Be Excellent To Each Other

I wasn't aware that the mandate for the mods included deciding what people can and can't post about or how they should do so. There were many many discussions about "light touch modding" which every one agreed with.

The subsequent locking of a thread I started so that we could discuss this generally is rather out of order.

I don't think this is something that the mods should be doing on their own. I started that thread so we could actually discuss the point generally amongst the fourmites. I think it is out of order to do something like this without forum input, especially given the "mandate" that the mods had.

So - can we all discuss the issue, please? This "isn't a dictatorship", remember?

I HAPPEN TO BE QUITE PARTIAL TO BITS AND BOBS

Vote Comical, for all your murderous bits and bobs needs.

It didn't look like a thread to discuss it. It came across as a new bits and bobs thread, started with a rant. Change the title of this one to something reasonable and we can discuss it.

What's going onnnnn?

Did your move go ok? I've noticed you've not posted for a bit. Presumably the delay in getting your net sorted?

The title of the last one I started to discuss this issue was reasonable and that got locked, mate.

Power crazed mods getting all Campbell on our asses, that's what.

And - shocker - it's not me!

So reasons for trying a period without bits and bobs:

1) People have got very used to posting in it, so things that are actually well worth being threads end up going in bits and bobs instead.
2) Because it jumps topics all over the place, interesting items only get a couple of replies before something else takes over
3) Only the most hardcore board readers can keep up with a thread that moves that fast, and anyone else has literally no chance of getting involved in discussion.

As I've just said to Chris in PM, this wasn't a unilateral decision (despite my jokey post in BnB3 to that effect). We had some positive posts about locking the thread for a while, and we made a decision to have a TRIAL while the boards were quiet. We've discussed at length in the mod forum about when and how we should bring it back.

At the moment we feel it is at the detriment of the rest of the board. There is so much good quality stuff that goes on in that thread that I miss and shouldn't even be posted in there in the first place, and I'm one of the greatest (in quantity) posters on here. As I have said before I dread to think how much stuff gets missed by our less-frequent visitors.

You can't please all the people all the time, but we resolved to at least let this two-week period elapse before making any further decision. We always welcome opinions with trying to make the board a better and happier place, but in my opinion, Mr Chris has gone about it completely the wrong way.

I'd be intrigued to find out how you think he should have gone about it.

You know, I really should put myself up for Mod sometime. Looks like fun! ("Are you sure about this?" - ed.) I quite liked Bits & Bobs myself, it was handy for little statements I needed to make without derailing other threads or creating ones that plummet out of the page-view faster than a paedo-celebrity does out of public favour. I can live without it though. I guess I just don't understand the beef some people have with it.

Myoptika and the mods seem to be doing a good job, just wish we had a vote on this or something, or that they'd left it alone.

No heated corwumphing anyone please though.

Obviously, the way to make the board busier is to cause a rukus like this

There were two positive comments that I saw.

Which is exactly why a poll or somesuch should have been run. Unilaterally locking a thread, and banning its replication, when such a large number of people use it? Come on, you can't see why that might piss people off?



I wasn't aware that we voted the mods in to make up new rules or to mould the board content into a particular form - I thought they were there to just make sure people behaved and were excellent to each other. I'm seeing this whole thing as a fairly large overstepping of bounds.

What next - deciding that people should only post about DS games on a Friday?



Well, you're sort of right there due to my tone, and I apologise, but this annoyed me.

Hmm, fair so then. I think we should have had a statement of intent like that post there, though. Or maybe you did and I missed it. Maybe a one-liners thread is what we need. Or a 'Where my head is at' thread. Trouble is anything like that mutates rapidly into a Bits & Bobs I guess unless people agree to not comment on things others say beyond a mutual one-liner.

Chinnyhill sent a PM to the mods. We had a civilised discussion about it and both respected each other's differing opinions.

It's like you've got access to my account or the mod forum or something.

Anything that consumes bits and bobs for more than a couple of pages should be (and sometimes is, sometimes at my very owen request) split into a seperate thread. That's entirely reasonable and not hard for a mod to do (or else, what are they for, eh?).

