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

Fun and Games Forum Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Communications' started by Coruscant, Aug 26, 2020.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    I've been catching up with this thread when I can.

    On the structural/organizational issues: personally, I'd love to see threads like "What is your latest ____ ," "Post a random quote," etc. moved to a separate sub-forum or at the very least tagged differently. There do seem to be a lot of them and it often makes it hard to find threads where the focus is more on a developed discussion of a defined topic or issue, which is the type of thread that interests me the most.

    I would also agree with someone earlier who said that the "JCC" tag is being used so broadly that it's not really helpful in terms of filtering.

    Also, unless I'm missing it, there's no place where people who may be newer to the JCC can access a concise, easy-to-find description of each of the tags, so that it's clear what types of threads belong under which tag. Especially if there are to be new/additional rules for certain tags (like for for Senate threads), it would be helpful to be able to make a concise "definition" of each tag easily accessible in some way.

    I also support some type of "de-Twitterization" for Senate threads. I've been too busy lately to keep up with several Senate threads the way I used to, but even in the one remaining thread I've continued to keep up with (the pandemic one), I feel some type of stated guideline in that direction would improve the thread.

    Lastly, as an aside on the off-topic issue of how "likes" are used: there are definitely different intra-community practices that apply there. A lot of us who have skewed "likes to posts" ratios (myself included) got them from the community norms in the PT social thread, where people definitely use frequent likes as a way of expressing general friendliness and support for others.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  2. Thena

    Thena Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    May 10, 2001
    Just curious: have you already tried going to the Senate section so you only see the Senate threads on your screen?
    I am not suggesting that this should be the only way to address the situation, just that it's a possible temporary solution until some other changes are made.
    For those of us in the game threads, I guess it sure would feel great if we know we can go on with what we're doing without taking from anyone's enjoyment of the rest of the Community section. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    Emperor Ferus likes this.
  3. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    Why would you link that guy to this discussion? He is frantically defending police brutality. If you were genuinely concerned about the post, why not take your own advice and ask a mod? Now that guy and his bull**** are linked to this thread. What were you trying to accomplish by this?
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  4. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Yes, @Princess_Tina, I definitely use the Senate tag to filter when I am looking just for Senate threads. However, (at least in the past), it seems like there used to be more discussion-oriented threads that weren't necessarily about current events or politics, so they didn't have Senate tags. I'm interested in those kinds of threads too, but either there just aren't as many of them as there used to be or they are always quickly falling behind the first page. (And I will admit that I don't often bother to click past the first page when I check the JCC, so I guess to some extent that's on me.)

    I think one frustration for users who are not usually interested in the games or "what's your latest _____" type of thread is that, because those types of threads have a much faster turnover/posting rate (perhaps at least partially because many of the individual posts tend to be shorter) and since there seem to be so many more of them compared to the more discussion-oriented, more "personalized" threads, they tend to perpetually dominate the first page.

    Of course, the very fact that those "game-ish" or "+1"-ish type of threads are continually bumped does demonstrate that there are definitely users who enjoy them, and that's fine. But I guess I'd like to have an area where other types of more "personalized" threads have adequate space as well. Those types of threads might have a slower "bump" rate, but they offer a different kind of experience than the more "drive-by" threads.

    I'm trying to think of specific examples of the type of non-Senate thread I'm talking about that it's currently impossible to filter for. If I can find some easily, I'll come back and edit this post to provide such examples.
     
  5. Thena

    Thena Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    May 10, 2001
    That sounds very much like what I was thinking, Pensivia, and I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts at length.
    I myself have come to the JCCs at various points in time after some kind of change had taken place and have found myself trying to make sense of it all and figuring out which section or sections were the ones that were of most interest to me, and which ones I could do without.

    Just a few brief months ago, before the pandemic, I wasn't really spending a lot of time in the game threads, but because they were there I got curious and started to look at them and the more I looked the more I realized that they weren't just spam threads like I'd been dreading, I find many of them require a lot of mental dexterity in order to really get the most of out them, and the people who frequent them are also among the nicest, friendliest bunch in the whole of the forums.

