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Post by ALJD on Aug 10, 2009 18:25:09 GMT -5
Hi folks, Due to popular demand (actually, some insistent PMs), I have added a new feature on the board that allows viewers to ignore posters they rather not deal with. This code has put a button in each poster's mini-profile next to their post, so when clicked, will cause you to ignore that poster's post/pm/calendar entry by whiting it out. If you are ignoring someone, another button is put in their mini-profile which, when clicked, un-ignores them. However, the ignore function doesn't work on unregistered posters, and WWW seems to be just argument central these days. So I'm going to lock WWW for now and see how it goes.  On a side note, all ignore info is stored in the cookie so if you delete your cookies or use a different computer, your ignore list will not be available and you'll have to re-ignore those folks you don't want to deal with. Finally, you cannot ignore me or Pix. Enjoy! |
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Post by privateatty on Aug 11, 2009 5:58:33 GMT -5
I'm surprised that WWW is gone, without warning. "Argument central"? Sounds like my old law practice...Whatever happened to the insistence that the Socratic method is the best way to teach law? And why is argument so anathema to ALJDiscussion? Are we to be relegated to the Stepford Wife modality of communication?
Of course some of the posts by guests were rants without factual underpinnings, but noah comes to mind regarding the perils of catergorizing stone throwers. Yet, WWW was supposed to be just that. If you didn't like Indians and arrows, you weren't supposed to get in the stagecoach.
It is interesting that I was just touting Membership. Not that I had envisioned it being a condition precedent to be able to post at all.
Color me sadly disappointed in this development and opposed to censorship. Can't we get some IT wizard to tie up all the guests and burn 'em at the stake?
And finally, blocking posters? Huh? If I go to the museum I NEVER go to the modern art floor. Stuff makes me nauseous...
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Post by ALJD on Aug 11, 2009 6:24:36 GMT -5
And finally, blocking posters? Huh? If I go to the museum I NEVER go to the modern art floor. Stuff makes me nauseous... I'm not censoring anyone here. I'm just giving individuals the option to tune out people they don't want to hear from anymore. So this actually increases the freedom of choice for everyone here and no one has to be a captive audience anymore. Just as a couple posters here have repeatly enspoused their right to post whatever they want, the readers should also have the right to tune them out if they no longer wish to hear from them. Individual choice is a beautiful thing, no? The only one who should be concerned are those posters who alienate others so much that they get tuned out by the majority of the readers. Hopefully, by placing this option in the hands of individuals, there will be less need for moderation down the road. The ignore function is a standard feature on most private forums. The only reason it took me so long to implement it is because Proboard is very antiquated. So it's here to stay and don't get too bend out of shape over it. |
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Post by morgullord on Aug 11, 2009 7:32:52 GMT -5
WWW was in danger of becoming what TOB had been at its worst.
ALJD, perhaps you should post "standings" similar to the Power-Lock on MLB on XM. After all, if I am getting tuned out by a lot of members, perhaps I would engage in self-criticism. (Of course, those who know me well know that I would not, but there is always a chance...)
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Post by shadow on Aug 11, 2009 7:54:48 GMT -5
For my 2 cents worth, I applaude you ALJDiscussion for both moves. I just checked and TOB is still in business, if anyone is interested. . .won't much miss WWW and don't miss TOB either...
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Post by thedude on Aug 11, 2009 8:23:45 GMT -5
All I can say, ALJD, is...THANK YOU!
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Post by rhino on Aug 11, 2009 9:51:39 GMT -5
Awwwwww. You're kidding. What ? People here can't manage to ignore the Oxpeckers ?(Oxpecker, or "tick bird" - one is supposed to be giving me a grooming right now! In Swahili the tick bird is named "askari wa kifaru." I learned that from Wikipedia!) What a way to shut down discussion and differing points of view. Too bad. Too bad.
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Post by traceb on Aug 11, 2009 12:02:18 GMT -5
Can I "ignore" myself?  ? |
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Post by justahuman on Aug 11, 2009 15:33:40 GMT -5
Every time someone presses ignore, an angel gets its wings! That is so funny! |
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Post by Orly on Aug 11, 2009 15:51:28 GMT -5
Thanks for answering my prayers!!!
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Post by ALJD on Aug 11, 2009 21:04:13 GMT -5
Well folks, From reading the forum and my PMs today, looks like the ignore function is very well received. As the ignore list is stored in each user's browser cookie, there is no way to centrally track who is ignored the most. So regrettably, I can't implement ML's suggestion. On the plus size, now everyone has the power to control which posters they'd rather read, there won't be a captive audience problem anymore. Hopefully this will reduce the need for me or Pix to moderate the forum. As for the demise of the WWW, it mainly had to do with the direction the board was going. When we started this board two years ago, WWW was initially created as a troll trap. Then it was kept on in 2007 for two reasons: 1. Folks who didn't trust this board because it was brand new so they don't want to register. 2. Anonymous sources that wanted to provide inside information. In the two years since, I think this board has achieved some amount of credibility as the place to be for people interested in ALJ hiring, so reason 1 is no longer valid. As for reason 2, the best information we have gained during the last two years were all from forum members, whether by post or by pm. Thus, none of the original reasons applied anymore by the beginning of this year. Nevertheless, it was fine until the last few months, when the amount of arguments and backbiting at the WWW had reach similar levels to the TOB, which is not where I wanted this forum to be. During this time, I started getting insistent PMs from some forum regulars I respected complaining about the situation, and requesting the implementation of an ignore function. It took me a while to get the ignore function set up, and when it was finally done last night, I found out that the code doesn't work on unregistered posters. Thus, we had the situation where readers can ignore registered members, but not the anonymous posters. This situation simply could not stand, since being able to ignore the anonymous posters in WWW was one of the requests I received. That's when I thought about the purpose of WWW again, and realized it had outlived its usefulness. I know some folks are upset about my decision to can the WWW. But never fear, there is an alternative for you if you're not happy about what I have done. The TOB still exists, and I think Ben doesn't moderate like Pix and I do here. Moreover, there is no ignore function there, so you can blab all you want over there and there is nothing the poor readers there can do. So please feel free to go to the ALJ Improvement Board if anonymous forum fights is what you are looking for and you can vent your frustration and psychosis there. Anyway, I have said enough. Hopefully the new tools I have implemented will enable this board to head back to the right direction again. Thanks for everyone's support and understanding. |
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Post by deltajudge on Aug 11, 2009 22:02:06 GMT -5
8-)I don't post here anymore, but read. As I don't have a dog in the fight, wondering why the board, Wild West, where everybody was supposed to vent to their heart's content was shut down? Don't really care, just wondering.
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