Yay, we've been saved from ourselves again!

[Inner Stickler]

Oh for the love of-

Come back when you understand our actual objections, John Mace.

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by John Mace

What a stupid idea to keep a contentless OP thread open. Why not just have a bot to open threads every second with no content.

Good moderation by Miller.

It's not about the contentless OP. It's about using the contentless OP as a reason to close a thread which had seventeen other posts in it.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

It's not about the contentless OP. It's about using the contentless OP as a reason to close a thread which had seventeen other posts in it.

So it's o.k. for the mods to close a contentless OP...unless a bunch of posters gets to it before the mod does?

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

It's not about the contentless OP. It's about using the contentless OP as a reason to close a thread which had seventeen other posts in it.

Were those seventeen other posts on-topic?

[billfish678]

Where they off topic?

Hmmmm...were they?...hmmmm?...put that in your hat and smoke it.

[RaftPeople]

Originally Posted by John Mace

What a stupid idea to keep a contentless OP thread open. Why not just have a bot to open threads every second with no content.

I'm not sure about this, but there might still be time to ask the mods to erase all evidence that you posted this.

[Measure for Measure]

Originally Posted by John Mace

What a stupid idea to keep a contentless OP thread open. Why not just have a bot to open threads every second with no content.

Good moderation by Miller.

Outstanding moderation by Miller. Top notch. Six stars.



Whether the thread should get moved to MPSIMS is a judgment call. But my take is that there are plenty of diversions in that place already and frankly the quality of the responses to the Waldart thread were... appropriately ephemeral. So there truly was no loss in closing it and it was not trivially respectful of the OP's wishes.


Fun! Bah! We're here to fight ignorance. Any "fun" I have here is purely strategic. Scarequotes are fun.

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

So it's o.k. for the mods to close a contentless OP...unless a bunch of posters gets to it before the mod does?

The mods should only close a thread if the thread is a problem. They shouldn't close it because one post is a problem.

Now if the entire thread is only one post, then a bad post justifies closing the thread.

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

Oh for the love of-

Come back when you understand our actual objections, John Mace.

Oh, boo-hoo. We want this MB to be a playground. Sorry, but you lose.

Good moderation, Miller. The Pit is the place for rants. There was not rant. Thread Closed. QED.

Start your mindless thread in MPSIMS. Don't expect every mindless thread to be moved there.

[Inner Stickler]

Originally Posted by John Mace

Start your mindless thread in MPSIMS. Don't expect every mindless thread to be moved there.

It's a dumb policy that adds nothing to the board but takes away from it. And there's now a new pointless thread in MPSIMS as a direct result of this thread so you guys have actually increased the number of pointless threads here. Good job, brownie.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

It's a dumb policy that adds nothing to the board but takes away from it. And there's now a new pointless thread in MPSIMS as a direct result of this thread so you guys have actually increased the number of pointless threads here. Good job, brownie.

That Free Association thread? I like it. The OP follows the title, and the other posts follow the OP.
Totally unlike the thread in question, btw.

[PlainJain]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

And there's now a new pointless thread in MPSIMS as a direct result of this thread so you guys have actually increased the number of pointless threads here.

You're talking about the "We Have Pigeon Eggs" thread, right?




^{I keed, I keed}

[Inner Stickler]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Totally unlike the thread in question, btw.

You mean the thread with 6 posts making Spartacus jokes? Yeah, that thread is truly a forest of nonsequiturs.

[Autolycus]

I agree with Ellen. It was not appropriate for the Pit, and should have been closed or moved.

I don't agree with Czarcasm though. A content-less OP does not a content-less thread make. I thought the Spartacus riffs, while certainly not high comedy, were more than suitable to pass for content in MPSIMS, and unfortunately I've seen many many similar threads closed in that forum for the very same reason, no content, (although it's most usually phrased with the ever-so-delicate "too stupid to live.") But, in any case, I thought this thread was about discussing the rule in general for MPSIMS, and that rule in particular sucks the light-hearted fun out of a forum that is specifically designed for it. I for one have had several of my own threads closed for being too dumb, and it really juts my craw to see threads like Czarcasm's stupid and derivative corn thread allowed to live. I guess if I want to experiment with silly OPs, I'll have to wait for the next day it's ok to be silly, or be an ex-mod or something.

