| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/4/2007 11:49:41 AM |
i will identify a handful of posters with the ability, insight and/or expertise to respond to my query or discussion topic.
I think that is good idea except the method can go wrong if one doesn't choose carefully whose advice they take. Here, you have the advantage of getting the official answer.
If you happened to get incorrect information from that chosen group, they would not be able to save your bacon. The chosen group here is the moderators and their advice will always be guaranteed to be correct. You can't go wrong with that. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/4/2007 5:09:10 PM | If you happened to get incorrect information from that chosen group, they would not be able to save your bacon. The chosen group here is the moderators and their advice will always be guaranteed to be correct. You can't go wrong with that.
oops! guess i chose ambiguous wording. let me explain:
i didn't mean this precise thread or this precise issue. i actually spoke more generally and in a broader sense.
for example: i wanted to discuss a particular health issue that i couldn't find information about. i did a thread search and didn't find exactly what i needed. however, i noticed a few people who seemed knowledgeable in the topic. so, rather than start a thread that would get deleted before any valuable input could surface, i emailed 4 people directly. two of them had no experience with it, another hasn't gotten back to me, but the fourth shared personal experience (exactly what i had hoped for) and directed me to a resource i hadn't known about. so, i got the insight i wanted without a lot of hassle. i also make it clear that i will return the favor anytime. a simple, effective approach. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/4/2007 5:31:25 PM | rather than start a thread that would get deleted before any valuable input could surface, i emailed 4 people directly.
 | Yup, the Forums are but one Avenue for Information. |
i did a thread search and didn't find exactly what i needed.
Then it would not be a redundant Thread.
If you are worried about your Thread being deleted, you can always e-mail any of the Forum Moderators to have the voting suspended and your Thread '"Set-Off" as discussed in the preceding Pages. |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/10/2007 1:29:11 AM |
Why delete Redundant Threads? What Difference does it make if we have Dozens of them floating around as long as we stay on Topic.
First and foremost, you need to understand what a Forum is, its Purpose and what Ends it serves.
Let's Start with the Definition:
Forum noun, (pl. "fora" or "forums") An online Discussion Group. Online Services and Bulletin Board Services (BBS's) provide a variety of Forums, in which Participants with common Interests can exchange open Messages. Reading a Forum's Archives can be a good Way to obtain a basic Knowledge about a Topic, and it also provides a historical Perspective on Trends and Opinions.
That means, everything posted here, which meets the Criterias and Requirements of the Forum Rules and Forum Posting Guidelines will be kept for the Purpose of:
| 1. | Basic Knowledge about a Topic |
| 2. | Historical Perspective on Trends |
| 3. | Historical Perspective on Opinions |
"Historical" implies that it will be archived, read, surveyed or studied by future Readers.
"Trends" implies Change or the Way or Direction something is going or has gone over a Span of Time.
A Topic Thread started in 2003 on Fashions may favour Pastels for Evening Wear, by 2007 it may have shifted to bright and vivid Colours.
In this Example, popular "Opinion" from one Point in Time has changed to another over a Period of 3 Years. That is called a "Trend"
In yet another Instance, a Thread on Dating may have focused on Seduction Techniques on 'First Dates' back in 2004, but common Consensus may have swung Emphasis over to "Long Term" Goals by 2006. Reading such a Thread would clearly demonstrate a Change in the general "Opinion" indicating a different "Trend" over the Course of Time.
These are the Purposes of our Forums. Those who don't want to post to old Threads, request their Deletions, and feel Thread Redundancies are irrelevant simply do not understand the Concept of the Archival Nature of these Forums, do not understand that 'Redundant Threads' impede the Search Functions among all the redundant Clutter, do not understand it doesn't Matter if the Original Poster has long gone or Time has moved forward, as the Topic remains forever.
If we allowed 'Redundant Threads', the "Archival Value" of these Forums would be rendered VOID. Better than 90% of Forum Participants are its Readers, not Posters.
These are not "Fun in the Sun" Delete'em-When-We're-Done-With-Them Forums. Your posted Knowledge and Opinions are important, and forms Part of this timeless Database, your Contributions greatly appreciated.
Plentyoffish will be here for a long Time to come, not some 'Fly by Night' Dating Site. At some Point in the Future, these older Threads will serve as a Knowledge Base and Reflection on "Opinion" and "Trends" of the Past ...
| ... and this Archive will be its Mirror. |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/19/2007 4:50:07 PM | "I asked a simple question about men and handling depression."
The most common reason is redundancy, doing a thread search would show if it's been done. As far as understanding the rules, you can always ask for clarification of a specific question or topic here, the mods are incredibly patient and will spell it out so that you understand. Also as someone suggested, if you know another member who posts, email them and see if they can explain something.
