Lovely new forum home and moderation

I must say that I very much like the new board and moderation. Letting most anything stay on the main board does not seem to have proved a problem and broadens the board interest for me. I always feel tetchy when a post is "moved" to the relative anonymity of the General forum - especially if the decision was questionable.

I love having the ability to stop seeing a trail. The 'ignore' button to hide certain member's posts is great.

The Karma/Smite is rather fun. The incidence of smiting seems to be abating which is good. I think it should be used very sparingly. Encouraging the good guys should send a message to the loonies.

Having read Smiles on the complexity of running this new board and the requirement for computer expertise to so do, then I think Elephantspike's efforts have been a great success and I say "Thank you very much".

[sing_lofty_sing]

I agree this forum is bye far the best outa the last 3. Keep up the good posts guys

The applud/smite function seems like a popularity contest where social approval wins over rational argument. It aims to reward conformity, and punish dissent. This changes a discussion forum into a moral thermometer, which is a shame in my opinion.

As I have never felt the need to ignore any member of a board, the ignore function is useless to me. Still, I do love the ignore feature as it means the irrational PC brigade can self-censor against my posts. Self censorship is so funny!

[catawampuscat]

I have enjoyed objective's posting but can't understand his negative karma in such a short time and with so few postings.. With so many posters having so little to say , I find it refreshing when I see objective add his comments.. I have also noticed boygeenus , which whom I have had my differences, with a high negative karma..He is also one of the more interesting and original minds on this forum..
I think the karma thing acts as a subtle deterant to some posters with original ideas and not in lock step with the majority..Of course, some posters enjoy provoking the membership and seem to thrive on turning people off and work on increasing their negative karma but only fools waste their time reading and responding to these warped minds..
Since the karma system can be manipulated by those with multiple identities and the moderators themselves, it cannot be taken seriously..
One man , one vote means nothing when there are those who circumvent the system either thru deceipt or thru power... Even letmetellyou has quieted down noticeably and I wonder if his karma ratings is the reason..............

Because this karma thing is not objective, Cattawapuscat, it gives me the feeling some times fuck off Baziel , we don't like to read your post.
I ignore that karma thing
It gives me a not welcome quote .

Gives everybody a welcome on this forum and think in a positive karma, let karma not go below 0
Only a applaud
We not all did go university, does not mean this forum must be in hands off the elite.

I post white my hart in my bad English, use your ignore but tom, but stop smite

Baziel

Baziel you're asking the elite to abdicate their most defining characteristic: their authority to morally condemn.

The karma rating in no way reflects value, it's just an arbitrary approval rating. Attaining a high karma rating is only of high worth to those whom are driven by peer acceptance. Don't let it get you down!

This karma thing

Me Tarzan, you Jane

Even i do not now you , objective, thanks, i will not fade away, i promise

[Dodger]

I Like the Board...not better than the last 3...each had their own special place...as our herd continues to roam.

I Like the "ignore" function, although will never use it. I see this as a useful tool for those who used to get all stressed out.

I don't care for the "Karma" function, although appreciate the creative thinking behind it.

I think the moderation is excellent.

Thank you Bob, John, David...and Alan for your your hard work during the evolution of the forum...it really paid off.

mai pen rai

[DJB0Y-old]

:D :D

Thanks so much for starting this thread. Our moderator, site designers and programmers should be whole-heartedly congratulated for all the great new changes.

Having followed this sight silently for many years now, I can definitely say it has truly developed into one of the best message boards I have seen.

It is truly evident that elephantspike has put an incredible amount if his time into what must be a labor of love. The way that he constructed this new site really taught me a lot about these type of message boards, what's good, what works, what doesn't work, etc.

THANK YOU TO ELEPHANT... AND TO ALL THE OTHERS WHO HELPED PUT THIS GREAT SITE TOGETHER.

Best of luck in the new year.

DJ

look at this board how boring its got since a couple of the worst smiters have let you get on with it

Who has retired from the boards? I am not up to date as I only really vist the board prior to a visit.

[catawampuscat]

objective asks "who has retired from the boards?"

Maybe a more interesting question is who has returned to the boards, come out of retirement and gotten back on the stage...
Just a little fishing expedition...........