But I'm veering dangerously off-topic. This isn't about my posts. This is about a style of moderation that, while in line with the super-serious ivory tower demeanor of most of the board, is in direct conflict with the tone of the one forum where it's ok to be a silly shit. It is mildly irritating at best, and downright lame at worst. I can see if these types of threads dominated MPSIMS that it would be a problem, but I highly doubt they would, as most people, even when being silly, prefer to be silly about something. However, with that being said, sometimes the silliness rises directly because of a stupid OP, and right now these types of threads are being mod-shotgunned down before their prime.

But whatever. It's not a huge hairy deal either way. It never was and never will be, and that's why this particular rule, or moderation style, is never going to change. Shoehorn butterhorse, the end.

[koeeoaddi]

Originally Posted by Zeldar

Or maybe like this one.

Not to mention the icy fear that the thing could take off and go on for, oh, say, 107 pages?

No, really.

[Crazyhorse]

The OP isn't content-less at all - it has the title 'Walmarticus' and is in the Pit. So clearly the original intention was to pit Walmarticus. For whatever reason the OP changed their mind. If the thread were left open the result would be that Walmarticus was pitted without context no matter what direction it went from there. It might have been fair game to pile on to that with posts about him (and/or the OP) and it probably should have been left open if anyone had, but nobody did.

I agree that nonsense threads should have their place somewhere as long as the participants are enjoying them and keeping them alive. In the case of a Pit thread it isn't fair to keep a pitting of someone open as a general chit chat thread after the OP themselves chose to redact it. It also doesn't make sense to move it to another forum because the title and context still carry a direct, personal connection to some gripe between the OP and another board user, their username being the very subject of the thread.

[spinky]

It's pretty useless to get worked up over having a thread closed when the OP literally consisted solely of the text, "never mind."

It's also pretty useless to get worked up defending the choice to close the thread as if it's some sort of self-evident conclusion based on the super important rules of the SDMB.

In short: why don't you people argue about something more important, such as whether the administration should just say fuck it and give Czarcasm his job back.

[Bosstone]

There are so many contentless threads on this board to post in. Why fret over one?

[Becky2844]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

I agree with Ellen. It was not appropriate for the Pit, and should have been closed or moved.

I don't agree with Czarcasm though. A content-less OP does not a content-less thread make. I thought the Spartacus riffs, while certainly not high comedy, were more than suitable to pass for content in MPSIMS, and unfortunately I've seen many many similar threads closed in that forum for the very same reason, no content, (although it's most usually phrased with the ever-so-delicate "too stupid to live.") But, in any case, I thought this thread was about discussing the rule in general for MPSIMS, and that rule in particular sucks the light-hearted fun out of a forum that is specifically designed for it. I for one have had several of my own threads closed for being too dumb, and it really juts my craw to see threads like Czarcasm's stupid and derivative corn thread allowed to live. I guess if I want to experiment with silly OPs, I'll have to wait for the next day it's ok to be silly, or be an ex-mod or something.

But I'm veering dangerously off-topic. This isn't about my posts. This is about a style of moderation that, while in line with the super-serious ivory tower demeanor of most of the board, is in direct conflict with the tone of the one forum where it's ok to be a silly shit. It is mildly irritating at best, and downright lame at worst. I can see if these types of threads dominated MPSIMS that it would be a problem, but I highly doubt they would, as most people, even when being silly, prefer to be silly about something. However, with that being said, sometimes the silliness rises directly because of a stupid OP, and right now these types of threads are being mod-shotgunned down before their prime.

But whatever. It's not a huge hairy deal either way. It never was and never will be, and that's why this particular rule, or moderation style, is never going to change. Shoehorn butterhorse, the end.

I agree. To say that some posters on this board don't get differential treatment is to veer from the truth. Some "junior mod," and some "bully--bust your balls." If we're going to be sticklers about the rules, what about "Don't be a jerk?" There are posters who get away with being snide/cruel because...they're just really, really smart?

Sometimes I'm amazed anybody new lingers here.

For any of us posters who do...if we happen to find a "fun puddle" (requiring leaps of mental agility) and choose to splash in it and you don't want to get wet, then simply stand back out of the spray.

Sometimes when people expound on why mud pies are dirty it just makes them a nanner nanner.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

If you think my opinion is wrong, tell me why you think so.
If you think I'm junior modding, report me.

If you want people to treat you like a poster with an opinion, you can start posting like a poster with an opinion. It doesn't matter if your posts are technically within the rules. You are posting like you think you still have authority, and it is a good thing for someone to remind people that you don't have that authority.

