Question about Politics Forum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it would be feasible or reasonable to try a subform in Political that is login only. That way you could see if people would chose it preferentially and how it would work.

No one would use it. Look at explicit.

1. I don’t hang out in explicit, but a quick glance suggests it’s getting plenty of action. Hard to know how big the audience was spread before the change though.
2. If the number of people interested in a registered politics forum is small, then it will die a natural death. Or alternatively, it might thrive while the anonymous politics forum turns into an echo chamber of enraged trump supporters.

Seems like a good solution because the two-forum approach allows a space for everyone rather than discouraging anyone from participating.

Trump supporters don’t discourage participation. They just don’t agree with liberals and it makes you uncomfortable.

Those differences of opinion sure are discouraging!

Also the owner and mod deletes lots of opinions that are “discouraging,” so it’s a relatively safe space for you.

Agree. Imagine what the forum would look like if the mod didn't actively run his own forum the way he chooses, while freely encouraging those who don't want to do it that way (at his own site) to go elsewhere, if they like.

FTFY

OK.....so he's doing that. He's hiding how upset voters are with progressives in the party and thus leading his liberal base to believe the country is behind them. He'd do y'alll more of a favor if he allowed y'all to see how angry people are. But, hide your head in the sand, and be prepared for another surprise come Election Day.

(And you really shouldn't change the words of posters with whom you disagree. State your differing opinion, but to obliterate the words of a conservative is really pretty low. More silencing of opposing voices.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to love the Politics forum, but it has become pointless with all the Trump defenders changing the topics within threads so that intelligent discussion is impossible.

I would be happy to register.

Liberals turn every thread into TRUMP!! The Musical.

More irony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it would be feasible or reasonable to try a subform in Political that is login only. That way you could see if people would chose it preferentially and how it would work.

No one would use it. Look at explicit.

1. I don’t hang out in explicit, but a quick glance suggests it’s getting plenty of action. Hard to know how big the audience was spread before the change though.
2. If the number of people interested in a registered politics forum is small, then it will die a natural death. Or alternatively, it might thrive while the anonymous politics forum turns into an echo chamber of enraged trump supporters.

Seems like a good solution because the two-forum approach allows a space for everyone rather than discouraging anyone from participating.

Trump supporters don’t discourage participation. They just don’t agree with liberals and it makes you uncomfortable.

Those differences of opinion sure are discouraging!

Also the owner and mod deletes lots of opinions that are “discouraging,” so it’s a relatively safe space for you.

Agree. Imagine what the forum would look like if the mod didn't actively run his own forum the way he chooses, while freely encouraging those who don't want to do it that way (at his own site) to go elsewhere, if they like.

FTFY

OK.....so he's doing that. He's hiding how upset voters are with progressives in the party and thus leading his liberal base to believe the country is behind them. He'd do y'alll more of a favor if he allowed y'all to see how angry people are. But, hide your head in the sand, and be prepared for another surprise come Election Day.

(And you really shouldn't change the words of posters with whom you disagree. State your differing opinion, but to obliterate the words of a conservative is really pretty low. More silencing of opposing voices.)

Yeah, when I erased the post I quoted above so that nobody could see what I was responding to, and then hid the changes by failing to highlight them, I really oppressed you. (Or whomever.)

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:I don't know if there are more Trump supporters or if fewer liberals are participating in the forum these days. It is nearly impossible to have a normal discussion with the Trumpsters and I think that discourages users from using the forum.

Yes, there is a troll who attacks me all day long most days. He must not have a job given the amount of time he had to post mean things about me, my wife, and kids. He takes great pride in having played lacrosse in college, so I think I will call him Laxbrotroll.

There are a handful of other posters who also enjoy criticizing me, but not as bad as Laxbrotroll.

Given your point that many liberals seem to be abandoning the politics forum because of how impossible it is to have a real discussion there, would you consider testing a user registration reqt for politics for a brief period (maybe one month). It might improve the situation.

I know this has been requested many times by others and you’re hesitant. But in this thread - https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/666044.page#11474821 - you acknowledged that as circumstances change, you might be inclined to try our a user registration requirement. You also wrote that user registration has largely eliminated problems in the explicit forum. I wonder if you might see the same benefits in politics. Would you consider trying it for a one-month period? Then users could give feedback, and you could better assess which approach poses fewer headaches.

About a week ago I was very close to requiring registration for the Political Forum. Very, very close. But, this week I recovered my mojo and I think things can stay as they are. I have been working on a better way to block unwanted posters and today is the first day that is is fully deployed and working. It still won't be perfect, but it's a big improvement. However, it will require people to report inappropriate posts.

