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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Community is being overrun by spam.

Discussion in 'Communications' started by Luigi, Feb 6, 2016.

  1. Luigi

    Luigi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Currently, on the front page, there exists a thread titled “What was the last book you bought?” three topics below that, another thread asks “What is your latest purchase?” but the redundancy doesn’t end there, because, currently, on page two, posted in just this morning, is another thread titled “What book are you reading right now?”

    There’s a large amount of “what (is/are/did) (you/your) ____” throughout Community, most containing little more than the equivalent of “+1”. There’s little interaction between users. They contribute very little to discussion, just a bunch of vainglorious post count engorging nonsense.

    The creator of the “what are you drinking?” thread has stated that he intended the thread to be about discussing different aspects about the kind of drinks they were having, but instead it’s been turned into a one word answer, non-community enriching “keep this thread on the front page” by a certain group of people who don’t interact with other users in the thread, but instead post the same thing they’ve posted daily in the thread (sometimes more frequently than that) over and over.

    How does having so many threads with “+1” answers from posters that have no intention of doing anything but increasing their post count enrich the community? When I see them all lined up on the front page, it makes me click away almost immediately. Shouldn’t the moderators be policing this kind of thing? The last time I checked, spam wasn’t allowed. How are these threads “Community”?

    Please remove it from Community. Create a spam forum if you want.

    Maybe Census can be given its own forum again, and these can go there.

    Maybe enforce the “no spam” rules and prohibit people from posting “+1” in several threads.

    Maybe remove all of the threads except a single “Ignore all of the other posters and only post one word about yourself thread”.


    I really don’t care what you do, but it is completely out of hand, and it reduces the quality of the forum as a whole.
     
  2. Boba_Fett_2001

    Boba_Fett_2001 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2000
    I agree with you completely, though I would add it's part of a bigger problem in that the vast majority of Community threads are megathreads dedicated to one topic. We don't really get a whole lot of the random one-off threads like we used to which, in my opinion, has always been one of the best parts of YJCC.
     
    Bacon164, Boba Nekhbet and Luigi like this.
  3. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    This is why I tend to stay out of the JCC. When I open the Community forum, the first thing I do is filter for the Arena prefix. It's extremely rare for me to look at JCC threads.
     
    Ewok Poet and Boba Nekhbet like this.
  4. Boba Nekhbet

    Boba Nekhbet Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2014
    Yeah, I will say that I don't post for long stretches not because I'm not logging in, but because often I open JCC and find only these kinds of threads on the front page and then just close it again.

    I think especially in the case of the What Are You Drinking thread this is egregious. Where it could and should be the equivalent of the Foodie thread, but it just ends up being pages and pages of substanceless one word posts.
     
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  5. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
    I'm not a fan of that kind of thread, honestly, and I wouldn't mind it if they and the "whatever above you" threads became a thing of the past. That said, some people seem to really enjoy them and like it or not they´ve always been part of the composition of the forum, so I'm not exactly sure how reflective of the opinion of the majority taking them out would be.
     
  6. Luigi

    Luigi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Some people really enjoy spamming? This is your defense?
     
    jcgoble3 likes this.
  7. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
  8. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    I think what he's saying is that the majority isn't necessarily right. If the "opinion of the majority" is that this type of spamming is good, then perhaps the mods should overrule them and shut it down anyway for the good of the boards. The majority doesn't always know or understand what's best for the forums as a whole; that's why moderators exist.
     
    Ewok Poet and Boba Nekhbet like this.
  9. Boba Nekhbet

    Boba Nekhbet Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2014
    I mean, this isn't a zero sum game. I think regardless of the idea of just banning them altogether, the point about redundancy is well taken. The book/purchase threads Luigi mentioned, plus the what are you drinking/what's the last thing you put in your mouth? threads. There's a lot of unnecessary duplication that just serves to clog up the main page which could be confined to far fewer threads.
     
