How about members getting voted off?

What I'm really waiting for is someone to figure out algorithm to parse through threads. Thread can be a bbs thread, twitter comments, youtube comments, amazon reviews,... Then analyze the different POV's and create summarization of arguments. Then allow sorting/searching summarizations via different rules like reputation, most often raised POV etc.

Would be amazing as one would avoid reading and repeating arguments. Also would allow easily contributing more details to specific argument adding depth instead of reiterating already stated argument. Also would be awesome for celebrities/podcasters to get summarization of fan/listener feedback/questions and action on it. Would also allow hiding (stupidly) negative things which probably is one big reason for many people ignoring comments completely.

If someone makes such algorithm and makes it work great that is a billion dollar idea :) We probably have good amount of applicable work already done which would make it feasible to at least prototype this kind of idea. BERT is probably good starting point. If I had to bet then google, twitter, facebook, alibaba,... probably already do/prototype something like this but it's not exposed to end users.

I’ve actually thought this as well. In a sense, a Stack Overflow type system would be a good starting point. You could post a thread that poses a new piece of technology as a question and replies would be upvoted with the most useful ending up on top.

I’ve worked on this myself at some point and created a version where pros and cons could be posted and upvoted separately, with an idea to also allow links to papers and documents backing them up and tags to link them to topics. And perhaps you could even add a system that could indicate when something has become out of date ... etc.
 
Incidentally we used to have posts or threads I think that warned people of the rules and guidelines for posting here and that they would be enforced more strictly during these times (like during E3 console gen presentations iirc). We should probably do something similar now, anyone can remind anyone of these guidelines and hit the report button etc.
This isn't about inappropriate behaviour, but more personality clashes. Way back in the day there was some talk of having an entrance exam to ensure only the Right Stuff could get onto B3D. ;) We don't want to be pretentiously exclusive and naive noobs can learn a lot and grow being on B3D methinks. There are just a few posters, every once in a while (like one a year maybe), who's approach to the discussion is just plain disruptive. Nothing necessarily wrong with them, but like a five year old at a developer-conference, they're just disruptive, the wrong sort of personality to fit the level of debate we're trying to maintain.

Looking up the Ban List, we have the likes of ProspectorPete, babcat, and vipa899, whose names I immediately associate with noise once reminded of them! Prior to their removal, we had community feedback wanting their removal, and where they were removed, the community was happier and the discussions healthier. The community can pull the plug on such posters in a quicker, fairer way than the mod team IMO.
 
Yeah, but we gave some of those people a long time to adjust to the forum and only when they repeatedly and over a long period of time didn't show any improvement did we go for the nuclear option. And I kind of disagree that nothing is necessarily wrong with them. Being disruptive is caused by not complying to pretty basic rules of forum etiquette. The only task we have is making clear what the rules of etiquette are here and make sure people follow them.
 
I forget, are your first 10 posts here moderate approved? I mean, when you post do mods have to approve your first 10 posts before they're allowed up? We used to do that at EB and it worked well, but between me and Jollemi we pretty much had 24/7 coverage of the posts.
 
As the guy who's about to be voted off, I think this a bad idea.
:-|

I think it's great that the mods want to bring the more technically knowledgeable people back.
I do not think that realistically giving those same people - who hardly ever frequent the forum and don't really care about it - the power to kick other users out is neither going to make the forum a better place nor make them come back in any meaningful way.
 
Quit being paranoid, they're talking about me! Why are you so self-centered, does everything have to be about you?!?
It doesn't have to be about one or the other, it could be the both of us! Shifty has been using plural for users being voted off.
Now we just need to argue about which one is going first.



(now just so this post isn't a 100% shitpost because the MVM is coming and we need to at least try to look good)

What I meant with the post above is that most valuable members are valuable members, not most valuable mods.
The fact that you can add a lot of value to a technical discussion doesn't automatically make you the fairest / most just, or able to put your bias away from moderation, or take valuable context into consideration. What I meant with MVM not caring is just they're not around enough to make those efforts.
Mods are supposed to have those tools, which make them better mods than valuable members. We can consider that certain members bring more value to the forum than certain mods - which is true - but that still doesn't make those members better at moderating than the less valuable mods.


Also, AFAICS there's already a bunch of most valuable members who got upgraded to mods, and that didn't make them care enough to stick around (I don't mean not caring as something inherently negative, we all have different priorities in life). There's certainly a number of mods out there that I've either seen them post a couple of times or not post at all, and I've been around for almost 12 years.
Why would this be any different?
 
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What I meant with the post above is that most valuable members are valuable members, not most valuable mods.
The fact that you can add a lot of value to a technical discussion doesn't automatically make you the fairest / most just, or able to put your bias away from moderation, or take valuable context into consideration. What I meant with MVM not caring is just they're not around enough to make those efforts.
They would be able to tell who's the signal and who the noise is well, but mebbe not how to deal with them so well. That's why I like the, "report it to the mods", option.
 
