New "Clean Start" Policy on Creating Threads

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flacaltenn

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Jun 9, 2011
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We always HAVE been a Discussion board. We've always focused almost solely on getting thread topics to be discussed and not on arbitrary content issues.. STILL completely committed to the Free Speech thing.. But lately, the thread titles and Opening Posts have been giving Free Speech a bad name..

The basic rules are not gonna change much.. There's already a clause for not allowing "baiting and polarizing" Titles and OPs. That will be footnoted with something like the following..

Titles and Opening Posts
1) Title must contain sufficient clues about the ACTUAL expected discussion. Titles like "How stupid are These People" can't be SEARCHED or indexed for search for the use of members or mods to find and manage existing active threads.

2) Titles must be free of INFLAMMATORY words, name calling or "pet names".. Those things are what make a title "baiting".

3) The "user content" in OPs that the existing rules require needs to be "stepped up".. "Get a load of this" -- is no longer sufficient topical content"... Must be 2 lines or more.. The more the better.. Must SUMMARIZE the topic to be discussed and why you think it NEEDS discussion..

To sum that up.. We're REQUIRING the Original Posters to START a clean topical discussion.,. No more juiced incendiary titles and ranting OPs.. If it's important enough for you to dash to a keyboard to poke it in -- need to put in the effort to start the discussion with YOUR views of the topic..

Post Content
Currently the Rules require "specific topical content" in EVERY post.. And the moderation method for that is stone simple..

Post has "specific topical content" --- stop reading, ignore the rest, it's legal.
Post LACKS "specific topical content" -- It's illegal.. Delete and/or warn...

1) That rule will edited to read "must contain substantial and relevant topical content".. This means that unsubstantiated generalizations about groups or political opponents is NOT ALONE sufficient as "specific topical content" anymore.. Yeah, you have to stop and think and spend a few calories composing a post..

2) Repetition, badgering, harassment, and repeatedly ignoring requests to clarify or answer questions MAY get you booted or warned... This may be specified in the official rules in the coming days.

3) Meme pics are OK - if they are about topic and NOT just personal and fit the definition of substantial and relevant.

4) Posts on the 1st two opening pages of a thread will be CHECKED by moderation when they visit.. These will be HIGHLY moderated, because the course of thread is determined largely in the 1st pages... If you're caught dropping into a brand new topic just to attack or flame -- you'll be warned and banned for one day.. Assuming there isn't more damage to the thread later on.. If you don't care to DISCUSS the topic first -- DONT DROP IN.. This is probably the most common issue we have with "tone", anger, and stinkyness of this place lately. It's a personality pile-on on Pg1.. Not happening anymore.. Keep a distance from members you consider "retards or morons".. Just ignore what you consider to be crap.. Don't prance thru it barefoot..

Transparency on Warnings.

In addition, to add to visibility of who and what is being warned, Moderation will be leaving visible WARNED posts and adding a flag like -- Mod Note: This is a WARNED post.. Do not reply to it.

Obviously it's a bit of public shaming, but more IMPORTANTLY it gives members feedback about the MASSIVE amount of work that moderation does here everyday.. It's also important to see EXAMPLES what what content and material is actionable and we HOPE folks will see daily what rules are enforced and how..

Note that we cannot do this for EVERY post that went into the warning.. If the member was warned for 3 or 10 posts -- the others will simply be deleted.. So you still wont know the EXTENT of ALL the work that was done on that thread, but it's a start on moderation transparency..

When we say "do not reply" we mean it.. If you have questions -- PM a mod or two..

---------------------------------------------------------

How about we stop there and make these adjustments and hope that improves the tone and anger issues? :rolleyes: We realize that the problems this nation face right now don't ORIGINATE on USMB.. We just want to prove that Discussion boards are still relevant to IMPROVING the discussion in the land.. Understand that a fair number of members are here for the brawl.. That's why we created the Taunting Forums.. They are not gulags for punishment.. They are there for folks that WANT to brawl and not be constrained to topics.. We won't be moving as much stuff "downstairs".. A fair portion of failed threads will likely get closed instead.. But if you want ranty/flamey titles/OP/Posts -- we'll open more downstairs forums for that..

AyeCantSeeYou WillHaftawaite Coyote Kat Meister Dont Taz Me Bro
 
I appreciate a good warning instead of time in the hole. Just tell me to delete. I don't give a rat's ass. I will delete.
Thanks Mods...y'all negroes is solid n'sheeit.

It's only 2 or 3 warnings in a couple months that gets you "time in the hole".. And with making posting require a bit more effort -- I imagine some folks might be racking up warnings sooner than others...
 
I appreciate a good warning instead of time in the hole. Just tell me to delete. I don't give a rat's ass. I will delete.
Thanks Mods...y'all negroes is solid n'sheeit.