Come on. Go look at your posts as a mod on this topic, and compare them with your posts in this thread. They are nearly exactly the same. The same belittling of other people's opinions. The same citation of a vague rule. The same forceful tone. The same desire to fight over it rather than let someone else who is better equipped to deal with complaints handle it.

And a very defining feature is the fact that mods won't argue with each other. Ellen just posted a completely different opinion to yours. She said the thread would have been okay in MPSIMS. Yet you haven't once argued with her. That's what a mere poster would do if a mod said something they didn't agree with. They wouldn't argue with the people who agree with the mod.

You may not technically be junior modding, but you are posting exactly as you did as a mod, and it is a good thing that someone is reminding everyone that you aren't one. If you don't like that, you can change your behavior and post opinions like they were opinions. And try not to stir up fights in ATMB like you did as a mod.

[bucketybuck]

We have all seen boards that are full of that crap, people throwing one liners back and forth blissfully unaware that they aren't half as funny as they think they are.

"Oh but we were having fun with it".

Frankly if thats your idea of fun, meaningless blather about nothing, then the mods are doing you a favour shutting it down. Close all those rubbish threads.

We aren't here to have fun.

[The Tao's Revenge]

Originally Posted by John Mace

Oh, boo-hoo. We want this MB to be a playground. Sorry, but you lose.

Good moderation, Miller. The Pit is the place for rants. There was not rant. Thread Closed. QED.

Start your mindless thread in MPSIMS. Don't expect every mindless thread to be moved there.

I understand your views in GD better now. Let's see:

Complete hostility at the other side. Good forbid anyone should have a different opinion.

Fail at using QED. You quoted something. Then made a Non sequitur, or atleast failed to demonstrate why the closure follows. There's plenty of examples of threads being moved for being the wrong place, rather than closed. Therefor you did not demonstrate why only closure follows. QED.

Then in your rage make a suggestion that has nothing to do with the issue. The thread didn't start with this intent, it just sort of formed. Given the thread apparently had value to people, why not move it and let them have it?

Finally, given what an uptight fun hating way you present yourself. I suggest you consult the services of a qualified arborist and proctologist in your area to get that stick removed. It's ruining your life man. We're worried about you.

[srzss05]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Here's a little test: Who here(besides the OP) can tell me what jali had in mind when he posted that thread?

What do I win if I tell?

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by BigT

If you want people to treat you like a poster with an opinion, you can start posting like a poster with an opinion. It doesn't matter if your posts are technically within the rules. You are posting like you think you still have authority, and it is a good thing for someone to remind people that you don't have that authority.

Come on. Go look at your posts as a mod on this topic, and compare them with your posts in this thread. They are nearly exactly the same. The same belittling of other people's opinions. The same citation of a vague rule. The same forceful tone. The same desire to fight over it rather than let someone else who is better equipped to deal with complaints handle it.

And a very defining feature is the fact that mods won't argue with each other. Ellen just posted a completely different opinion to yours. She said the thread would have been okay in MPSIMS. Yet you haven't once argued with her. That's what a mere poster would do if a mod said something they didn't agree with. They wouldn't argue with the people who agree with the mod.

You may not technically be junior modding, but you are posting exactly as you did as a mod, and it is a good thing that someone is reminding everyone that you aren't one. If you don't like that, you can change your behavior and post opinions like they were opinions. And try not to stir up fights in ATMB like you did as a mod.

My only response to posts like this is going to be that this thread isn't about me or the way I post, so I don't plan on joining in on the hijacking. I'm willing to talk about that when the thread's topic is about that.

[Scumpup]

You're just precious, aren't you?

[Czarcasm]

I have noticed that the person who started the thread in question and then changed her mind and decided to end the effort hasn't(as far as I know) registered any complaints about the way it was handled by the mods. Does this fact have any weight at all?

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

I have noticed that the person who started the thread in question and then changed her mind and decided to end the effort hasn't(as far as I know) registered any complaints about the way it was handled by the mods. Does this fact have any weight at all?

Are you still claiming this is all about the OP?

[kayT]

Czarcasm, I wonder if you could explain to me the difference between the thread in question and your "jimmy crack corn" thread linked above?

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by kayT

Czarcasm, I wonder if you could explain to me the difference between the thread in question and your "jimmy crack corn" thread linked above?

1. The "Jimmy crack corn" thread was a joke thread tying in with the other corn threads on April Fool's Day.
2. I didn't change my mind on posting content then abandon the thread, unlike the thread that is the topic of conversation here.