Also, AFAICS there's already a bunch of most valuable members who got upgraded to mods, and that didn't make them care enough to stick around (I don't mean not caring as something inherently negative, we all have different priorities in life). There's certainly a number of mods out there that I've either seen them post a couple of times or not post at all, and I've been around for almost 12 years.
Why would this be any different?

IMO, a big difference between being a MOD and all that entails (lots of unappreciated work) versus just being able to tick a box denoting that someone is potentially not fit for this forum.

It's possible that maybe if they didn't have MOD duties that they may have stuck around longer or at least in some minimal capacity. But the weight of responsibility can sometimes be perceived as too much to deal with such that they may not view it as worth their time to continue using a forum.

Regards,
SB
 
Heretical opinions have not to be keeped out... But if someone is disturbing of course this guy has to be keeped out... this IMHO.
 
Per thread ban seems like a good idea. But applied but a mod, anything automatic could abused by silent majority.
 
Why would this be any different?
Because there's a workload in mods wanting to remove a poster that makes it a barrier to action. It starts with a discussion with the mod team, "should we kick this guy?" There's then one person who agrees, and one who objects, and no consensus. With only a few people with voting rights, the vote to remove is slow happening. Even appointing more mods wouldn't fix that.

Now if nAo can find time to press a 'Like' button, he can find time to press a 'Why is this guy still here?" button. Same for any user (presented the option). And with enough people expressing those sentiments we get a quicker call to action. And by quicker, I don't mean within a week of a new poster being annoying. I mean within 6 months instead of 2 to 3 years. ;)
 
Per thread ban seems like a good idea. But applied but a mod, anything automatic could abused by silent majority.
All powers can be abused. Mods can abuse their position. I could form a cadre with BRiT and AlSpark to remove ideas we didn't like and impose an ideological slant on the board (we're fairly often accused of that! - pro Xbox, Sony, nVidia, AMD, etc.)

A silent majority would find it harder to abuse the system, I think. What would they have to do? PM lots of people asking who's got ban powers? Then PM people 'what do you think of that guy? I don't like his pro xyz stance - let's vote him off." And that wouldn't work with the MVM because they have no agendas and platform allegiances. I'd expect them to just vote on quality of the post. I think the system is safer than moderation, although present moderation is the safest as it takes a long time before someone is finally identified and confirmed for removal. Again, if you know the people given the powers, and that it's pretty diluted powers, you shouldn't fear abuse.
 
And by quicker, I don't mean within a week of a new poster being annoying. I mean within 6 months instead of 2 to 3 years.
Okay, then I guess I misread how fast a group of MVMs could vote off an annoying member.

Heard that @digitalwanderer? We still have 6 months.



But if you guys really want MVM members to come back then the clear path is to accept gifs in the posts.
Those were only used by annoying teenagers 10 years ago, yes. Now those same teenagers are fully grown-ass devs.

Conveying opinions only through boring text? That's like rock ages old of boring, dude.
 
I've been posting here since i was a teenager in one form or another. I have said stupid shit and still do. I'd hate to see someone kicked off because of stupid shit. I think just reaching out and saying hey maybe you should change up your posting a bit like type out what you want to say and step away from 10 minutes and do something else. Then reread what you wrote and make any changes you want and then post.
 
I've been posting here since i was a teenager in one form or another. I have said stupid shit and still do. I'd hate to see someone kicked off because of stupid shit. I think just reaching out and saying hey maybe you should change up your posting a bit like type out what you want to say and step away from 10 minutes and do something else. Then reread what you wrote and make any changes you want and then post.

Thats exactly how I feel, I started posting here a long time and have said some silly things in the past. I feel like being here has made my understanding on certain parts of computing much better and would have hated not have that chance due to me being an idiot early on.
 
I've been posting here since i was a teenager in one form or another. I have said stupid shit and still do. I'd hate to see someone kicked off because of stupid shit. I think just reaching out and saying hey maybe you should change up your posting a bit like type out what you want to say and step away from 10 minutes and do something else. Then reread what you wrote and make any changes you want and then post.

Thats exactly how I feel, I started posting here a long time and have said some silly things in the past. I feel like being here has made my understanding on certain parts of computing much better and would have hated not have that chance due to me being an idiot early on.

Yeah, I feel the same way myself. I look back at some of my posting pattern and behaviour with a vague sense of disappointment and embarrassment.

I think I've been fortunate that the moderation style has been as patient and tolerant as it is. Posting here has taught me a lot and helped me stay interested in the tech side of not just games, but computers in general.

That said, there is a balance to be made between that approach and maintaining an environment where knowledgable people don't feel their efforts to inform and engage are obliterated by noise.

Perhaps being able to block posters from technical subforums or specific threads, maybe even just for a time-out of a few weeks, would be a fair compromise? I also think @iroboto's idea of a dedicated pro / dev / really-knowledgable-person sub-forum (read only for everyone else) would be great. Especially if there were some mechanism for plebs like me to submit questions that they could choose to answer!
 
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