You be the mods/Cleaning up General Messages

[Sister Golden Hair]

In light of the discussion taking place in the "decline of Entmoot" thread, I would like to do a little experiment. I would like all of you to be mods and list the threads in the General Messages forum that you would close and state why you would close them. Now, I don't mean threads that go back two years. I mean current threads that are being discussed. Let's say that could cover the first two pages of GMs.

Also, I would like everyone to list their ideas and suggestions on how they would improve Entmoot, and particularly the General Messages forum.

I think this could help the staff to improve the board as far as moderation, and it gives the members a chance to be part of running their community if their suggestions are used.

Thanks in advance for your participation.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I would close the Anything Post and the Previous Poster, because really one spam thread is more than enough, and I like "Entmoot wouldn't be the same" best.

[Elven Archer]

Two spam theads maybe, the Anything Post and the Entmoot wouldn't Be the Same.

i think maybe we should get rid of some of the threads that not everybody can take a part in. ya know like the ones that are pretty much taken over by a few people? i think it might make dicourage newbies when there's no room to fit in. ya know?

[Falagar]

*agrees with Gwaimir*

I only follow the threads I post in (which I naturally don't want to be closed ), so I can't say what other threads should be closed.

Edit:
*agrees with Elven Archer too*

Though I like the "Entmoot wouldn't be the same"-thread, it's unnecessary, and encourages spam.

[Aralyn]

I like the Anything Posts and the Pevious Poster. You can always post on there ven if you leave for several days. It also gives you a chance to post when other threads are Spam dominated

[Insidious Rex]

well I dont think any of those threads should be closed. I say let them have their fun in there I really truly dont see the harm and really theres technically less "spam" in those threads then there are in a lot of the other threads that we "regulars" seem to like to make for each other considering the posts usually follow the rules of the thread. So I say Hypocrits! Each and every one of us. *pointing at you and you and YOU (and myself)* If yer gonna trash spamming then never do it yourself. simple. but thats VERY hard to do when you just HAVE to make a comment about something someone said before you. It is very hard. and forgivable I think.

And I agree with elvenarcher when she said:

i think maybe we should get rid of some of the threads that not everybody can take a part in. ya know like the ones that are pretty much taken over by a few people? i think it might make dicourage newbies when there's no room to fit in. ya know?

as much as i love some of the inside discussions and jokes we have we SHOULD try to be a little more "general" as the title of the forum suggests. I know its hard sometimes and tempting to make these real specifically focues threads but i think in the long run its a detriment to the moot because ive seen it break down other message boards into basically a place where a small number of people go to talk outloud in public. and we dont need that. so yeah my suggestion is simply not to delete anything persay but to TRY to emphasize the meaty threads. Where everyone can participate and you dont need to be in some in crowd to understand.

[durin's bane]

I think the previous poster should be closed (no offense to its owner) but a lot of the times two buddies will keep posting for each other and it discourages other members to participate. And sometimes the poster who's supposed to say something about you will just say something you already said (like you say, "< is going swimming this afternoon", and the next person will say "^is going swimming this afternoon") and then writes this huge paragraph on themselves.
Entmoot wouldn't be the if... thread is good because it lets us see what other members think of us.

[Coney]

To be honest (and this is coming from one of the biggest spammers on the 'moot) deleting threads won't make a shred of difference.........what is on page 1 or 2 will be on page 5 next week :/

'Mooters are spamming because they are bored. I think everyone would enjoy a good discussion but the 'moot is at the stage where (almost) everything has been done. How many times have we seen a newbie start a discussion only to have it ended with "this was discussed here [insert link to whatever]"??

IMO any thread that has been dormant for more than a couple of months should be deleted....let newbies start new threads on the same topic if they choose to, let us hear new voices on subjects that the oldies decided were not worth commenting on (or simply got bored with) long ago

Us oldies can either sit and sulk or sit and spam until we actually find something worth chatting about

Really it is up to those-who-must-be-obeyed; either they continually close threads that have been discussed before, or they allow newbies to re-create those topics.

Personally I can sit back for a while and let a bit of "new" discussion into the 'moot.

At the moment there is a core group of a couple of dozen 'mooters (and yer know I love yer all) who are doing all the posting.......but we've all been there, done that and posted the link to the online store where we can buy the T-shirt ...we all know each other to some degree, and we are all getting to the "getting to know more about yer" stage....to a newbie this is pretty intimidating :/ I know that I wouldn't join this place if I was a browser as a guest........unless yer in the crowd, what's to talk about ?

As for the Anything post.......I would delete it, and then let it start over again (why has that thread been allowed to get so long?) same with the previous poster when it gets too large. These are both good threads for newbies to get accustomed to the 'moot.

Mebbe this shoulda gone in the Decline thread *shrugs)

[Lady of Rohan]

Which threads would i close? I would leave "Anything Post" and "Previous Poster" (but like DB said, about repeating and the 2 buddies just comenting on themselves, is also true) and the "Entmoot wouldn't be the same if...." thread (Heehee...... I'm so glad that some people like my thread! ) open, because they usually are on topic (kinda). If necessary, then just pick one which you think triggers the most spam, and close it. I also think that the "Entmoot Annual Awards/Elections" is pretty much done with. I mean, the votes have been cast and the winners have been anounced for a while already (I think it is pretty much rapped up......). Thats all for know, and I won't say more, becasue I know that I am a part of the problem (guilty spammer).

