[Proposal] Hiding the signature space in the Off-Topic section

[BlackHatCoiner]

The off-topic section has been filled with tons of shitposts, no offense shitposters, and I'll think it twice to reply on such thread by the minding that I'll be notified with bullshit replies.

For example, if I want to start a discussion, or continue an already existent one like “Share Good Movies Please?”, 8 of 10 times I'll get a reply from a signature campaign participant who spits non-sense and gets paid for it or from account farmers (who want to spit non-sense and get paid).

Aren't admins observing the abuse?

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[Welsh]

If the posts are breaking the guidelines, then report them. It's probably the best solution to any problems that exist there. I doubt that signatures will be removed from the off topic section, since that effects those that use signatures for other reasons other than to advertise via signature campaigns.

A forum of this size is hard to moderate when there's not many reports being made. Especially, in the off topic section which is probably considered secondary by most, as I imagine most users are here to discuss things about Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies. So, the off topic section might not get as many eyes on it, including from staff.

[irfan_pak10]

It is very RARE that a signature campaign is paying hunters posting in the offtopic section, Not mine I can assure you of that. Those guys usually post in offtopic just to increase the post count.

-snip-
A forum of this size is hard to moderate when there's not many reports being made. Especially, in the off topic section which is probably considered secondary by most, as I imagine most users are here to discuss things about Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies. So, the off topic section might not get as many eyes on it, including from staff.

Yup, that is why the Off section is created in the first place to Discuss anything. So let it be the same.

[Charles-Tim]

If the posts are breaking the guidelines, then report them.

I remembered I reported some posts on off-topic which I was not expecting it to be deleted but got deleted, this changed my mind that off topic posts can be reported.

[RapTarX]

Almost all the campaign don't allow posting in off topic. Otherwise, the board would be flooded with thousand times more posts daily as off topic has no bound.

It is very RARE that a signature campaign is paying hunters posting in the offtopic section, Not mine I can assure you of that. Those guys usually post in offtopic just to increase the post count.

Bitvest & 777coin signature campaign allow posting in off topic board as well and on a thread, I can only see few guys responding with both these signatures.
 Check out the latest replies here- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5347871.0

Edit- I have gone through few other posts and all I can see is bitvest and 777coin signature wearing users are dominating the off topic board.

[Welsh]

I think a misconception might be that off topic literally means anything goes, which isn't the case. Replies in threads which aren't on topic to that thread, are as off topic as anywhere else on the forum. Also, off topic seems to be a place which is considered to be quite low quality, and as a result many think that they can either get away with lower quality posts or are fine posting lower quality there. This has been particularly the case for farming accounts, as Hilariousandco addresses on the sticky: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5290314.0

Bitvest & 777coin signature campaign allow posting in off topic board as well and on a thread, I can only see few guys responding with both these signatures.

There's no dedicated moderator there so only patrollers, and global moderators will be able to act on the reports, but if they break the guidelines they will certainly be removed in due time. I can only handle newbie accounts in that section, and while I haven't specifically been on the lookout for it, a report in the off topic section in terms of newbie accounts being reported is very rare.

[Upgrade00]

Off topic creates a section where members can discuss general topics which may not be as complicated as some other boards on the forum, reason why it attracts account farmers and spammers as well. Anything does not go, but it's easier to post there without the need for careful thought.

The issue with hiding signatures or any other form of restrictions is how it affects mods and other members. Users can carefully avoid the off topic section if they are not interested in the topics, but if restrictions are placed, this spammers would move into other sections and this would have an adverse effect on the quality of discussions as those boards are more niche; It will also increase the workload on the staffs.

[OgNasty]

It is very RARE that a signature campaign is paying hunters posting in the offtopic section, Not mine I can assure you of that.

Indeed.  More likely would be posting here about the subject of off-topic spam using a long drawn out explanation of nonsense in order to up their character count and get paid for yet another spam post. 

I used to find myself mostly posting in the off-topic section as there was little discussion happening with any sort of relevance to building on Bitcoin.  It wasn't until I joined a spam campaign that I actually searched and found some relevant places for me to have real discussion and remain engaged here about other topics of interest.  For me, this was discussing sports I enjoy watching in the gambling section. 

