Start suspending people who blatantly disregard forum rules.

[Gparker]

Yeah. Pretend you're in English class.

What if your failing English? Or just absouloutly suck at it?

 

[waffle=ijm]

Yeah. Pretend you're in English class.

What if your failing English? Or just absouloutly* suck at it?

Then get some tutoring and stop making excuses

*absolutely

 

[JTW2007]

I have mixed feelings. I think that the forum has really become worse lately what with all the repetition, posts (and namely threads) with no purpose, and non-cube related stuff. This would help. On the other hand, these posts are normally from new users, and it seems harsh to ban or suspend a new user right away. I think it should take effect once someone has 20-30 posts.

 

[Stefan]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

[...] for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

I take that back. Hadn't seen those hideous "who cares" which do put you in the same league if not above. Don't do that again.

these posts are normally from new users, and it seems harsh to ban or suspend a new user right away.

It's a short ban from a discussion forum. It's not like we're locking them into a cold cell without food and drinks for a few days.

 

[Bryan]

When I see messages from non-English speakers, yes, sometimes the English isn't perfect, but it's more likely to be:

How can I order a V-Cubes shipping to Smerbia?

Not:

how do i get vcubes?

The Non-English speakers do quite well. In fact, I can't tell the majority of them don't have English as their primary language. The example above is probably pretty rare. However, I can usually tell if someone is a teenager or not depending on their writing. Again, we do have many that you can't tell the difference, but you don't get many adults writing in chat speak.

 

[fanwuq]

However, I can usually tell if someone is a teenager or not depending on their writing. Again, we do have many that you can't tell the difference, but you don't get many adults writing in chat speak.

Really?

IMHO the setup moves for commutator should be intuitive. Listing all cases would be counter-productive ;-)

Spoiler

Per, one of the most knowledgeable adult cubists, uses acronyms like IMHO and faces like ;-) !

 

[04mucklowd]

I've got a bad feeling about this,
I feel that I may fall into that catorgorie

[...] for some reason you're not quite in the same league as crosman boy and rUnEsCaPeR.

I take that back. Hadn't seen those hideous "who cares" which do put you in the same league if not above. Don't do that again.

Im sorry I wont do it again
I will post more thoughtful things in the future

 

[Dene]

However, I can usually tell if someone is a teenager or not depending on their writing. Again, we do have many that you can't tell the difference, but you don't get many adults writing in chat speak.

Really?

IMHO the setup moves for commutator should be intuitive. Listing all cases would be counter-productive ;-)

Spoiler

Per, one of the most knowledgeable adult cubists, uses acronyms like IMHO and faces like ;-) !

When you talk do you abbreviate words into letters?

 

[brunson]

IMHO the setup moves for commutator should be intuitive. Listing all cases would be counter-productive ;-)

Spoiler

Per, one of the most knowledgeable adult cubists, uses acronyms like IMHO and faces like ;-) !

There is a difference between chatspeak (wat cube u use 4 speed? lulz!!!) and common internet acronyms that have been around for longer than you've been alive.

Yeah. Pretend you're in English class.

What if your failing English? Or just absouloutly* suck at it?

Then get some tutoring and stop making excuses

*absolutely

*you're

If you're going to be a grammar nazi, do it right. ;-)

 

[Bryan]

However, I can usually tell if someone is a teenager or not depending on their writing. Again, we do have many that you can't tell the difference, but you don't get many adults writing in chat speak.

Really?

IMHO the setup moves for commutator should be intuitive. Listing all cases would be counter-productive ;-)

Spoiler

Per, one of the most knowledgeable adult cubists, uses acronyms like IMHO and faces like ;-) !

Again, you're trying to focus on black and white rules. Does using an acronym or a smiley face convey immaturity? No. In fact, a smiley face is sometimes necessary to convey the tone of the message. Otherwise, you get people that want to respond with "i wuz just jokin". No, no you weren't. You were wrong. Just admit that and be done with it.

And also, he capitalizes his acronyms so they stand out better, and doesn't use "lol" in every single message no matter what.

 

[fanwuq]

However, I can usually tell if someone is a teenager or not depending on their writing. Again, we do have many that you can't tell the difference, but you don't get many adults writing in chat speak.

Really?

IMHO the setup moves for commutator should be intuitive. Listing all cases would be counter-productive ;-)

Spoiler

Per, one of the most knowledgeable adult cubists, uses acronyms like IMHO and faces like ;-) !

Again, you're trying to focus on black and white rules. Does using an acronym or a smiley face convey immaturity? No. In fact, a smiley face is sometimes necessary to convey the tone of the message. Otherwise, you get people that want to respond with "i wuz just jokin". No, no you weren't. You were wrong. Just admit that and be done with it.