    Because of that, my opinion on these threads has changed for me personally, but at the same time I also don't want to think that the threads are going to be screen clutter for the people who are looking for something else to read, and as in previous posts, I'm in favor of re-tagging them and organizing them in such a way that we can all see what we prefer when we're in the JCC.

    Thanks again for chiming in. I enjoyed reading your post.

    One thing that I believe we absolutely want to get out of this thread is to get a good sense of where folks are at and whether or not any concerns have gone overlooked in the past. I brought up one specific example earlier because it seemed to me like it was a perfect example of something that was taking up perhaps a bit too much space in a serious discussion thread and that much of that content which I mentioned didn't really serve much of a purpose beyond just taking up 8 or 9 inches to scroll past just to try to get a point across that could have been summed up in 6 words or less. Needless to say, such a post does not currently break any rules because no changes have been implemented on that particular thread, however it does seem to me that most of the people who prefer the Senate threads to focus on actual discussion and substantial thoughts might have a slight preference for less photos and more ideas. Of course, if anyone feels otherwise, feel free to disagree.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    Emperor Ferus and Iron_lord like this.
  6. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Ok, so I just sorted for the "JCC" tag and looked at what came up.

    Out of the 25 threads that appeared at the time I enacted the filter, at least 18 of them are what I would characterize as threads that are not very "discussion-oriented" or what I would describe (for lack of a better term) as more "personalized." Although I didn't check every single one of those 18 threads, I believe that they tend to be ones where the norm of the thread is mainly just to post one or more images, quotes, gifs, historical facts, etc., without any real discussion or much interaction among users within the thread.

    Again, I don't mean to knock the people who post in these threads, and there are a few that I sometimes enjoy looking at or posting in myself (ex: visiting the "Cute Overload" thread can be a great way to add a little "positivity" to one's day), but there are so many of these types of threads, and their "bump rate" is so frequent, that it can make it hard to find threads were there's more opportunity for getting to know other users through more "personalized"discussion/interaction.
     
  7. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
  8. Thena

    Thena Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    May 10, 2001
    Yeah, no, I hear you, totally.

    The game threads aren't everyone's cup of tea and that's cool, those of us who are fans of them definitely don't want them to be perceived as an annoyance, or clutter, or anything like that, by those who don't partake. They're not everyone's cup of tea, just like any other section of the forums.

    Ideally there should be some way to better personalize whatever people use as a "home page" here so it contains primarily the content that they're into, right? We all want that and we all benefit from that.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    Emperor Ferus, Pensivia and Iron_lord like this.
  9. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015
    I'm perfectly serious about setting up a Comms thread where people could seek feedback on the appropriate of THEIR OWN posts relative to a given thread before posting. The thread workshop for people who feel they're impaired or inexperienced when it comes to reading community standards.

    Everyone posts a dud now and then, but making the same mistake over and over without any effort to learn - maybe seeking prior feedback would help?
     
    Darth Punk and harpua like this.
  10. JoinTheSchwarz

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

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
    Okay, crowdsourcing time: give me list of JCC threads you would consider for moving to the Games tag.
     
  11. Boba_Fett_2001

    Boba_Fett_2001 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2000
     
    Rylo Ken likes this.
  12. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    Free Association and all the "what are you _________ right now?" threads, for starters.
     
    Pensivia likes this.
  13. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    harpua likes this.
  14. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    ^Yes. I haven't looked into most of the actual Games-tagged threads, but I don't doubt that they require "mental dexterity". And I am also very much in favor of nice, friendly people (as I mentioned, I am a veteran of the PT social thread, which had as one of its founding purposes a stated goal of creating a space where friendliness, sincerity, and kindness towards others would be the stated "community norm").

    So I am in no way against having those types of threads. In fact, one of my all-time "favorite" JCC threads in terms of the fun I got out of it was the "Food-Based Film Titles" thread (its main run was in 2018 I think), which was definitely a "word game" type of thread.