Try not to get upset, throwing out profanities isn't helping anyone and could draw you a suspension. Don't take everything or really anything personally. It's just a discussion.  | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 11/20/2007 8:59:09 AM | it was a Patriots thread, not a red sox one.
Good example of how some people are really asleep.  | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:22:40 PM | | Okay heres a good questions since no seems to want to answer it. What is redundancy? Seriously never heard that word a day in my life. Half the attempted post were deleted for " redundancy. Whats it mean? And ya I think its a power trip people get from deleting other posts just because they don't want to talk about it. So sometimes others who get theres deleted. It looks good on them cause there deleting so many others cause of there personal views. And those forum rules make no sense by the way!! I've read them and it stupid you should have to word it a surtan way. I feel sorry for people who think things need to be typed a surtan way just cause they need to totally understand. We're not in school people grow up!! | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:35:07 PM |
What is redundancy? Seriously never heard that word a day in my life.
Ever hear of a person's job made redundant? that's an everyday usage of the word as an FYI.
I'll add in some additional definitions
4: Done to death
5: Ad nauseum
Then apply these to Ticket's previous post as to what the definition of a forum is.
Then perhaps as an example, search out threads with the subject "Read Deleted".
Get the drift?
PS. Redundancy, in 99.99% of cases applies to threads, not post. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:40:46 PM | What is redundancy?
| Characterized by Similarity or Repetition; Duplicate. |
I think its a power trip people get from deleting other posts just because they don't want to talk about it.
Moderators delete Posts, based on Criteria. If you are trying to insinuate we delete them because of "Powertripping" or other questionable Agendas, with these libelous Remarks will find yourself quickly on "Thin Ice".
So sometimes others who get theres deleted.
No one has any Influence to "get" anything ... Posts are deleted based on Outlines of the Forum Rules and Posting Guidelines in the Links below:
And those forum rules make no sense by the way!!
Then its a Literacy or Laziness Issue. And if you cannot comply with them, your outta here.
I've read them and it stupid you should have to word it a surtan way.
^^^ definitely minimally a Literacy Issue. |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:47:03 PM | | Its a literacy issue and theres a lot of stuff implying proper English crap. How is anyone who has issues with this end of things suppose to make sense of those rules?? Seriously people it really sad. Its not minimal literacy its a lot they ask for and makes no sense period. The forums outline needs to be more dummie style not for educated people. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:52:23 PM | "We're not in school people grow up!!"
I believe it's been suggested before that you persue the rules for forum posting. They're fairly simple and straighforward. There's thousands of users that post in the forums, we have all had threads deleted. Once someone starts a thread, it's up to the members to keep it chat-free and on topic. If it gets out of control, it's up to be deleted. No worries, it's the way the rules operate, I've never gotten a knot in my bloomers over it.
Speaking for myself, if I don't understand something, I write a mod or one of my other buddies here for clarification or just shrug it off that it doesn't make sense TO ME.
I'll tell you this, if there's something I can answer for you or help you with I'd be happy to. You can email me, I have no restrictions. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'd be glad to help out a fellow member here. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 1:56:08 PM | | well bus girl those rules make me more confused. I'm stupid when it comes to education end of things. So its over my head. Ya and thats why I'm so pissed of at literate people for making it that much harder to make a thread going by the forums rules. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 12/20/2007 2:49:11 PM | lela, maybe I can help you.
I consider myself literate but I still have a hard time with some of the rules. What is the difference between contact broadcasting and billboarding anyway?
When you post, the most important rule to remember is to talk about the Original Post (OP). Stay away from talking about other posters.
The second most important rule is to be respectful. Which also includes ignoring anyone who is rude to you. Let the mods deal with those posters.
Don't worry about your grammar or your spelling. Just express your thoughts politely.
When you want to start your own thread, there are two very important rules to remember here, too. The first being that the thread must be discussable. For example, a man wants to talk about his penis. To him this is a wonderful topic and he could probably talk about it all day long, but to the rest of us, not so much.
The other important rule to remember about starting your own thread is that it should be something no one has talked about before. For example, our man decides to ask the ladies if they prefer long penises or thick ones. He is not the first man to have this idea and so his thread is "redundant".
So, the rules are not really that hard.
Stay on topic. Be respectful. Start something new and original that many people would have an opinion about. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/1/2008 11:49:39 PM | One glaring problem with this notion of rapidly deleting threads considered redundant by one moderator or another is that the question of what is or is not redundant can be entirely too subjective. You, the moderator, might think at first glance that a thread is redundant, but the intent behind the post is entirely different from the intent of the N posts on the subject you've seen before. By deleting that thread, you'll never know, and the net result will be a ticked-off poster.
