Hello OT Regulars,
This thread is to announce a change in how we handle discussion threads in the Off Topic forum. This change is also a test that will run for the next couple of months after which we will evaluate its success.
Beginning today we will allow specific threads to be designated for serious discussion and in which more stringent moderation will apply. Our goal is to provide a distinct platform for those who want to engage in civil conversation on politics, religion, current events, the economy etc. Rather than create a new subforum for serious discussions, we will allow these threads to mix with the many less serious OT polls, “Ask a…”, “What’s for breakfast?”, and “Snap! Krackle! Pop” (cereal serial) threads. These “more serious” discussions will be designated by this icon:
The red diamond icon will be the public indicator that a thread is being moderated for improved discussion.
Currently many OT discussions are marred by trolling, both subtle and blatant; personal attacks; tiresome bickering that never gets anywhere; non responsiveness to questions asked; unsupported claims; and argument styles that are little more than “I’m right and you are wrong!”
Goal #1: Better discussions
By having a very clear identifier for the discussion threads, both moderators and posters will know what is expected of them. For posters: contribute civilly to the discussion without trolling, flaming, personal attacks and junk posts that don’t add to the conversation. Higher quality posts will be expected. For moderators it will mean that in these threads they will be vigilant for any posting that disrupts the civility of the discussion. They will deal harshly with the offenders.
Goal #2: More fun in the other threads
While all the forum rules will still apply, we hope that moderators will be able to take a more “relaxed” view on posts in the less serious threads of OT. For example, where a perhaps humorous one line retort without additional content would earn an infraction in a red diamond thread, it could be overlooked elsewhere. Flaming, trolling and inappropriate content will still not be allowed, but the “bump and grind” of clever interaction might well be.
The Red Diamond (RD) Expectations
• The “Red Diamond” label can be selected by the person that opens the thread; an OT mod can reverse that designation if they feel it is inappropriate for the topic. Likewise, an OT mod can apply the designation if they feel it is more appropriate for the topic.
• The Opening Post must be sufficient to stimulate discussion and must contain content written by the thread starter that explains the content and what is to be discussed. The word “Discuss” alone is insufficient.
• All posts must contribute to or extend the discussion through good content or cogent questions. For those prone to a humorous one liner, you better be prepared to follow them with good content that begins on the next line.
• Civility will rule and no personal attacks allowed. It will be your responsibility to find the right words to get your point across in a civil and kind manner. If you cannot do so, don’t say it.
• Some of you are excellent at skating the very edges of what is trolling and what is not. Many times we have given you the benefit of the doubt. In the RD threads, we will go the other way and infract such borderline posting. Don’t ask for clear cut guidelines on this. There aren’t any. If you have a history of such posts and infractions, please don’t bring that style of posting into these threads.
For some of you this kind of posting may be difficult and will call for a radical change in style. The penalties for failure will be severe, so please make the effort or don’t post. Mods will have tools to let you know you’ve posted poorly:
• Double points every day of the week, but no prizes, free play or cash back; just quicker bans.
• Impromptu bans from OT for 24 or 48 hours. Mods will be able to instantly ban posters from OT for 24 or 48 hours.
Moderators will use their own discretion about which penalty is most appropriate to apply; Moderators may use a poster’s infraction history or recent contribution to the RD threads to influence which penalty is most appropriate.
How will this all work?
To begin we will start slow. We will limit the number of RD threads for the first few week or so until we see how it unfolds and how much attention we have to pay to each. For the first week or so we will not infract for near miss posts that fail. We will edit in a warning. But that leniency will end quickly, and if you are repeatedly failing to heed the moderator warnings, you may find yourself infracted. We will try to post comments and warnings to let you know what we think of those posts that are detracting from the discussion.
Since this is as new to us as it is to you, until further notice we will approve all RD threads. To do so we will open a thread where you will post your OP and we will approve it there. Once approved, you may then open the topic in a thread of its own. Please include the red diamond icon to identify your discussion. We expect that this approval first step will disappear once are all familiar with how things go and then you may just open an RD thread just like any other thread. When two threads, one RD and one not, are on the same topic, our general rule will be to lock the non RD one unless we feel that the topic is a poor one for a good discussion.
During the initial “practice week” please learn from the mod tag warnings and comments. They will be the guidelines for what will be infracted later. We hope you will help us make this a success by posting responsibly.
Thanks for making Off Topic a great place to hang out.
This thread is to announce a change in how we handle discussion threads in the Off Topic forum. This change is also a test that will run for the next couple of months after which we will evaluate its success.
Beginning today we will allow specific threads to be designated for serious discussion and in which more stringent moderation will apply. Our goal is to provide a distinct platform for those who want to engage in civil conversation on politics, religion, current events, the economy etc. Rather than create a new subforum for serious discussions, we will allow these threads to mix with the many less serious OT polls, “Ask a…”, “What’s for breakfast?”, and “Snap! Krackle! Pop” (
The red diamond icon will be the public indicator that a thread is being moderated for improved discussion.
Currently many OT discussions are marred by trolling, both subtle and blatant; personal attacks; tiresome bickering that never gets anywhere; non responsiveness to questions asked; unsupported claims; and argument styles that are little more than “I’m right and you are wrong!”
