This Forum Blows

[BroDeal]

The signal to noise ratio has fallen through the floor. It's 90% baiting and people responding to baiting posts. The response posts are as bad as the trolling posts.

 

[Barrus]

Than give us some ways we can deal with it, 'cause god knows we have enough on our hands as it is. We try to do our best, so if you have some way we can improve on this aspect it would be much appreciated

 

[Hugh Januss]

Than give us some ways we can deal with it, 'cause god knows we have enough on our hands as it is. We try to do our best, so if you have some way we can improve on this aspect it would be much appreciated

Maybe ban everybody?

 

[Barrus]

Maybe ban everybody?

Sometimes that is all too tempting

 

[Cobblestones]

It comes with the subject. Armstrong makes a certain type of lowlife crawl out from under the rocks. Happens at the TdF, when Landis came out first, and now again. Another reason why he has to go down -- to restore sanity to the cycling forum.

The only thing which I can see might work is to not accept new posters for a week or two and be liberal with one-two week bans or until the situation cools down. I would recommend that for the whole month of July btw. The forum is pretty *** during that time every year. It's usually at its best in May around the Giro. Except now, we have the ToC as well.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Oh, BroDeal

Any half-good article critical of Pharmstrong will bring out the cult members vainly struggling to hold onto their cult leader's image. It's going to suck for a while.

If FDA charges go public, the circus of half-baked apologists trolling through The Clinic will be even larger than the SI article.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Maybe you could promote some members to moderators

 

[Barrus]

Maybe you could promote some members to moderators

I doubt enough people would be stupid enough to volunteer

 

[Michielveedeebee]

I doubt enough people would be stupid enough to volunteer

dunno, you could give the job to ACF to p*ss of the Dutch maffia

 

[L'arriviste]

I think that the facts are there and beyond that, it's either denial or abstraction.

Maybe some folks around here could use a trial separation. Why not let's all volunteer to go "Armstrong-free" for 30 days?

[EDIT: I am actually suggesting that as a serious idea, by the way!]

The Clinic will be fine because there are plenty of other 'honest dopers' to yap about.

Meanwhile once the Classics season kicks off, most of the timewasters will disappear anyway. Until July. Or until Novitzky calls for the bill.

 

[krebs303]

WonderLance is ready and willing

 

[Barrus]

dunno, you could give the job to ACF to p*ss of the Dutch maffia

You do understand both me and Francois are among the leaders of the Dutch Mafia

But seriously if any of you have any good manners to improve the forum like cobblestones, please let them be heard

 

[Michielveedeebee]

You do understand both me and Francois are among the leaders of the Dutch Mafia

But seriously if any of you have any good manners to improve the forum like cobblestones, please let them be heard

and I thought you were a non-corrupt sheriff
Maybe you could make a Clinic subsection regarding Armstrong and the FDA-Novitzky investigation.

 

[Berzin]

You do understand both me and Francois are among the leaders of the Dutch Mafia

But seriously if any of you have any good manners to improve the forum like cobblestones, please let them be heard.

Barrus-there are very pronounced differences between Armstrong supporters and trolls.

Trolls are purposely confrontational and usually don't post on any other sections of the forum. They also waste no time getting to it. Usually that's a another dead giveaway-a poster signs on the forum and in less than a day has 4-5 posts in different threads of the Clinic in support of Armstrong.

The tone of their rhetoric is usually sarcastic and aims at causing personal confrontation.

Also, there are trolls that have nothing to say, but post comment after comment of inanities meant to derail the original intent of the thread.

I think it would be good, just for the Clinic section, to have it moderated with an iron fist. And I also think it would be a good idea to finally retire the posters who have been allowed to troll for hundreds upon hundreds of posts. They really do drag down the quality of the Clinic threads and add nothing positive or informative to any discussion.

Seriously impinging on the trolls via aggressive throttling will keep otherwise well-meaning posters from answering specious, obvious and repetitive questions that can be researched easily if the troll really wanted an honest answer.

Once the tone is set that Armstrong trolls aren't allowed to hide and breed here, once the realize that they will be summarily fumigated, then they will stop coming here in such droves. Tough love is the only answer. It may sound draconian, but it's the only thing that will restore sanity to an otherwise great section of the forum that really isn't allowed to exist anywhere else in cyberspace. Why let these agenda-driven fleas ruin it for everyone else?

And if anyone objects on the basis of free speech protection, our Founding Fathers here in America, to use an example, put a clause in the Constitution protecting free speech so citizens would have a platform for political dissent, not as a mandate protecting the rights of bottom-feeders to be gratuitously idiotic and verbally abusive to whomever they choose. And this is a private sector forum where the administrators are allowed to make their own rules regarding the level of discourse they will allow and not allow on the forums.



And yes, I volunteer for the position of moderator-at-arms.

 

[The Hitch]

Than give us some ways we can deal with it, 'cause god knows we have enough on our hands as it is. We try to do our best, so if you have some way we can improve on this aspect it would be much appreciated

If you want suggestions, heres one.