Another problem with the moderating philosophy here is that it flies in the face of people's expectations when they see "FORUMS" linked at the top. Whatever your own feelings on the usefulness of archiving information might be as a moderator, using a familiar BBcode format attached to a link saying "FORUMS" does set up a certain expectation on the part of the end user. If you'd be inclined to disagree with that, consider for a moment just how much energy has been expended in this forum by moderators justifying the policy of deleting redundant posts. Then try to find that kind of energy expended in other websites labeled "Forums." You see what I'm getting at? In the end, what you've done is tick people off by deleting their posts. You might have the best of intentions, and a deep underlying philosophy of information storage and availability, but that does very little to mitigate the fact that pretty much every time you delete or lock a thread, you've just alienated one or more people, and face it - most people aren't reassured in that event by discussions of information retrieval theory. They just want their dadburn posts back.
In the spirit of constructive criticism, what would I do? Well, first off, I'd suggest NOT labeling this discussion area "Forums" at all - whatever the selected dictionary definition of your choice might be for that word, the general consciousness about the meaning of it does not include such heavy-handed deletion of threads as is practiced here. In that vein, I'd also suggest using something other than BBCode-like software, as it's semiotically going to produce the same result as the word "Forum."
In the end, I'd say if you really want to be that strict about what information is archived here, everyone involved would probably be a lot happier if you just did pre-publication approval of all posts. Hey, I do the same thing on my own blog. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/2/2008 4:22:09 AM |
everyone involved would probably be a lot happier if you just did pre-publication approval of all posts. Hey, I do the same thing on my own blog.
Yes, but does your blog have tens of thousands of posts everyday? Does it have thousands of new threads started everday? It would be impossible for our VOLUNTEER moderators to sit and go through everyone preapproving everyday. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/2/2008 8:42:00 AM | Lucretius Said:
There's a whole lot of censorship,lieing and Bull shit from the moderators and other members who just can't stand Freedom of Speach and Democracy.
Looking around... This is a private website. You have to be a member to speak. You're not on a public street corner where you can say anything you want, and this site is definitely NOT a Democracy.
The site exists within a Democracy which is what allows it to do as it wishes. If you don't like the RULES, since we are in a Democracy you are free to go start your own website and make the rules you want.
Some of the rules are restricting and others downright silly (in MY opinion), but they are needed to keep the place in order. Personally, I find it humorous that I can't type "****tail dress" (rhymes with clocktail), but by FAR this is the best dating site I've ever been on and I love the combination of dating personals AND the ability to chat and have debates.
James, Seattle | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/2/2008 8:43:14 AM |
Yes, but does your blog have tens of thousands of posts everyday? Does it have thousands of new threads started everday? It would be impossible for our VOLUNTEER moderators to sit and go through everyone preapproving everyday.
Of course not. If it did, I'd have to deal with things differently - either use the ad $ to have a professional paid staff to manage comments, or throw the thing into forum format - understanding full well what the word "forum" means to the rest of the world out there.
Look, I completely understand the need to tighten up an out-of-control forum, and this site is certainly the sort of place where things can get out of hand if not monitored properly. My argument is that the pendulum has swung much too far in the opposite direction here, and the result will be a smaller pond. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/2/2008 10:27:33 AM |
My argument is that the pendulum has swung much too far in the opposite direction here, and the result will be a smaller pond.
As it was recently pointed out to me by a moderator, about 2% of POF users use the Forums, so I really don't think that argument holds any water. If 5% of the 2% leave over such things, well...... that's like, 20 people.... maybe.
I'm willing to bet that 90% of the overall work on POF is devoted to that noisy 2%.
James, Seattle, Washington, USA, Earth | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/2/2008 1:07:42 PM | One glaring problem with this notion of rapidly deleting threads considered redundant by one moderator or another is that the question of what is or is not redundant can be entirely too subjective. You, the moderator, might think at first glance that a thread is redundant, but the intent behind the post is entirely different from the intent of the N posts on the subject you've seen before.
If the Intent is different then clearly show it in the OP. Nevertheless, redundant Threads are tagged as such via Thread Searches, and if very similar or the same, deleted as being redundant.
Another problem with the moderating philosophy here is that it flies in the face of people's expectations when they see "FORUMS" linked at the top. Whatever your own feelings on the usefulness of archiving information might be as a moderator, using a familiar BBcode format attached to a link saying "FORUMS" does set up a certain expectation on the part of the end user.
The End User is expected to post according to the Forum Rules & Posting Guidelines as set out, or ship out.
The Archival Nature was born out of what defines a Forum. Many such Public Boards have become Chat Hybrids. Our Forums are Advisory Databases, not Chat Rooms, nor do we aspire to other Sub-Standards.
If you'd be inclined to disagree with that, consider for a moment just how much energy has been expended in this forum by moderators justifying the policy of deleting redundant posts.
