Does TPR seem to be getting a little up tight?

[voodoobones]

I don't post much but I do read a lot of the post. Lately I have noticed people hammering posters for things such as posting pictures of a roller coaster in a new thread when there is already a thread started. It seems kind of odd to be playing thread police on such trivial things. It reminds me of The Family Guy Star Wars special when R2D2 and C3P0 escape in the pod and the weapons officer tells the other weapons guy to hold his fire. The other guy responds with, "What, do we pay by the laser?"

 

You guys seem to be pretty critical of the posters around here and it makes me feel like I don't want to contribute for fear of having my thread locked down and being banned. I don't see what all the fuss is about as long as there are no flame wars or offensive material.

 

I would think you would want to foster an environment that would be welcoming to new contributors. Maybe it is just me.

 

Hopefully this thread won't get shutdown and maybe some constructive dialog will take place. I want to make it clear that I don't mean to attack. I just wanted to post an observation and see if more people felt the same way.

[robbalvey]

I can probably explain a bit...

 

Basically we like everyone to live by very simple rules, and they are explained in our "posting rules" thread.

 

Most people unfortunately seem to ignore this thread which means we then have to go chasing down bad posters and fixing all these "trivial" mistakes that they make.

 

And yes, I do agree with you, many of the issues are "trivial" but a site full of trivial little issues ends up being one really big mess. And quite honestly, we need to be a little bit harsh to nip the problems in the bud.

 

Posting a new thread for something that already has it's own thread, like the SLC photos in your example, creates a huge issue because if we left that thread open, then there would be TWO threads discussing the exact same thing...and then possible three threads, then four, then five, and so on and so on...

 

And on a forum where you have over a half million posts you need to have some sort of organization otherwise, like I said before, your forum is complete chaos.

 

The two threads that were locked today for example, the Kennywood 2009 thread and the FireWhip photos were already active discussions and in fact the FireWhip thread was like FOUR posts down from the new one that was created!

 

In our posting rules and site TOS we do let people know that if you're posting about a "new for 20XX" attraction or something under construction chances are that we already have a thread for it, and to please search for it before posting a new thread. Our search engine is VERY easy to use and I found both of those threads within 15 seconds of searching using words like "Kennywood" or "Firewhip" so it's not as though those threads were buried in some other weirdly named thread.

 

We actually lock very few topics when you consider how many topics we have. But in order to keep a high quality level on the forums we DO need to crack down on things like:

 

- Multiple topics on the same subject

- Poor grammar

- Poor spelling (we have a spell check feature!)

 

We have always said a few typos here and there are "ok", everyone does it and I'm guilty of it. But there's just no excuse for not using your shift key, writing everything in text message shorthand or not using our spell check feature.

 

I do think a lot of people appreciate the level of quality that we keep our forums and I'll be honest, we could probably be a bit "nicer" but lately we do seem like we've gotten our fare share of bad posters, most of them younger members, which is why we have the "Age 12 to 17 READ THIS" thread, but we DO give everyone a fair chance and several benefits of the doubt. That's something that I do believe in.

 

But if you're a repeat offender breaking some of our simple rules, you probably won't last long....

 

I hope that clears some things up!

 

--Robb "Thanks for the feedback!" Alvey

 

ps. Your post was very constructive and well written...please post more!!!

[voodoobones]

Thanks Robb.

I can see your point. Maybe I just happened upon the threads at the wrong time. I agree about the spelling, text messaging format, and such being annoying. By the way, Firefox has an awesome built in spell-check. Otherwise I would probably be the biggest offender.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

 

Jim

[robbalvey]

^ Dude, if it wasn't for my Google toolbar spell checker, KidTums could write better posts!

[voodoobones]

You're forcing me to go off topic.

My wife teaches first grade. One Christmas season I was helping out in the classroom trying to keep the kids occupied during a Christmas program.

 

I started a game of Hangman. As the kids began spelling out the word they got the following letters:

 

R--NDEER

 

The next kid asked if there was an "E". I said no.

 

That is when I had a first grader explain to me how Reindeer was spelled.

 

Now I don't even play Hangman with my two boys.

[thrillgeek]

I don't think the mods are too uptight at all. Like Robb said he has rules to make the site look cleaner and run better. If someone fails to follow them multiple times they deserve to be banned or at least blocked for a while. Also the ages 12-17 rules are a great way for new people to learn the ways of TPR.