EDIT: And what Coney said.

[Lizra]

I'd get rid of......Previous Poster, Anything post, Mud wrestling, Annual Awards, Going to be a daddy, messages, most wanted. Messages would work if people wouldn't chit chat so much. I'd try to stop spam after six to eight posts, name calling, flame baiting, and continuous sexual inuendo.

I agree with Coney also, I see nothing wrong with new people talking about an old subject!

[azalea]

Originally posted by Coney


'Mooters are spamming because they are bored. I think everyone would enjoy a good discussion but the 'moot is at the stage where (almost) everything has been done. How many times have we seen a newbie start a discussion only to have it ended with "this was discussed here [insert link to whatever]"??

IMO any thread that has been dormant for more than a couple of months should be deleted....let newbies start new threads on the same topic if they choose to, let us hear new voices on subjects that the oldies decided were not worth commenting on (or simply got bored with) long ago

Us oldies can either sit and sulk or sit and spam until we actually find something worth chatting about

Really it is up to those-who-must-be-obeyed; either they continually close threads that have been discussed before, or they allow newbies to re-create those topics.

Personally I can sit back for a while and let a bit of "new" discussion into the 'moot.

The thing about this is that when we close the thread, they are supposed to continue the discussion in the other thread. Why have so many threads about the same thing, and force people weo made great posts about the subject repeat themselves? The point is that we show them the thread, and they are supposed to post there, which brings it to the top, and revitilizes it that way. I try to merge threads when appropriate, too, which I think helps to keep the discussion going while keeping the old stuff there.
I think the only difficulty is when the thread is really long, newbies or people who haven't seen the thread before don't want to read the whole thread, but then people who wish to discuss it could just quote what they said before, or stay out of it if it's something they're sick of talking about.

[Coney]

Threads I would close, would be the Most Wanted Mooters.........Jonathon Calendar Thread (I can't believe this was allowed to stay open, there are eleven yr old kids on here) and the Entmoot Mudwrestling Thread (sorry Jon) .........by their nature they are exclusive to the folks featured in the Websites the threads are concerning :/ (and I'm in two of them )

and continuous sexual inuendo

Yup, I'm very guilty of that...........but that is the way my sense of humour works *shrugs* guess it another cultural thing :/

[Coney]

Originally posted by azalea
The thing about this is that when we close the thread, they are supposed to continue the discussion in the other thread. Why have so many threads about the same thing, and force people weo made great posts about the subject repeat themselves? The point is that we show them the thread, and they are supposed to post there, which brings it to the top, and revitilizes it that way. I try to merge threads when appropriate, too, which I think helps to keep the discussion going while keeping the old stuff there.
I think the only difficulty is when the thread is really long, newbies or people who haven't seen the thread before don't want to read the whole thread, but then people who wish to discuss it could just quote what they said before, or stay out of it if it's something they're sick of talking about.

It's your call .........like I said, I can stand to see old topics discussed by new 'mooters..........but I can't see any new 'mooters gettin involved in discussions that are ten+ plus pages long.

EDIT: And my point was to delete the old threads...........discusions that happened months ago are of no interest to a newbie. (and I'm sure most oldies would appreciate old discusions approached from a fresh angle)

[azalea]

I AGREE with you, I love to see newbies post about old topics, and also it's only if the thread is less than 6 months old that we close/ redirect. The very old ones don't really count, and could be closed or archived or deleted. In fact, up in the movies forum, I think someone must have done some cleaning out a while back because I noticed some old threads were gone from the back pages of the forum.
I think a lot of us want to discuss the stuff w/ newbs, but we hate having to say "I said in such and such a thread" or "I've said several times before" because we don't want to repeat ourselves and sound hackneyed.
I don't get down to GM much, but I do come down when I have time to see what's new and do a little moderating if needed. Before I became a mod I actually was purposefully staying away because the threads were either spammy or too heated for my enjoyment.
In the Lotr forums, sometimes I think it is off-putting for newbies and also "long-time" members who are looking for fun discussions rather than cut-throat debate, when people post snide and cutting remarks at them beginning with "Actually,..." and proceed to rip apart that person's comments. I think some people left because they were tired of having no room to speculate or imagine about ME because others would say basically, "You can't think that because 'xxx'; quote from 'xxx' obscure reference in 'xxx' obscure book refutes that." People want to be able to enjoy the ME books sometimes without it being like a classroom lesson, taught by people who want to flaunt their superior knowledge. I know they don't intend for it to be that way, and I enjoy learning new things about ME from others who love Tolkien, but I can think of a few instances where people have left/ abandoned the Tolkien forums because that's the feeling they've gotten. It's fine to talk about the greater ME mythology, but people should give others a chance to express themselves without having their throats jumped down, or put down for not posting as per the expectations of whatever member.
Whew, I didn't mean for that to turn into a rant. Sorry. I just love Entmoot and want it to stay the great place that it is.