Irrelevant as you weren't around when Troll Central was running rampant here 4 Years ago, which took more than 10 Times the Resources to clean-up. Your Agreement/Disagreement has no statistical nor experiential Basis, thus neither here nor there.
Then try to find that kind of energy expended in other websites labeled "Forums." You see what I'm getting at?
Yeah, you haven't got the faintest Clue what you are talking about.
In the end, what you've done is tick people off by deleting their posts. You might have the best of intentions, and a deep underlying philosophy of information storage and availability, but that does very little to mitigate the fact that pretty much every time you delete or lock a thread, you've just alienated one or more people, and face it - most people aren't reassured in that event by discussions of information retrieval theory.
These Forums are run on the Basis of "Trial & Error", what works and what doesn't, not on anybody's presumptuous Concepts of Popularities.
Nor are previous unsuccessful & failed Policies reinstated to prove what has already been proven and verified Time and Time again.
~ The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. - Benjamin Franklin ~
I'm willing to bet that 90% of the overall work on POF is devoted to that noisy 2%.
That would pretty well sum it up.
Look, I completely understand the need to tighten up an out-of-control forum, and this site is certainly the sort of place where things can get out of hand if not monitored properly. My argument is that the pendulum has swung much too far in the opposite direction here, and the result will be a smaller pond.
| It expands by 200 - 300% annually. Many People appreciate that Public Boards exist where they don't have to fear being trolled, their |
Topic hijacked, or the Database rendered useless by innumerous redundant Threads. Were are unique, and by the original Definitions of what Constitutes a Forum, pretty well spot on.
This is an Archival Database whether you like it or not. Not happy, go somewhere else. |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/3/2008 10:16:04 AM | When I first started participating in the forums I got threads either deleted or moved to different sections quite often. It took me a few postings to get the hang of it. One thing I came to understand is that I look at subjects with a higher degree of focus on the nuances and subtelties involved, whereas most POFers seem to look at the broader issue and overlook the nuances. Therefore threads I considered quite unique due to how they were approaching a topic were by others considered redundant according to what topic they were about.
I really came to understand this once I started getting close enough to the mark that my threads didn't get deleted, but could see that the responses seemed to miss the point I was trying to make. People would respond as if I had posted what WOULD have actually been a redundant topic had I really been asking the question they decided to answer. And these are the same people voting on whether to keep or delete threads.
So bottom line, this is the POF community. These are the people you are dealing with and they are doing the best they can to follow and enforce the rules according to their ability to do so. If you don't like the pond, you really do need to fish somewhere else, because they simply are not going to do any better than they can do. Sorry if that sounds snobby to anyone, but I'm just laying it out as I see it and not trying to be PC. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/3/2008 6:19:40 PM | | So my post was deleted for no reason, as I see it. I did read over the rules and it said you cant use the same topic repeatively so I posted "Interracial Dating" in Ask A Guy and specifically noted that I hoped I wasnt breaking any of the rules. I honestly just wanted answers and opinions!!! | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/3/2008 7:36:25 PM | | You realize though there are over 20 existing threads on interracial dating? If you do a search for the term you can find them all. None are specifically in "ask a guy" but they are in the dating and relationships sections, so you will get many men's comments on the subject there. If your question doesn't fit into the context of one of the existing threads, then you'd better make the subject line clearly distinguish the subject of the thread from all the many others, or else it really is a redundant thread, and it should be deleted. | |
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/3/2008 8:16:00 PM | So my post was deleted for no reason, as I see it.
as you see it - yes, because you failed to read the rules posted at the top of each forum.
I did read over the rules and it said you cant use the same topic repeatively
Apparantly you didn't - sorry to say.
so I posted "Interracial Dating" in Ask A Guy and specifically noted that I hoped I wasnt breaking any of the rules.
"Hoping" does not negate the fact it was redundant topic. Where you posted it in the global forums has no baring on the fact either, unless it was posted in your local and not redundant there either. Similar topics may exist in the Global forums or the local State/Province forums and not be considered redundant, unless you are the OP in both cases.
I honestly just wanted answers and opinions!!!
answers can be found in the 20 or so threads that currently exist - opinions can also be added to them by you as well.
Learn to use your FORUM Thread Search Tool to avoid redundant threads.
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| deleted threads - real answers
Posted: 4/4/2008 2:12:29 PM | I did read over the rules and it said you cant use the same topic repeatively so I posted "Interracial Dating" in Ask A Guy and specifically noted that I hoped I wasnt breaking any of the rules.
If you are going to make Threads on the Basis of "Hoping" instead of "Searching" for existing Threads on any given Topic, you may end up with any Number of applicable Posting Restrictions.
| So, always search first !!! |
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