Mind-Memes

Maybe Forums Linden isn't awake yet... give it time.

-Ghoti

Perhaps, just perhaps, Forums Linden has gotten as tired of the thread starter pressing the "Report Bad Post" button on every followup that doesn't agree with him as we have of his propensity to press "New Thread".

One can hope, at least.

That's beautiful! I want to steal it for my sig!

Actually Malachi no offense towards you at all.
My snide comment was in reference how threads are arbitrarily dismissed as "personal" attacks and closed when the topic of discussion is going rather amicably.
While alternately blatant examples of assault are left unabated.
Unfortunately that thread continues until someone pulls an arbitrary troll routine.
These takes it so far off the topic people forget about the flaming remarks left prior to that.

I guess this could be debated as what is the premise of the forums. Are we here to play nicety nice to everyone to paint an eloquent picture? Or are we here to be ourselves as the catch phrase "Your World, Your Imagination" implies.

While at times I thoroughly disagree with the initial poster I do catch hints of problematic issues that need addressing that they elaborate to.
Inconsistency while well known in these forums is a curmudgeon to stability.
Some issues can be resolved amicably after the shouting of misunderstanding is cleared up.
Unfortunately we are treated like 5yr olds and told in essence to SU and that thread is closed.
Many times leaving several posters dazed and bewildered as they hadn't had the chance to clarify their communication stand point.

Anyway I digress

Shadow.

The Linden threshold for thread closure seems to be tied more to presentation and implication than to personalization or content. For example, someone can call someone else terrible things, like a terrorist, a blood-drenched Red, a meme-crazed political criminal, or even a college student, and get away with it over and over. Someone else cannot respond by correctly observing that the name-caller has serious personal issues, deliberately masqueraded as a political point of view.

However, I'm personally OK with that. Being allowed to call a person a terrorist has overall good implications for the climate of free expression on these forums. Allowing someone to comment on the serious problems of another poster, even if those problems do underlie unacceptable behavior and issue-related points of view, can arguably poison the forum climate nearly as much as the problems of the original poster. And it can expose LL to some legal risks. LL is a corporation. This is their intellectual property, and they have a corporate agenda in controlling it. Understandable.

I wonder if there isn't a way to consistently "hold open the good thoughts" in each thread for further comment, however. I agree that thread lockdown is sometimes a problem. Perhaps locking certain people out of a thread if they cross the threshold? In other words, I should have been locked out of the "Catch this bomb!" thread, but others could've still participated? Is that possible?

I believe the point was that mind-memes is redundant. All memes are of the mind.

But are all minds of the meme?



Are they?



Are they?





ARE THEY?

Fortunately, for the sake of our sanity, no

Brilliant!

What a fantastic alternative to locking a thread! Preventing individuals from posting any further to a single thread. I looked in the vBulletin FAQ and couldn't find that functionality though. Perhaps we should make a request to the vBulletin folks.

Now if only we could get user reputation enabled.

~Ulrika~

I am 100% on board with this idea but I think you will find the folks in the forums are fairly dedicated to keeping them exactly as they are.

Thank you, Ulrika. I have one honest caveat however: I really, really don't like the idea of "user reputations". The models I've seen have been subject to a lot of abuse, and are often used by the majority to beat the minority (or the one lone ranger) down. The majority has enough power; arming them with formal or visible tools for reputation and peer pressure is too much.

Sometimes the best ideas and criticisms can be found among those who are least popular. It's a shame that many people wouldn't look beyond the negrep, or allow a negrep to influence their evaluation of the poster's idea.

Um, "someone" didn't call "someone" those "terrible things" or they might be in fact the subject of a lock-down.

"Someone" said "someone" was giving a pass to terrorism -- that's not being a terrorist. "Someone" said "someone" was labouring under mind-memes -- that's not being a meme-crazed political criminal. Let's keep it straight. Let's not diffuse the reality of the problem here -- you giving a pass to anarchists and terrorists by putting them in your pos-list for change -- by some hysterical misportrayal of my words.


The idea that people who challenge you effectively -- or even ineffectively -- should be locked out of threads is anaethema to democracy.

Every such experiment in shunning and suppression is useful though because it lets me and others know why we aren't going to let these people rule our world.

Here's the useful part of your post:



Now, can you tell us two things?

