This might be a bad idea for TLDR

[Gregatron]

What about just deleting stupid, pointless posts? Perhaps couple this with a suspension policy (one day per deletion). I'm open to people saying this is a bad idea, but it might get the idea across that content = good.

[diebitter]

Do you mean in all threads?


Well, I don't particularly wish to micromanage the forum. I think some people take our rules about 'meat' and 'discussion' need to apply to every post, but I don't see it that way. It's key to starting threads, but not needed in each and every post.

Here's a reply I made to El Diablo on his suggestion to delete one-liners (which I appreciate isn't quite the same as your suggestion, but here it is anyway)


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El D.

Thanks for the suggestion. We are reasonably strict on threads that start as low content, but we have no intention of trying to micromanage threads that degenerate into one-liners at a post-by-post level. Heinous posts will of course be deleted, and we are indeed focusing efforts on political threads given that Mason specifically wants them watched carefully to stay respectful, but other than that, if a post starts off good, OR even if it doesn't start off great and we can forsee potential for it (like the cookie thread, say), I don't see the need to get nitty about it.

If it becomes one-liner after one-liner, a lock will suffice.

You will notice, however, we do interject and either by giving direction or actually adding content, we do try and raise the level of some threads. And sometimes a little encouragement brings some awesome content! (eg your comment in the cookie thread, and Katy's response)

This isn't the Oxford Debating Society, and we are also trying to set a relaxed, thoughtful tone that suits the more adult members of 2+2, but without the need to strip out any sense of fun or non-intellectual pleasure. Constantly locking, deleting and warning posters will definitely wreck that vibe.

In all discussion there is the ebb and flow of talk, sometimes leading to fast answers. That's life.

We are also trying to set a tone and balance here to suggest it is a thoughtful, mature place, and don't particularly wish to nanny or scold posters constantly.


Hope this helps you out, but if you really don't like certain threads in here, just don't continue to read them.

I'd also like to point out several posters in ATF have already commented that this forum is overmodded already, so I hope you appreciate your view it is undermodded is just one in a whole spectrum of many viewpoints on how this forum works - and I hope for the majority of posters that come here, they feel the balance is about right.

I hope this helps out, but I'd be interested to hear if any other posters agree with the approach we currently apply (which is pretty much how it's been since opening), or with the approach El Diablo is advocating (or some other variant).

thanks
db

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