Viewing Thread:
"Epidemic Warning"

I've not been here the longest time, but I've heard a lot of people talking about how forums have changed. How the quality of posts and posters has dropped, and how it seems to be spreading from forum to forum like some sort of disease.

So, what are the symptoms? How does this disease propagate itself?
Do the newbie's bring it in with them? Are certain ignorant individuals the prime carriers? And above all, how can we stop it?

I have a theory.

Among the symptoms is a certain amount of spamming. I think that this is just a side effect however, or one of the main causes. The forums are being choked. Choked by their own popularity.
What I'm referring to I can only describe as "legal spam threads".
For example the “movie chain” thread, and the “what music are you listening to right now?” thread in the Movies Forum.

PS2 Longest Thread
Word Association
Even the recent Puzzle Thread, which I have enjoyed immensely.

And why are they choking the forums? Well, because if you list the chat rooms, and try and pick out where the new posts are happening often you're not interested in the PS2 longest thread, or the word association thread.
Also these threads often dominate the post lists, remaining at the top and making it less obvious where people have been posting in other threads.
As a consequence after a while people no longer check those forums, the decent posters move elsewhere, and the forums collapse.

Like I said, choked by their own popularity.

So how could we stop this?
Well, I do think that it would be a shame to stop these threads. Perhaps the answer is to try and contain them. Maybe one solution would be to create a new forum for them. A "fast moving threads" forum. Containing these threads means that decent posts will be easier to pick out from all the other forums.

What do you think?
Could this be the cause of some forum's demise?
and could this be a potential solution?

Insane Bartender wrote:
> locky1133 wrote:
> Few crap posts have won GAD. They are always intelligent,
> interesting
> or witty.
>
> What, like Vice City rap?

I have not seen that post but I'm sure it was not without merit. GAD - GameADay, if it was mediocre, perhaps the other posts that day were poor. Perhaps if you had contributed something meaningful that day...

I think a Staff perspective on the GAD system may help here...

locky1133 wrote:
> Few crap posts have won GAD. They are always intelligent, interesting
> or witty.

What, like Vice City rap?

locky1133 wrote:
> People are dying of starvation in the world and your being p*ssy 'cos
> you don't fit in. I suggest you leave your angst outside the virtual
> door.

Yes, people around the world are dying of starvation. What are YOU doing about it?

And to be honest, I'm glad I don't fit in with a horde of derranged fools who continually spout the likes of "GTA iz da bust gaem eva wot u fink?//"

Few crap posts have won GAD. They are always intelligent, interesting or witty.

locky1133 wrote:
> Well GAD-winning posts are usually the most intelligent ones...

You are having a laugh, aren't you?

People are dying of starvation in the world and your being p*ssy 'cos you don't fit in. I suggest you leave your angst outside the virtual door.

Well GAD-winning posts are usually the most intelligent ones...

Did I say GAD worthy?

I don't remember typing GAD worthy. I'd better go back and check, because I'm really quite sure I didn't say that...

locky1133 wrote:
>
> NO. I used 'inverted commers'. Sarcasm.

If the comment was meant to be sarcastic that implies that you think the opposite of notable status. That it is more of a burden than a perk.

In any case, the original point of the post was to find out why the percieved demise of the forum is happening, and not to chastise IB for thinking about making a change to another forum, or to no forum at all.

IB's Hijacked My Post God Dammit.

Argghh!!