    I just think that threads where the point is just to participate in a game or post one or more images, gifs, memes, quotes, historical facts, etc., should be grouped together in way that either gives them their own area or allows them to be easily filtered out in a way that differentiates them from threads like Esmir's Chess thread, the Best Friends thread, Coruscant's Interviews thread, the Fitness Goals thread, etc (to name just a few examples of threads tagged as JCC that are quite different from the "Post a ____" type of thread)
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    Emperor Ferus and Princess_Tina like this.
  15. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Game-ish Threads:

    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/political-posting-thread.50045644/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/image-heavy-a-thread-for-art-see-note-on-page-776.50007889/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/lol-animated-gifs-here.50003258/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/unlikely-movie-and-tv-show-titles-2-0.50050098/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/answer-a-question-with-a-question.50026471/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/awesome-photographs-pictures-image-heavy.50005951/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/cute-overload-the-thread-image-heavy.31844436/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/itt-we-post-random-song-lyrics-out-of-context.50051580/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/whats-your-favorite-dumb-joke.50020877/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/itt-we-post-random-book-lines-quotes-out-of-context.50053938/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/itt-we-post-random-movie-quotes-out-of-context.50017985/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/itt-we-post-random-tv-show-quotes-out-of-context.50033899/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/jcc-meme-thread.50049860/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/post-a-random-picture-thread-v2-0.50048011/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads...tupid-with-movie-and-tv-show-titles.50053560/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/covid-19-based-movie-or-song-titles.50053376/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads...roved-post-a-pic-of-yourself-thread.50015746/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/misheard-lyrics.50031413/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/thread-titles-in-bed.31496000/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/the-everything-retro-thread.50012948/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/you-know-youre-a-nerd-when.50011566/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/you-know-you-feel-old-when.50040102/
    https://boards.theforce.net/threads/itt-unpopular-but-correct-opinions.50051298/
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  16. Thena

    Thena Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    May 10, 2001
    Ok, I want to belive that you are serious but, seriously, I don't see that as a realistic possibility for a couple of reasons, the first being that you're assuming that the mods or whomever else you expect to sit on this kind of panel would have the bandwidth to handle this if they did not previously have the bandwidth to chime in elsewhere (maybe not on the thread themselves but via PM); the other being that I don't believe for a moment that folks like starbob or the person whose post I referenced earlier as an example are going to come to comms and just ask casually "so, what do you think?" before going to whichever Senate thread in which they choose to grace us with one of their visits.
    Again, in terms of just crowdsourcing, it seems like a good idea to see some actual examples from actual thread being used simply as a point of reference.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  17. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    Jesus, dude, that post itself is spam.
     
    LAJ_FETT likes this.
  18. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012

    It was a response to:

     
  19. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    I agree with almost all of Iron_lord's list above, with the exception of the "Post a Picture of Yourself" thread. To me, that's an example of a quite personalized, community-building thread, as the people who tend to post their photos there are typically longtime regulars (and also, what could be more personalized than posting a photo of oneself?:))

    Edit: I would also take "Unpopular but Correct Opinions" out of the above list. I think there tends to be more discussion/interaction in that one too.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    CT-867-5309 and Emperor Ferus like this.
  20. Dark Ferus

    Dark Ferus Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 29, 2016
    Glad to see progress being made.

    Hopefully everyone is okay with the compromise. I’m pretty happy with moving the ITT/Plus 1 threads away from the JCC.
     
    Pensivia, Princess_Tina and Iron_lord like this.
  21. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    It's an example of "all that is contributed is an image, no discussion necessary."
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
    Princess_Tina and Emperor Ferus like this.
  22. CT-867-5309

    CT-867-5309 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2011
    From Iron_lord's list I'd keep ****posting in the JCC, it is a distinctly JCC humor thread.

    Post a pic of yourself can stay, too, as it's about introducing/sharing yourself with the community. Separating that from the community defeats the purpose.
     
  23. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015
    I'll volunteer staff it. I'm willing to take one for the team and be the arbiter of all that is acceptable in the JCC.

    I'll ask SuperWatto to create some stamp gif for me. "Acceptable" "Certified Pre-Approved" "Vacuous Fluff: Rejected!" - that kind of thing.
     
  24. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    I know what it was in response to. He asked for a list, not a jumbled up wall of links, with no comment whatsoever. That is exactly what this thread is addressing.
     
  25. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Maybe - but it's a "+1" thread in the sense that people are not expected to post more than the meme, or tweet.
     
    Emperor Ferus likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.