Posts quality, WTF!?

[BRNSTYLE]

The idea is inherently useless. Real world equivalent to the *idea*: "We have a trash problem; there's so much of it. What do we do?!? I know, let's take all the garbage from place A to place B so that we can't see it each day. That's a great solution!".

You know moving garbage from one place to another is not so bad idea at all, that’s what we all regularly do in our life.

We all know about signature spam problem. There was hundreds proposals how to solve it, but almost zero actions. There are many more or less effective ways how to reduce spam: Give negative trust ratings to spammers, ban them or remove them place for signature. I can continue, but such offers was posted many times in past andnothing has been done to stop spammers.
And I think that worst thing which happened to this forum is Altcoin signature campaigns. Literally, every spammer is free to join it. No matter, how terrible quality of your posts will be, you will get paid. And people spamming with tens or even hundreds alt accounts.

So what? I see our (community) role here in systematically pointing out a (1) problem (2) solutions (3) and making those suggestions available for moderators/administration to get familiar to. Let it be their thorn in the ass. For that sake mod should stick this or similar thread in Meta section or elsewhere (I’ll try to send an inquiry). I could’ve rename and edit this thread if needed to systematize adequate suggestions in one place.

Maybe add a feature to up or down vote a thread?  Then users could scan the list and see the threads that have been given up votes.

Moderating such an active forum is virtually impossible.  Up/down voting could get the users to take a more active role in helping moderators triage their limited time.

That may create a field for abusing against respectable users

[minthit]

Hey guys, I’m not an old-timer here, but posts quality problem is so evident and eye-catching even for me though.
80% of threads consist of pointless posts simply simulating discussion and activity. When I saw few paged threads with paraphrased replies my first impression was like WTF is going on, really doesn’t look like a normal talk. Didn’t take too much time to sort things out and realize where a problem is. IMHO, signature campaigns should be better regulated, maybe limited and users rank system is quite imperfect. I’m not against campaigns at all, but you cannot force one to post regularly and maintain meaningful conversation, it’s frankly incompatible, otherwise you undermine forum the very aim to let people discuss and share useful information.

So do we need changes?   

I believe the staff are aware of the problem, but lack a solution.

What do you suggest we do?

Maybe add a feature to up or down vote a thread?  Then users could scan the list and see the threads that have been given up votes.

Moderating such an active forum is virtually impossible.  Up/down voting could get the users to take a more active role in helping moderators triage their limited time.

I think it will help alot. And making up/down vote option available only to legendary and hero members? Of course status just means activities not quality but when I have a question or need help, I get satisfactory and quite objective answer from these guys. They are more than familiar with the forum and have better experience with bitcoin that help alot for newbies like me.

[Lauda]

The idea is inherently useless. Real world equivalent to the *idea*: "We have a trash problem; there's so much of it. What do we do?!? I know, let's take all the garbage from place A to place B so that we can't see it each day. That's a great solution!".

You know moving garbage from one place to another is not so bad idea at all, that’s what we all regularly do in our life.

You move it far away from the place which your reside (the forum). You don't keep moving your garbage from 1 room to another or creating small compartments in your house to keep this garbage forever.

I think it will help alot. And making up/down vote option available only to legendary and hero members? Of course status just means activities not quality but when I have a question or need help, I get satisfactory and quite objective answer from these guys. They are more than familiar with the forum and have better experience with bitcoin that help alot for newbies like me.

Another bad idea. Most (maybe not the former) legendary and hero members nowadays are farmed/bought accounts and there is absolutely no way to generalize them in an expectancy of reasonable voting.

[Oo ako to]

Hey guys, I’m not an old-timer here, but posts quality problem is so evident and eye-catching even for me though.
80% of threads consist of pointless posts simply simulating discussion and activity. When I saw few paged threads with paraphrased replies my first impression was like WTF is going on, really doesn’t look like a normal talk. Didn’t take too much time to sort things out and realize where a problem is. IMHO, signature campaigns should be better regulated, maybe limited and users rank system is quite imperfect. I’m not against campaigns at all, but you cannot force one to post regularly and maintain meaningful conversation, it’s frankly incompatible, otherwise you undermine forum the very aim to let people discuss and share useful information.

So do we need changes?   