    Tython Awakening likes this.
  10. Luigi

    Luigi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2006
    this person has colors so you have to listen to them.
     
  11. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    Only because I won a game. Otherwise, I'm just a regular user like you. :)
     
  12. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
    I was surprised by his "your defense" statement, converting a simple, constructive dialogue into a confrontation, but now that you mention it: it's a community forum. The opinion of the majority is vastly important, especially if what we are talking about is about something driving people out. If the majority of the forum disagrees with that, it´s obviously not true.

    But, as I said, I personally agree that these threads are negative. But, then again, I also think that the boards shouldn't allow fanfiction.
     
    TrakNar and siha like this.
  13. siha

    siha Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2013
    I think we need a new subcategory of community threads titled "Spam" where all those awful +1 posts can be located. And anyone who has posted in one of those places should be brought to that forum and held there, forced to post in those threads for long hours with barely enough humor to survive and if they refuse, to the gas sh- I mean WNU, with them.
     
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  14. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Well, I am definitely one for reading a thread title; interpreting what it is asking for in my head; and if I am reading a book, or have recently purchased something, pop in and fly the flag.

    Before reading this complaint thread, it simply would not have occurred to me that the OP might put additional data saying what the thread is to be used for; I would divine that by scanning the most recent content on the last page.

    Bit of a generalisation to assume my contribution is because I want to increase my post count. I participate if a thread title attracts my interest, that's all.
     
    AmySolo likes this.
  15. Darkslayer

    Darkslayer #1 Sabine Wren Fan star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2013
    That's an extremely disturbing way to illustrate your point.
     
  16. Ender Sai

    Ender Sai Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    Coffee.




    Water.
     
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  17. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Tea.
     
  18. LostOnHoth

    LostOnHoth Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2000
    Activated almonds.
     
  19. Luigi

    Luigi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Mods, I don't appreciate this kind of spam in a serious Comms discussion.
     
    jcgoble3 likes this.
  20. Boba Nekhbet

    Boba Nekhbet Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2014
    You're taking this a little personally. I don't think Luigi meant to imply that every single contribution to the thread is made because the author wants to increase their post count, although it's certainly something that can be inferred from some of the posts in those threads. I think the point - at least to me - is more about how posts that don't actually engage with any other posts on the board or add anything of substance detract from the "community" feel of the community forum. While it's certainly fine that you and others get something out of "flying the flag" that you've just drunk water or just bought a sandwich, when the front page of the forum is glutted with these kinds of posts, it makes it more difficult for those who come to have conversations and engage with others. The first 25 threads in the JCC tag include all of the following:

    what song are you listening to? (v. 47) - Embedded Video Heavy
    ITT we complain about our 1st world problems...
    Free Association Thread.
    What is your latest purchase?
    Post random YouTube (and other) videos
    On this date in history...
    You know you're a nerd when...
    [Image heavy]A thread for art
    Answer a Question with a Question
    What's the last thing you put in your mouth???
    Add "ing" at the end of a movie title
    The awesome concert thread!!!
    Wacky News Depository

    That's over 50% of the front page. While it's true that some, or maybe all, of these have sparked interesting conversations from time to time, scrolling through the last few pages of most of them reveal rarely any actual discourse or back and forth happening, just echo chambers of posts with which no one - barely even the poster themself - is engaging.

    Obviously, it would be ideal for people to post what they've purchased or what they've been drinking or what concert they've been to and have that spark a discussion, and it can work that way. For example, the Craft Beer/Microbrew thread, which has the potential to be just pages of people listing what craft beers they've been drinking, is actually full of great discussion about local and small-batch beers they've been digging, and what they like about those beers. It just doesn't normally work that way, people instead pop into those threads to drop off a post and then leave again without engaging anything. I guess that kind of behavior is hard to enforce. You can't make a rule that says, like, you have to acknowledge the post before yours in order to contribute to a thread, but I can't help but feel like there has to be some way to separate these substanceless threads from the actual community-building Community threads.

