unforum

[Pixiestix]

Roll Call Threads/Posts

[SpaceBass]

While I sympathize with your frustration, this is a discussion area for a community, which happens to be focused mainly on Alternate Reality Gaming. I also prefer enough organization to the discussion to make it useful and not mind-numbingly hard to navigate but the forums aren't intended to be a rigidly organized system, which we leave up to player-created resources such as Wikis and Guides and Trails and whatever. I think we're doing pretty well if the roll-call posts are at least confined to a thread per game.

[Giskard]

I'm honestly surprised and a little bewildered about how someone could be annoyed by a thread of people posting they will/want to play or follow a game... yes, they tend to get cluttery and chattery, but I actually think that most of the time, it's pretty handy to know who's playing/following along with a game.

If you dislike these threads, the best thing to do is just ignore them, I'd say.

[konamouse]

I understand because I have the same frustration. I'm always trying to watch new game threads.

But repeated "I'm in" with nothing else constructive to add to the discussion create long long trailhead threads with maybe one or two good info posts buried in the fluff.

Makes it difficult to find the information you want to review, and long threads deter folks from reading the whole thread before making comments (that may have already been mentioned but they don't want to read back 10 pages to find it).

[Phaedra]

I don't mind introduction/role-call threads -- they can be a nice place for timid people to make their first post -- but I agree that in already gargantuan trailhead threads they raise the noise-to-signal ratio.

But in most cases it isn't just the "I'm in!" posts that are raising it, so I'd say take a deep breath and be patient with people. If they're excited about the game, that's to the good, and goodness knows it could be worse.

[Rogi Ocnorb]

There is a certain level of annoyance in that type of posting and the obfuscation of actionable content, but it's inevitable. I'm sure if we looked back at all of our old posts, we'd find some embarrassing stuff from the earliest of them.
I say, in the interests of community building, it's better to let it be and when/if the game develops sufficiently, the necessary summaries/wikis/etc. will appear as if by magic (<<points to the 125-plus page movie guessing game thread<<) than to lose a new player due to our fabled crankiness.
The only other option I can see is to add another administrative moderation level and additional 'role-call' threads for each N&R offering.

Also... Some of the newer folks may have determined that they need to 'speak up' in this way to make sure they aren't ignored or otherwise left behind in a game. But, what do I know? I've been roaming the halls for some time here, now and still don't seem to have what it takes to be part of the 'in' crowd. After a while, you just accept certain things. I think one of those things, for me is realizing that I'm just too much of a problem child for PMs.

[Gupfee]

Personally, I'd rather see these excited posts of "this is great, I'm in!" and general goodwill and enthusiasm towards whatever game/topic it is, than the cranky "OMG this sucks" type negativity that can happen sometimes.

[aliendial]

And really - the only reason such threads rise to the level of potential annoyance is because there's nothing else going on, so all people can do is look at the same trailhead. With nothing more to add, but a need to join the game, "I'm in" is a good placeholder. A connection to the game pending actual developments.

[Delusional]

I would be annoyed, If that is I actually thought it was a problem.
I went through the thread that brought this on for you pixie and on the first five pages I think I counted three posts that were only "I'm in". Yes it was said more but generally people tag "I'm in" onto the ends of posts where they are saying something else about the game.
So I don't think it's gotten out of control here. Besides it can be a useful resource for the PMs(yes I know that's not what these boards are for) in gauging the response to a trailhead.

[BrianEnigma]

FIRST POST!

[jamesi]

If 'annoying' "I'm in!" posts are the worst of our problems here, we have a pretty damn good place to discuss things. Really, it's a pretty nitpicky issue to have raised, but it does go to show just how respectful and wonderful our community is if annoyance is near the top of our STOP IT lists.

[Pixiestix]

For the record - that was in a thread asking for a player count, much like the perplex thread that i also said i could understand - but yes, thank you for the search for the post i made in the dedicated thread. As an innocent, not annoying, new player i did post where i was directed to what i was directed to. This is why i was asking for some sort of a clerification or rule or some sort. Not a deleting of posts {which some people in chat thought i meant}. Not a banning of players. just perchance if a game is so new that it only has one thread, the asking to not make such posts in that one thread. But really, when all is said and done, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks - space has already spoken and it doesn't matter. The conversaion we had in chat said it all, basically suck it up or ignore those games. While i don't agree, and we have freedom to disagree with each other and it is okay, it isn't my forum... so i will deal.

I only posted this after a conversation in the chat room where a handful of people were agreeing with me, and cather sugested i start this thread. I am sorry for those i offended... and since i've been told over and over that it is a moot point, i see no point is trying to discuss it further.

[konamouse]

There is a big difference between an INTRODUCTION thread (where folks are giving some information about themselves or what attracted them to uF or to a game) and repeated "this looks cool, I'm in" or "if this takes off, I'm in". Repeatedly.

I'm not advocating any censorship. And it's great to have different opinions. Mine is that I find them annoying. Same as people who quote ENTIRE posts to make a single line comment, like "I agree".

But, as always, I defer to the site owner and administrators. I have never edited or deleted anyone's post (except for obvious spam).

[Gupfee]

[aliendial]

OK, new rule. You can only post "I'm in!" messages with cute/funny animal pictures. Can we add this to the TOS?