Is the Ivory Tower dead?

[Don Pedro Dinero]

For the past six days, there has been just one comment written, by me:

Four months after this post was created I’ve been thinking how right OP was. Nobody has written anything since August, 31st. That’s four days. And we have to bear in mind that this section still has the merits incentive. You can’t wear a signature but you can still get merits.

The Serious Discussion one has more movement but more banal comments.

This was the OP:

Ivory Tower was supposed to be a section without spam and a section where serious discussion and intellectual debates would take place.

It sort of achieved that.

Why sort of?
Well, there is no spam, just quality posts.

However, how many of them?

Once we've removed the incentive from the posters, we witness a mass decrease in posts overall.

There are spammers in other sections, but we must not forget genuienly good posts are incentivized too which makes them quite active unlike Ivory tower which gets a reply once a week or so.

Compared to the other sections which boom with activity.
Besides, since merit was introduced, there really isn't much incentive to spam pointless posts, since you need quality posts in order to rank up.
There is some incentive for people who have already reached certain ranks to spam, as to fulfil their sig. quotas.

My personal opinion is, although there is obviously some negative effects from sig.campaigns they are most certainly good for the forum overall.
They incentivize people to be active.
They help create active threads, sections, SEO rankings etc. etc.

Why do you disagree? Or do you agree  

Even when there was more traffic on that board, threads didn’t get many replies. I’d say 7-8 on average.

[1715404600]

1715404600

[1715404600]

1715404600

[1715404600]

1715404600

[bitmover]

I think thats healthy for the board.

People have nothing to say, so they do not post there. There is no incentive to post in the ivory tower, because signature is hidden.

When someone post an interesting topic, there are always good discussions.
. Some of topics could have more replies, however it's better like this than just hundreds of spam comments

I like that board. I would really like to have more discussions there, but it is better like this than like economics board.


Want to see more discussions there? Search for interesting news/topicss and post there

[hilariousetc]

Was it ever really alive in the first place? Most of the 'serious' discussion just goes on in Serious Discussion anyway.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Want to see more discussions there? Search for interesting news/topicss and post there

Ive opened 6 threads there. I've counted it roughly and that's 8-9% of the total threads. The number of replies for the last posts opened (not counting the one I bumped, opened in April) are:

   
Bitcoin and cryptos used as stock market assets short term. 1 reply.

I would like to hear your opinion about Ethereum Classic. 3 replies

How to harrass billionaires? what's your ideas before choping their heads off? 15 replies (curiously, I would qualify this one as a quite shitposting one).

$450,000,000 for a single painting. 3 replies.

Will precious metal coins return as everyday currency? 2 replies.

[pugman]

You'll hardly get replies there, because there's no signatures. Most people won't even bother to post there. And I don't think there are very great fascinating topics there,so its sorta dead.

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Ive opened 6 threads there.

I think I replied to a couple of those threads.  Honestly if a topic catches my eye, I'll post in it and usually I don't even look to see what section it's in before I do.

We all know why there's a lack of activity there, and it's already been mentioned.  Posts aren't paid in IT or SD, so the threads aren't flooded with replies like they are in other sections.  That's how the forum would be in general if signature campaigns were done away with.

Edit:  I only replied in one of them.  I thought I wrote something in the one about precious metals coming back, but I was wrong.  That's a good thread.

Better theymos to allow signature there so that it will be patronized by many spammers there and it will be lively again.

No no no no.

[rhomelmabini]

Better theymos would allow signatures out there so that it will be patronized by many spammers and it will be lively again.

Maybe because its for serious well beings only rather those who love only to increase there posts counts and activity or maybe merits are rare.

Call it the anti-spammer section.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Call it the anti-spammer section.

The anti-spammer empty section.

There have been many anti-spam proposals that could work much better than that section.

[Jet Cash]

I've started a few threads there. I think the board has a couple of problems, and the signature issue isn't one of them. I think the name is unfortunate, but I can't think of a good alternative right now. The other problem is one of identity. You know where you are with "serious discussion", but not with ivory tower.

I would like to see it used for well informed discussion topics that warrant some decent analysis. For example "Why does the Bitcoin price have dramatic price changes followed by long(ish) periods of sideways movement. Or the suggested White Helmets chemical attack in Syria that many consider to be imminent.

