Muzman on 3/5/2014 at 05:24
Yeah, I dunno why it has to be self deleting. Database weight limiting I suppose.
I can't see megathreads being replaced either. Useful high level discussion does break out occasionally, but if it's peeled off into its own thread, that kills it as often as not (possibly because people would rather 'read the feed' in the moment than go off to another thread. I don't know).
I do get the impression that whatever this is is supposed to behave somewhat like a megathread. Sort of the ongoing timeline of whatever sub forum it is over the past month or so. (but that's still not exactly what Kolya is talking about I don't think).
Maybe that's a hybrid solution; one of those 'latest posts' feed systems that's just every new post as it comes up from wherever it is (well, the first few lines anyway), constantly updating.
Kolya on 3/5/2014 at 10:44
I think that discussion of personal issues and potentially socially unwelcome viewpoints doesn't take place here but on social media websites, because you can select your audience there (ie share your posts with whomever). This creates a feeling of privacy. But it also creates a space where controversial discussion becomes rare.
The idea was to have a forum here which gives us some privacy, in that content isn't exposed to the world, but retain the open discussion aspect that you're more likely to have when you're not sitting in your filter bubble of personal friends.
My first idea to solve this was private threads, where only those you invited would be able to see it and participate. But that fails on the open discussion aspect. Another was anonymous posting, but that comes with its own set of problems.
The idea proposed here is a members-only area in order to lock out search engines. And auto-deleting content to battle the problems that digital permanence brings to a personal discussion on the internet, as compared to such a discussion held in real life. Namely that anyone can drag up stuff that you said long ago and use it against you, openly or not.
I've rolled around this theory (and potential solutions) for some time. Because I wasn't quite sure if it might just be my own perception, as someone who prefers forums over social websites.
When the Eich thread ended, which was in my opinion the first interesting discussion thread commchat had had in a very long time, it confirmed a lot of that. And just saying Have the balls to stand up with your outlier opinion to what's potentially the whole internet, doesn't help when people simply stop posting about such things or even leave.
And then here in this thread I learn about something personal that apparently was already discussed on FB. By one of the oldest members of this place. And he prefers it to stay there.
So in my opinion it's ten past twelve to look at what a forum that also wants to be a social place can do to keep such people, without giving up its forum nature.
Sorry for this lengthy post, but I wanted to make it clear, that this isn't about megathreads or shoutboxes. Chat-like web-interfaces have existed for a long time and come with their own issues and disadvantages. Having thought about this again, I believe that the changes to regular TTLG should be as small as possible and only try to alleviate the problems described above. A members-only subforum, where threads get auto-deleted after one year does that.
faetal on 3/5/2014 at 12:35
Given how widescreen monitors are the norm now and this forum predates that, there is plenty of real estate for a shoutbox or similar. The question would be how much technical work it would require to implement it and which of the admins would voluntarily do that in their own time. Perhaps we could have a voluntary PayPal donation like we did to cover the server tidy-up / re-host a while back.
Queue on 3/5/2014 at 17:18
I see what you're saying, but I don't understand the point. I mean, you're suggesting a forum of members-only discussions that is separate from the existing forum of members-only discussions--but only hidden and secret so the rest of the world cannot read it. Okay, why? What "potentially socially unwelcome viewpoints" would you be talking about that you wouldn't want others to read? And if you don't want the whole world to read your thoughts because you're afraid of someone being offended or because these are "private matters", then why talk about it?
Thirith on 3/5/2014 at 17:28
I think it's especially in reaction to SubjEff deleting his posts in the Eich discussion, saying (IIRC) that he didn't want people later reading them, taking them out of context and forcing him to resign as the CEO of Mozilla, metaphorically speaking.
Queue on 3/5/2014 at 17:45
Okay, now I get it.
And that's what has become especially scary about this brave new world we find ourselves in.... That one, now, has to censor themselves out of fear of repercussions from a society brimming over with opinion-less, homogenized, dispassionate douche-bags is truly the most disturbing side effect of this "free exchange of information" society.
I missed that whole thread, Thirith, so I have no idea what went on. But, now knowing this, I fully support Kolya's idea--even though I hate the very notion of it, or there being a need.
nickie on 3/5/2014 at 18:02
Personally I like the idea but I'm not sure now what idea is going on. The little I've seen of IRC and the Shoutbox thing doesn't seem to be conducive to meaningful in-depth conversation. Perhaps that's a separate idea?
I don't know if there is a specific need but people might feel more comfortable about talking on any given subject if they know they are only talking amongst 'friends'. Anyway, Queue, why do you think you might be allowed in?
Thirith on 3/5/2014 at 18:07
@Queue: To be honest, I think that was an overreaction on SubjEff's part. Then again, it may be a very different situation in the US or the UK than it is here. However, as soon as people *feel* they can't voice their opinions because those statements might come back to bite them in the ass and they start deleting what they wrote, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
PigLick on 4/5/2014 at 03:24
You will always be welcome in my club, my man!