No, a lot of threads are mostly consists of opinions and different views of every individual so everyone has their own thoughts. If you want "normal talk" then find other bitcoin enthusiast personally so you can discuss with them with useful information face to face.

[BRNSTYLE]

No, a lot of threads are mostly consists of opinions and different views of every individual so everyone has their own thoughts. If you want "normal talk" then find other bitcoin enthusiast personally so you can discuss with them with useful information face to face.

lol, do we inhabit the same universe?    
Oh, i see. Those are with your posts (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2156318.0 or https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2150777.0) also consists of many opinions and different views, right mate ?  

The idea is inherently useless. Real world equivalent to the *idea*: "We have a trash problem; there's so much of it. What do we do?!? I know, let's take all the garbage from place A to place B so that we can't see it each day. That's a great solution!".

You know moving garbage from one place to another is not so bad idea at all, that’s what we all regularly do in our life.

You move it far away from the place which your reside (the forum). You don't keep moving your garbage from 1 room to another or creating small compartments in your house to keep this garbage forever.

I admit there’s evident logic in your statements, it’s also clear you’ve faced this problem and discussion before. I assume you have your own sight of how it could be solved. Curious to hear.

[d5000]

Apart from my support to apply stricter rules, I would personally enjoy a "thread blacklist" or "ignore thread" feature, which would allow users to mark these "spam megathreads" and never see them again. (Something like a "negative watchlist")

Ideally, forum users should be able to view the list of forum users who blacklisted a thread. This could be educational for signature campaign managers, because they could see which threads would not add much visibility for their campaigns, so they would be incentived to not pay posts in threads ignored by a large number of forum users.

 I don't know if SMF supports this feature, however.

[Lauda]

I admit there’s evident logic in your statements, it’s also clear you’ve faced this problem and discussion before.

I think you will have trouble finding someone with my experience/knowledge on the matter. I've been banned for this very same thing, was moderating the forum for a few months and managed (or am managing) some signature campaigns. I've also participated in a number of previous discussions on this matter. Kitty has attained wisdom.

I assume you have your own sight of how it could be solved. Curious to hear.

I could rehash a number of things from previous threads, but what's the point when the administration doesn't even want to comment on the problem publicly let alone solve it?

[Freedom Force]

Block campaigns without proper moderation might be a good solution.

[BRNSTYLE]

I assume you have your own sight of how it could be solved. Curious to hear.

I could rehash a number of things from previous threads, but what's the point when the administration doesn't even want to comment on the problem publicly let alone solve it?

If it won’t take much time I don’t see any reasons why not to do it. Having all those suggestions and conclusions in one place could result in something one day.

For now here’s intermediate list of suggestions aimed to solve spam problem according to thread participants:

1. Release ban hammer! Remove altcoin campaigns from the forum along with banning their signatures until they get the hint.

2. Improve SMAS initiative (how?)

3. Create specific sections of the forum for things like 'signature campaign discussion', 'how
to earn bitcoin', and similar topics that keep getting created. Then campaigns should not pay for
posts in those sections.  This will be of benefit in two ways:
- Members could use the ignore board function to block those spammy sections
- It would discourage people from making spammy topics like those. 

5. Ban people who persist in opening shitty threads (repeated, etc) as well as ban people who keep posting there.

6. Give negative trust ratings to spammers.

7. Add a feature to up or down vote a thread. Then users could scan the list and see the threads that have been given up votes.

8. Implement "thread blacklist" or "ignore thread" feature. Which would allow users to mark these "spam megathreads" and never see them again. (Something like a "negative watchlist")

9. Do nothing, cause it’s hopeless

[LTU_btc]

I assume you have your own sight of how it could be solved. Curious to hear.

I could rehash a number of things from previous threads, but what's the point when the administration doesn't even want to comment on the problem publicly let alone solve it?

Global moderator Hilariousandco multiple times offered various solutions to spam problem. But main person of this forum - theymos, he ignores the problem. Maybe it means that he is happy about current situation here on bitcointalk?

[astrid.uchiha24]

It is easy to look upon those posts and thread which are pointless and nonsense. This forum is free for everyone, i think this forum needs a moderator or a police moderator just like that to regulate those spammers and nonsense threads. They can as well implement more strict rules than the currently we have right now. Lets just stay tune and see if they can solve this problem, i know they are well aware of it since it is too obvious.