[PlainJain]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

I have noticed that the person who started the thread in question and then changed her mind and decided to end the effort hasn't(as far as I know) registered any complaints about the way it was handled by the mods. Does this fact have any weight at all?

I have no idea how you read all of that into my frame of mind. Are you pouty that I have stopped responding to you? Nothing about my tone or intent indicated this was a hill I planned on dying on. This thread was a little grumble. I've said my piece - no use beating a dead horse. Everyone seems to get that but you.

[Batfish]

One of the traditions of the Pit is that when an OP steps on his/her dick he/she gets roasted in turn. OPs get blasted for all sorts of reasons including being weak.

The OP in question was so weak they withdrew their own post. The resulting posts were the mildest of razzes for the weakest of OPs.

That thread should have remained open. It would have faded away in short order. Miller's closing of it violated the back-and-forth nature of the Pit. Mod deserves a mild pursing of lips and shake of head for punishment.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by PlainJain

I have no idea how you read all of that into my frame of mind. Are you pouty that I have stopped responding to you? Nothing about my tone or intent indicated this was a hill I planned on dying on. This thread was a little grumble. I've said my piece - no use beating a dead horse. Everyone seems to get that but you.

Did you really think my post was all about you? It wasn't.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Did you really think my post was all about you? It wasn't.

Are you Carly Simon?

[srzss05]

Originally Posted by PlainJain

I have no idea how you read all of that into my frame of mind. Are you pouty that I have stopped responding to you? Nothing about my tone or intent indicated this was a hill I planned on dying on. This thread was a little grumble. I've said my piece - no use beating a dead horse. Everyone seems to get that but you.

Just in case Czarcasm's post wasn't clear by now (since he got snippy instead of explaining), he was speaking of jali, the OP of the pit thread not the OP of this one.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by srzss05

Just in case Czarcasm's post wasn't clear by now (since he got snippy instead of explaining), he was speaking of jali, the OP of the pit thread not the OP of this one.

Thank you for the clarification.

[billfish678]

I wonder for these "gotta close em" threads, particularly the silly ones, how many people are a bit peeved they are closed vs how many were a bit peeved they wasted time opening them? I don't ever recall a mod saying something like "this thread is silly and I've gotten a couple dozen reports pissed about it so out it goes.."

Maybe the mods oughta edit the title to include something like [ed. silly time wasting thread, get a job you slackers] That way people could still be silly and anal retentive type A personalities could avoid wasting their time.

Oh, and I figure there are X number of posters round these here parts that have Y amount of time to waste here and Z amount of sillyness just waiting to get out. So, IMO silly threads tend to keep the sillyness out of OTHER threads.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Batfish

One of the traditions of the Pit is that when an OP steps on his/her dick he/she gets roasted in turn. OPs get blasted for all sorts of reasons including being weak.

The OP in question was so weak they withdrew their own post. The resulting posts were the mildest of razzes for the weakest of OPs.

That thread should have remained open. It would have faded away in short order. Miller's closing of it violated the back-and-forth nature of the Pit. Mod deserves a mild pursing of lips and shake of head for punishment.

I can (maybe) see it as a very mild pitting of the OP. On the other hand,Pit threads have been closed or moved before because they were just too weak ass for the BBQ Pit. I wouldn't give it 50/50 for either closing or moving, but I would give it 75/25.

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by billfish678

I wonder for these "gotta close em" threads, particularly the silly ones, how many people are a bit peeved they are closed vs how many were a bit peeved they wasted time opening them? I don't ever recall a mod saying something like "this thread is silly and I've gotten a couple dozen reports pissed about it so out it goes.."

Maybe the mods oughta edit the title to include something like [ed. silly time wasting thread, get a job you slackers] That way people could still be silly and anal retentive type A personalities could avoid wasting their time.

Oh, and I figure there are X number of posters round these here parts that have Y amount of time to waste here and Z amount of sillyness just waiting to get out. So, IMO silly threads tend to keep the sillyness out of OTHER threads.

To show how much I agree with these sentiments, take a look (perhaps a long look) at The truly great threads in SDMB history which had gotten 124 Posts between 03-01-2009, 09:31 AM and 05-03-2012, 04:24 PM.

Some of us love this type of nonsense, bullshit and craziness.

[PlainJain]

Originally Posted by srzss05

Just in case Czarcasm's post wasn't clear by now (since he got snippy instead of explaining), he was speaking of jali, the OP of the pit thread not the OP of this one.

