[Cspace]

I'm seeing some less-than-favorable responses to the shop with regards to spam, so I figured that this should be discussed before it goes too far...

For a long time our main concern has been activity (and it still is), which includes posting. The majority of those who log in seem to have a tendency toward lurking, and it's keeping everything too quiet. Threads bring new discussions, and replies keep discussions going. Regardless of the purpose, threads are the reason that forums exist. Without new threads, what's the point?

So the Shop brings a little incentive to hopefully get more of us involved with discussions. The current items aren't that exciting, but I plan for some more worthwhile stuff in the somewhat near future.


Each new thread outside the Insanity Board gives five Credits.
Each new reply outside the Insanity Board gives one Credit.


This is obviously weighted toward new threads, which is what we're lacking the most.


**********************************


With that out of the way, comes the spam issue.

Too much worrying about spam doesn't help anything. When members talk about "all the spam" that the shop may cause, suddenly every gelatinous glob of spam is blamed on the shop, while otherwise it would be taken realistically as just a glob of spam. This leads to Tribble hunts, and someone always spills my Mountain Dew.

Being serious(ish) again, let's not dwell on one thing and forget the benefits. More posting means more activity. If someone is motivated by Credits, sure, he or she can post more. That's the point! It shouldn't matter if someone cashes in loads of credits from posting, because it inherently does not mean spam. Posting a lot of threads and replies with a purpose isn't spam.

Sure, the purpose can be entertainment. It can also be serious, as I'm sure that serious threads will also increase. If a thread is inherently spam, then that's one reason why we have moderators: To move it to the Insanity Board as we should do anyway. It's painless and just prevents spam from being an issue. If there's a spam reply here and there, that's inherently painless as well to just leave alone. I wouldn't recommend it as a habit, but let's be easy about it. We don't need Tribble hunts to make everyone afraid to post, or to turn posting into a science.


Let's just be realistic, enjoy the shop if it's your thing, but ultimately keep making our community enjoyable.

[Rohtaren]

Mmm, I was waiting for something like this to come up. Thanks.

[Zziggywolf5]

Well, I'm still expecting quite a bit of spam myself, but we'll see.

[Neraphym]

Haven't seen any spamming yet. This is a good sign. Also, there has been a noticeable increase in legit activity here. So far, so good!

[x..]

I've seen a ton of spam. Changed my mind about the shop. =/

[The BlackOpps]

i like it, it wil get people to post more, and some times spam is good, it will get people talking, so im all for it.

[Zziggywolf5]

i like it, it wil get people to post more, and some times spam is good, it will get people talking, so im all for it.

Not really. The main point of spam is that it is useless.

[Neraphym]

Indeed. We would prefer some activity to none, however. Sometimes inane posts can lead to legit ones. Overall, the effect has been good thus far.

[Kimojuno]

This post is not directed at any specific person, however it is directed at anyone who worries about things.

Whether or not a post is spam is not the question, but whether or not it provides positive influence on the community, because remember spam can provide positive influence if it is done right.

EG: Last One To Post Wins, Ducks, and many others. Spam isn't harmful as long as it doesn't keep the community down. On that, however, spam can't really hurt anyone, including the community, unless people let it. If someone posts that they like ducks, it might hurt unless others post along with it. In the long run, spam doesn't hurt anyone, unless it's some ipod selling crap.

But really, I remember a time when people spammed 'cause they wanted to, but they were not worried about being 'banned' or 'getting in trouble'. But my question is, "When did this whole 'must not spam' attitude happen?" No, I am not saying to make pointless messages, because remember:

Stupid
Pointless
Annoying
Messages

Is my duck topic stupid? Probably.
Is it pointless? No, it originally alerted everyone I had returned. I chose a title that would grab everyone's attention; it did (and does? ).
Is it annoying? No, in fact people loved it, and posted about it (and in it). No ducks until 9011!
Was it a message? Of course.

It also provided positive influence.

What about LOTPW?

Stupid
Pointless
Annoying
Messages

Is LOTPW stupid? Most likely, but people enjoy posting in it, because it has turned into something no one (most likely) expected: A place for people to actually unwind and stop worrying about whether or not to do something. People actually do what forums are meant for: have fun and relax/unwind. When did forums become a place to have to worry about everything you say/do? No, I am not saying to break the rules, nor am I saying not to care about others. I am, however, saying that you don't need to get your watch all tangled up about something as little as the shop. Relax.

Is LOTPW pointless? No, I provided a good point above.

Is LOTPW annoying? No, people love it, as stated above.

Is LOTPW a message? Yes, and it also provides positive influence. We may joke about Jgjtan and such, and although it is true he uses LOTPW quite a bit, it does provide some very fun (and good) things. For example, finding things out about others, or just relaxing without having to worry about drama.






To me, the shop doesn't add drama, because there isn't any drama. How does the shop make things worse? How does it add to something that isn't there? It doesn't.

My thing is that I do not care if people make 'insane posts', or even posts that are slightly spam. You have to remember that posts can easily be deleted; and accounts can easily be banned. Things are not permanent; this is the internet where anything can be erased. Even you.





On a more serious note, relax, times is wasting away and the shop waits for no man. Make a post and enjoy; make twenty more and buy something. Enjoy life; don't be negative. Oh, and if someone did abuse anything, they would quickly be taken care of. How many s-mods, g-mods, and admins do we have? For real, dawg, we're a tight-knick pack.

~ Jeff.

[Star Jedi]

I looked around and I didn't see any "spam".. If you're talking about the "I has a mug" topic, I don't consider that spam or insanity board material.. we've made tons of topics like this before, but from what I know, there weren't any complaints. They are just simply fun for the members posting there Now that the shop is back, any remote 'spam' can be blamed on it even though things are pretty much the same as they were before (with more activity, and I hope more).

It's just a fun, light atmosphere - 'tis what curvedspace was known for..its insane members, yes?

My two cents

[The BlackOpps]

i like it, it wil get people to post more, and some times spam is good, it will get people talking, so im all for it.

Not really. The main point of spam is that it is useless.

some ppl however only like fun topics that aren't related to important issues, and the only way to get them to post is to have fun topics (spam), plus most spamming is done in the insanity board, and posts in the insanity board are counted toward your credits. so spam isn't a big issue anyways.

[Kimojuno]

and posts in the insanity board are counted toward your credits. so spam isn't a big issue anyways.

You probably meant they aren't counted towards credits, due to how you phrased it, however just for the reference of others:

Each new thread outside the Insanity Board gives five Credits.
Each new reply outside the Insanity Board gives one Credit.

[Neraphym]

Yeah, if the IB counted... omg, people would have billions of credits. I remember posting the word potato in 40 or so replies in a row in there.

[The BlackOpps]

Yeah, if the IB counted... omg, people would have billions of credits. I remember posting the word potato in 40 or so replies in a row in there.

thats a very good reply, however i suggest suggest using my favorite word: banana, its pretty random and its yellow!

[Goto]

Aye, best not to get too worked up about things. Umm... I'd make a longer post, but I think I'd pretty much be reiterating what the others have said. Just wanted to post my agreement.

Also my shock in hearing Xmadole complain about spam.