[eule]

Specifically the altcoin section has become a total shitshow due to spammers and scammers.

The moderation on BCT has always been very lax regarding some things like scams for good reasons (time), but I think the stricter enforcement of the unofficial official rules would be very useful. It's funny that those are hidden away in the Meta section instead of being advertised with a big red button on the top of every page: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=703657.0
edit: Well they are on the top of every altcoin forum (oops), the point about the enforcements of those rules stands though. I guess it comes down to number of moderators, the altcoin section having only one strikes me as odd as well (although he has always reacted to my few reports).

So make use of the "Report to moderator" button besides every post, if enough people did that, mods would perhaps be so annoyed by the amount of reports that they finally did something. One could even advertize that idea with a signature or avatar campaign. BCT riot!

BTW: I wonder how many bots are posting on this forum.

[betudontbet]

What about mods locking spammy threads ? I've seen threads with 1k + replys and people dare not to read them and just reply what have been told hundreds of times, I have seen it before but no so often as I would like to, do we have to report these threads to be locked upon request of us ?

[Lauda]

1. Release ban hammer! Remove altcoin campaigns from the forum along with banning their signatures until they get the hint.

Remove altcoin campaigns? Why?

2. Improve SMAS initiative (how?)

SMAS is only limited to the managers that are part of it and those that are using the SMAS list. This isn't a forum initiative. I fail to see how it could improve other than us getting even more campaigns to manage. I am not going to go play whack a mole in random campaigns, knowing that often the users that I point out won't get kicked from it (see the shitcoin Waves campaign).

3. Create specific sections of the forum for things like 'signature campaign discussion', 'how to earn bitcoin', and similar topics that keep getting created.

This is a very bad proposal that won't do anything. Scratch it.

5. Ban people who persist in opening shitty threads (repeated, etc) as well as ban people who keep posting there.

Trash the whole thread and ban, yes.

6. Give negative trust ratings to spammers.

Amen.

7. Add a feature to up or down vote a thread. Then users could scan the list and see the threads that have been given up votes.

This was discussed before / is too prone to abuse and will not work properly.

9. Do nothing, cause it’s hopeless

Put it all on fire.

I assume you have your own sight of how it could be solved. Curious to hear.

I could rehash a number of things from previous threads, but what's the point when the administration doesn't even want to comment on the problem publicly let alone solve it?

Global moderator Hilariousandco multiple times offered various solutions to spam problem. But main person of this forum - theymos, he ignores the problem. Maybe it means that he is happy about current situation here on bitcointalk?

I have no idea why you're telling me this. No idea what cave you've been living in.

[BRNSTYLE]

Just to let all you know.
I’d written a message to theymos, actually was asking for 2 things, which were:

1. To leave his opinion of this thread (publicly or privately doesn’t matter)
2. To stick the thread in Meta or elsewhere so community could be able to systematize suggestions.

Theymos never answered yet. Since my message had been likely read and nothing of asked is managed I consider it as an answer hence there doubtfully will be any official reaction.

In the near future it’s quite unlikely for us to see any fundamental changes.

1. Release ban hammer! Remove altcoin campaigns from the forum along with banning their signatures until they get the hint.

Remove altcoin campaigns? Why?

2. Improve SMAS initiative (how?)

SMAS is only limited to the managers that are part of it and those that are using the SMAS list. This isn't a forum initiative. I fail to see how it could improve other than us getting even more campaigns to manage. I am not going to go play whack a mole in random campaigns, knowing that often the users that I point out won't get kicked from it (see the shitcoin Waves campaign).

3. Create specific sections of the forum for things like 'signature campaign discussion', 'how to earn bitcoin', and similar topics that keep getting created.

This is a very bad proposal that won't do anything. Scratch it.

5. Ban people who persist in opening shitty threads (repeated, etc) as well as ban people who keep posting there.

Trash the whole thread and ban, yes.

6. Give negative trust ratings to spammers.

Amen.

7. Add a feature to up or down vote a thread. Then users could scan the list and see the threads that have been given up votes.

This was discussed before / is too prone to abuse and will not work properly.

9. Do nothing, cause it’s hopeless

Put it all on fire.

You’re still welcome to make proposals anyway