(1) What is the difference between an effective/ineffective challenge and misbehavior? It's a fine line, admittedly, and one that deserves discussion.

(2) How exactly is locking out those who misbehave an anathema to democracy?

Who are you to decide what is misbehaviour, Mr. Anarchist?!

Usually when someone replies to a direct and non-leading question with an ad-hominem question, it means that they don't really have an answer. Prokofy, Prokofy.... You're bright enough not to have to fake it....

This thread will be closing in .... 5... 4... 3.... 2.... 1....

You're absolutely correct. It's one of the worst aspects of democracy -- mob rule. Sure everyone gets a voice but is it a voice you want to hear?

I'll scrap the user-reputation idea.

~Ulrika~

Ulrika, thank you again.

And Ghoti, you're right. In the spirit of thread-non-closure, I've removed my response to Prokofy's response. Keep reminding me.

Unpopular speech is the only speech that needs protection. So, though I recognize this is not a free speech forum, and certain individuals make me grind my teeth, I must oppose muzzling them except in cases of blatant and willful TOS violations.

I would also like to suggest the possibility (I could be wrong) that some voices are not heard when a thread devolves. A kind of de facto censorship occurs when people feel that the thread or even the entire forum is an ineffective place to exchange ideas. Posts that WOULD/COULD have been made in an on-topic, polite debate may actually never see the light of day in an ongoing forum slugfest.

I am not sure there EXISTS a solution. I just think it would be nice if there were a place in the forums for each kind of exchange so that nobody's voice gets lost.

Oh, but you already FOUND a solution, hon! It's going on IRC to that efnet.net address and going on the #secondlife channel and spending 40 percent of your time talking about me, and using that time handily to organize a big collective shun of me. Nice work!

Oh, could you provide that address for those on the forums who have time to go to IRC? I don't.

Oh, one more thing...been meaning to ask you, Aimee.

Would you like to give me an interview for the Second Life Herald?

You seem to be a gal who knows her own mind, and can handle herself with even RL big-time media.

Would you be willing to grace a game blog with your interview?

If you give me an interview, that will enable you to:

-- meet me in world, and summarize and expound upon all your thoughts regarding Prokofy Neva and related matters -- use the opportunity to neg me, wear an asshat with my forum icon or a related t-shirt, spam my lot with Bolshevik FIC posters, or do anything you like in that vein -- it'll be fun. You're also encouraged to bring along people wearing chicken outfits, apple core avs with feet, or any sundry and assorted fanz and friendsz
-- leave a landmark giver on my mall free of charge for your store while you remain and for 24 hours after LOL
-- summarize your arguments for changing the forums
-- answering quesitons (hopefully) to my concerns about the FIC and oldbie culture in general, summarized by the phrase "tekkie wiki"
-- having a coherent, back and forth conversation that might help readers to understand what your shun campaign is about.

After you do that, please, go back to shunning me, it has its benefits, believe me.

So, if you'd like to do that, just answer here as to time, place, and venue and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

PLEASE AIMEE! We can even make alts just for the occasion. Ulrika can be Hector Bling, you can be Harangue Pole, and I will be Pillory Pinkney!

I haven't been this excited about an event since Tringo with Jesus!

PLEEEEAAAASE say yes!!!

When Proky uses "hon" it means he's pissed. Good work!

Tekki Wiki...the San Francisco Treat!
Tekki Wiki.. the flavour can't be beat!

Ugh. Why did I even bother. But ok. Lets clear up the lies so you can repeat them for your next post.



I don't use IRC. I couldn't tell you if they talk about you on IRC as I have never been. My understanding, however, is IRC is not a forum. it's more like a chat room.


I don't work for the SLHerald. My only affiliation with them is the one humor article they published for me here: http://www.dragonscoveherald.com/blog/index.php?p=746

If you want them to interview you, I think Neal Stewart is the guy you need to talk to.


Oof...you are Really flinging it. I have a "feted" poster in my club. Other than that, I don't do ANY of those things. Not one single one of those things. I want an apology.


My arguments for changing the forums have been, from day one, "hey guys, do you have any suggestions for improving the forums?".

*** EDIT: Show me a post where I advocated or proposed that you be shunned. I am aware of those threads, and you will not find my posts in them. Thats another apology I want from you.



Yes. I will interview you for the Aimee Herald.