And also, he capitalizes his acronyms so they stand out better, and doesn't use "lol" in every single message no matter what.

Good clarification. I just don't believe that you can tell someone's age by his/her writing.

Also, I'm not familiar with chat speak or internet acronyms. I'm only used to maybe 5 of them. I frequently have to do searches like http://www.google.com/search?client...&hl=en&q=internet+acronyms&btnG=Google+Search
to decipher some of the posts here.

Brunson:
Excuse me for being a few decades behind; the world atlas I usually refer to is still from the 1970s. I still use the abacus. I still use my dictionary from the 1980s. Most of the things I own are older than me and that's ok. Cell phone, even telephones, do not really exist for me. Electric lighting isn't really necessary either. I would not use cars either if my parents would let me. I'm probably the opposite of most cubists. I don't care so much for fancy technology. This is probably the reason I haven't bought a V-cube yet; they are too new.

 

[d4m4s74]

I use the internet close to 24/7 but even I have to look up acronyms sometimes

having to google something isn't a crime

 

[Dene]

Brunson:
Excuse me for being a few decades behind; the world atlas I usually refer to is still from the 1970s. I still use the abacus. I still use my dictionary from the 1980s. Most of the things I own are older than me and that's ok. Cell phone, even telephones, do not really exist for me. Electric lighting isn't really necessary either. I would not use cars either if my parents would let me. I'm probably the opposite of most cubists. I don't care so much for fancy technology. This is probably the reason I haven't bought a V-cube yet; they are too new.

But you use a computer

 

[fanwuq]

Brunson:
Excuse me for being a few decades behind; the world atlas I usually refer to is still from the 1970s. I still use the abacus. I still use my dictionary from the 1980s. Most of the things I own are older than me and that's ok. Cell phone, even telephones, do not really exist for me. Electric lighting isn't really necessary either. I would not use cars either if my parents would let me. I'm probably the opposite of most cubists. I don't care so much for fancy technology. This is probably the reason I haven't bought a V-cube yet; they are too new.

But you use a computer

I know. It really annoys me. Sometimes I hate myself for being online for too long.

 

[PhillipEspinoza]

First off, isn't this thread "blatantly disregarding forum rules" by putting someone on blast (the kid who made the "wow this is old post)? I thought people were encouraged NOT to do this. I think the thread could have had the same essential meaning without the specific mentioning of the kid.

I think one of the main problems for new people is that they have to search for the search box. A lot of repeat posts could be be prevented if the search box were made more obvious.

So would the banning of an individual be based on how annoying the post is or how irrelevant the post is to the topic combined with how old it is? Either way, I think using your judgment seems rather arbitrary and subjective. What's annoying to some, could be funny and harmless to others. Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of people have deviated from the main point of the conversation numerous times. And if based on intentionality, how would you judge whether or not someone MEANT to be annoying? I think a lot of "annoying" posts are done out of ignorance and instead of being punished/banned, they should be informed.

Also, I think this would deter potential newcomers from entering the cubing world. As if it wasn't already intimidating enough entering such a competitive community, now they would have to worry about whether or not their question is worth asking or if they would sound like a "noob" asking it. Also, I think banning them would only make them reconsider asking questions in the future.

Overall, I think banning people would contribute to the perceived exclusivity of the speedcubing community. If banning were enforced, it would eventually lead to less and less newcomers and more of the same "elite" cubers, which I think is an undesirable outcome.

 

[PatrickJameson]

Excuse me for being a few decades behind; the world atlas I usually refer to is still from the 1970s. I still use the abacus. I still use my dictionary from the 1980s. Most of the things I own are older than me and that's ok. Cell phone, even telephones, do not really exist for me. Electric lighting isn't really necessary either. I would not use cars either if my parents would let me. I'm probably the opposite of most cubists. I don't care so much for fancy technology. This is probably the reason I haven't bought a V-cube yet; they are too new.

So you are saying you want to make your life harder for yourself?

 

[PCwizCube]

I agree with this point.

Maybe a solution to resolve this for new comers:

When they register, the should be shown a page of the rules, and then answer some questions below it. For example they could be:

Q: What should you include in all of your posts?
A: I, a new user, who should have read the rules, should include try to use the best English I can in the forum by using proper _________ and _________. (spelling, grammar)

Q: What should you not do on the forum unless your post relates to the thread?
A: When I find a old thread (more than two weeks or something like that), unless I have important information that relates to the thread to say, I should not ____ anything new in the thread. (post)

Maybe tell them they can find the answers in the rules where the words are underlined or highlighted or bolded in the rules or something.