Oh, OK. Thanks. Carry on then, my bad.

[Miller]

Sorry for stepping on the fun. I didn't have any objection to the thread, other than the fact that, the way it was going, it wasn't Pit material. Normally I'd have moved it to MPSIMS, but the thread had started as a pitting of another poster, and while the OP had scrubbed almost all the content from it, its title and provenance still communicated that Jali was pissed at Walmarticus for some reason. I felt that made moving it to MPSIMS inappropriate - that nascent fight between those two posters belonged either in the thread that originated the dispute, or in the Pit, not in MPSIMS - even if the thread itself had immediately gone off on a tangent.

[Cicero]

Not to worry. When all the fun stops from now on we have been "Millerised".

[Zeldar]

Originally Posted by Miller

Sorry for stepping on the fun. I didn't have any objection to the thread, other than the fact that, the way it was going, it wasn't Pit material. Normally I'd have moved it to MPSIMS, but the thread had started as a pitting of another poster, and while the OP had scrubbed almost all the content from it, its title and provenance still communicated that Jali was pissed at Walmarticus for some reason. I felt that made moving it to MPSIMS inappropriate - that nascent fight between those two posters belonged either in the thread that originated the dispute, or in the Pit, not in MPSIMS - even if the thread itself had immediately gone off on a tangent.

As much as I enjoyed the frivolity in the Pit thread, I can find no fault with this logic. How would it be in future analogous situations (if there should ever be such) just to change the title to something even sillier than the Walmarticus one to something maybe like "Here's some nonsense for you to riff on"?

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

It's a dumb policy that adds nothing to the board but takes away from it. And there's now a new pointless thread in MPSIMS as a direct result of this thread so you guys have actually increased the number of pointless threads here. Good job, brownie.

Yeah, closing that thread wasn't quite as bad the Bush administrations response to Katrina, but it was pretty close.

And there are "pointless" threads in MPSIMS? The horrors!! What does the "P" in that acronym stand for? Can you remind me again?

[PlainJain]

Originally Posted by Miller

Sorry for stepping on the fun. I didn't have any objection to the thread, other than the fact that, the way it was going, it wasn't Pit material. Normally I'd have moved it to MPSIMS, but the thread had started as a pitting of another poster, and while the OP had scrubbed almost all the content from it, its title and provenance still communicated that Jali was pissed at Walmarticus for some reason. I felt that made moving it to MPSIMS inappropriate - that nascent fight between those two posters belonged either in the thread that originated the dispute, or in the Pit, not in MPSIMS - even if the thread itself had immediately gone off on a tangent.

Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense now. Believe it or not, I spaced on the fact that the thread title was a poster here. I assumed it was a bad experience the OP had at the box store. So, good call after all.

[Ellen Cherry]

Originally Posted by Ellen Cherry

Just my modly 0.02 here, since I'm not a Pit mod and didn't close the thing — I would have closed such a thread in IMHO, but left it open in MPSIMS. Probably Marley would tell you the same thing. If people are having fun in MPSIMS, even though it was basically content-free, there's not a big problem there, to me, if people are being clever and having fun with it. But the other forums, eh, it's a bit of a problem. They're set up to discuss stuff, debate stuff, have questions answered, and blow off steam. If there's content-free threads allowed there, then we aren't really upholding the standards we set out to have.

Make sense?

I said Marley here when I should have said Miller. Sorry bout the mistake.

[Baal Houtham]

Miller made sense.

I didn't read the Walmaticus thread till it was linked here, and then enjoyed it and thought it ended too soon. Generally, contentless threads and free association don't make good reading and are a drag on discussion boards, so I wouldn't want to see them spread on SDMB. But, there are many things in life and on the internet that are interesting (and harmless) in small doses, but can easily be overdone.

My vote is that the thread should have been left open for another day or two, but eh, that seems a piddling thing. Hours, one day, two days -- probably doesn't matter much. Miller was there and closed it at his convenience.

[Cheshire Human]

never mind.

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by Cheshire Human

never mind.

You're trying to get this thread closed, aren't you!

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by John Mace

You're trying to get this thread closed, aren't you!

Or moved to MPSIMS.

[Cheshire Human]

Originally Posted by John Mace

You're trying to get this thread closed, aren't you!

Yes.









But seriously, I had something to say, but changed my mind, just like the OP of the thread in question. I didn't realize I had accidentally made a joke, although, granted, a poor one.