mods on here (policy on new threads and closures in Ecstasy Discussion)

[Jabberwocky]

I know this is repeated ad nauseum by staff like it were a ritual chant, but I'm really not sure that it's the truth. In fact, I've never believed it to be true.

The search engine is very adept at picking out key words. I've always found it particularly useful when isolating searches to thread titles.

I find it less useful, when attempting to collate information on a subject, only to find the search returns a load of threads with a little padlock on them and a pithy comment from the forum mod, and that the information I want is consistently buried in a massive thread (no doubt split over several massive threads).

I am aware that one can then search within that thread, but the information required is often surrounded with competing conversations that talk over eachother, making a linear conversation hard to find or track.

My experience is that the posts that are absolute gems in this dedicated rough don't get the recognition they deserve, nor provide springboard into greater debate (because nobody in their right mind has the time to wade through the accumulated detritus to read or respond to such gems).

I realise that shovelling all vaguely related information into a dumping ground thread provides moderators with something to do and makes the forum appear clean, but it actually stifles information sharing.

If mods spent half the time on correcting thread titles as they do moving posts, the forums would be easier to search.

You are in luck on at least a part of that. There are people on staff now gently pushing for title clarity as a fundamental in moderating.

The mega-thread stuff is tough, many many subjects ought have mega-threads. In support we throw I'm at 50 posts why am I not a BLer ina mega because its never going to be a scintillating conversation. Mechanics of an opiate taper is something that is going to be much more varied than when do I become a BLer but it also isn't discussion for exciting discussion its towards a purpose. Many repetitive subjects do make for a neater forum without inhibiting great discussion in my opinion.

Also there is only so much room on a front page. First page is sometimes the only thing a member sees in assesing if a forum is for them. If the front page is strewn with variations on 5-htp loading it could annoy regulars and leave new comers that that is what ED is all about.

 

[tambourine-man]

You are in luck on at least a part of that. There are people on staff now gently pushing for title clarity as a fundamental in moderating.

Good. I think it's a positive move (assuming the instruction is to improve the titles of drug threads).

The mega-thread stuff is tough, many many subjects ought have mega-threads. In support we throw I'm at 50 posts why am I not a BLer ina mega because its never going to be a scintillating conversation. Mechanics of an opiate taper is something that is going to be much more varied than when do I become a BLer but it also isn't discussion for exciting discussion its towards a purpose. Many repetitive subjects do make for a neater forum without inhibiting great discussion in my opinion.

I will accept that there is a need for megathreads. I was involved in their introduction to EADD, where they were introduced to keep totally off-topic rubbish out of other threads. I can also accept that where a particular question such as "when do I stop being a greenlighter" is repeatedly asked, it would merit such treatment (if not a FAQ)*.

Also there is only so much room on a front page. First page is sometimes the only thing a member sees in assesing if a forum is for them. If the front page is strewn with variations on 5-htp loading it could annoy regulars and leave new comers that that is what ED is all about.

There are obviously inter-forum differences on Bluelight, and I won't presume that how one forum works is necessarily the same as another (indeed, my post was not necessarily specific to ED). However, even if the scenario you suggest sounds unlikely to me, I can accept that grouping the same question (as in the case you gave above) is warranted by megathread.

But it's the less extreme and less obvious examples I'm really getting at - where large areas of discussion are systematically thrown into megathreads, despite the fact that the individual questions may be nuanced enough to merit their own thread.

And even if they aren't nuanced enough, with a correct thread title, they are easily sifted through in the search engine when information is required by others.

Besides, It's not that much more appealing to a newcomer when the front page is strewn with impenetrable threads that exceed 400-500 posts.


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* Although, on that particular note, don't Greenlighters have a green box at the top of their view of the forum index? Why doesn't some enterprising admin make a line of text flash with the words "Attention numnutz: you will become a Bluelighter when you have 50 posts - ask about this in Support and the bar will raise to 100.".

 

[Keaton]

I can't speak for any other forums, but in ED if the persons question is related to but not directly answered by any existing thread, we let it live and leave it open for discussion.
It's when the poster is asking the same exact question that has been asked before.

 

[Bearlove]

Deifine 'old thread' ? If everyone used the thread that was open and relevant to their question then there wouldnt be any old threads. The thread would reach 1000 posts and the moderators would create a new one and link them together.

If you have a new theory / opinion on an already discussed matter/subject does it not make sence to post in in the already running thread so new users will know what your talking about and whats different about your new opinion.