Otherwise the thread serves its function perfectly, being short, ramblings where non-topic-worthy single posts can be made about any subject. Now there is no such place. I can't see a reason not to restore it.

If you'd rather people started more threads, I'd just say 'START MORE THREADS PLEASE', rather than removing the only outlet for random mumblings.

Oh - I should note that the unilateral decision was made by Craster - Myp actually suggested a poll. So my humble and public apologies to Myp.

And Craster - you're due a pitchfork up the bum, you cunt.

You are Stuart Campbell and I claim my free Xbox360*.

* for only 12 referrals!

It's not just a matter for the mods though, in my opinion. It's a matter for general discussion, as it affects many board users.

Indeed, and why the need to hold the discussions about this in the secret mods area?

I can see why that might be necessary when there is a problem with a particular poster but over a matter such as this the only reason I can think of is that people just want their way.

I think.

The six million dollar question is - "Would the excellent stuff that comes up in that Bits & Bobs thread appear without it, or would it never be posted as the subject wouldn't initially seem post-worthy to the creator." - With chunkier-madate threads maybe the problem will happily be solved.

Exactly what I meant. Just keep bits and bobs for things that aren't going to spark off huge debates e.t.c like 'I fell off my chair at work today, this hurt-bye'

Pete- I think I got you then >.< if people moved the 'awesome posts' that started convo's off to a new thread then bits and bobs would be cleaned then?

The whole point of Bits and Bobs:
-is to say things that are worth saying but not worth a thread
-to avoid things that aren't worth a thread but have nowhere else to be said becoming threads anywayand having no replies but pushing good stuff off the bottom of the first page at an alarming rate
-is that it will take a strange discussiony direction of its own, which is what makes this place so great I thought... the wild tangents!

I say bring it back. While it's a shame some folks aren't able to read it fast enough, clearly some people were getting a lot of enjoyment out of using it. I know I can't keep on top of it constantly, but if I stick my nose in and see part of a discussion that interests me, I am somehow able to scroll back a few pages to start reading it from the beginning!

I for one welcome our new Bits and Bobs crushing overlords.

Pipe down pal. Have you got that job yet?

Oh right - I only saw the first one.

Perhaps we could have a number of Bits and Bobs threads, all dealing with different "non thread specific" topics?

Christ, really?

I think that's what he was trying to say in a VERY UNHUMOUROUS way

Yes and no.
I am definitely not OFF the shortlist for 2nd interview - ergo, I am on it.
But they are due to see more people, so I mighty yet be bumped off it.
Feedback was they really liked me, and only fault was I went into too much detail when giving examples, which they didnt require. MEh.

I should be king really, because I have lots of moderation experience and I'm completely impartial. Also, I am never here, so no-one would ever have cause to complain.

I'll complain about your poor memory for Red Dwarf quotes.

69 posts, cool.

You'd be the new Zardoz, then?

And then I shat through your letterbox.

I'll complain about your poor memory for Red Dwarf quotes.[/quote]

Don't tell him your name, Private!

So - There are definitely some issues with the B&B thread, so what would be some suggested solutions? We can then stick them in a poll or something.

(1) Leave everything as it is - it's wonderful;

(2) Ban B&B and anything that faintly resembles it - it'll be the death of BEEX;

(3) Leave B&B in place but mods should split out anything interesting; or

(4) Leave B&B in place but institute a "nothing interesting in here which may warrant more than one response" type rule for it.

It's a case of balancing the requirement for a repository for the inevitable pile up of inconsequntial posts and making sure that the good stuff is easy to find.

The only trouble I see with Bits and Bobs is when something's posted in there, gets a few replies, then someone who hasn't seen it starts a topic about it. (Normally movie news that I've posted. Or Bigfoot.)

But that's not a big enough problem to mean Bits and Bobs should be dropped, I don't think.

No, it was more of a joke about the way the forum would work without a Bits and Bobs thread.

I'll have #3 please, Noel.

Shin - are you the person Gaz picked up on Facebook?

Hang on - poll it is then.

Obviously if the result's wrong we won't abide by it.

Aha! He said *all sorts of things* about you on here. Oh yes indeed.