Right, what the topic says. Basically, there are still problems plaguing the forums that need attention. I've made a simplified list of problems, a small rational explanation of them.
Problem #1:
Stupid, annoying, idiotic topics cluttering the boards like cow manure on a farm.
Right, so, all the forums have tons and tons of topics with no true relevance, and those topics are left there to pollute the boards. People sort through this to find legitimate topics, which is terribly annoying. This needs to be fixed.
Proposal #1:
Delete all said topics. If a topic is worthy of a lock, it is worthy of a deletion. Of course, there's always the good topic that just degenerates after a while, but those are so much a non-issue. Deleting these topics would make forum reading & viewing so much more pleasant.
Proposal #2:
Garbage forum, where locked topics are moved to. This provides admins with some sort of explanation for any bans that happened due to said locked topic. This would probably require a negative connotation on it, and probably should be requirements for reading before posting.
Problem #2:
Poor/horrible/nonexistent English & grammar
This is another plague of the SRB2MB. People ignore the rules, and make garbage posts. These are annoying to read, and often nearly impossible. These posts also are generally spammy. They often do not contribute to the topic at hand. They are commonly unrelated to the topic.
Proposal #1:
Delete the posts. There is the Placeholder bug, but one placeholder bug in a topic is better than 20 spam posts in the same topic.
Proposal #2:
Start enforcing, far more strongly, the grammar rules. First posts should not be ignored. Many people are ignored who violate these rules. It needs to stop.
Proposal #3
Use the word filter to enforce some grammar. For example, use of the letter 'u' instead of the word 'you' could be handled there. While, truthfully, people should be typing properly, the rest of us shouldn't have to tolerate it.
Problem #3:
Ignoring SRB2Wiki/FAQ/Search function as a resource
Well, stupid questions are asked daily that are addressed on the Wiki/FAQ/Search function. While not all questions are answered, a good many are, and people don't use them. At all. This is a real problem.
Proposal:
Start enforcing 'Read the Wiki/FAQ/Search function' as a rule, not just a message accompanied with a lock. By that, official warnings/suspensions.
Problem #4:
New users expecting to be treated nicely & complimented
Here is another problem. People expect nice treatment and respect, yet refuse to acknowledge that respect is earned, not given. They don't acknowledge that people following the rules are respected more than those who don't. While this clearly can't really be a rule, some level of acknowledgment of this needs to be there. This is the same thought process that led to 'if you don't like it, don't download it', and 'criticism = flaming'.
Proposal:
Public 'dressing down' of people who act this way. Not inflammatory, of course, but some level of 'you earn respect, not get it' on those who behave as if they deserver it. This can actually be done by people who aren't forum staff.
Problem #5:
Abuse of emoticons
While not always a problem, there are always idiots who will spam the boards with them. And while they can be edited out easily by a mod, said mod shouldn't have to deal with it.
Proposal #1:
Make a slight modification to the registrar page that disables emoticons, and does not allow the user to change that there. Rather, it should only be an option in the profile.
Proposal #2:
Treat emoticon abuse as if it were grammar infractions.
Proposal #6:
Stupidity as a whole
Here's a biggie. People who don't use common sense. This includes people who ask redundant questions, ask for help with something that they could find by spending a total of ten seconds on Google, and other such nonsense.
Proposal #1:
Treat such posts/topics as spam.
Proposal #2:
Do not answer the posts, leave the user to figure it out himself.
Proposal #3:
If nothing else, these should probably fall under Rule 12, and be more enforced.
Problem #7:
Lack of forum staff
There's another problem. Not always enough people to deal with the day-to-day sludge coming in.
Proposal #1:
More moderators. There are plenty of decent candidates, I'm certain. Why not apply them?
Proposal #2:
Moderators promoted to administrators. We really do need more than what we have.
These are not fully documented. If I were to, I could come back later and expand. But for now, the idea is to get the point across.
Problem #1:
Stupid, annoying, idiotic topics cluttering the boards like cow manure on a farm.
Right, so, all the forums have tons and tons of topics with no true relevance, and those topics are left there to pollute the boards. People sort through this to find legitimate topics, which is terribly annoying. This needs to be fixed.
Proposal #1:
Delete all said topics. If a topic is worthy of a lock, it is worthy of a deletion. Of course, there's always the good topic that just degenerates after a while, but those are so much a non-issue. Deleting these topics would make forum reading & viewing so much more pleasant.
Proposal #2:
Garbage forum, where locked topics are moved to. This provides admins with some sort of explanation for any bans that happened due to said locked topic. This would probably require a negative connotation on it, and probably should be requirements for reading before posting.
Problem #2:
Poor/horrible/nonexistent English & grammar
This is another plague of the SRB2MB. People ignore the rules, and make garbage posts. These are annoying to read, and often nearly impossible. These posts also are generally spammy. They often do not contribute to the topic at hand. They are commonly unrelated to the topic.
Proposal #1:
Delete the posts. There is the Placeholder bug, but one placeholder bug in a topic is better than 20 spam posts in the same topic.
Proposal #2:
Start enforcing, far more strongly, the grammar rules. First posts should not be ignored. Many people are ignored who violate these rules. It needs to stop.
Proposal #3
Use the word filter to enforce some grammar. For example, use of the letter 'u' instead of the word 'you' could be handled there. While, truthfully, people should be typing properly, the rest of us shouldn't have to tolerate it.
Problem #3:
Ignoring SRB2Wiki/FAQ/Search function as a resource
Well, stupid questions are asked daily that are addressed on the Wiki/FAQ/Search function. While not all questions are answered, a good many are, and people don't use them. At all. This is a real problem.
Proposal:
Start enforcing 'Read the Wiki/FAQ/Search function' as a rule, not just a message accompanied with a lock. By that, official warnings/suspensions.
Problem #4:
New users expecting to be treated nicely & complimented
Here is another problem. People expect nice treatment and respect, yet refuse to acknowledge that respect is earned, not given. They don't acknowledge that people following the rules are respected more than those who don't. While this clearly can't really be a rule, some level of acknowledgment of this needs to be there. This is the same thought process that led to 'if you don't like it, don't download it', and 'criticism = flaming'.
Proposal:
Public 'dressing down' of people who act this way. Not inflammatory, of course, but some level of 'you earn respect, not get it' on those who behave as if they deserver it. This can actually be done by people who aren't forum staff.
Problem #5:
Abuse of emoticons
While not always a problem, there are always idiots who will spam the boards with them. And while they can be edited out easily by a mod, said mod shouldn't have to deal with it.
Proposal #1:
Make a slight modification to the registrar page that disables emoticons, and does not allow the user to change that there. Rather, it should only be an option in the profile.
Proposal #2:
Treat emoticon abuse as if it were grammar infractions.
Proposal #6:
Stupidity as a whole
Here's a biggie. People who don't use common sense. This includes people who ask redundant questions, ask for help with something that they could find by spending a total of ten seconds on Google, and other such nonsense.
Proposal #1:
Treat such posts/topics as spam.
Proposal #2:
Do not answer the posts, leave the user to figure it out himself.
Proposal #3:
If nothing else, these should probably fall under Rule 12, and be more enforced.
Problem #7:
Lack of forum staff
There's another problem. Not always enough people to deal with the day-to-day sludge coming in.
Proposal #1:
More moderators. There are plenty of decent candidates, I'm certain. Why not apply them?
Proposal #2:
Moderators promoted to administrators. We really do need more than what we have.
These are not fully documented. If I were to, I could come back later and expand. But for now, the idea is to get the point across.
have the same effect. o.o
