TiVo Community Forums Archives - 2004 Elections Forum?

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2004 Elections Forum?
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Posted by: JPriller

How about a temporary "2004 elections" forum, like the old Iraq Crisis forum? (Then I could just hide out in the Happy Hour and avoid the whole thing. :))

Posted by: David Bott

Sorry...I do not see this happening because we even had issues with the other forum area. Just do not need the members here to get on each others cases which will happen.

Posted by: phone1

quote:
Originally posted by JPriller
How about a temporary "2004 elections" forum, like the old Iraq Crisis forum? (Then I could just hide out in the Happy Hour and avoid the whole thing. :))

Heh - I know what you mean. You don't want the forum for yourself, but as a way to avoid the inevitable clutter in Happy Hour. Also when it's over David could just delete the whole thing along with thousands of posts that no one will ever want to read again, thereby freeing up space on the servers.

Maybe there should be a seperate forum for politics, religion, etc. where people could thrash and flame each other to their heart's content. Make it members only even for viewing (so as not to offend the casual visitor) with no post count addition. I might visit Happy Hour a little more often.

No, I'm not really suggesting it. I wouldn't want to be responsible for such a forum.

Posted by: walters

quote:
Originally posted by phone1
Maybe there should be a seperate forum for politics, religion, etc. where people could thrash and flame each other to their heart's content. Make it members only even for viewing (so as not to offend the casual visitor) with no post count addition. I might visit Happy Hour a little more often.

There is such a forum of rebels, but I don't think I'm allowed to post the name.

Posted by: David Bott

"There is such a forum of rebels, but I don't think I'm allowed to post the name."

Nope, but you surely bring it up a lot in threads just like this and it is starting to get old to the point such posts will just be removed. Really now, come on.

At one point I had not issue with it until it got to the point of being marketed to gain members. Just not right.

Their are a lot of places on the net one can go to chat about anything.

Posted by: walters

quote:
Originally posted by David Bott
Nope, but you surely bring it up a lot in threads just like this and it is starting to get old to the point such posts will just be removed. Really now, come on.

:confused: This is the first time I've ever brought it up. :rolleyes:

Posted by: David Bott

Walters...I do apologize. I had confused you with another member. I am sorry.

Posted by: walters

No problem. Thanks for that.

Posted by: David Bott

Let em say shat I said to a mod...

------------

Politics, sex, religion, etc, are all topics that make for issues on any site like this. As such, opening an area on the topic is not something that would help. It would make for issues because once two people do not agree, as will be in this case greatly, then they will make for issues in other part of the site. They take it out of the forum it should be in. They harbor their issues with each other from another thread. You have seen this...you have even seen this from a totally different site spill over back to this one.

We have always allowed moderate chat on the topics...we have not been heavy handed unless to got really bad. We do not even allow for any of it on the main AVS site at all.

The Happy Hour is not unhappy because we do not allow the chat on the topic, it is unhappy because we allowed it some and they take it to the point where it aways crosses the line. You know these topics make for issues.

----------------

Thus the issue with a dedicated area. I am sorry, but really this is not the site for it based on past results of threads.

Thank you.

Posted by: Inundated

Understood, David.

I have a unique take on this. I was here shortly after I bought my TiVo, and primarily for the help/support that this forum is so excellent in providing.

I eventually wandered over to other areas, including TV Show Talk, and got caught up in a thread about a certain reality TV parody program that had thousands of posts and dozens of regulars.

I followed some of them over to another forum dedicated to the topic of reality TV, and we (the group that "formed" here on TC) moved most of our posts on that program there.

We got into a little "tiff" with that board's admin, who basically didn't want us there in the first place, so many of us came back to the welcoming arms of TC and the original thread.

The mod on the other board had a fairly hard and fast rule...if the show's over, we close the thread and tell you to move on. We had a pretty good group of smart, witty people there, and we wanted to stick around. But, it's his board, his rules, and we eventually left.

Because of this, I understand how some of the regulars who get involved in political topics feel. They like the diverse mix of intelligent people you find here at TC, and recreating that mix would be difficult elsewhere.

That having been said, I fully understand your position, and your unwillingness to create a separate "hot topics" forum due to possible spillover onto the rest of the board. As I mentioned elsewhere in a now-deleted message (I was expecting replies on that thread to be deleted since I was surprised it was open in the first place ;) ), I don't participate in political threads here at all, so it doesn't affect me personally.

Posted by: dswallow

This has a little merit here, but it was meant for a thread that closed while I was typing it...

Why not just get rid of Happy Hour entirely?

It doesn't fit within the site's concept at all; similarly there's no such place like it at AVSForum. Just lock it down and be done with it.

It might be that you actually want the participation of people in that manner, because it does keep them around. Heck, I know I'd be here a lot less often myself without a Happy Hour forum, even though I'm all over other forums here participating in topics. The reason I participate in those is that "I'm here anyway" and it's a matter of convenience in the way I see discussions develop and then participate. If there was no Happy Hour, then I'd only be coming here when some TiVo issue arose, or maybe irregularly to check in on any new announcements. And thus I wouldn't be here particpating much at all. Sure there's a number of Happy Hour participants who rarely venture elsewhere around here, but there's at least as many who do, many with valuable accumulated knowledge who repeatedly share it when they can.

So there is benefit to the community here and to the level of support that can be provided to peers by keeping people around here more often than they'd otherwise come.

It seems that there's a bit of reverse catch-22 reasoning involved. Can't get rid of it because it would significantly change the makeup of participation in other forums here; but at the same time you don't really want it here, saying that it's not really a vital part of the community here.

