Make the Political Mud-Pit Forum More Interactive...

You can do this SkepticOverlord...

Mud-Pit Forum Only!

All threads can have either Red Flags (disapproval) or green flags (approval)

All thread posts can accumulate or have users apply either Red stars for disapproval, or Green stars for approval of any post.

Come on, this form (no other) must have this, it will be incredibly popular for users, forum contributors and visitors, a win all around.

Edit to add...

Flags and stars accumulated in that forum, whether negative or positive would (should) not subtract from from a member's profile totals.

Members can give one or the other on a thread or post, but not both nor more than one. Whether red or green it adds positively to their profile totals.

There is no overall negative impact, except in that forum.

a reply to: ausername

I vote red flag!

a reply to: ausername

Or throw it into BTS. That would work too.

Any thread starting "Trump" or "Obama" I don't even look at.

Why? Because the Mud Pit needs more oxygen?

a reply to: ausername
There is a basic problem with "negative" flags on ATS, which would apply on that forum with even more force than usual.
There are so many viewpoints on ATS that any opinion expressed must meet with the disapproval of a substantial number of members.
If "negative" flags were allowed, every single thread would be drowned by the things (and it would become a meaningless exercise).

originally posted by: kosmicjack
Why? Because the Mud Pit needs more oxygen?

In this environment, absolutely.

And it would be far more representative of community opinion of content.

Also, it would add an entertaining dimension too.

a reply to: ausername

The bulk of the historical ATS users that debate from a middle ground are gone or have one foot out the door here already. I do just like 'TEOTWAWKIAIFF' mentioned... I stay away from any threads and input that is a promotion of divide.

It's quite disheartening to see more and more finger pointing and personal analysis of what everyone thinks, and your idea only promotes more divide... not the coming together of masses that is so desperately needed.

Besides, the mud pit is the one area on ATS where we are allowed to fling poo. I purposely go into it with the intentions to misrepresent my words and throw fuel on fires, so I guess you could say the mud pit is the one place that I want negative feedback... it's the only area where unfiltered debate should occur. I often get a good rise out of people who read my words in the mud pit... because they simply forget where they are... hahaha.

It seems you're looking to establish a system for people to further provide credible feedback to a gas lit arena. While this is nothing more then a blue/red gang thinking their opinions matter... only with green and red flags. Like their is no middle ground option to conclude. You see how and why ATS users of past middle ground debates are gone now... that's right, because of ideas and the will of people to want to change others and the places they are already comfortable in.

Why can't one just find a site that has red and green flags if that's what they want. I'm sure it exists... most do it in Facebook. "I like that" or "I dislike that"... who the hell cares what individual's think. There is billions of people in this world... why try to mold it to the few that desire a divide? There's no good reason, that's right... only selfish ones.

a reply to: ausername

Oh good, multi colored flags and stars.

I want little flowers and rainbows instead. Puhleeeeze?

watch how little approval (no stars) this gets.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: ausername
There is a basic problem with "negative" flags on ATS, which would apply on that forum with even more force than usual.
There are so many viewpoints on ATS that any opinion expressed must meet with the disapproval of a substantial number of members.
If "negative" flags were allowed, every single thread would be drowned by the things (and it would become a meaningless exercise).

Flags and stars accumulated in that forum, whether negative or positive would (should) not subtract from from a member's profile totals.

Members can give one or the other on a thread or post, but not both nor more than one. Whether red or green it adds positively to their profile totals.

There is no overall negative impact, except in that forum.

No one really likes change, but this one would be beneficial to this website.

In my opinion, of course.

a reply to: ausername

I vote remove stars and flags off of the mudpit take it off the front page bury it as the lowest and most detestable place of shame to post in. The mudpit is a cesspool that is killing ATS and driving off good writers. Nothing should be done to give the mudpit greater power it should be diminished in power and influence.

a reply to: ausername
My thought was that every pro-Trump thread would have 22,000 red flags, and every anti-Trump thread would have 21,000 red flags. That is, there would be so many red flags that there would be no point in counting them. That's why ATS is the wrong place to try using red flags.

a reply to: ausername

Aw. I thought you were going to suggest actual mud wrestling.

a reply to: ttobban

I completely agree. If you're rational, pragmatic, better known as a Centrist, you're better off staying out of the Mudpit. It's nothing but partisan tripe. I hate to keep blasting rightists and leftists, but each group has the irrational thinking that everything should be 100% their way. All that would be OK if 100% their way worked or had any chance of working, but all you have to do is sit back and listen to what they're both proposing and common sense will dictate that 100 percent of anything they're proposing isn't going to work in and of itself.]

I imagine the programming framework that ATS is built on has the star and flag system going back to it's beginning and any over the top changes to be made would be very difficult to do unless the whole system was rebuilt from scratch.

Plus once again if any changes are made to the system the mudpit would be the last forum I would want to receive new bells and whistles.
I would like the mudpit taken down a few notches maybe then the good writers will return and begin posting again because their threads no longer get drowned out by the toxic sludge of the mupit and the amount of low quality partisan troll bait threads that pop up in it.

People should be expected to discuss things rationally within the frame work of the T&C's.


MUDPIT=

a reply to: SolAquarius

I don't think it would be a complicated or major change that would require overhauling the code.

Whether red or green in that forum only, it still counts as one flag or star when applied by a member.

Top of threads would display the totals for both red and green flags, outside of that forum one total for both (number of flags)

Thread posts in that forum only would have both red and green stars displayed like the code has now, the total number still counts as a positive in the member profile.

Something like that.

When in the mud pit forum, you could see red and green flag totals on a thread, inside the thread red and green stars separate totals on individual posts.

As a member you could apply a red flag to a thread or green, on an individual post either one red or green star.

Anyway, it's just a suggestion, thinking outside of the damned old dusty box for a change, and making a suggestion. That's all.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: ausername

Oh good, multi colored flags and stars.

I want little flowers and rainbows instead. Puhleeeeze?

watch how little approval (no stars) this gets.

How about we swap the stars for pills......red pill/blue pill? /Sarc

Anyways, the motto of ATS is Deny Ignorance. The concepts mentioned only disregard and dispute the very concepts that ATS was built on.

If ATS mods had the right to flag every post and comment that goes against the will of ATS with a giant 'Skull & Crossbones' to indicate 'potential poisonous' aspects of thought, then I may be more supportive. Tha tway, all can see how ATS mods view their intentions of denying ignorance vs. ignorant input that is displayed... nobody gets a vote except the law writers of the arena.

I could care less what others think, but it would hit home to me if mods thought I was displaying cancerous thoughts and intentions to what I displayed, and displayed in my comment that it goes against the motto and intentions of ATS.

I would assume this entire thread would be marked with a 'Skull and Crossbones' if that really existed.

originally posted by: WilliamtheResolute

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: ausername

Oh good, multi colored flags and stars.

I want little flowers and rainbows instead. Puhleeeeze?

watch how little approval (no stars) this gets.

How about we swap the stars for pills......red pill/blue pill? /Sarc

Good idea.

Pssst... I took both.