[nagro5]

I don't think that the mods are too uptight. There are just a few easy rules that TPR has, but some people just can't seem to follow them. I don't think there would be a problem if people would just put some effort into their posts.

[Team Thriller]

I also don't think they are uptight at all.

I think they are doing a wonderful job because this site is so organized and easy to find any info I want. I cannot imagine how out of order this site would be without the mods. And how much crap would be clogging the forums.

 

Thank you again!

 

--James

[voodoobones]

Don't get me wrong. I do appreciate the way this forum is organized. I had just noticed a few post from mods and other regulars that caught my eye. And to be fair you can be fairly open to post and still have a well organized forum. Check out the following forum for example: http://www.pacificnorthwestflying.com/

 

I think having an easily search-able database is nice. But having a welcoming community is just as important. I think that Robb has explained it well. There has been a little tightening of the reins but I think they were isolated incidents and for the most part this board does an excellent job. Perhaps having this brought up will make some people think about what they post in reply to others before actually clicking the submit button.

 

Rules are great but they can be over looked from time to time by the most well intentioned people. That doesn't give anyone the right to make them feel as if they are complete idiots.

 

Like I said earlier, Robb's explanation explained it perfectly and perhaps I over reacted. But it is a good topic to consider.

[cfc]

Sometimes, we mods can seem a bit abrupt in our explanations for closing threads. For example, regarding the redundant Brazilian photo thread, perhaps I should've just merged the new thread into the original thread. That being said, the poster of the new thread had posted in the original thread earlier--so there was really no excuse for starting a new one. It's much easier to keep discussions of a new attraction grouped in one thread.

 

As for the spelling and grammar rules, I make my living as a copyeditor, and I make mistakes from time to time, too. A poster's spelling and grammar has to be pretty poor before it draws the attention of the mods--so poor that readers can't make head or tail of what the poster is trying to say.

[AllenA07]

I love that grammar and spelling is enforced here. It makes the site so much easier to read, and a lot less sloppy looking. I've been to several sites where there is basically no rules regarding grammar, and at times it can actually be very difficult to even figure out what the poster is trying to say.

 

If you're old enough to post on a message board, you need to be conducting yourself in a manner that conforms with the rules of those boards.

[voodoobones]

As for the spelling and grammar rules, I make my living as a copyeditor, and I make mistakes from time to time, too.

 

Hmmmm. Good to know.

Any experience with screenplays?

 

If you're old enough to post on a message board, you need to be conducting yourself in a manner that conforms with the rules of those boards.

 

Excellent point!

[TheRapidsNerd]

It's important to remember that text on a screen doesn't deliver the whole feeling or intention of the person. 9 times out of 10, the mods aren't doing what they do to be heavy handed or ugly, despite how it may come across. I've mis-interpreted things a few times here in the past and would not have made my mistakes were it a face to face discussion. Hope to get to know more of them face to face as time wears on.

 

Translation: They're keeping quality up, not singling anyone out for a bad time.

 

Just observation.

[King of Ka]

There have been times where I've seen posts by a mod and thought that it was a little harsh, but when I think of it from their perspective, they're really just keeping the site clean and organized, which I really appreciate.

[Gav]

An observation I have made is that often people start their threads with something like "I did a search and nothing came up", which to me suggests people are quite fearful of the consequences of accidentally starting a duplicate thread, and to be honest it doesn't create a nice tone if people are apologising in advance.

 

Re the multiple threads thing, if its a piece of news, new ride etc then there is obviously sense in having one thread on the topic, because you can step through and use it as a reference.

As for polls, I don't think it matters as much, if there is a poll that hasn't been active for a year or two it is kind of awkward posting in it.

 

But I mean, you guys are pretty on the ball when it comes to locking stuff, and it is a bit of a LOL when you see the same piece of news get posted by someone directly below an already active thread on the topic. I just think you need to keep a very neutral tone, avoid 'yelling' at them.

I think also that moving posts is a better solution in many cases.

 

I think one thread locking I was dissapointed with though was the 2008 US election result one being locked straight away. I understand they have the potential for arguments, but serious/defining topics are a nice break from the usual "What is your favourite pizza" type threads. I'm willing to accept the debate and disagreement that occurs in them. You can always just not post, and I don't feel I really need to be 'protected' from these types of topics by a mod.

[cfc]

I think one thread locking I was dissapointed with though was the 2008 US election result one being locked straight away. I understand they have the potential for arguments, but serious/defining topics are a nice break from the usual "What is your favourite pizza" type threads. I'm willing to accept the debate and disagreement that occurs in them. You can always just not post, and I don't feel I really need to be 'protected' from these types of topics by a mod.

