a serious question about locked threads

i've been on this board since it started, and the previous iterations of GRM board for quite a while. my memory tells me that there have probably been less than ten threads get locked, and it seems like most of them have been in the last two years.

i'd love to see a histogram of all locked threads, showing the number of posts by each screen name in those threads.

the signal:noise ratio on this board is so high that it really distracts me when the ratio falls to the point that a thread gets locked.

Hey Patrick--I don't think we have that data. Scratch that. We don't have that data. We've locked a few threads over the years--probably less than 10. Most are either political or religious. We typically delete the the plain old stupid ones.

Relax.

Per Schroeder wrote: We typically delete the the plain old stupid ones.

Come on, let's be honest... going to lock the ignore thread? The hotlink thread? Sometimes stupid is too stupid to remove!

I don't think it was a question about locked threads, but rather about one specific participant.

There are certain threads that I just stay away from. Based on the thread titles it is obvious how they will turn out. The two recently locked ones are in that category.

Per, i didn't mean for you to publish it, i just meant that my engineering brain would like to see the data. When i say it distracts me, i mean it makes me want to do histograms of posts rather than read and post to other threads.

SVreX, it was definitely not about one specific participant. Or maybe it was. And maybe that one specific participant was you. I'm betting you've posted in a lot of the locked threads too.

I think this thread needs to be locked!

j/k

FWIW, although SVreX is a person of strong beliefs, he has a history of not so much defending those beliefs (which implies a defensive/adversarial position) as advocating for them, explaining them, and engaging in generally mature discussion about them in such a positive way that it's sometimes easy to forget that most people respond to the topics of politics and/or religion in a decidedly irrational way.

Margie

AngryCorvair wrote: SVreX, it was definitely not about one specific participant. Or maybe it was. And maybe that one specific participant was *you*. I'm betting you've posted in a lot of the locked threads too.

I was assuming THAT! Why would it be anyone else? Doesn't the entire world and all things horrible revolve around me and my existence on the planet?

I wouldn't dare let you give someone else any of the honor I have earned.

Thanks Margie- check is in the mail.

Oh, no wait, Margie! I can do better...

...I am DEFINITELY, no questions asked, no excuses bringing a CAR to the Challenge this year! A REAL car! Not a bicycle, not a go-cart, A REAL CAR! Isn't that exciting??

It probably won't be the car I want to bring (of course, that one isn't going to be finished), but I already have my backup (running and ready), so I will most certainly bring a CAR this time instead of just a bunch of moochers who eat all the food and take all the time at the slot car track!

Aren't you proud of me?

Per shamed me into it last year.

So, I guess I really DO need to get the check in the mail- the registration check!

(Hope I don't break it before Oct- I've eaten enough crow)

I assume GRM used:

to lock those threads...

When I posted the "Religious" thread, I expected a lot of discussions from very different points of view. I never expected it to get crazy like it did. I guess I should have known better. It was still a legitimate question. I'll keep those to myself now.

Angry, just make a chart!

Go to the Community home page and look at Topics, in the center is a number of total topics. I counted 31,406.

If what you say is true and only 10 of 31,406 has been locked, then .000318% have been locked on this board. The old board probably less.

Some boards like 914World do not allow political threads, but they have more members and aren't as family.

Dan

cwh wrote: When I posted the "Religious" thread, I expected a lot of discussions from very different points of view. I never expected it to get crazy like it did. I guess I should have known better. It was still a legitimate question. I'll keep those to myself now.

Personally, I thought that thread went well for the first page or two... with a good initial question and some thoughtful answers. Unfortunately, I also expected it to eventually degrade after the inital questions were answered... and sadly it did.

There's been locked threads? I generally just get bored and go read a book or something.

Ian F wrote:

cwh wrote: When I posted the "Religious" thread, I expected a lot of discussions from very different points of view. I never expected it to get crazy like it did. I guess I should have known better. It was still a legitimate question. I'll keep those to myself now.

Personally, I thought that thread went well for the first page or two... with a good initial question and some thoughtful answers.

+1. I was so proud of us there for just a little while...

cwh wrote: When I posted the "Religious" thread, I expected a lot of discussions from very different points of view. I never expected it to get crazy like it did. I guess I should have known better. It was still a legitimate question. I'll keep those to myself now.

It was a legit question. However all the way back in your very first post, you could have phrased parts of it better. There were bits that were more antagonistic than necessary for a legit question. Not super antagonistic or anything, just more than they needed to be.

With any sensitive topic there's a "pendulum" effect where each reply gives it a little extra shove. While the antagonistic bits in your initial post seemed mostly light hearted to me, why start out giving it an unnecessary shove at all, even if its just a light tap?

It's why I stayed out of the thread. Even though I thought the questions you asked were potentially interesting, bits of your opening post made it clear where it was going to go. That it took as long as it did speaks well for the GRM community.

I'm sure I'd be a big poopie rectangle on angrydude's histogram. I have, on numerous occasions, contributed to the insanity. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd, ringos.

I am not going to respond to that.

DILYSI Dave wrote: +1. I was so proud of us there for just a little while...

I used to hear that from my dad all the time.

Like any debate, sometimes the message gets cloudy from awkward delivery.

The religious thread showed great promise until people started getting their feelings hurt.

Per Schroeder wrote: We typically delete the the plain old stupid ones. Relax.

I wondered where that Katrina thread went way back when....

generally in threads where I can see people are going to get their feelings hurt.. I do not even dip in a toe. Others may wade in without care, but I will watch from the beach, thankyouverymuch

I probably don't help 'cause I tend to post things that sort , in a round about way, make fun of those who are acting like their feelings have been hurt... I know I shouldn't .. but sometimes I just can't help myself