The two biggest actions causing problems right are posting about Clinton regardless of the topic and complaining about removed posts. There are a handful of posters who simply can't type a response that doesn't include "Clinton" in it. These folks need to move on. If for some reason your post is deleted, posting another message saying that your post was deleted and complaining about it is only going to cause me to delete that post and to consider blocking you.

I can't create subforms, but I could create a second forum and I will think about creating a second political forum that requires registration. The main issue that I see with that is that all topics will be duplicated.

You might want to let people know if the get a post deleted and ask why, they could be banned.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:OK.....so he's doing that. He's hiding how upset voters are with progressives in the party and thus leading his liberal base to believe the country is behind them. He'd do y'alll more of a favor if he allowed y'all to see how angry people are. But, hide your head in the sand, and be prepared for another surprise come Election Day.

(And you really shouldn't change the words of posters with whom you disagree. State your differing opinion, but to obliterate the words of a conservative is really pretty low. More silencing of opposing voices.)

I don't think that anyone is surprised that right-wingers don't like the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Moreover, that dislike is hardly suppressed in the forum. Your mistake is the believe that right-wingers represent anything more than right-wingers.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:You might want to let people know if the get a post deleted and ask why, they could be banned.

They are free to ask in Website Feedback. The normal ban in 24 hours. I think it is a pretty effective message.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it would be feasible or reasonable to try a subform in Political that is login only. That way you could see if people would chose it preferentially and how it would work.

No one would use it. Look at explicit.

1. I don’t hang out in explicit, but a quick glance suggests it’s getting plenty of action. Hard to know how big the audience was spread before the change though.
2. If the number of people interested in a registered politics forum is small, then it will die a natural death. Or alternatively, it might thrive while the anonymous politics forum turns into an echo chamber of enraged trump supporters.

Seems like a good solution because the two-forum approach allows a space for everyone rather than discouraging anyone from participating.

Trump supporters don’t discourage participation. They just don’t agree with liberals and it makes you uncomfortable.

Those differences of opinion sure are discouraging!

Also the owner and mod deletes lots of opinions that are “discouraging,” so it’s a relatively safe space for you.

Agree. Imagine what the forum would look like if the mod didn't actively run his own forum the way he chooses, while freely encouraging those who don't want to do it that way (at his own site) to go elsewhere, if they like.

FTFY

Your post is supremely ironic as op and supporters don’t like the way Jeff is currently running the politics forum and instead of GOING ELSEWHERE, as you suggest others do, you are asking him to change it.

Lol take your own advice! Don’t like Dcum politics as it is? Go elsewhere!

I have not complained like verbal diarrhea about it, though. That seems par for the course for the most whingy angry conservatives. This is the first time I even thought about registration for Political, and it was in response to a thread that brought it up.

I just avoid Political for the most part now, and I would unless there were a registration option. If Jeff doesn't decide to make that available, I'm not going to be all butthurt.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Jeff, for taking some action in the Political Forum. I think requiring registration might be a good idea, but if it turns out to be unnecessary, then that's great.

It's not conservatives that are the problem (although it seems that most of the intelligent conservatives have abandoned the Political Forum, as have many/most of the intelligent liberals).

Fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it would be feasible or reasonable to try a subform in Political that is login only. That way you could see if people would chose it preferentially and how it would work.

No one would use it. Look at explicit.

1. I don’t hang out in explicit, but a quick glance suggests it’s getting plenty of action. Hard to know how big the audience was spread before the change though.
2. If the number of people interested in a registered politics forum is small, then it will die a natural death. Or alternatively, it might thrive while the anonymous politics forum turns into an echo chamber of enraged trump supporters.

Seems like a good solution because the two-forum approach allows a space for everyone rather than discouraging anyone from participating.

Trump supporters don’t discourage participation. They just don’t agree with liberals and it makes you uncomfortable.

Those differences of opinion sure are discouraging!

Also the owner and mod deletes lots of opinions that are “discouraging,” so it’s a relatively safe space for you.

Agree. Imagine what the forum would look like if the mod didn't actively run his own forum the way he chooses, while freely encouraging those who don't want to do it that way (at his own site) to go elsewhere, if they like.

FTFY

Your post is supremely ironic as op and supporters don’t like the way Jeff is currently running the politics forum and instead of GOING ELSEWHERE, as you suggest others do, you are asking him to change it.

Lol take your own advice! Don’t like Dcum politics as it is? Go elsewhere!

I have not complained like verbal diarrhea about it, though. That seems par for the course for the most whingy angry conservatives. This is the first time I even thought about registration for Political, and it was in response to a thread that brought it up.

