Discussion time is dead. Please Discuss.

Quasar

Ames wrote: »

I've been to the one that people often mention but it just seems to be an almight b1tch fest.



I agree. At least it means this thread is going to fade away rather than get pulled.

Well, there are others that I've heard off where biatching is not rife. Not in there myself though as, contrary to popular opinion, I don't have unlimited time to be on the internet.

tommix

stephen77 wrote: »

Leave what is the best hat to wear at ascot for the money saving arms forum jump

j.e.j.

I honestly wouldn't blame MSE if they got rid of Discussion Time, and also the "Agony Column".

They are entertaining, but nothing to do with money-saving (which surely is what this site is meant for!!)

Are these boards really worth the resources it must take up, trying to police a bunch of *ahem* adults who can't debate or disagree without resorting to name-calling, ganging up or simply trolling the boards.

Ames puts it brilliantly in his/her first three points. I am wondering myself, whether to continue using the forums, for pretty much the same reasons.

Ames wrote: »

I was only thinking the other day about not bothering with DT anymore.

I've a few reasons.

1. It's so repetitive, there's a handful of topics that get repeated ad nauseum.

2. Personal attacks and a completely ineffective PPR system. There are a couple of posters that when they're around I try to avoid posting anything that's not completely bland and uncontroversial.

3. I've just said it all before. I've lost the will to argue on a few topics. A few years ago it was possible to have a debate with the possibility of changing someone's mind, or having your own changed. Now everyone's so entrenched there's just no point.

Possibly it's cathartic to the handful of people who seem intent on coming back time after time under different user-names, and posting the same mean-spirited and vile remarks. But for the rest of us it's becoming a drag, tbh.

SailorSam

I think we should talk about football. That is only if it doesn't upset anyone.
Were you watching Match of the Day at the weekend ?
Did you see that little plane flying with the banner that said ........
Brendan Rodgers out : Rafa in.
The commentators on MoD said it was only a coincidence that Rafa had got his Pilots licence last week.
I liked Rafa but i think Brendan is safe in his job.

Mandelbrot

Quasar wrote: »

There are other fora out there, started by other MSE members, some of them languishing, others ticking by, as far as I know.

Yes.
Is the one with the metronomes in the 'languishing' or 'ticking by' camp? :think:

redux

Muttleythefrog wrote: »

Crikey it seems they just pulled a perfectly functional debate about the role of church in politics as I was posting in it. I fleetingly return to MSE now and again and every time I'm reminded of the same.. I waste a lot of effort debating in debates that end up pulled. So another smack on my bottom and reminder I shouldn't waste my time here.

I asked in the even less frequented rules sections here about removal of 2 innocuous threads mentioning religion, the first of which started because two politicians had mentioned religion.

A staff member replied to my OP but not my second post, which ended up asking whether MSE ever celebrates religious festivals with a temporary site banner.

leveller2911

bushbaby1103 wrote: »

I blame the election, now DT is often hijacked by extremists who only come to insult and bully people with differing views so that true discussion is no longer possible
There used to be more humourous threads and less dogma and hardly any gratuitous offensiveness

Ironic to say the least............

QUOTE: "The ukip brand of racists are particularly mouthy aren't they? Love the attention and don't have much common sense. I suppose when a party leader cheerfully skirts the boundaries of offensiveness in some of the things he has said, it's no wonder some party members feel they have a green light to voice whatever hateful BS springs into their twisted, !!!!!! minds. Sending anti Jewish insults to a Jewish politician? This guy must be a tactical genius, obviously, he's in the right party".




It should ring a bell as you posted it. People in Glasshouses and throwing stones springs to mind..

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5232268

Quasar

j.e.j. wrote: »

I honestly wouldn't blame MSE if they got rid of Discussion Time, and also the "Agony Column".

They are entertaining, but nothing to do with money-saving (which surely is what this site is meant for!!)

Are these boards really worth the resources it must take up, trying to police a bunch of *ahem* adults who can't debate or disagree without resorting to name-calling, ganging up or simply trolling the boards.

Ames puts it brilliantly in his/her first three points. I am wondering myself, whether to continue using the forums, for pretty much the same reasons.


Possibly it's cathartic to the handful of people who seem intent on coming back time after time under different user-names, and posting the same mean-spirited and vile remarks. But for the rest of us it's becoming a drag, tbh.

MSE would be foolish to get rid of DT. Every forum under the sun has a general board to keep all chit chatter in there, so as not to take too many thread off-topic in the dedicated boards.

The fact that MSE is a moneysaving site simply means that without DT/Arms, many threads on the moneysaving boards would be taken down woolgathering lane and cause more aggro instead of less, because people who are not interested in general chat (and don't visit DT/Arms) would have no choice but be faced with irrelevant posts and threads.

Maybe some users don't like the way these boards are going, but that's the way it is with this and every other forum I've been on.

stephen77

tommix wrote: »

That hat is worthy of its own thread

j.e.j.

Quasar wrote: »

MSE would be foolish to get rid of DT. Every forum under the sun has a general board to keep all chit chatter in there, so as not to take too many thread off-topic in the dedicated boards.

The fact that MSE is a moneysaving site simply means that without DT/Arms, many threads on the moneysaving boards would be taken down woolgathering lane and cause more aggro instead of less, because people who are not interested in general chat (and don't visit DT/Arms) would have no choice but be faced with irrelevant posts and threads.

Maybe some users don't like the way these boards are going, but that's the way it is with this and every other forum I've been on.

I don't know about other forums, but I would bet any money that the 'core' group of users of DT (and the Agony Column) use this site only for posting and getting into arguments on those boards.

It's long since been threatened that if it's taking up too many resources and people can't be civil to each other they'll simply get rid of DT. There used to be a sticky written by MSE Martin to that effect.

However, I can picture what you are saying, ie. if they got rid of the DT bit, the trolls would simply post and stir up trouble elsewhere on the site, so maybe it's best to keep them all in one place as much as possible, LOL.