That being said, I don't think anyone really cares if signatures got removed from the off topic section since they aren't being paid anyway as irfan_pak10 already was kind enough to inform us of.  The flip side being you can hide them if you want anyway...  In short, who cares either way?

[Welsh]

That being said, I don't think anyone really cares if signatures got removed from the off topic section since they aren't being paid anyway as irfan_pak10 already was kind enough to inform us of.  The flip side being you can hide them if you want anyway...  In short, who cares either way?

Except for those that don't have signature ads in their signature. I know its getting rarer these days, but some users might care if they their signature is being blocked. There's a few users around that have personal projects inside their signature space, and while I don't know if they participate in the off topic section, there are definitely users here that use it for something other than advertising via a signature campaign.

[pooya87]

8 of 10 times I'll get a reply from a signature campaign participant who spits non-sense and gets paid for it or from account farmers (who want to spit non-sense and get paid).

What you suggested is called erasing the problem instead of solving it.
* If someone is writing low quality non-sense they should be reported and the campaign they are participating in should not be paying them for those posts. That has always been enough to discourage spam.
* In case the campaign is paying for shitposts then campaign manager must be punished and we can go as far as banning the campaign itself. This has also happened in the past with Yobit spam-fest where they were paying for shitposts and didn't care so the signature got banned.

Keep in mind that even if the off-topic section were closed entirely the spam won't end, it just migrates somewhere else.

[GeorgeJohn]

Its clear that those that's making a shitpost in off- topic section, majority of them are not in any signature campaign right now,but been not in campaign should not grant us the right to make unnecessary post, because our conversation here speaks who we are and also help to build up our reputation, and anyone or user that continuously posting a shitpost that means their manager is not observing very well, and the only way they can been eradicated towards such method of posting is by reporting them as sir welsh said, because by the time a moderator will delete he or post several times and he received notification that his post has been deleted by moderator, i think it will take correction by force and avoid shitpost.

[BlackHatCoiner]

If the posts are breaking the guidelines, then report them. It's probably the best solution to any problems that exist there. I doubt that signatures will be removed from the off topic section, since that effects those that use signatures for other reasons other than to advertise via signature campaigns.

The signature isn't a forum necessity; you can still discuss whether you have a signature or not. Take for example the Serious Discussion board. There are no signatures and discussions are made very properly. No shitposts from signature campaign abusers.

Almost all the campaign don't allow posting in off topic. Otherwise, the board would be flooded with thousand times more posts daily as off topic has no bound.

The problem is those who do allow their participants. Posting in the off-topic section is the easiest thing to do. They're expressing their nonsensical content with tons of posts, as a result to make the section unsuitable for critical discussions.

Keep in mind that even if the off-topic section were closed entirely the spam won't end, it just migrates somewhere else.

The spam would end from one place. You can't cover the whole spam of bitcointalk, but try spamming in the Bitcoin Discussion and tell me what's easier thing to do. People read the off-topic posts really rarely in contrast with Bitcoin's. These folks have found their way to get paid by making the section completely meaningless.

[Rikafip]

The off-topic section has been filled with tons of shitposts, no offense shitposters, and I'll think it twice to reply on such thread by the minding that I'll be notified with bullshit replies.

Pretty much the same thing can be said about almost every other section, it's filled with signature spam. In every topic you get couple of genuine replies and rest is just filling up the signature quota and reiterating what's been said already.

For example, if I want to start a discussion, or continue an already existent one like “Share Good Movies Please?”, 8 of 10 times I'll get a reply from a signature campaign participant who spits non-sense and gets paid for it or from account farmers (who want to spit non-sense and get paid).

If you want more serious conversations in off topic, maybe try to start self-moderated thread and sort the spam that way? Regarding the movie topic, afaik those that are active there regularly report to mods posts that are not following the rules set in the first post, and those get deleted.

[pooya87]

The spam would end from one place. You can't cover the whole spam of bitcointalk, but try spamming in the Bitcoin Discussion and tell me what's easier thing to do. People read the off-topic posts really rarely in contrast with Bitcoin's. These folks have found their way to get paid by making the section completely meaningless.

That is why I say the fight against the spam has to be delegated to campaign managers, after all someone is paying them for their spam and there are only a dozen campaigns with a handful of managers while there are thousands of participants.

