[Discussion Point] Removal of posting in spam & drama

Please Note: The TotalFreedom Forum has now been put into a read-only mode. Total Freedom has now closed down and will not be returning in any way, shape or form. It has been a pleasure to lead this community and I wish you all the best for your futures.

    I've been having some thoughts about potentially removing the ability for folks to create new threads in spam and drama, and instead using it more as a cest pit dumping ground of the shit posts that crop up naturally, or for threads the devolve into bullshit.

    I ultimately don't like the spam and drama category, and the fact people are using it so much and adding nothing but wasted space to the forum database, pisses me off. The aim of the forum should be to enable conversation and have something to talk about that isn't just shit posting the same old copy pasta / means and all that nonsense that shows nobody loves you.

    I'd like folks thoughts on if they'd be supportive of this, and with this we would look to continue to be more aggressive in suspensions from the forums where people intentionally spam / shit post in other boards.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

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    ↩ @'Ryan' I ultimately don't like the spam and drama category, and the fact people are using it so much and adding nothing but wasted space to the forum database

    purely from this standpoint i think it should be disabled. we have discord for shitposting. i understand people feel it livens up the forum but it something that can be lost, imo.

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    ↩  Tizz Nor will it be. I don't see the need for spam and crap on our community. It does nothing but make our community look like amateur hour and I honestly hate it.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    Here is my idea: Ban Flobbier and BobPop.
    Actually though, lock/delete all low quality legitimate spam shitposts. Shitposting has its place but only when its actual quality shitposts that are actually. Having a ton of polls about "Flobbier's mom" or whatever is just legitimately cancerous. But removing Spam and Drama entirely would get rid of potential comedic gold mines. Honestly just give me forum mod and I will gladly delete all the cancer I see on this forum for you.

    If we don't have Spam and Drama, where are we supposed to put the comedic threads? Deep Discussion?

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    ↩  enchy If we don't have Spam and Drama, where are we supposed to put the comedic threads? Deep Discussion?

    If they don't fall into general discussion legitimately then I'd argue they have no real place here...

    Something needs to change, people don't like me banning them at my Wim, so either people need to sort it out or I'll have to take more action, right now with the current trend, doing this is feeling like a better and better idea ngl

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    im mixed on this, on one hand currently the situation with bumping shit and unfunny shitposts has completely accelerated to a point where it's consumed most of the forum

    on the other i feel if we're too strict on this, it'd look very stuck up on our part and no one who doesn't take shit too seriously probably wouldn't post on here in the fears of getting banned for shit posting

    assrix, assryx, asterisk, *

    awesomeist tf blokey

    ↩  enchy

    But on a serious note, the bottom line is I'm running out of things I can do. Ban's / Sanctions are pointless because people just appeal them and everyone goes "Well I enjoy the forums being full of 0% quality posts so VOUCH" and then they come back and do it over again.

    I'm just out of other ideas...

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    I think its worth noting that the majority of our active community is underage, and they are often youths who enjoy joking and messing around. Taking a quick look at the spam and drama tag, and matching the thread creators with their IGN on Plan, shows us that the posters are very active in game players, and they are part of a much larger community who also enjoy messing around in a similar manner.

    Banning these users from posting jokes and enjoying the way they feel is right may be a step too far, as it would completely ostracize entire communities and make an example out of some of our most active players, for something that they haven't even done wrong.

    I think a good middle ground is making the Spam and Drama tag hidden for everyone by default, so on paper our community has the mature aspect you're looking for. But for those who are interested in these joke threads, they can enable the Spam and Drama tag and subsequently view all the cancer it has to offer.

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    ↩  RedEastWood I think a good middle ground is making the Spam and Drama tag hidden for everyone by default, so on paper our community has the mature aspect you're looking for. But for those who are interested in these joke threads, they can enable the Spam and Drama tag and subsequently view all the cancer it has to offer.

    We have been there and done it, and everyone lost their shit about it. Flarum doesn't let you "Disable by default" you either hide it or you don't, and users can via plugin hide additional stuff locally.

    It's also still a burden on the mod team here who are having to enforce it, because the issue isn't the jokes, it's the spammy power posting. Which is a forum guideline...

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    1. Power-posting. Over-posting or Posting empty, nonsensical, or useless threads/posts. Such posts are subject to be moved to the Spam & Drama category or deleted.