My examples aren't perfect but that's just a general idea of what you could do. It would force people to learn the rules, and could also be helpful in keeping spammers/bots away.


And for punishment, users could report stuff and moderators could check it, and the could get a warning. On their second warning, the user could be temporarily banned for like 5 days or something. Another two warnings maybe like two weeks, then maybe a month. Something like that, just a general idea.

I have thought over the problem recently, and I don't think that bad spelling/punctuation is that much of a problem. I mean many people here would prefer reading "you" instead of "u", but it's still understandable.

The things that most people are annoyed about is the bumping threads and the repeated questions. I think that they both can be solved pretty easily.

For bumping threads, have moderators approve of the posts that people make after a set number of time after the last post. For example, if after two weeks no one has posted in a thread, and a person tries to post something in that thread, a moderator must approve that post. (I don't go on the forums so often so two weeks probably isn't the right time limit)

I know that it may take a day or two for a moderator to see the post, because he/she is busy and cannot go on the forums all the time, but it wouldn't really matter. After all, after a set amount of time that no one has posted, it's pretty much known that people are not eager to talk about the topic anymore. So if the post appears a day or two later than it's not that much of a problem.

Repeated questions can be addressed basically the same way, but it probably wont' be the best idea. Most repeated questions are asked in the Beginner/Hardware sub forums, so MAYBE moderators could approve new threads.

Might be a problem though because as mentioned before, it may take a day or two a moderator to see the new thread. But maybe there could be "thread moderators" or "thread approvers" of trusted users around the forum that know a lot about cubing and the questions that have been asked on the forum. They could probably just be in charge of approving new threads in the Beginner/Hardware forums, nothing else.

As for spelling/punctuation/grammar, I think that when new users register they should be informed very noticeably that the forum is not texting and people should try to type the best English they can. And everytime they don't do that a moderator could want the user and it would require to read that rule again about it's not texting, etc.

And if threads/posts are not improved, the user who posted/started the tread should be explained why.

 

[PatrickJameson]

First off, isn't this thread "blatantly disregarding forum rules" by putting someone on blast (the kid who made the "wow this is old post)? I thought people were encouraged NOT to do this. I think the thread could have had the same essential meaning without the specific mentioning of the kid.

I wouldn't agree. Public humiliation can have quite an affect on people's thinking on things. Whether this worked for this case, I do not know.

So would the banning of an individual be based on how annoying the post is or how irrelevant the post is to the topic combined with how old it is?

Both.

Either way, I think using your judgment seems rather arbitrary and subjective. What's annoying to some, could be funny and harmless to others.

Why would we want anyone to be annoyed? Are people really annoyed with people typing with good grammar?

And if based on intentionality, how would you judge whether or not someone MEANT to be annoying?

This is why we have moderators, to decide this for everyone else.

I think a lot of "annoying" posts are done out of ignorance and instead of being punished/banned, they should be informed.

Of course. I'm not exactly in favor of the strict '3 strikes you're out' rule myself. I'd rather have the banning/informing done based on each individual case.

Also, I think this would deter potential newcomers from entering the cubing world. As if it wasn't already intimidating enough entering such a competitive community, now they would have to worry about whether or not their question is worth asking or if they would sound like a "noob" asking it. Also, I think banning them would only make them reconsider asking questions in the future.

I do not think this would be the case. I believe it will only make the newcomer research more, thinking about what they are asking. When they have searched for the answer and can not find anything, the outcome will be a well thought out post unlike the 5 second process of, "OH GOT QUESTION POST ON SPEEDSOLVING", that a lot of the posts are becoming.

Overall, I think banning people would contribute to the perceived exclusivity of the speedcubing community. If banning were enforced, it would eventually lead to less and less newcomers and more of the same "elite" cubers, which I think is an undesirable outcome.

I've been seeing a huge decrease, in my opinion, in the intelligence of the speedcubing community. I really do not want speedcubing to become like this. It's just depressing to read some of these posts and to think of what the future could possibly mean.

 

[jcuber]

Might be a problem though because as mentioned before, it may take a day or two a moderator to see the new thread. But maybe there could be "thread moderators" or "thread approvers" of trusted users around the forum that know a lot about cubing and the questions that have been asked on the forum. They could probably just be in charge of approving new threads in the Beginner/Hardware forums, nothing else.

I like that idea, especially as many people who have been here only 6 months or so already know what threads are copies and what aren't. This way, moderaors won't be bothered, and there will be less repeat threads.

 

[qqwref]

I agree with Patrick.

And remember, everyone who's criticizing this idea, moderation will NOT mean a zero-tolerance, knee-jerk ban. We're just trying to establish some guidelines for when to ban people who are annoying. All decisions will be done on a subjective basis because the moderators are people.