Why are people not allowed post about christmas in AH?

tallaght01

I think people need to realise it's a discussion board, and some people want to discuss it. Others don't. BUt that's life.

Does this reflect people's opinions? Or the fact that a couple of mods don't like christmas.

I gave up posting in AH again because of the locking/moving/infracting. But I was reading a harmless thread about xmas, and then it got locked. It just seems bizarre that we're told what we can and can not talk about, outwith stuff that's offensive.

jumpguy

Thank you so much Tallaght. I just came here to start a thread about it myself. This is ridiculous, mods locking threads because it doesn't suit their taste. It's not what the mods like, or what the people like, if people are willing to discuss it, whether in a positive or negative manner, and it is not breaching the forum charter, then it's stupid to lock it.

This is ruining AH now, in this thread: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055739831&page=1 two mods had already posted in the thread, and not locked it. The mods who did post were having a normal discussion. Look at all the thanks the OP recieved. Clearly the post was appreciated by a decent amount of people, and there was positive and negative comments in the thread. Yet one mod still locked it.

Also, things like this were raised in the feedback thread in AH a while ago. Although the unnecessary bannings have cooled down, the thread locking like this for no good reason is still prevalent.

AlmightyCushion

The problem is that while you guys and others may like discussing it a lot of people don't want to see anything to do with christmas until closer to the date. We can't satisfy everyone all of the time. We are discussing this between us now though and we will come to a conclusion soonish.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Can people not choose to not read a thread if it's about Xmas?

tallaght01

I appreciate that. BUt let "the market" decide.

I hate reading stuff about romas, and about how I'm a scabby public sector worker.

But I don't have to read those threads.

Christmas threads are harmless, and the OP went to the trouble of contributing a nice first post. It's pretty rude to just lock it on a whim.

I just don't get why xmas gets special treatment.

AlmightyCushion

Screw it I'm gonna start a thread for people to vote whether they want christmas threads or not yet. That way the mods can't be accused of being biased or locking the threads that they don't like.

Edit: Just seeing your posts now. It wasn't locked on a whim, it was locked because a lot of people don't want the front page of after hours filled with christmas threads. Any way ye'll be able to vote on the issue soon enough.

tallaght01

Can't say fairer than that

jumpguy

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

The problem is that while you guys and others may like discussing it a lot of people don't want to see anything to do with christmas until closer to the date. We can't satisfy everyone all of the time. We are discussing this between us now though and we will come to a conclusion soonish.

I know ye're doing the best ye can to satisfy everyone, but really, people who don't like discussing Christmas won't like it being discussed full stop, not even on Christmas day. It's not like AH is going to be inundated in Christmas threads overnight or something, as though you're letting floodgates open when you give the green light for Christmas threads. In real life, people are talking about Christmas now whether some people like it or not, it's being discussed in real life. Why is AH an exception?

EDIT: Jesus ye're too fast for me. I'll leave my post stand as it is though. A poll sounds grand, it's still beyond common sense to me why we can't talk about Christmas, but if the majority decide, the majority decide.

tallaght01

jumpguy wrote: »

I know ye're doing the best ye can to satisfy everyone, but really, people who don't like discussing Christmas won't like it being discussed full stop, not even on Christmas day. It's not like AH is going to be inundated in Christmas threads overnight or something, as though you're letting floodgates open when you give the green light for Christmas threads. In real life, people are talking about Christmas now whether some people like it or not, it's being discussed in real life. Why is AH an exception?

Yea, I agree it's less than ideal to put it to a vote, when no other type of threads get put to a vote. But it's probably as good as it gets for now.

The bah humbugs will all be coming out of the woodwork now :P

I chrimbo

AlmightyCushion

It's just such a contentious issue every year. If we lock them we get threads like this. If we leave them open we get threads like this. Either way we get threads like this. I'm hoping this will stop us getting threads like this. For the record, one year I banned discussion of christmas threads until a certain date (as the front page was getting clogged up with them and the posts stating it got thanked a lot if I remember so a lot of people would (or at least were) happy to be rid of them.

Here's the thread:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055740250

jumpguy

tallaght01 wrote: »

Yea, I agree it's less than ideal to put it to a vote, when no other type of threads get put to a vote. But it's probably as good as it gets for now.

The bah humbugs will all be coming out of the woodwork now :P

I chrimbo

It's what I'm worried about (the bah humbags rising in a freaky mass of Christmas hatred). TBH, I find a poll still unacceptable, it's a lazy evasion of any logical reasoning and argument. It's now a case of if you don't like Christmas, say no, and if you do, say yes.

Every other thread non-Christmas related we don't like, we normally have to avoid it and not utter a word. But because some AH mods don't like Christmas, it's closed because it's "too early and some people don't like that".

Still, I guess a poll is the best we're gonna get, as you say.

AlmightyCushion

jumpguy wrote: »

But because some AH mods don't like Christmas, it's closed because it's "too early and some people don't like that".

This has nothing to do with the mods. Every year we get people whining about christmas threads because it's too early. If the mods really didn't want them we could just chuck every last one over to Gift, festivities and party ideas which would be a very suitable home for them.

jumpguy

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

This has nothing to do with the mods. Every year we get people whining about christmas threads because it's too early. If the mods really didn't want them we could just chuck every last one over to Gift, festivities and party ideas which would be a very suitable home for them.

Ahh I see. Fair enough. We'll see how this poll goes.

Overheal

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

This has nothing to do with the mods. Every year we get people whining about christmas threads because it's too early. If the mods really didn't want them we could just chuck every last one over to Gift, festivities and party ideas which would be a very suitable home for them.

That forum is underloved....

Whats wrong with a Christmas MEgathread?

and tbh, you Modulators started this **** on yourselves by kicking off the Santa Strike Force stickies. If you Ban xmas then you also have to lock your charitable good deeds. And let them sink back into the nether realm of page2 and beyond (/shudder)

copacetic

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

This has nothing to do with the mods. Every year we get people whining about christmas threads because it's too early. If the mods really didn't want them we could just chuck every last one over to Gift, festivities and party ideas which would be a very suitable home for them.

thats a bit nuts though, it's well into november and everyone is already discussing christmas in RL so why not afterhours?

DeVore

I would let them go, if they become a sizeable chunk of the number of threads but with low readership and posts, then we can archive them off to an xmas sub forum temporaraily... this is more or less what we do in politics when an election comes around.

Something to consider...

DeV.

AckwelFoley

Tbh, i dont see the problem.. "Oh jaysus christmas thread - not reading that" and i move along to threads about roma or debates on Mary Harneys hawtness.

My name is URL

The fact that this is even being discussed makes me lol, of all the topics of conversation to consider banning it's fcuking Christmas? :pac:

I'm no fan of the festive season myself but sure if people want to post about it then let them

Poccington

Threads containing jokes about missing children, fecking foreigners etc. are ok.

Christmas threads? **** no!


I don't get it?

Rev. BlueJeans

Can't understand why the place has gotten so restrictive. Let it flow ffs.

phasers

Poccington wrote: »

Threads containing jokes about missing children, fecking foreigners etc. are ok.

Christmas threads? **** no!


I don't get it?

Some people enjoy being miserable



Anyway, I said this in the AH thread but I'll say it here too:

There are always millions of Christmas threads clogging up the front page. I wouldn't mind a couple, but there is always a ridiculous number of repeat threads. They're hard to ignore when there's so many of them.

A Christmas megathread would be grand.

Stercus Accidit

Why not just have a max of 5 or so active Xmas threads at a time, merge any that are similar and it may never reach 5.

There is no harm in a few of the threads being not to everyone's tastes, there is a hell of a lot of tabloid sh*te on here many of us don't like either I'm sure, but I use the don't click on the link method of avoiding such threads.

Ludo

Mods seem to want ban discussing Christmas in AH...but there are 4 stickies in AH now related to Christmas. Seems a tad ironic to me.

AlmightyCushion

Ludo wrote: »

Mods seem to want ban discussing Christmas in AH...but there are 4 stickies in AH now related to Christmas. Seems a tad ironic to me.

Have you checked the vote? Last time I checked two after hours mods voted yes, two voted no and one voted I don't care. Like I have said many times before this hasn't got to do with what the mods want discussed. If we didn't want it discussed why would we have a poll up? Every year we get a massive amount of users complaining about the amount of christmas threads. Some years we've banned discussion (I believe it's been the previous two years maybe more though) usually until early december. This time we are letting the forum users decide. How is that us wanting to ban discussion?

Red Sleeping Beauty

copacetic wrote: »

thats a bit nuts though, it's well into november and everyone is already discussing christmas in RL so why not afterhours?

This is the bit I can't understand. Some people who use this site seem to want to exercise so much personal control over it to a point that their favourite forum resembles their own opinions. Such that "Christmas belongs to December/January." can become forum policy. Maybe that's the point of the site but I thought it was to let people talk about stuff without being a dick. The "ban Xmas threads" people aren't doing a very good job at all of trying to get their point across. That's mainly becuase I don't think they have a point as I'm into the "don't like it don't read it" type of mentality.

For the record: I dislike Xmas (I call it Xmas cause I dislike the religion) and I dislike Xmas being promoted and even present prior to Oct. 31st. Seeing signs, lights and advertising etc. makes my blood boil.

AlmightyCushion

Alan Rouge wrote: »

This is the bit I can't understand. Some people who use this site seem to want to exercise so much personal control over it to a point that their favourite forum resembles their own opinions. Such that "Christmas belongs to December/January." can become forum policy. Maybe that's the point of the site but I thought it was to let people talk about stuff without being a dick. The "ban Xmas threads" people aren't doing a very good job at all of trying to get their point across. That's mainly becuase I don't think they have a point as I'm into the "don't like it don't read it" type of mentality.

For the record: I dislike Xmas (I call it Xmas cause I dislike the religion) and I dislike Xmas being promoted and even present prior to Oct. 31st. Seeing signs, lights and advertising etc. makes my blood boil.

Just to let you know the x in xmas still means christ. It's latin or greek or something like that.

Red Sleeping Beauty

Ex-mas then...
Winter Solace...

Whatever the fuk

Steve

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Just to let you know the x in xmas still means christ. It's latin or greek or something like that.

Some useless trivia:
Aye, it seems the correct spelling is actually☧mas which is a combination of greek letters Chi (X) and Rho(P) and the latin 'mass'. the Chi-Rho combination is an early Christian church shortening of Christ and is still used today on religious publications.

Back on topic:
I really think stifling all discussion on it is a bit OTT and Kudos for putting up the poll.

Gordon

I always thought the X was for the cross, but it is chi from Greek too which is handy. Not long from now it'll turn into x as in kisses, then Xoxomas, and then the Atheists will finally have won their noble fight!

Interesting idea about a Christmas forum, but the subject tends to pop up everywhere, like tacky Christmas Jingles while shopping, I don't know if one solitary forum could contain the excitement..

dr.bollocko

One thing I really ****ing hate to see is a big bunch of locked threads in AH.
Gets my blood pressure all up.

WindSock

Alan Rouge wrote: »

Ex-mas then...
Winter Solace...

Whatever the fuk

Solstice?

AckwelFoley

Steve wrote: »

Some useless trivia:
Aye, it seems the correct spelling is actually☧mas which is a combination of greek letters Chi (X) and Rho(P) and the latin 'mass'. the Chi-Rho combination is an early Christian church shortening of Christ and is still used today on religious publications.

Back on topic:
I really think stifling all discussion on it is a bit OTT and Kudos for putting up the poll.

Wow, that actually is interesting (if its not some sh1t you just made up! )

I always thought the "x" was for taking the "christ" out of christmas, which even though i hate christmas and am not religious - i resented the attempted removal of the religious aspect of christmas

jumpguy

How about move the "what do i get my <insert whatever>" threads to G&F&PI forum.

Everything else is just the usual Scrooge ranting.

Then have a mega thread of "what do you want for xmas" followed by "what did you get for xmas" mega thread.

Let everything else happen naturally

Rabies suggested this in the AH voting thread. Seems a good idea...

BTW, "The Front Page"? Are ye all scared ****less of page 2 or something?

brianthebard

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Why not just have a max of 5 or so active Xmas threads at a time, merge any that are similar and it may never reach 5.

That could lead to an awful lot of extra work for the mods which in the end wouldn't be all that necessary. Perhaps a single megathread is the way to go, but I guess there are so many people who want to discuss stuff like 'doesn't the smell of orange rind and pine bark just give you the christmas hard on?' or something like that which is the root of all the problems here. Without pre-moderating threads in AH I doubt there's any way of making everyone happy.

Steve wrote: »

Some useless trivia:
Aye, it seems the correct spelling is actually☧mas which is a combination of greek letters Chi (X) and Rho(P) and the latin 'mass'. the Chi-Rho combination is an early Christian church shortening of Christ and is still used today on religious publications.

Oh steve! *swoons*

dr.bollocko

OK So do I post in the AH sticky or here? Or in the new forum request? I have no problem with christmas threads in AH. There I said it. Sorry other mods. Couldn't give a monkeys. As much as is humanly possible where it's not ridiculous or against the charter the last thing I want to do is to tell people not to talk about something.

Rev. BlueJeans

Fair play, Doc B.

I think if people spent more time modding the thing, (as in doing the usual stop spam, abuse, and moving stuff that obviously needs to be elsewhere), and less in trying to exert editorial control, whether they feel it's for the greater good, or because they can't sleep at night, AH would be the better for it.

I think a lot of this trend may have grown out of the (initially very commendable) stickies asking for feedback on the forum. However, there's a big difference between taking a voxpop of the regulars, and pandering to a couple of cranks with too much time on their hands, and ergo a larger voice within the forum, who have no right to dictate its direction.

It's an off-topic forum, in a way. Within reason like. I've seen people warned for getting off topic when they were merely meandering along and causing no harm. I've seen threads locked down for no reason (sometimes with a little hur-dehur comment, or an interchange between whatever mods may have been online at the time, but took no action). Not nice for the user, who will probably just scratch his head and move on, but still. Sometimes the end result is funny, but mostly it isn't, primarily because the thread shouldn't have been closed in the first place.

Thankfully the more glaring bans seem to have died off, which is a blessing.

dr.bollocko

Rev. BlueJeans wrote: »

Fair play, Doc B.

I think if people spent more time modding the thing, (as in doing the usual stop spam, abuse, and moving stuff that obviously needs to be elsewhere), and less in trying to exert editorial control, whether they feel it's for the greater good, or because they can't sleep at night, AH would be the better for it.

I think a lot of this trend may have grown out of the (initially very commendable) stickies asking for feedback on the forum. However, there's a big difference between taking a voxpop of the regulars, and pandering to a couple of cranks with too much time on their hands, and ergo a larger voice within the forum, who have no right to dictate its direction.

It's an off-topic forum, in a way. Within reason like. I've seen people warned for getting off topic when they were merely meandering along and causing no harm. I've seen threads locked down for no reason (sometimes with a little hur-dehur comment, or an interchange between whatever mods may have been online at the time, but took no action). Not nice for the user, who will probably just scratch his head and move on, but still. Sometimes the end result is funny, but mostly it isn't, primarily because the thread shouldn't have been closed in the first place.

Thankfully the more glaring bans seem to have died off, which is a blessing.

Never necessary to lock a thread "just cos". If it has a better home then fire it over to there, ergo if there is to be a christmas forum I'll swing some threads that way but to me locking a thread should be for a reason that makes sense to the posters and the community and not one that makes sense to the mods. Just my 2c.

Rev. BlueJeans

I agree totally.

Gummy Panda

I'd trade 10 x public sector/recession/roma/traveller threads for one xmas thread.

I liked steviecakes thread about xmas.

Sharpshooter

dr.bollocko wrote: »

OK So do I post in the AH sticky or here? Or in the new forum request? I have no problem with christmas threads in AH. There I said it. Sorry other mods.

Why are you sorry?

As far as I know none of us are against Christmas threads in After Hours.

It's just the timing of them that needs to be sorted.

jumpguy

While we've branched out from Christmas threads, and if ye want me to start a new topic, I've no problem, but why was this thread in AH locked? It was popular and being talked about. Certainly it was strange and the OP questionable but it did invoke thought and got to 2 pages fairly rapidly. It'd be atleast satisfying if a mod posted a reason for it being locked.

I'm sorry if there's a fairly obvious reason but c'mon, are ye listening?

Steve

snyper wrote: »

Wow, that actually is interesting (if its not some sh1t you just made up! )

It's true I'm a mod and incapable of telling lies, wait maybe that's because of my pointy ears..

brianthebard wrote: »

Oh steve! *swoons*

:eek:

Dude, I'm a dude....

So are you!!

:eek:

Gordon

jumpguy wrote: »

While we've branched out from Christmas threads, and if ye want me to start a new topic, I've no problem, but why was this thread in AH locked? It was popular and being talked about. Certainly it was strange and the OP questionable but it did invoke thought and got to 2 pages fairly rapidly. It'd be atleast satisfying if a mod posted a reason for it being locked.

I'm sorry if there's a fairly obvious reason but c'mon, are ye listening?

jumpguy, that thread has nothing to do with Christmas, you're just going to drag this thread off topic by bringing it up.

Red Sleeping Beauty

WindSock wrote: »

Solstice?

Eh oh yeah, that too... I like to be alone and brood during the end of December. I'm a happy person on the inside really.

Kudos to Doc Bollock! He was always my fav

Cabaal

We can't discuss christmas till the 8th december, everyone knows that!

That_Guy

Cabaal wrote: »

We can't discuss christmas till the 8th december, everyone knows that!

Ah yes, the day the culchies come up to the big smoke.

Why not make a sticky thread with the title "The ultiimate Christmas thread: Do not open until 8th December" Or something like that. Then un-stick it and let the Christmas heads do with it as they wish.