[Coney]

I AGREE with you, I love to see newbies post about old topics, and also it's only if the thread is less than 6 months old that we close/ redirect.

IMO 6 months is too long

In the Lotr forums, sometimes I think it is off-putting for newbies and also "long-time" members who are looking for fun discussions rather than cut-throat debate, when people post snide and cutting remarks at them beginning with "Actually,..." and proceed to rip apart that person's comments. I think some people left because they were tired of having no room to speculate or imagine about ME because others would say basically, "You can't think that because 'xxx'; quote from 'xxx' obscure reference in 'xxx' obscure book refutes that." People want to be able to enjoy the ME books sometimes without it being like a classroom lesson, taught by people who want to flaunt their superior knowledge. I know they don't intend for it to be that way, and I enjoy learning new things about ME from others who love Tolkien, but I can think of a few instances where people have left/ abandoned the Tolkien forums because that's the feeling they've gotten. It's fine to talk about the greater ME mythology, but people should give others a chance to express themselves without having their throats jumped down, or put down for not posting as per the expectations of whatever member.

I know exacly what yer mean

When I first joined this BB, under a different name, I tried posting in the Tolkien book forums (now I'm a lover of LotR and Hobbit, but the rest of Tolkiens work holds little interest for me) I got shot down with every post I made in the first month.......I enjoy reading the ME forums, but I leave it to the posters.
(being a Tolkien lover is one thing, being a scholar is something quite different )

[Insidious Rex]

Originally posted by azalea
In the Lotr forums, sometimes I think it is off-putting for newbies and also "long-time" members who are looking for fun discussions rather than cut-throat debate, when people post snide and cutting remarks at them beginning with "Actually,..." and proceed to rip apart that person's comments. I think some people left because they were tired of having no room to speculate or imagine about ME because others would say basically, "You can't think that because 'xxx'; quote from 'xxx' obscure reference in 'xxx' obscure book refutes that." People want to be able to enjoy the ME books sometimes without it being like a classroom lesson, taught by people who want to flaunt their superior knowledge. I know they don't intend for it to be that way, and I enjoy learning new things about ME from others who love Tolkien, but I can think of a few instances where people have left/ abandoned the Tolkien forums because that's the feeling they've gotten. It's fine to talk about the greater ME mythology, but people should give others a chance to express themselves without having their throats jumped down, or put down for not posting as per the expectations of whatever member.

man you can sure hit the nail on the head sometimes azalea. *warm vindication feeling*

[Sister Golden Hair]

I agree with what you are saying azalea, and what that boils down to is intimidation in the book forums. I think for the Silmarillion forum, it is a particular group that hangs there. That is one of the more tougher reads of Tolkien, like the HoMe series. As for the LotRs forum, I think at present the movies have had a great effect on the new members that post there because they were inspired to read the books, which is cool. However, we still have folks that are strictly movie goers that post in the book forums, which is so obvious, and not neccessarily a good thing for readers or movie fans. It invites friction between the two. The Middle-earth forum also has that problem, but to a smaller degree.

I think that some Tolkien scholars may be intimidating, and even though I won that "Entmoot award" I do not consider myself that much of a scholar. I know more than some, and less than others. When I see something in the book forums that I know and can inform another with my post, then that is what I try to do. I don't know about others, but for me, it's not about being a know it all, and trying to flaunt it, but trying to inform. I have seen the intimidating scholars though, and felt it myself.

[Aralyn]

Look at it this way. When you have a conversation with somebody at work or school or whatever you don't continue with one subject the whole time. One thing leads to another. And you start a new subject. I know it's not always good for the thread but it's how people are. You just have to comment. This leads to another off topic comment. See?
Personally I like Entmoot so much because the Mods and Admins are more lenient about spamming. I come here to talk about my fave series(LOTR) and get to know other people who like it, you know?

What you said Azalea is true. I don't know everything about LOTR and I always get upset when someone makes a big deal out of a mistake I make.
I'm sure you've all heard me say it but you aren't born knowing everything so you should be able to ask and make mistakes.

[Lizra]

I agree with Azalea also! It's not much fun to talk about Middle Earth as if it's a math course! "Loremaster" gas bags can stop a interesting conversation dead, on the second post! Not that I don't like to hear quotes and "facts", but I like the talk down to earth! Entmoot hasn't been as bad as some other forums.

I don't care for the talking about ourselves type threads myself. It's jr high revisited! (IMO)

It is not necessary to call people names. The content of your post should make your point cleary enough. Politeness is a wonderful thing!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally posted by Sister Golden Hair
I know more than some, and less than others. When I see something in the book forums that I know and can inform another with my post, then that is what I try to do. I don't know about others, but for me, it's not about being a know it all, and trying to flaunt it, but trying to inform.

(MEA)
I completely agree. Beautifully said.

"Loremaster" gas bags can stop a interesting conversation dead, on the second post!

(MEA)

Awwww....