That's a bit cryptic to me catawampuscat. Personally, I havn't been a poster for about 18 months (since when it was hosted on pattayagay). I only tend to nosie in on what's going on in the fellow farangs heads if I'm contemplating a visit to LOS. It was a genuine question, I'm just curious who left and why. I feel like I missed too many episodes of what is a real life soap opera!

So who were you in your previous life?

[Smiles]

I quite agree with Objective regarding the Karma thing. I see little point to it other than just fooling around smiting and smoting and clapping other posters just for the hell of it. So easily abused ... though seeing as I don't understand the point of it anyway, I'm never sure if I'm actually abusing it! :? Therefore I don't hit either choice.

On a totally different slant ... Objective's posting style "sounds/feels" quite a bit like Hedda's. IMHO anyway.

Cheers ...

I don't see how it could possibly be "abused", since it means absolutely nothing and has no effect on anything.

[Smiles]

Er duh ... yes Boy ----- that was my point :? .

Getting more and more obtuse in my old age I suppose.

Cheers ...

I don't see how it could possibly be "abused", since it means absolutely nothing and has no effect on anything.

I believe the karma rating is reflects a measurement of regularity of moral agreement, and was designed for a purpose along those lines. The question is whether or not the forum benefits from having moral brownie points assigned to each user. Is it conducive to quality posts? Yes and no.

The good is that in principle it causes a level of accountability and responsibility, which stays. The bad is that it punishes views that deviate, even where there was no malice. The worse it appears is that one can hack their own or another's karma value to be higher or lower.

Any successful efforts to counteract a protective mechanism are violations of intended usage. I suppose to break any rule is 'a technical abuse' of a system.

I would argue it does have an effect on the users, not least that we discuss it, but that it has been cited as a reason to cast good argument aside in favour of comparing penis sizes (i.e. using karma rating as a means to measure character credibility). I don't think the karma rating provides more benefit than it does pitfalls nor would it be even if it were more secure, but that's just me “smiting” the karma system!

[catawampuscat]

objective, I was being a little cryptic and thought perhaps one of retired posters of note had come out of retirement.. He was known as the Actor and espoused views which were far to the right of my own but well written and thought provoking, at least to me.. I no longer think you are the Actor or Hedda and welcome you and hope you will continue to stimulate and stir things up a bit.. I had a different name on the old PattayaGay forum and that is ancient history and nobody's business.. I couldn't understand why you were getting so many smites being so new and with so few posts and I started thinking conspiracy theories but that is better left for another day...

Smites were sent my way because I asked the wrong question.

However I am not sure how to take a suggestion that I am anything like Hedda! The last event I remember was that endless debacle over transparency of charity money. Very articulate but boy did he go on about it. I think he may have been on a personal crusade against some bar owner or something. Great poster, my only gripe with him being that he would rather fall back onto witty retorts when his argument had been destroyed, than concede like a gentleman.

Hedda demonstrated so well that wit is an outright alternative to conversation, in which the main aim is to seek social recognition and reward, rather than to exchange knowledge and idea. So, perhaps the ignore button turned Hedda off this board? Depends how long he has been gone. Shame really

[Brad the Impala]

I find that the smites can be useful in cutting down irritated responses to foolish or provocative posts. Instead of "oh for fucks sake, I can't let that comment pass without response", I can just go smite, and my karma is calmer.

Perhaps it is satisfying, but then so is popping bubble wrap. Popping bubble wrap would probably have less of an antisocial impact on the forum too. Too many posters unnecessarily feel bad about their karma points. It's unwelcoming. I'm all for the ignore feature though, difficult to fault that.

I see little point to it other than just fooling around smiting and smoting and clapping other posters just for the hell of it.

Okay, I just gave you the clap! :bootyshake:



On a totally different slant ... Objective's posting style "sounds/feels" quite a bit like Hedda's

Hedda, who...? :scratch:



Getting more and more obtuse in my old age I suppose.

Or just blabbier ... blabbiest? :argue:

As i not cover my face behind a symbol off the woods.

Where is the line that post brings irritation, foolish and provocative items

irritation, its something we all have everyday sitting in a car waiting for a red lite. Do we smite the red lite ?

Foolish, is it not foolish that we are born to die ? Do we smite or lives ?

Provocation, the Provo's from the 60 's are your bankers from today. do we smite or bankers ?

Just go one, use your but-tom, but i hope irritated, foolish and provocative posting will not stop, can be boring if we gave to read the same stuff everyday

[jinks]

Nothing changes... this thread is 2006 !