Okay I know, a thread in Spam and Drama is the last thing you all want to see right now, but trust me, this one won't give you Stage 4 cancer (I hope).
The Issue
I think we all know what is happening to the Spam and Drama section. It has been absolutely taken over by complete degeneracy and 100% spam with no real content. There have been countless threads with no meaning and just random words thrown together. It hurts to go onto the forum because of these threads that I have to look at before scrolling to the next actual forum post that means something. If I was Ryan I would be legitimately considering deleting Spam and Drama in its entirety, and to be honest, we deserve it. We have abused it to a ridiculous degree, and this forum and proved itself incapable of having a Spam and Drama section and using it responsibly. However, I beg Ryan for mercy and here is why:
The Solution
One problem I see is that people make these threads with no consequence. They don't get any negative impacts from making these threads, so why should they stop if they aren't being punished? While they should have the basic ability to know what is acceptable, even if it goes unpunished, sometimes people toe the line, and if there is no warning or punishment, that line just gets pushed back further and further. I think this is what is happening here. There needs to be real consequences for the kind of forum abuse that is happening right now. My current solution is this: power/nonsensical post gets the poster a 1 day forum ban. Repeated offense earns a 3 day to 1 week forum ban. When people see that this isn't going to fly, I expect that this sort of behavior will stop quickly. And those that violate the rules of the forum will continue to be punished probably leading to an Indefinite Forum Ban.
Conclusion
Right now I am disappointed in this forum. We have an opportunity for greatness with a forum like we have, yet we have frankly bastardized it with our actions. We need to work together to save Spam and Drama and on a larger scale, this forum. We deserve to have Ryan delete Spam and Drama, but if we change how we are using it then maybe that will change. This is going to be a group effort and if one person fails, then it all fails.
A Call to Action
As of now, I am beginning Operation Garbageman. I think you all know why it's named that. Operation Garbageman will be an effort to save Spam and Drama from destruction. I expect every single forum member to be a part of this Operation in some way. Operation Garbageman will involve that we will flag every NEW post (not involving old ones since that could get ugly real quick) that breaks forum rules (powerposting, nonsensical posts) for spam so that those threads can be taken down. Don't abuse this though, it should only be for threads that legitimately break the rules of this forum. It's time we use the tools available to us to fight back against the virus spreading throughout Spam and Drama. And to the people who are the ones posting these threads: I beg that you stop. Your actions have drove many to hating Spam and Drama. I beg that you realize what you have done and step back, take a look at how people are responding. I believe that we can take back our forum and atone for our sins, but we need to take immediate action if this is going to happen.
