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

So off topic posts are allowed? Thats not debating the topic. Threads will become a total mess.

Baiting another poster by mentioning another poster negatively or misrepresenting them is allowed? Thats not debating.

Badgering them? Trolling them with smiley emojis or memes etc? Thats not debating the topic either.

Which leads to posters responding with the next level of insults and swearing and after all that ... you want the mods to action the person who responds to the baiting. And leave the troll free to continue with negative behaviour. Thats another way to kill a debate.

What you have outlined is a charter for trolls, blatant and for low level trolling and baiting etc

Threads will quickly become toxic. Or killed by dragging them off topic.

Its also a charter for soapboxing. Dumping stuff into a thread, hit and running and ignoring the responses. Thats not debating either. You can put the direct posts by troll or soapboxer on ignore but enough other posters will take the bait and you will still see their crap indirectly.

So those are not technicalities. There's good reasons why they are actionable. And context is needed to spot such conduct.

If I could offer my opinion (I was once here under a different username) - This whole site is like the bridge of the Enterprise.

It started off with everyone arguing, from the time of the changes being made to the site. The ship was sailing into the sun and no-one could agree on how to save it.

Now, it's even closer still. Starting to break up & no-one is really in control.

What a great place it was, however its days sadly look numbered.

Maybe this year will be different.

Stand by for change aplenty, the rejuvenation of Boards and the reintroduction of :pac:

Oh, and do they call a moderator in for the stuff that you still want infracted?

Nope. They just get up and walk away or stop debating that topic.

So your "real life" and "other mediums" comparison falls at the first fence.

This is not a charter to encourage debate, it is a charter for trolling, baiting and soap boxing. Killing threads by dragging them off topic. Flooding threads with **** as Steve Bannon would call it. Impossible for any sort of real debate to occur. It would be a toxic cesspit.

So instead of "petty infractions" influencing threads, threads would be influenced by soap boxing, propaganda dumps, conspiracy theories baiting, niggling, threads being dragged way off topic and posters talking past each other as half them will have the other half on ignore.

Self policing isn't going to stop any of that.

And then what sort of debate can occur under those conditions?

It would be a far worse situation than now. It'd be like getting rid of all rules in soccer except yellow and red card offences. You wouldnt get free flowing game of football. Just dragging, holding, tripping shutting down a game from occurring.

You'd have to have mods moderating that forum, for offensive content which breaks the rules, and for when posters respond to the inevitable baiting.

And seemingly moderating the "picture perfect" version of the threads. So you're significantly increasing the workload for CA type mods.

I don't have to have made suggestions in order to point out what I see as flaws in what is suggested.

But as it happens, I've already made several over the course of the thread.

As well as listing the positives about the site that bring me here.

it's not about individual forums having different rules, it was rightly pointed out that in the same forum where mods post derogratory comments about GO'D, in the same forum you aren't allowed use terms like Sleepy Joe Biden.

Now, who gets to decide which figures get the protection from name calling or pet names, and why do they come to those conclusions, and more importantly, how do I know when I post in the forum whether or not I'm going to run afoul of a moderator deciding on spec that my post is suddenly considered impertinent, while another person abusing a different famous person won't?

There's no list, there is no charter point about this, and as we can see, once an opinion gains traction on here it's a done deal who is and isn't allowed to be abused on certain forums.

For the record, I do believe GO'D is a hateful lunatic, but I also think Joe Biden and Donald Trump are too old and doddery to be POTUS. Which of these three people am I allowed to express that opinion on, with colourful language?

yeah but I did call GO'D a hateful lunatic, do you really not understand my point?

yeah, and Joe Biden IS a doddery old man.