[BlackHatCoiner]

Pretty much the same thing can be said about almost every other section, it's filled with signature spam. In every topic you get couple of genuine replies and rest is just filling up the signature quota and reiterating what's been said already.

In almost every other section, there are users who participate in signature campaigns and they indeed write high-quality content. Objectively, the majority of the 777coin and Bitvest.io participants are shitposters. You can't really have a constructive discussion, they just post to fulfill their weekly requirements. In a subforum where they have dominated due to their campaign's allowance, I'll prefer not to discuss.

That is why I say the fight against the spam has to be delegated to campaign managers, after all someone is paying them for their spam and there are only a dozen campaigns with a handful of managers while there are thousands of participants.

I proposed a solution. Another solution could be to forbid the managers from rewarding for off-topic posts.

[Welsh]

In almost every other section, there are users who participate in signature campaigns and they indeed write high-quality content. Objectively, the majority of the 777coin and Bitvest.io participants are shitposters. You can't really have a constructive discussion, they just post to fulfill their weekly requirements. In a subforum where they have dominated due to their campaign's allowance, I'll prefer not to discuss.

That's probably something that needs to be taken up with the campaign manager. If they aren't specifically breaking any rules, then the campaign manager has to be made aware. Although, they should be aware of that fact anyway. The moderators can only moderate what first of they see, i.e reports, and even then we can only remove what we believe breaks the rules. So, if they aren't breaking the rules then its unlikely to change.

As a community, we have to set our own standards for campaign managers, and sort of hold them responsible. I don't mean get the pitch forks out, but we should be encouraging campaign managers to keep strict standards. I don't think this is an issue with displaying signatures in that section at all, I think its a campaign manager that needs to rein in a few of the participants or disallow posts in the off topic section on their campaign.

[Igebotz]

For example, if I want to start a discussion, or continue an already existent one like “Share Good Movies Please?”, 8 of 10 times I'll get a reply from a signature campaign participant who spits non-sense and gets paid for it or from account farmers (who want to spit non-sense and get paid).

Admins and mod don't need to hear our voice everytime, if you don't feel comfortable communicating on the off-topic board why not ignore the board and save yourself the stress and headache? It's called off-topic for a reason, it's a play ground for shit posters and Activity builders, I wonder what a caliber of a user like you found interesting on the off-topic board. When you play around with kids you become one. The signature is not going away just find alternative.

[FIFA worldcup]

The off-topic section has been filled with tons of shitposts, no offense shitposters, and I'll think it twice to reply on such thread by the minding that I'll be notified with bullshit replies.

For example, if I want to start a discussion, or continue an already existent one like “Share Good Movies Please?”, 8 of 10 times I'll get a reply from a signature campaign participant who spits non-sense and gets paid for it or from account farmers (who want to spit non-sense and get paid).

Aren't admins observing the abuse?

Most Signature campaigns don't pay for the posts made in the off-topic section. I still think that there is some sensible discussion in off-topic particularly in    Politics & Society section. If you visit Bitcoin Discussion and Altcoin Discussion sections, you will find much more spam as compare to the off-topic section.

[BlackHatCoiner]

That's probably something that needs to be taken up with the campaign manager.

Generally, the campaign manager has to be aware of those who hire.

Admins and mod don't need to hear our voice everytime, if you don't feel comfortable communicating on the off-topic board why not ignore the board

That's not the point... I want to discuss in the off-topic section and these meaningless posts prevent me from having a constructive discussion. I obviously know how to use the ignore button.

Most Signature campaigns don't pay for the posts made in the off-topic section.

That's the problem.

If you visit Bitcoin Discussion and Altcoin Discussion sections, you will find much more spam as compare to the off-topic section.

I personally doubt.

[dkbit98]

Can you name some signature campaigns that are allowing writing in off-topic section (maybe it is Bitvest and 777Coin)?
As far as I know many of them are not allowing that, some are also not allowing Local boards, Games and Rounds, Altcoin boards, and others have special requirements of writing in Gambling threads.
Signatures could be disabled in off-topic but that would not solve anything and it would just spill out spam everywhere else, like we don't have enough of that already.