MazDan said:
Hoptis compared to a few months ago. Not years ago.
And your own mods agree its dieing.
The comparison was against a couple of years ago. July 06 to Feb 08, and as I said, other forums have lost more ground and overall the forum has kept the same level of activity relative to the rest of Bluelight.
eggman88888 said:
This place is as stale as 2 week old bread. Unfortunately it seems as though threads like this one here are all too rare. We are forever bombarded with hollow statements with regards to what made you smile, what made you frown, what are you eating and on and on it goes. I mean who gives a fuck seriously.
Maybe the people who post and contribute to such threads? It's a bit of stretch don't you think to say that the sentiments expressed in them are hollow? I would say they're as genuine as people want them to be, and I don't have a problem if the tone overall is polite if it reflects the way people interact with each other.
You have to remember that a lot of the regulars of such threads also know each other from real life, so when people express condolences for someone else's personal loss or suffering, I would hardly call that "hollow".
I understand if such interaction is a little tame for some people but we have to balance the tone of the forum, what is acceptable for some people can be hostile and distressing to others. Just as in any society, if the loudest and most direct people controlled how debate was conducted, a lot of the quieter and more sensitive types would be offended.
eggman88888 said:
What would be welcomed though is more discussion topics where people can discuss and share their opinions on various things.
...
The more threads we can get that are thought provoking the better. In a way these threads provide users with an opportunity to hear another person’s point of view on a range of topics and to perhaps even, god forbid, learn something.
That's the thing though, does anyone really ever learn anything from more "exciting" threads? The way I see it, they always follow the typical discourse where people dig into opposing positions and fight it out to the death and
no one listens to anyone else.
I take it this is what Mazdan is referring to.
Threads on controversial topics that always follow the same pattern. There are always individuals who will post something inflammtory without any real interest in debating, the same people read it and get butt hurt and respond, typically in the same manner they always do. Everyone digs deep into their entrenched positions, eventually personal attacks are thrown in and the end result is always the same.
I consider that a lot more boring than knowing what made people smile or frown today but maybe not as entertaining for some?
No one is saying they're against new ideas, new threads and new discussions, but if you want something that everyone knows will just end in a fight... well that's neither new or original for those of us who have seen it so many times.
MazDan said:
So often new blood will come in but pss off quick cos there lolwuts were not appreciated and hence the presiding majority maintains control.
Now I know you're not saying you want this place to be like the Lounge. Nothing against it and I enjoy reading and posting there occasionally but I think we all agree we'd like Aus Social to be a place where n00bs feel comfortable posting without fear of assraping and we can have threads that aren't interspersed with 50 picutres of pears saying "lolwut"