I just avoid Political for the most part now, and I would unless there were a registration option. If Jeff doesn't decide to make that available, I'm not going to be all butthurt.

Somehow I don’t quite believe you. I think your buttcheeks are stinging right now.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:I don't know if there are more Trump supporters or if fewer liberals are participating in the forum these days. It is nearly impossible to have a normal discussion with the Trumpsters and I think that discourages users from using the forum.

Yes, there is a troll who attacks me all day long most days. He must not have a job given the amount of time he had to post mean things about me, my wife, and kids. He takes great pride in having played lacrosse in college, so I think I will call him Laxbrotroll.

There are a handful of other posters who also enjoy criticizing me, but not as bad as Laxbrotroll.

Given your point that many liberals seem to be abandoning the politics forum because of how impossible it is to have a real discussion there, would you consider testing a user registration reqt for politics for a brief period (maybe one month). It might improve the situation.

I know this has been requested many times by others and you’re hesitant. But in this thread - https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/666044.page#11474821 - you acknowledged that as circumstances change, you might be inclined to try our a user registration requirement. You also wrote that user registration has largely eliminated problems in the explicit forum. I wonder if you might see the same benefits in politics. Would you consider trying it for a one-month period? Then users could give feedback, and you could better assess which approach poses fewer headaches.

About a week ago I was very close to requiring registration for the Political Forum. Very, very close. But, this week I recovered my mojo and I think things can stay as they are. I have been working on a better way to block unwanted posters and today is the first day that is is fully deployed and working. It still won't be perfect, but it's a big improvement. However, it will require people to report inappropriate posts.

The two biggest actions causing problems right are posting about Clinton regardless of the topic and complaining about removed posts. There are a handful of posters who simply can't type a response that doesn't include "Clinton" in it. These folks need to move on. If for some reason your post is deleted, posting another message saying that your post was deleted and complaining about it is only going to cause me to delete that post and to consider blocking you.

I can't create subforms, but I could create a second forum and I will think about creating a second political forum that requires registration. The main issue that I see with that is that all topics will be duplicated.

Thanks Jeff for the thoughtful response. I hope your new behind-the-scenes methods encourage the problem posters to move along. On the idea of a registered politics forum as an alternative, I hear and understand your concern about duplicate conversations. But (1) what’s the problem with more discussions? If there are two robust discussions on the same topic in two different forums, that’s not a bad thing; that’s just more communication. And (2) as a practical matter, I suspect one of the two forums would die off of its own accord after a month or two anyway. It’s really just A-B testing, and letting people choose which sort of political discussion is more productive. It’s obviously easier for users to post anonymously, so the registered forum will thrive only if the anonymous forum remains so toxic that people are discouraged. If the end result is that the toxic users in the anonymous forum are able to be better users or else move along, and the registered forum dries up as unnecessary, that’s a fine result too. But ultimately, of course, it’s your choice and I’m sure I can’t understand the various headaches that multiply from different forums. Thanks for thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Somehow I don’t quite believe you. I think your buttcheeks are stinging right now.

I truly hope that thought comforts you.

I agree with this:

… I suspect one of the two forums would die off of its own accord after a month or two anyway. It’s really just A-B testing, and letting people choose which sort of political discussion is more productive. It’s obviously easier for users to post anonymously, so the registered forum will thrive only if the anonymous forum remains so toxic that people are discouraged. If the end result is that the toxic users in the anonymous forum are able to be better users or else move along, and the registered forum dries up as unnecessary, that’s a fine result too. …

But it would really be a shame to make more trouble or work for Jeff. His call.

It's a big website, and there is always another place to find something interesting.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Jeff, for taking some actions to improve political forum. I stopped using it about a year ago, because it all became so pointless and filled with name-calling. As someone who left DC, I used to really enjoy getting informed political discussions there...maybe I'll wade back in.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, Jeff, for taking some action in the Political Forum. I think requiring registration might be a good idea, but if it turns out to be unnecessary, then that's great.

It's not conservatives that are the problem (although it seems that most of the intelligent conservatives have abandoned the Political Forum, as have many/most of the intelligent liberals).

Fingers crossed.

Okay, I created a second forum that requires registration. Let's see if anyone uses it.

[Anonymous]

Cool! just made an account

TRUMPMAGAFOREVERGODEMPEROR

just kidding, but I'm curious to see how it goes

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Cool! just made an account

TRUMPMAGAFOREVERGODEMPEROR

just kidding, but I'm curious to see how it goes

Within two minutes of the forum being created, someone registered "TrumpSux".