It's only 2 or 3 warnings in a couple months that gets you "time in the hole".. And with making posting require a bit more effort -- I imagine some folks might be racking up warnings sooner than others...
I think I will fall into that category comfortably. As a high rate offender I truly appreciate ANY consideration.
 
It's still entirely subjective.

What's subjective about topical content? There's a topic.. Posts must honor and address the topic.. Mod Staff will soon probably be automated with simple ass rules like that..

Subjective

1) That rule will edited to read "must contain substantial and relevant topical content"
 
Expect the official "Posting Guidelines" to be updated before the end of this week to reflect these clarifications..
How are you going to notify the people who haven't happened upon this thread. Somebody knowing the old rules won't check them, and won't know they've changed, and could get caught in your web.
 
It's still entirely subjective.

What's subjective about topical content? There's a topic.. Posts must honor and address the topic.. Mod Staff will soon probably be automated with simple ass rules like that..

Subjective

1) That rule will edited to read "must contain substantial and relevant topical content"

Not all.. If it's 20 words -- then 14 need to be topically relevant.. Take that ratio and make yourself a chart.. Or as one mod puts it -- the flame and snark is the SEASONING -- not the main ingredients. We're all smart enough to figure that out.. Especially because these violations don't just appear in ONE post.. There's also the pattern of contribution to the topic that's visible to moderation...
 
How are you going to notify the people who haven't happened upon this thread. Somebody knowing the old rules won't check them, and won't know they've changed, and could get caught in your web.

They have no intention of making any of this happen.....give it a couple days and it's back to the same old dull crap with mods changing headlines or deleting whole threads instead of pulling a "Coyote" and sending what they disagree with to Badlands.
 
Expect the official "Posting Guidelines" to be updated before the end of this week to reflect these clarifications..
How are you going to notify the people who haven't happened upon this thread. Somebody knowing the old rules won't check them, and won't know they've changed, and could get caught in your web.

We're gonna post in the major forums.. A floating request to read announcements.. Just haven't gotten that far and won't be just jumping on enforcing the new "levels of effort".. It will ramp up with sufficient time to pass the word...
 
What's subjective about topical content? There's a topic.. Posts must honor and address the topic.. Mod Staff will soon probably be automated with simple ass rules like that..
An example of how content can "wander" In a thread a about hydroxychloroquine, the OP mentioned the low death rate in Uganda. That lead to posts about Uganda's pandemic response, demographics etc, to disprove that Uganda was an example of the drug working.

Those were based on an on topic post, but addressed a part of the post that wasn't specifically on topic.

What happens when threads "wander"?
 
I like the changes. We can all be guilty at times of being too incendiary with titles. I am glad that USMB is taking seriously our polarization crisis that we are experiencing nationwide. We need to start a trend toward greater civility. Nearly everyone is guilty of stepping over the line at one time or another and descending into name calling for instance.

My own pet peeve with threads are what I can consider “when did you stop beating your wife threads”. Usually these threads attack a personal trait of your target. I mean how do you respond to a thread that Biden or Trump has dementia and how many of these damn threads does one need to start.

But that is a digression. USMB should be applauded in moving in the direction it is taking.
 
I appreciate a good warning instead of time in the hole. Just tell me to delete. I don't give a rat's ass. I will delete.
Thanks Mods...y'all negroes is solid n'sheeit.

It's only 2 or 3 warnings in a couple months that gets you "time in the hole".. And with making posting require a bit more effort -- I imagine some folks might be racking up warnings sooner than others...
I think I will fall into that category comfortably. As a high rate offender I truly appreciate ANY consideration.

How about a cruise for "hole time"?? We can lease a Carnival or Disney ship pretty cheap right now??
With no Internet access.... :dev3:
 
I appreciate a good warning instead of time in the hole. Just tell me to delete. I don't give a rat's ass. I will delete.
Thanks Mods...y'all negroes is solid n'sheeit.

It's only 2 or 3 warnings in a couple months that gets you "time in the hole".. And with making posting require a bit more effort -- I imagine some folks might be racking up warnings sooner than others...
I think I will fall into that category comfortably. As a high rate offender I truly appreciate ANY consideration.

How about a cruise for "hole time"?? We can lease a Carnival or Disney ship pretty cheap right now??
With no Internet access.... :dev3:
Whatever you choose buddy. I am amorphous.
 
I've seen these sorts of rules used as slim excuses for moderators to shelve posts they don't like - any provisions for preventing that?

If there's topical content in the post and it doesn't contain the 4 or 6 things like family, pedo, beasty, n-words, etc -- ANY mod will overturn that deletion..

But NOW -- requires a couple more calories to type an on topic post...

BTW - if you ever RUN ACROSS a deleted post with "sufficient topical content" that's been deleted, make sure you add me to the PM list.. The problem is that folks who are posting 10 or 15 posts per hour in 3 or 4 different threads -- I GUARANTEE -- they dont remember the content of the deleted post.. Because in the 593 times I;ve CHECKED -- that deleted post NEEDED to be deleted...
 
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