The "rose colored glasses" board idea is unrealistic in my opinion.
That's true. But the negative topics seem to spawn more negative topics by other users. The more bad stuff some people post about their lives, the more bad stuff others start to post about theirs. So the problem of sheer volume arises. It's one thing to talk about rose colored glasses, but it's a completely different thing when over half of the topics in GCC are about real bad problems.
It seems that it's one way of the other. Either not have them at all or have the section flooded with such topics.
The same is with jokes. Joke posts seem to spawn more joke posts. And things get out of control quickly.
Please keep the above point in mind. It's the core of the issue. Not who gets offended by what!
I'll consider it. Thanks.
With regards to jokes and banter crossing a line, the problem is, ‘being offended’ is such a personal thing that it’s difficult to second guess others’ reactions (outside the obviously offensive such as sexism, racism and the use of foul language).
Yes. That's why I think discussing what's allowed and what's not is pointless. Making it completely G-rated would be as good as completely closing down the section.
As for the ‘attention seekers’ – I think most of us are smart enough to spot those a mile off.
How does spotting the attention seeker solve the problem of flooding the section?
Until every single user on the board starts ignoring the attention seekers, they will continue posting. And you know that's not going to happen.
So the fact that you can spot those a mile away doesn't really address the problem.
And who’s to say they’re to be criticised for WANTING a little attention anyway ?
Nothing wrong with that, if it's just one person doing it. In a vacuum, most things seem like no big deal. When you multiply it by 100, then you start to see a potential problem.
It’s like offering a special place just for attention seeking
I don't see a problem with people actively seeking attention inside their own PDA dedicated topic.
Those who like the poster's content can continue reading it. And those who don't, never have to open that ONE topic ever again.
The problem is solved.
IMO Mare Stare should NOT be in PDA...... And it’s only ONE thread !
It's a rather unique case. But I agree, it would be OK to stay in GCC if we proceed with the next round of changes.
The more I think about it, the more I become convinced that it's the topics that "inspire" similar new topics are the root of the problem. And with mare stare, it's not likely to happen.
If we were to get a flood of "cat stare", "dog stare", "elephant stare" and "turtle stare" inspired by the mare stare, we would have seen it posted by now :)
Who decides what is funny/amusing?
I don't think we'll be able to decide on a standard for jokes.
It's about quantity.
One really spicy joke might be more amusing than 20 G-rated ones flooding the section.
So trying to set some allowed rating won't do much good, aside from the content most people would agree is inappropriate.
If there is only one thing I would like people to change - that would be to put more info in the Subject line.
Examples: My Mom Died, Everything Went Wrong This Morning, How Do I Miter a Corner, Mini Horse Pictures, Funny Video Link about Cats, which ruler do you prefer?
I already ask people to write descriptive titles for their topics. But that's more to do with the Main section. It's really much better to have a title "How Do I Miter a Corner" than "help me". Yet, people seem to ignore it.
As for the GCC, I don't think titles would help much.
Imagine opening the section and seeing the list of titles:
- My Mom died
- I Wrecked My Car and Now in a Wheelchair
- I Just Got Fired With No Severance
....
....
and another 10 titles like that.
You might not want to click on them to read them. You've been warned about the contents. That part is solved. But if you keep seeing titles like that day after day, eventually, you'll probably stop coming to the GCC section at all.
Again, it seems to be about quantity.
use the 3 strikes your out rule. this will give everyone fair warning and stop the offending behavior rather quickly.
I'm afraid that might plant some fear into people's minds and deter many from posting at all.
As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that people who would refrain from posting would be people who are least likely to cause any problems. While those who are the "worst offenders" would be doing it anyway.
If someone is oblivious to the fact that their posting negatively affects other users and the board as a whole, warning them won't do much good. They simply won't know it's about them.
And those who do keep the readers in mind, don't let their own posts get to far on their own, without any strikes.