[MagicSmoker]

You'll hardly get replies there, because there's no signatures. Most people won't even bother to post there. And I don't think there are very great fascinating topics there,so its sorta dead.

I have a different perspective on why Ivory Tower is dead: if you use the forum on a daily basis then by the time you are allowed to post there you will already be well-entrenched in your reading habits, which will almost certainly not include Ivory Tower.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Hi Jet Cash,

I've started a few threads there. I think the board has a couple of problems, and the signature issue isn't one of them. I think the name is unfortunate, but I can't think of a good alternative right now. The other problem is one of identity. You know where you are with "serious discussion", but not with ivory tower.

First, I think it would be a good idea to try to allow signatures on it for one month and see what happens.

Apart from that, I don’t think the name is much of a problem, although I’m not sure it’s the best one for the section. All of us who are allowed to post there, know what that section is. Maybe non-registered user or low-rank members don’t know about it, so they don’t read it so often.

I would like to see it used for well informed discussion topics that warrant some decent analysis. For example "Why does the Bitcoin price have dramatic price changes followed by long(ish) periods of sideways movement. Or the suggested White Helmets chemical attack in Syria that many consider to be imminent.

Those look like great posts, but that makes me think of another problem of the section: threads are too heterogenous. The ideal would be to divide it into subsections, but with the current traffic that’s impossible.

[Jet Cash]

I don't think you need subsections. I'm a child of the 1950s and 60s coffee shop culture. These were great sources of political discussion ( amongst other things). The coffee shop ( or Ivory Tower board) provided the venue, and the tables ( or threads ) provided the focus point for the discussions.

Obviously what we need in the Ivory Tower is free coffee.

[second thoughts]
I like the idea of using it as a senior coffee lounge. This is something we could start without any changes to the forum.

[bitmover]

I believe that if you allow signatures and a merit requirement the Ivory tower would become a great place.

Let's say about 30- 50 earned merit requirement. I believe that its not that hard to achieve and everyone who writes there now have this requirement

This would keep spammers off and bring good posters there.

What do you think?

[Jet Cash]

I think it is great as it is.

The problems stem from the attitudes of members here. You shouldn't expect to be paid to post in a top quality forum. You should look on it as a priviledge to be allowed to post there.

[hilariousetc]

I believe that if you allow signatures and a merit requirement the Ivory tower would become a great place.

Let's say about 30- 50 earned merit requirement. I believe that its not that hard to achieve and everyone who writes there now have this requirement

This would keep spammers off and bring good posters there.

What do you think?

No. You people are missing the entire point of Ivory Tower. In fact, I think the rank/merit requirement should be made higher, but I'd rather there be next to no posts in there rather than the place be full of the mediocre shit that gets posted by sig spammers. That board's express purpose is to keep people from making posts in there just to get paid. If you want to get paid then use any of the other boards. That one should be left alone for those who are only willing to post in there and if that means very few people post in it then so be it. At least we've still got a safe heaven from sig spam but if we're to allow it then it's completely redundant and we might as well just remove it completely.

[Direwolve735]

You'll hardly get replies there, because there's no signatures. Most people won't even bother to post there.

Given the current spam situation on the forum, it's not surprising that few people pay attention to Ivory Tower. The main reason why spammers and shitposters don`t want to write in this topic is, like you said, lack of signatures (which means that signature campaigns, in which they participate, won`t consider these comments as the basis for paying for their "work"), but it's also the fact that spammers themselves can perfectly rate the quality of their posts (more precisely, its absence) and assume that their comments most likely can be deleted. For them it is absolutely unprofitable. It is easier to write in those branches where the moderation isn`t so rigid, and which correspond to the rules of signature bounties.

On the other hand, real crypto-enthusiasts and apologists for the original purposes of creating this forum also don`t write in Ivory Tower thread now, as they are dealing with more pressing problems - the elimination of spam. As far as I can see, recently the "elite of the forum" gathered in the Meta branch, trying to offer solutions to reduce the number of junk posts. Since spam is a problem that concerns all conscious users, the latter in turn are giving all their strength to solve it. As soon as the urgency of this problem subsides, debates in other branches, including Ivory Tower, begin to revive.

[Jet Cash]

You'll hardly get replies there, because there's no signatures.

Good - if that is their only reason for posting, then we don't want them there.