    Yes we can move them, but it's still nonsensical shit.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

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    ↩ @'Ryan' It's also still a burden on the mod team here who are having to enforce it, because the issue isn't the jokes, it's the spammy power posting. Which is a forum guideline...

    So I'm struggling to grasp the real issue here. Is the issue the jokes or the strain on the mod team?

    ↩  RedEastWood The problem is the lack of quality posts and the actual SPAM. Look at https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2392-hello-guys for a prime example. Every post on there is literal spam... It's like being on some dodgy 90's website after clicking a link in an e-mail from a Saudi prince.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    ↩ @'Ryan' I still don't understand the issue. That post is in the Spam and Drama category, where spam is not only allowed but actively encouraged as suggested by the tag name...

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    ↩ @'Ryan' It does nothing but make our community look like amateur hour and I honestly hate it.

    If this is the issue here, then I think we need to re evaluate the type of player we are actually targeting. Most active players are underage and young, as so enjoy those types of threads - its why they get so much traction.

    My only real issue with this change would be us ostracizing active players and making an example out of them for realistically not doing anything wrong and just posting Spam and Drama threads. The users who post them with the wrong tags on purpose should definitely be punished, but they don't really represent everyone who uses the S&D tag.

    If presentation is really that big of a deal then we should add a #spam chat on the discord so these types of players still have a place to fuck around.

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    ↩  RedEastWood I still don't understand the issue. That post is in the Spam and Drama category, where spam is not only allowed but actively encouraged as suggested by the tag name...

    And I'm saying, I hate it. I'm saying it's something that I have grown to actively despise, and I don't think we should at all be encouraging, thus why I'm suggesting changing it to actually comply more accurately with the forum guidelines. Historically prior to Flarum there was a description on the spam and drama board.

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    Spam and drama threads found elsewhere will be promptly moved here. Any messages posted here do not increase your post count.

    The fact people are using it how they are is in reality a violation of the forum posting guidelines as I've already mentioned, and I'd like it to stop.

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    ↩  RedEastWood If this is the issue here, then I think we need to re evaluate the type of player we are actually targeting. Most active players are underage and young, as so enjoy those types of threads - its why they get so much traction.

    The age demographic of the server I don't think has changed, but in the last 6 ish weeks the quantity of actual spam on the forums has, and it's just going up... I don't think our target audience is the problem, it's the fact it is being enabled.

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    ↩  RedEastWood My only real issue with this change would be us ostracizing active players and making an example out of them for realistically not doing anything wrong and just posting Spam and Drama threads. The users who post them with the wrong tags on purpose should definitely be punished, but they don't really represent everyone who uses the S&D tag.

    As I've already said, I have no issue with all of the content, I have an issue where it's power posting, or having the same thing posted reply after reply after reply adding nothing to the conversation even in spam and drama, it's annoying, and a waste.

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    ↩  RedEastWood If presentation is really that big of a deal then we should add a #spam chat on the discord so these types of players still have a place to fuck around.

    Absolutely not, we're trying to avoid spam, there is a difference between "fucking around" and literal spam... That's the issue I'm trying to fix, and right now I'm out of good ideas which is why I've suggested changing how the forum boards work entirely.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    Let me give people some recent examples of what's pissing me off.

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2392-hello-guys - Same reply spammed over and over and over again.

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2470-thats-it/ - Same as the last one, with added thread hijacking.

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2401-trolla/ - Posted in the wrong place intentionally, and is again, literal spam.

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2461-australia - Same as the last one

    https://forum.totalfreedom.me/d/2451-lukassss - I don't even know what the fuck this is supposed to be, but looks like 100% SPAM

    That's what I pulled together in 1 min of looking and is all from the last couple of days...

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

    ↩ @'Ryan' i think that the power posting issue and the increasing level of absolute cancer could be fixed with one simple thing: handing out real punishments
    someone makes a powerpost or nonsensical post? 1 day forum ban
    someone does it again? 3 day-1 week forum ban
    the cancer being posted is only happening because there arent really any negative consequences
    add some consequences and it will go down

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    ↩  enchy I've been issuing bans out quite a lot recently, the next ban issued will be for 49 days (I've gone up in 7 day increments from the first person since my last angry rant)...

    it's why I had planned to move to WoltLab as it automates the cumulative punishments on people better, might actually be a reason to re-visit moving forums in the future because you just sanction each individual offence which issues the poster with sanction points, and points will issue bans / similar for set amount of time

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK