Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself? [Threadbanned users in 1st post]

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122010799#Comment_122010799

How do I comment on this without abusing Mike's advice?? I've been accused of soapboxing and now sealioning.

I have genuinely no idea what sealioning is and if it is or isn't allowed in the boards T&Cs and charters. Can you educate me and probably several/ many others as well as to what 'sealioning' is in boards parlance?

The suspicion of many ordinary posters that presumably the site wishes to engage and more importantly keep, is that these criteria are made up by whoever is moderating to close down avenues that they personally do not care for. How is the ordinary poster supposed to navigate these minefields? And it's not just I saying this, the thread is full of frustrated users/ posters, at least two of which have departed since the thread started.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122011970#Comment_122011970

Its the refusal to engage in debate in good faith which is the issue. The points been made are not the issue here it's the method of presenting and defending them.

Goldengirl

Maybe a closed group for everyone who wants to troll , 'sealion' (?) or soapbox with a few circus clown acts thrown in for good measure 😝

Be like prison but more fun .

Then everyone else could just get back to enjoying the site as best we can in between CloudFlares !

Tom Mann Centuria

Sealioning about Sealioning. Great stuff.

I find if there's a term I'm not aware of I Google it (Google is a search engine where you can look things up on the internet).

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122011970#Comment_122011970

C'mon man, you were given the answer on the thread that a Yes vote to the patent ref would mean anyone who developed a new widget would only have to apply once to have it registered in the EU, and have it count in multiple countries, rather than having to apply multiple times. Give it a rest. It's not a conspiracy. Your refusal to accept the answer to your questions is your problem.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122011993#Comment_122011993

Ah now I see what it means elsewhere anyway "'Sealioning' is a form of trolling meant to exhaust the other debate participant with no intention of real discourse."

LOL!!! If that's the case there are several very, very active sealions on several long running threads. That perfectly describes the low level trolling they be up to. Thanks

nachouser

https://images.app.goo.gl/VxtZT8mAUZDCpPx98

This:-)

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012031#Comment_122012031

Perfect.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012031#Comment_122012031

But why sea lions ?

Is it because they keep muscling in and passing the ball to and fro ?

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012081#Comment_122012081

Wikipedia says it stems from a webcomic, the character just happened to say they didn't like sealions. If they'd have said they didn't like red pandas or penguins it'd have been called redpandaing or penguining. The animal was not important.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012114#Comment_122012114

Ahh. Thanks

Cos I like sea lions :)

anewme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122011970#Comment_122011970

I think the posters who departed were the ones looking for a row / bash people and when the thread became an open and honest discussion they got bored and trundled off to find a row somewhere else.

nachouser

….

markodaly

Loads of forums are dead because of poor moderation.

It seems each forum now doesn't want those with different opinions, but then these forums become graveyards.

Look at this forum. Dead

https://www.boards.ie/categories/childfree-by-choice

Even forums that were busy like the A&A forum is dead, again because of overzealous moderation

The speciality forums are doing ok, and are the ones that have better moderators.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012296#Comment_122012296

Some forums just won't stay long term because of other reasons though. That forum had a highest post count in a thread in the 200's so not very popular in all fairness. I agree that mods on the speciality forums are far better but they have less aggro to deal with because the usual suspects rarely venture into them.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012296#Comment_122012296

You were abusive to a lot of people in that forum, including calling me a eugenicist. That's not "different opinions", that's just you seeking to shut down opinions you dislike.

magicbastarder

The child free by choice forum is dead because there's only so much you can say about not having kids.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012372#Comment_122012372

That was my take. The brigading of the place by people obsessed with condemning childfree people didn't help but ultimately, yeah, there's not much you can say about not having children.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012355#Comment_122012355

Can you link me to the comment where I called you a eugenicist?

I also reject the comment that I abused people. Not one of my posts was infracted in that forum. Not one.

The forum is hoping, is it?

Or is it dead?

If its dead, why is that?

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012031#Comment_122012031

Christ, there's a lot of that here, I just didnt know ot had a name.

Just to clarify, I don't specifically mean this thread.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012350#Comment_122012350

I think it's a reflection though of poor modding decisions that ultimately kill a forum.

The soccer forum is similar, as are others. Remember the poker forum? That caused a huge split back in the day, that almost killed the site.

It appears that a lot of mods like a quiet forum, it makes their job easier, but that then just kills the site slowly and surely.

I am not saying modding a forum or a site is easy, it is hard, but some mods see their forum as their own personal fiefdom where they will engage in the day-to-day chat and debate, but will happily use and abuse its power for wrongthink.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012372#Comment_122012372

To a point true, but then why was it opened and why does it remain open?

This is true for all forums that are dead. Just close them if there is no engagement.

markodaly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012015#Comment_122012015

100%

I seem to remember that soapboxing is NOT allowed, but it's apparent that in some active threads, there is a small but dedicated set of posters who will endlessly post all day, day in day out, in the most banal way about a topic.

What ends up happening is that the posts dive in quality, and the select few just end up ruining the thread.

ULEZ23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012372#Comment_122012372

I still reckon it’s dead because those who strongly advocated the set up eventually found partners and had kids! Most of the initial contributors were singletons hiding behind the not wanting to have kids as the reason for not being able to find a partner. It worked out for them in the end.

ULEZ23

a bug bearer for me is stickies. This very section has 10 stickies half of which haven’t been updated in over a year. How many of these are even still useful or contain correct or up to date are information? Common theme in a lot of forums which in turn take up too much real estate

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122012781#Comment_122012781

if you click the little gear/cog icon and select ‘Dismiss’ they should drop down until posted in like a regular thread.

Big Bag of Chips

A few years back moderators were advised to look at their stickies and tidy them up. Remove unnecessary ones. Tidy up/update ones that are needed.

Definitely worth recommending same again 👍🏻

How many posters ever read any stickies? Other than (even?) the charter?

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121967080#Comment_121967080

That makes no sense. A free for all with no rules whatsoever would entirely kill the forum altogether.

I.R.Y.E.D

Haven't read the whole thread yet but some constructive comments and the usual complaints about mods from those who the mods have the number of dead on.

Would suggest that the Information for those in need of a little extra help stickie be placed as one in the CA forum and maybe a few others, there is already a similar stickie in the personal issues forum. I know that it is being argued that they take up space but if kept up to date they could provide helpful information for some when they are ready to use it.

magicbastarder

hey, it worked for twitter.