Goal #1: Better discussions
By having a very clear identifier for the discussion threads, both moderators and posters will know what is expected of them. For posters: contribute civilly to the discussion without trolling, flaming, personal attacks and junk posts that don’t add to the conversation. Higher quality posts will be expected. For moderators it will mean that in these threads they will be vigilant for any posting that disrupts the civility of the discussion. They will deal harshly with the offenders.
Goal #2: More fun in the other threads
While all the forum rules will still apply, we hope that moderators will be able to take a more “relaxed” view on posts in the less serious threads of OT. For example, where a perhaps humorous one line retort without additional content would earn an infraction in a red diamond thread, it could be overlooked elsewhere. Flaming, trolling and inappropriate content will still not be allowed, but the “bump and grind” of clever interaction might well be.
The Red Diamond (RD) Expectations
• The “Red Diamond” label can be selected by the person that opens the thread; an OT mod can reverse that designation if they feel it is inappropriate for the topic. Likewise, an OT mod can apply the designation if they feel it is more appropriate for the topic.
• The Opening Post must be sufficient to stimulate discussion and must contain content written by the thread starter that explains the content and what is to be discussed. The word “Discuss” alone is insufficient.
• All posts must contribute to or extend the discussion through good content or cogent questions. For those prone to a humorous one liner, you better be prepared to follow them with good content that begins on the next line.
• Civility will rule and no personal attacks allowed. It will be your responsibility to find the right words to get your point across in a civil and kind manner. If you cannot do so, don’t say it.
• Some of you are excellent at skating the very edges of what is trolling and what is not. Many times we have given you the benefit of the doubt. In the RD threads, we will go the other way and infract such borderline posting. Don’t ask for clear cut guidelines on this. There aren’t any. If you have a history of such posts and infractions, please don’t bring that style of posting into these threads.
For some of you this kind of posting may be difficult and will call for a radical change in style. The penalties for failure will be severe, so please make the effort or don’t post. Mods will have tools to let you know you’ve posted poorly:
• Double points every day of the week, but no prizes, free play or cash back; just quicker bans.
• Impromptu bans from OT for 24 or 48 hours. Mods will be able to instantly ban posters from OT for 24 or 48 hours.
Moderators will use their own discretion about which penalty is most appropriate to apply; Moderators may use a poster’s infraction history or recent contribution to the RD threads to influence which penalty is most appropriate.
How will this all work?
To begin we will start slow. We will limit the number of RD threads for the first few week or so until we see how it unfolds and how much attention we have to pay to each. For the first week or so we will not infract for near miss posts that fail. We will edit in a warning. But that leniency will end quickly, and if you are repeatedly failing to heed the moderator warnings, you may find yourself infracted. We will try to post comments and warnings to let you know what we think of those posts that are detracting from the discussion.
Since this is as new to us as it is to you, until further notice we will approve all RD threads. To do so we will open a thread where you will post your OP and we will approve it there. Once approved, you may then open the topic in a thread of its own. Please include the red diamond icon to identify your discussion. We expect that this approval first step will disappear once are all familiar with how things go and then you may just open an RD thread just like any other thread. When two threads, one RD and one not, are on the same topic, our general rule will be to lock the non RD one unless we feel that the topic is a poor one for a good discussion.
During the initial “practice week” please learn from the mod tag warnings and comments. They will be the guidelines for what will be infracted later. We hope you will help us make this a success by posting responsibly.
Thanks for making Off Topic a great place to hang out.
Questions You may have:
Can I start an old style OT discussion thread that does not have all these new restrictions?
For now you can. Soon though we will require that all “serious” discussion threads (determined by the mods) fall under the Red Diamond moniker and those who start a political discussion or economics discussion etc without it, will find that the thread is closed or we have added the designation and moderated it to the higher standards. We do not know how long that transition will take.
Can I ask for a review of an infraction earned in these threads?
Yes you can, but keep in mind that we have set high standards for these threads and warned everyone. I’m not sure it will be easy to convince the supermods you have been wronged.Frivolous appeals will be automatically dismissed.
Do infraction points earned in these threads get added to those points earned in other threads or subforums for calculating bans?
Yes they do. All active points are totaled to determine if a poster has crossed a ban threshold. In fact, those posters who frequently mis-post in these threads will find that their active point total will rapidly increase to ban level.
Can we report posts in these threads?
Yes you can, and you are greatly encouraged to do so. Such reports will follow the same path for review as those currently reported.
Why must new threads be approved?
This is a temporary measure. We expect that the approval process will end in a couple of weeks. We are using it to control how many threads get started for now and to help establish clear standards for what is considered a good OP. This will be new for us too and by limiting how many threads we have to monitor more closely, we can do a better job and work out any kinks that crop up. Once we are comfortable with everything, you will be able to launch new RD threads without approval just by using the “red diamond” icon.
Can I use the “red diamond” icon for other threads I start?
No. it is only for the serious discussion threads. If you use it inappropriately, we will take you to the woodshed with malice aforethought.
Where do I find that “red diamond”?
When you start a thread, look at the icons shown at the bottom of the page under the tag box and select the red diamond.
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