 

[TheLoveBandit]

* Although, on that particular note, don't Greenlighters have a green box at the top of their view of the forum index? Why doesn't some enterprising admin make a line of text flash with the words "Attention numnutz: you will become a Bluelighter when you have 50 posts - ask about this in Support and the bar will raise to 100.".

Ftr, I've attached a copy of the box (similar to the SUPPORT box) which haunts all GLers across every forum everywhere they go - and has done so ever since it was implemented over a year ago. it *does* in fact show a bottom line explaining "How Many Posts" in text in addition to providing a semi-handy link. I say 'semi-handy' in that it links to the GGuide FAQ on usergroups, whereas linking to the mega-thread in SUPPORT would probably make a bit more sense. I'll see if we can fix that shortly.

 

[neMMMM]

Alasdairm - no I didn't mean all mods, you get the point in me being sarcastic. Why are you trying to bash when I had no negative feelings towards the mods. I think they are doing a great job, much better than I myself could. I meant to say stop unnecessarily killing conversation, if it was unnessesary then it should be deleted/closed, you are correct.

In no way am I posting this as a outcry to put down the mods, more of a constructive criticism in which you may improve. Be safe all.

 

[tambourine-man]

Ftr, I've attached a copy of the box (similar to the SUPPORT box) which haunts all GLers across every forum everywhere they go - and has done so ever since it was implemented over a year ago. it *does* in fact show a bottom line explaining "How Many Posts" in text in addition to providing a semi-handy link. I say 'semi-handy' in that it links to the GGuide FAQ on usergroups, whereas linking to the mega-thread in SUPPORT would probably make a bit more sense. I'll see if we can fix that shortly.

Sorry, I can't find my magnifying glass tool. :D

BIG TEXT.

FLASHING TEXT.

[marquee]

 

[Kenickie]

I'm not a focus forum mod, so I don't know how much water my opinion carries, but something has to be said that Bluelight originated as an Ecstasy based board. BL has been in existence for what, 12, 13, 14, 15 years now? That is an incredible amount of information that has been sifted through, scientifically proved wrong or right, added too, subtracted from, etc. The fact that we are still operating and providing information to people who come looking for it says something. I think it's important to note that, that there is a huge amount of information that mods in the focus forum are stewarding. In this way, I think mega threads (at least for the Basic Information Questions) are important and should be kept. I hear tamb-man's opinion though, and find that perhaps there are reasons for individual threads. On the other hand, it's a balance of how much work focus forum mods are willing to put into the effort of not only stewarding massive loads of information, but also keep titles uniform for individual threads, etc.

 

[alasdairm]

Alasdairm - no I didn't mean all mods, you get the point in me being sarcastic. Why are you trying to bash when I had no negative feelings towards the mods.

i'm not bashing you - i'm responding to your comment. you specifically said "you are all getting a little "close" happy.". if you didn't mean all, perhaps you shouldn't have said all. that's all

i agree to an extent with what tambo says here and i don't think his comments and my comments are mutually exclusive. i agree there are nuanced exceptions where a topic stands - on its own merits - in a separate thread. my more generalised comment is that there's no benefit to having information on a single subject spread across 7 different threads when it could all be in one.

alasdair

 

[Keaton]

Again, I can only speak for ED when I say this, but if someone starts a thread that isn't answered by any of the information in the directory, we let it live. We also provide links to the appropriate thread if it's necessary.
/broken record.

 

[Jackie Chan]

How come the crack vs. ecstasy thread was closed? I thought that would be an interesting thread to read through and I was going to post something in it having tried both crack and ecstasy but then saw it was closed. How come that thread was closed and similiar ones like the opiates vs. ecstasy thread werent closed?

 

[Jabberwocky]

I don't know for sure but a principle I may have closed such a thread under is that dick-sizing is unhelpful to both good discussion and harm reduction. Especially with drugs not to have tales of outdoing one another or better than stories. If it was in ED it might have also been that crack isn't ED related.

 

[Keaton]

^Precisely.
There are many reasons why it may have been closed. Either the discussion was going nowhere, it violated a guideline of some sort or had nothing to do with ED.
Sure they were trying to compare the two, but they drugs are nothing alike.


Also, if you have a question about why a thread was closed, PM one of the mods. This thread is not the place for such inquiries.

 

[Jabberwocky]

To avoid this becoming about specific threads being closed, I'll close now.