Perhaps those people complaining to you and moderators ad nauseum about things in Happy Hour should simply not be visiting Happy Hour anymore (and have access restricted so they cannot), and the moderators should not be tasked with having to spend so much of their valuable time paying attention to it and controlling the content except where directly related to things that bring the site potential legal action (for instance, the video extraction or hacking topics otherwise banned), and handling the occasional ad-bot or post that belongs in a different forum. And then the rest of the community who has figured out how to play together as mature human beings can continue to do so, and I think most of us who are vocal on the subject can handle the occasional troll ourselves like we do in the real world.

I think most of that would apply to Election topics; not that I'd even necessarily suggest a separate area for it.

Too much trouble for you? Is that basically all it is? Want some help policing an area so you didn't have to deal with whatever you thought could occur? I'd be first in line offering to help.

Posted by: David Bott

LOL... "Perhaps those people complaining to you and moderators ad nauseum about things in Happy Hour should simply not be visiting Happy Hour anymore."

Would be nice, but they are one in the same. Funny how people complain when a thread or post does not go their way.

The HH is a nice place for the site...no was not the intent of the site...but is a very nice addition. For the most part however, most of the people posting in HH do not post in any other section, thus the support would not drop off nor would the help one receives in the other sections.

Thanks for the offer of help.

Posted by: Gunnyman2k3

/agree with Doug

just Kill the HH completely.

Posted by: dswallow

quote:
Originally posted by David Bott
Would be nice, but they are one in the same. Funny how people complain when a thread or post does not go their way.

OK, I didn't write that right... If they're complaining "ad nauseum" they're proving otherwise and should just not be allowed into that section anymore. As an example, I'd put myself & ybrew there -- we certainly are known to beat eachother up at times (and other places we have agreed on things, even), but it generally stays there in those various threads. No big deal. I know I've nevered reported a ybrew post, and I'd doubt he has ever done the same with me. That's what I meant by "playing together." The worst sort I think are the people who complain who are otherwise uninvolved -- just reading, not even mentioned and not participating. I suspect that probably happens; they shouldn't be there if they can't control themselves. Hope that clarifies it a bit.

Anyway, the offer's there anytime you need help, temporary or permanent, for whatever needs arise.

Posted by: allan

quote:
Originally posted by David Bott
The HH is a nice place for the site...no was not the intent of the site...but is a very nice addition. For the most part however, most of the people posting in HH do not post in any other section, thus the support would not drop off nor would the help one receives in the other sections.

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I post where I find interesting topics. I use the "search for new" function a lot, and if I see a question that I can answer, I jump in. Most of my activity is in HH, and if I quit going there, I wouldn't see those questions as often. Am I typical? I don't know, but I doubt that I'm unique.

Posted by: timckelley

I say, who cares if threads go out of control with namecalling, etc? We all have the option of ignoring people we deem to be rude or offensive. Why destroy the whole barrel, when we have the tools in our hands for separating the bad apples? I say, stop policing the posts for namecalling, and let the board motto be "post/lurk at your own risk. If necessary, use the igore feature should you become offended".

Posted by: David Bott

Sorry...please join then a news group for a site link this would quickly go away if no rules applied. That is not the type of site I care to run. The site would NOT be where it is today if left unattended.

Posted by: joegolf68

dswallow Nice post.

Is Dave Bott the same David Bought from another Forum, who was banned??

Just asking.

Posted by: David Bott

Nope. David Bott is the one who runs this site and AVS Forum.

Posted by: phone1

There are some in HH who will pursue those they don't agree with relentlessly, even viciously, in order to have the last word. I don't have the time to play that game and therefore don't post there often. Political threads go nowhere but ugly and no one's mind gets changed. I don't care for them.

That having been said, HH keeps this from being just another techno-geek forum and I wouldn't want it done away with. It keeps the conversation in the other forums lively and balanced. Just my $00.02. :)

Posted by: phone1

Wow, four threads locked in 24 hours. I wonder if I'll Be The Last one here? ;)

Posted by: StanSimmons

quote:
Originally posted by David Bott
LOL... "Perhaps those people complaining to you and moderators ad nauseum about things in Happy Hour should simply not be visiting Happy Hour anymore."

Would be nice, but they are one in the same. Funny how people complain when a thread or post does not go their way.

The HH is a nice place for the site...no was not the intent of the site...but is a very nice addition. For the most part however, most of the people posting in HH do not post in any other section, thus the support would not drop off nor would the help one receives in the other sections.

Thanks for the offer of help.

WRONG. I help a lot of folk out in other sections of this forum, mostly by PM because of that abomination of a law called the DMCA, but without the HH I would NOT be staying around. The HH used to be fun.

With the new rules and random deletions of threads (many that DO NOT break the written rules) I might not be staying around. I haven't decided yet.

Posted by: Bradc314

I'm just curious about something, Dave: I know this could be tricky to do, but do you think it would be possible to find some 'affiliate' forum that political discussions, or perhaps the entire HH section could be off-loaded to? I'm not referring to any currently existing forums, but instead perhaps a new forum with certain disclaimers and rules to more clearly define its relationshiip to TC.

It could work kinda of like a gateway, so that posters know before leaving the TC site that they are entering a section our our community that deal with hot issues.

Just a thought.

(Looking for solutions, instead of just complaining about the problem)

Posted by: David Bott

That is what you have bookmarks for. We only work with sites that work under the same type of guidelines.

Posted by: Bradc314

Well, yeah, that's what I'm talking about, except that instead of individual bookmarks, it could be a site that you feel comfortable directing people to so that certain topics could be discussed there instead of here. An affiliate site with the same type of guidlines.

Posted by: timckelley

The advantange of Brad's suggestion vs. David's suggestion is that by linking from this site to another, you stand a good chance of having political arguments with the same people who frequent TCF. Of course, David might see that as a disadvantage because maybe he's worried that people might get pursued back into the TCF help forums and harrassed there.