those who join to build, and those who circle the dark perimeter looking for an opportunity to destroy what they crave but can never deserve. They're scavengers and parasites, degenerates who want to break the other kids' toys. Most natural groupings have developed ways of removing parasites. Fish rub against ship hulls to scrape off parasitic growths, buffaloes have birds that pick parasites from their backs, monkeys groom each other to remove pests. Why shouldn't we do the same?
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Dalek Dave wrote:
Well said CG
Not really; that was just CG being his typical dishonest self.
Ilíon wrote:
typical dishonest self.
That's a curious way to describe one of the most honest individuals I've known. The difference between a neurotic and a psychotic is that a neurotic builds castles in the air, while a psychotic attempts to live in them. Have you considered therapy?
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Rob Graham wrote:
Let Ilion have his precious victory.
My argument for keeping the SB open in times past has always been that it provides a way to quarantine misbehavior. To date, Ilion has, for the most part at least, behaved appropriately elsewhere on the site. If that remains true (for Ilion and others), then I would agree - it can stay closed. If it just means that instead of needing someone to police one forum, we need people to police hundreds of forums... then we've just dumped the cesspool onto the lawn.
Shog9 wrote:
we've just dumped the cesspool onto the lawn
Bad metaphore. That usually makes the lawn greener.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Shog9 wrote:
we've just dumped the cesspool onto the lawn
Bad metaphore. That usually makes the lawn greener.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Ilíon wrote:
typical dishonest self.
That's a curious way to describe one of the most honest individuals I've known. The difference between a neurotic and a psychotic is that a neurotic builds castles in the air, while a psychotic attempts to live in them. Have you considered therapy?
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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The Soapbox degenerated into a forum more or less dedicated to US politics and personal bandwagons. It was absolutely pointless to my goal of providing free resources to Software Developers. However, removing it means that I no longer have a place to move inappropriate posts (I always prefer to move than delete) which means I'm going to be spending all my monitoring the lounge. I want to read and enjoy the lounge, not clean up everyone's mess. So how about: 1. I create a new forum 'After 8 Lounge' or something. Anything not PG rated goes there. I do miss bad, politically incorrect jokes. Anything totally inappropriate in either of the lounges gets nuked, zero tolerance. And... 2. I reopen the Soapbox and remove votes and remove the ability for casual members to vote messages off the island. There will be no exposure for the forum (no links from the homepage or menus). The current Soapbox crowd has a private place to vent their spleens. However since many of the members in there are in the US they understand more than anyone the issues of libel laws. We, as a site, cannot promote or implicitely allow anything that violates any of the hate-crime or libel laws. I simply will not allow the site to be legally exposed simply for the sake of a few. So, in order to participate in the Soapbox you will have to agree, with each post, that you are not violating our Terms of Use. Go nuts, but stay within the ropes. Further, I'll ask the Soapbox crowd to nominate a few members who will have the right to delete posts. You guys will have your own self-policed protected corner in which to continue your fun and will yourselves be responsible for ensuring this behaviour is within reason, and that it doesn't spill out on to the rest of the site.
cheers, Chris Maunder CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
modified on Sunday, March 1, 2009 11:43 AM
Here's my thoughts: Put the soapbox back, but 1. remove voting, 2. implement "ignore user" 3. your other ideas for soapbox, would be a without items 2, I don't see how they'll help. Finally, I found the soapbox a place for amusement and sometimes found the conversations illuminating. Of course I had to filter the garbage, but that was expected. I seldom posted myself. Anyway, I wouldn't really miss it. I seldom have the time or inclination to hang out there much for a long time anyway.
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Why should I be ware of this guy? (and it's "JSOP", not "JSP")
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
As excellent as you are as the Outlaw Programmer, this bloke is the Structured Programming guru with the unfortunate name of Michael Jackson. You still getting target practice with those little critters that invade your garden?
Richard A. Abbott wrote:
You still getting target practice with those little critters that invade your garden?
Nah. The word has apparently spread through all of squirreldom that my backyard is a killing field. We haven't seen a single squirrel in our yard since "The Culling".
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
When I was a kid there was a rule at home that if I fought with a friend over a toy neither of us got to play with it and I would get it back when Mum or Dad decided it was time. Why not close the SB, remove all evidence of it and recreate it in a few months once everyone has either settled down a bit or moved on to some of the many other forums out there that are geared towards that kind of behavior.
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Because we're not (all) kids.
___________________________________________ .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