 

There was an election-related thread (on the "Random" board) that ran for quite some time. Unfortunately, it tended to degenerate into mindless, partisan flame wars. Mods would step in from time to time, and posters would become more reasonable for a while--then the whole mess would start up again. (This reflected the previous campaign season all too well.)

 

Reasoned discussion is good. Pointless bickering is not. Life's too short. Besides, we have coasters to debate about.

[mcjaco]

If you hang around long enough, you'll know which posters are going to get their stuff locked.

[Yellow Jacket]

I do not think that most people should be fearful of starting new threads. Even if you miss a related topic in your search, as long as you had something interesting to say, the attitude from the mods is "please discuss that over here" and the response should be "ok no problem". It is not a personal attack or insult to be asked to continue the discussion in the appropriate place. As long as it is an isolated incident, there is nothing to be worried about.

 

Now if a person posts an unpunctuated collection of poorly spelled words vaguely resembling a sentence fragment (for the third time today)...well all bets are off

[ebl]

I'm a tech writer, so guess who has to be on top of spelling and grammar? Keeping it clean is the best way to go.

 

Eric, Westcoaster Spelling and Grammar Nazi

[AllenA07]

I wonder if posting here and being forced to use decent grammar helps any of the younger members in school. If so, that would really be great, it shocks me how many people lack the ability to communicate in any meaningful way through writing.

 

Though I'll admit, when Robb or the mods come down on me for writing in passive voice, I'm going to leave TPR.

[robbalvey]

An observation I have made is that often people start their threads with something like "I did a search and nothing came up", which to me suggests people are quite fearful of the consequences of accidentally starting a duplicate thread, and to be honest it doesn't create a nice tone if people are apologising in advance.

I actually think this is very common amongst some of the better forums out there. I know myself, for example, when I'm posting to other forums (non-coaster related ones) and I start a new topic I will absolutely do a search and if nothing comes up, I'll say something similar so that people know that I'm not just posting for posting sake and that I actually did try to do some research before asking the questions.

 

IMO, there's nothing more irritating than a "lazy poster" who either posts a question in a thread where the answer is IN THAT THREAD or creates a new topic for something that is already on the SAME PAGE!

 

It's these simple "forum posting etiquette" that anyone who is familiar with posting to forums should already aware of, and anyone that isn't, should be willing to listen to the mods so they don't make the same mistake twice.

 

Anyone who can't conform to either of those two scenarios really, to be quite blunt and honest, is not someone we want posting to TPR.

 

--Robb

[Mechanic]

I used to share the view that some mod responses and thread locks were a little heavy-handed, but after spending more time here I've come to realize that the vast majority of mod actions are entirely valid. People that follow the rules don't have any problem. Those that don't are called on their infraction(s) and steered in the right direction. If they comply, all is well. If not, then they basically get what they deserve. It's like a microcosm of living in a civilized society.

 

Reasonable rules are in place to improve the experience of all that read and post here. Since rules without enforcement are useless, I understand why the mods' actions are necessary. I, or you, may not agree with every action they take, but in an overall view I feel they do a nice job of keeping the site a good place for discussion of topics relevant to the theme of the site.

[mcjaco]

I used to share the view that some mod responses and thread locks were a little heavy-handed, but after spending more time here I've come to realize that the vast majority of mod actions are entirely valid.

 

For the most part, I think we're all very lenient on the rules. We give many of the "troubled" posters multiple chances before we really need to lay the hammer down. Most of the time you see our last ditch efforts at correcting a certain poster, which unfortunately, has to be done in public to really get their attention. Lots of previous attempts are done via PM, etc.

 

We still make mistakes from time to time, have bad days where things can set us off, but I think the reason we have such a active community with so many people here for so long, is the quality, and the enforcement of the rules. It's a double edged sword sometimes, but in the long run, it makes TPR the best theme park site on this here internet world wide web thing.

[larrygator]

Sometimes I'd rather be pimpin', because moderating ain't easy.

[BelizeIt]

I think the Alveys and their 'Waffen-SS' Mod Soldiers are a bunch of Heavy-Handed Thugs!

 

But seriously, if you've ever been on a forum that isn't as disciplined as TPR, then you can see what a mess it can become.

 

I don't always agree about locking certain threads (political Etc...) But, it's the Alveys site and they can run it as they see fit.

 

I've been posting here since the beginning and compared to other forums, this one is very well run.