A way to keep out banned members (aka trolls)

RenovationMan

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tr3mor

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Tigsteroonie

RenovationMan wrote: »

Why not stop newbies from posting on the discussion boards for a set period of time or a set number of posts, just like you prevent people from posting links at first. All of the discussion boards are hidden from the view of non-members so 'true newbies' would not be aware of these boards until they join, so its not as though they could have been following a discussion and join MSE just to contribute to them.

The Arms however isn't hidden from non-members. So you'd just end up with said AEs/Trolls posting junk threads, or posting 50 replies to the game threads, before heading elsewhere to cause mayhem ... And I wouldn't want to see genuine new members banned from the Arms because it's quite a good place to "find your feet" and ask questions if it's your first time on an internet forum.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Something should be done, the debate house prices board is swamped with trolls at the moment, and it makes proper debate virtually impossible.

Generali

Sounds like a good idea to me. The 'hidden boards' (I think) aren't even visible to people that aren't logged in, that process could be extended (presumably) until people had the requisite number of posts. People genuinely just starting to use the site wouldn't know what they were missing. People trolling and generally being a pain in the Ars**al would have to jump through a whole load more hoops in order to carry on trolling.

[Deleted User]

I agree with this.

I think we also need a way of stopping people making posts elsewhere on the site that are not genuine with the aim of promoting whatever point of view they have. The only solution to that I can think of is to require some proof of identity in order to become a member but this would not be desirable as it would be admin intensive and I think many genuine posters would prefer anonymity.

Fully back anything that makes it harder for the multiple ID posters regardless of which side of any argument they are on.

Thrugelmir

Agree with RM that something needs to be done.

The number of genuine posters on the economy board is diminishing. I myself visit less frequently as intelligent posts and debate is swamped with endless nonsense.

Anyday in which a rise in a house price index is announced is akin to Halloween!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Excellent idea.

There's only one McTavish..... One McTavish.... There's only one McTavish




Or is there?

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Anyday in which a rise in a house price index is announced is akin to Halloween!

And any day a fall in an index is announced the board turns into a theatre of the sockpuppets.

Doesn't matter which side of the debate you're on, they're equally annoying.

vivatifosi

Great idea. I can see Tigsteroonie's point about the arms, but they could certainly go through the hoops to get on this board and on DT in the arms (which also can't be seen without logging in). They are both boards that attract a lot of trolling.

mostlycheerful

Oh no, McLavish and his Lavishness are great. Hoots mon! Very interesting poster, dead intelligent and informed, always a very interesting read, and very witty, got a global perspective that is quite rare here. And he often expresses quite complicated stuff succinctly and clearly. And I love his Aberdeen stuff. Being in London it’s great to hear about the other end of the country from time to time. Yes, I’m a fan of McLavish, the boards would be sadly de lavished if he got his wings clipped. I trust ye jest with such a suggestion.

Well, yes, regarding some of the numpties : but the GHOUL_GHOUL weirdo is also often amusing to read. And whether that might be Sibley or not doesn’t bother me. It’d be funny if it was, if it’s someone else, well, that’s a tantalising little mystery that may or may not be revealed at some point.

His/her postings are all so relentlessly absurd and superficial and appear to be a kind of stand up comedy routine and the said person kindly identifies itself as being the same silly twit by the style of naming so we have the choice of ignoring it’s fatuous threads or reading them for the humour. When I’m in the mood for a bit of it’s latest silliness I read a bit and giggle at it or if I want to read something with a bit more meat and bones then I skip it’s little efforts. Not a problem to me.

And, indeed, a fair few people actually engage with said fule and answer it’s inanities with a mixture of intelligent debunking actually addressing it’s concerns, dismissing them for what they are and quite often with humorous put downs. I very rarely, if ever, see anyone being annoyed or irritated or upset with it’s vacuous jollity and silliness.

I regard the poster as more of a comedian than a serious threat to my enjoyment of the board. Some of what it does is quite amusing and shows a certain quite interesting style and flair. I like the way it thanks itself, that’s fantastic, very funny, and the other day it did a classic load of guff with the usual format of one or two inane comments about property being great and it’s usual bit of hate of HPC, the property crash forum whose banned people often wash up here at MSE, very funny, then, when people called it a twit and made some swipes at it, it then came on in one of it’s other IDs and supported itself and then came out with the classic line “Now that’s what I want to hear” and thanked itself again! I found all that an absolute hoot, screamingly funny, very jolly and I said so. And all harmless and inoffensive. All quite cheerful and upbeat and entertaining.

And recently it’s got a great line, and a number of funny variations, about visiting it’s friendly local estate agent and all sorts of daftisms and some people have been copying the humour and doing threads about visiting their friendly local pawnbroker and such like which, if you’ve already read the original stuff, is also a right laugh to read. I read quite a few of them and often get a good giggle out of it. It definitely holds it’s own in the humour stakes which, surely, is therefore a valid addition.

I find it interesting the way it’s preoccupied with some superficial aspects of property and each time it comes back with yet a new variant on the same theme it mostly makes me cackle. I loved some of its recent names such as REAL_MEN_OWN_PROPERTY and WOMEN_LIKE_MEN_WITH_PROPERTY and such like, very silly, very funny. Daft as a box of frogs. Yes, I like a bit of humour and jollity, brightens up the day. It’s harmless and, as I already say above, it’s easy to skip it any time you’re not particularly in the mood for it so I don’t see it as a problem or irritation

By the way, I’m not it and I don’t do any pranks like that or of any description and I only use this one ID myself.

What I’ve noticed about some other forums is that they have a troll section marked as such and listed right at the bottom of the list of boards and all the nuisance and idiotic stuff gets plonked in there. I’ve read several of them and some of the guff is entertaining, amusing and even quite informative at times. Silliness and rudeness and inanity can be quite a laugh at times. So surely that would be an easy partial solution to this and perhaps Martin could open a troll board, listed right at the bottom after Discussion Time and appoint some more volunteer board guides whose job it is to pick out troll and idiot and nonsense stuff and move it to the troll board. Of course highly offensive stuff still has to be deleted but the relatively harmless and a bit irritating daft stuff could be bunged down there and then we have the choice of either ignoring it or enjoying it.

Regarding banned people coming back, some other posters have, on other threads about this subject, discussed how some of them behave themselves in their new IDs or alternatively, at some point, when they’ve done something particularly out of order, just get banned again. Either way I haven’t noticed much disruption or irritation being caused so I think the current policy works fine. The abuse button gets rid of highly offensive stuff, the not so gross stuff can just jog along and people can just ignore it if they don’t like it. I don’t see it as a problem.

Yes, these boards are pretty bland and quite heavily censored already, all the hot topics and usual suspects are already banned and listed as such in the stickies and the terms and conditions and are frequently culled by use of the abuse button, so to make the whole thing any more bland than it already is would be cutting out too much of the entertainment and valid expression. It would be dumbing it down unnecessarily. I think most people would prefer there to be at least a bit of a spark going on here and there, from time to time, and a bit of definition and black and white stuff to sink your teeth into rather than just one uniform shade of grey throughout. Yes, if you flatten it out too much then you run the risk of decapitating it, of killing off too much of the spirit.

I think Martin and co have got it about right, it’s a bit lively and colourful occasionally, which is a good thing, and the extreme stuff gets the chop so it’s not all clogged up with unpleasant filth. Yes, I think the current policy is pretty good and the only addition that I think could be made would be, as I say above, a troll section marked as such to put all the flaky stuff that’s not so outrageous that it has to be deleted.

Ok, I’m waffling, nuff sed.