    Meanwhile, threads like the Free Association Thread don't really have any potential to be anything greater than what they are, and I'm sure they're fun for the participants, I've certainly participated in answer a question with a question/free association/person above me threads in my years on the boards, but I'd argue that that makes them more appropriate for the Games tag than the JCC tag.
     
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  21. Dandelo

    Dandelo SW and Film Music Interview Host star 10 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2014
    ITT we complain about our 1st world problems...
    ------------

    quite an apt thread for the opening post, IMHO.
     
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  22. Ender Sai

    Ender Sai Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001

    It highlights precisely the point you're making.
     
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  23. Admiral Volshe

    Admiral Volshe Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I honestly do not believe the 'spam' threads themselves are the issue. I think it is simply the fact that there are redundant threads, and that most of them can be locked or merged or refurbished. I agree - we do not need three threads on purchases. It'd be much more suitable to have a book discussion thread and then a "your last purchase" thread. I don't agree with banning +1 threads, because people do enjoy them, but I do believe that it'd be much better for the community if we avoid redundancy as much as possible.

    I also agree that some of the threads should be tagged as games. A lot of them aren't JCC. I'm not even sure the +1 threads should be JCC tagged either, but it's not like they would fit better under another category.
     
  24. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    I'd retitle them Games, "list threads", or some such. To me, "spam" denotes "You need to lose 10 pounds in 2 days? Try my incredible supplement made from monkey **** and jaguar fur! LINK BELOW! It will change your life!"
     
  25. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Some of those threads are quite useful, maybe even educational.

    what song are you listening to? (v. 47) - Embedded Video Heavy - I contributed to this one, after quite enjoying the introduction scene and music for the Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie, The Helicopter Spies, and finding the 1960s vid on YouTube. :) I won't hear a thing said against this thread.

    ITT we complain about our 1st world problems... - I don't know what ITT means, but when something goes wrong in my life enough that I want to tell someone about it, and a moment's thought decides that Facebook probably is not the right platform, this thread is perfect. Granted, often times I get the feeling that no-one gives a ****, but I am glad that this thread is here.

    Free Association Thread.

    What is your latest purchase? - I wouldn't be at all surprised if I contributed to this at some point. It is a participatory thread that appeals to the bottom feeders, but drokk it, occasionally I buy things. I have friends on Facebook who photograph and upload pictures of their ******* pub meals! If this allows someone to reach out and make a connection, rather than just lurk, what harm is there?

    Post random YouTube (and other) videos - Now this, EDUCATIONAL. Inside the first three pages, I learned that quicksand, a horrible way to die in the old Johnny Weismuller Tarzan films, should not actually kill you. Scientific explanations on water soaked sand, and so on. Kudos to whomever loaded that particular video. Complainers, drokk you, and the bantha you rode in on. This is a useful thread.

    On this date in history...
    You know you're a nerd when...
    [Image heavy]A thread for art
    Answer a Question with a Question

    What's the last thing you put in your mouth??? - I wouldn't be at all surprised if I contributed to this at some point. It is a participatory thread that appeals to the bottom feeders, and there are days when I log in, with nothing useful to contribute to the world, except maybe, I might have put something in my mouth...

    Add "ing" at the end of a movie title
    The awesome concert thread!!!
    Wacky News Depository

    All the other examples, not visited, and I have little argument. Fanfic forum has its own version of the "You know you are a nerd when-" which gets a lot of traffic from proud writers, so I don't need to use this one. I can see its usefulness for alleged SW fans.
    I suppose the "Date in History" thread could be educational?
    If I could draw, I would probably use the Art one. Surprised a mod hasn't jumped on it, and re-directed it to the FanArt forum.

    Well, the thread titles generally indicate that that is the purpose of the thread. Maybe you should be asking OPs to write better titles.
     
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