Lance Armstrong sub forum. Call it what you like. The "Lance, Landis and Lemond" subforum or the "US early 2000's doping situation" subforum.

 

[Barrus]

If you want suggestions, heres one.

Lance Armstrong sub forum. Call it what you like. The "Lance, Landis and Lemond" subforum or the "US early 2000's doping situation" thread.

The problem with this is however that the quality of the threads in that subforum would not improve, but most likely decline even further

 

[The Hitch]

The problem with this is however that the quality of the threads in that subforum would not improve, but most likely decline even further

Yeah, i guess it wouldnt help you mods that much, but for those of us who focus mainly on european cycling today, it would help get all that stuff out of the clinic.

It would stop people from hijacking non Lance threads, which happens a lot in the clinic. Greet any such attempt with

"you want to talk about Lance, go to the approrpaite subforum, rather than hijack this thread about the Tour of Ouagadougou"

You do understand both me and Francois are among the leaders of the Dutch Mafia

WRONG!!!

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/group.php?groupid=9

 

[Barrus]

Yeah, i guess it wouldnt help you mods that much, but for those of us who focus mainly on european cycling today, it would help get all that stuff out of the clinic.

It would stop people from hijacking non Lance threads, which happens a lot in the clinic. Greet any such attempt with

"you want to talk about Lance, go to the approrpaite subforum, rather than hijack this thread about the Tour of Ouagadougou"




WRONG!!!

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/group.php?groupid=9

If you or anyone else see a thread that is hijacked with Lance although it has nothing to do with Lance, please report it, because that is one of my most hated things on this forum. Any such instance that is seen like that will be followed up on.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

If you want suggestions, heres one.

Lance Armstrong sub forum. Call it what you like. The "Lance, Landis and Lemond" subforum or the "US early 2000's doping situation" subforum.

you faker, that was my idea

 

[Hugh Januss]

The whole moderation thing is a slippery slope IMO. The line between trolling and simply being delusional is just too thin to really police very well. Just being stupid and easily deceived is not grounds for being banned.
Just enjoy your fellow posters for the whimsy which they bring to the various discussions.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Yes forum blows.
I thought WTF when I came here into the clinic after 14 hours.

As expected here:
Only the none-haters are trolls.
Thats the message some people want to spread here. They should think about that.
It's always actio et reactio.

One thing is clear. This clinic needs an Armstrong subforum or limitation of threads. Best would be if threads have to be confirmed by a balanced admin.
In this clinic the best cyclist of last three years is just a stitch on 100km.

Everyone who says that he still has an overview is a liar. There are 10 threads now where people are talking about the same issues and not limited obsession led to situation like it is now. Total chaos.
The reins weren't tightened early enough. I told you earlier.

Of course I am not an angel, but many people out of a certain species can do and write whatever they want and are taking over control step by step.
Hate, establish and you can do whatever you want. You can only be right - whatever you write.


Eat, dream, sleep...Armstrong. If some guys come around the corner in a thread about an other rider, you can close it immediately.


At least I admit to be a troll, fanboy or whatever you call me.
That always gets better when the season really starts, so that I am at 50/50.

 

[Barrus]

This is not a thread to personally attack someone else, generalities about trends in the forum are allowed but do not specifically attack a certain poster, this is not about particular posters but about the general status of the forum

 

[KuotaRocket]

The signal to noise ratio has fallen through the floor. It's 90% baiting and people responding to baiting posts. The response posts are as bad as the trolling posts.

I'm in full agreement with you.

There are a bunch of us that really don't care about Lance, Landis, etc... But what really happens is that the "Clinic" forum posts up on the CN main page, and it appears that ALL of he posts are about this.

I've also noticed that when someone makes a post that the "Senior Members" find a bit too "rookie" for them, regarding equipment, riders, etc, then they are quick take them to task. Total bulls--t.

Let's bury The Clinic where it belongs. It's a select group, they all know each other, and they want to talk about the doping, and their Lance stuff. Give them their space, but not a priority. Instead, let's get the Forums at the top of the Main Page where people might actually WANT to talk about cycling.

For now, I have to ride my bike and work.

 

[Cobblestoned]

This is not a thread to personally attack someone else, generalities about trends in the forum are allowed but do not specifically attack a certain poster, this is not about particular posters but about the general status of the forum

This was necessary to give an example for what is going on here and that there are always two views of a story.

I like him and would never really attack him.
I corrected it, too.

 

[Chuffy]

I think it would be good, just for the Clinic section, to have it moderated with an iron fist. And I also think it would be a good idea to finally retire the posters who have been allowed to troll for hundreds upon hundreds of posts. They really do drag down the quality of the Clinic threads and add nothing positive or informative to any discussion.

I think you're right, but you need buy-in from the regulars otherwise you're setting yourself up for a whole sh!tstorm of protest. Bro Deal has also nailed the other side of the equation - the way that people, including those who should know better, respond to the trolls. That needs to be part of the deal too.