How to deal with flaming.

Well, I don't think you need to apologize, honestly. You're absolutely entitled to your perceptions, nobody can change them short of brainwashing. Or course, if you continue to be unruly it might be the only option...

Mwahahahaha

I'm just messin' around, I don't hold grudges, but I do have a temper sometimes, so I am trying out this new method of mitigating disputes. It seems to be working really well.

I wasn't telling you I love you, but it wasn't an insult either.

Translated:
If it shines, it bleats;
if it is cloudy, it bleats -
The single goat.

I actually wasn't talking about you, I was talking about me. Rain or shine, that's who I am. Just a grumpy old goat, bleating out his wisdom the best he knows how.

I'll toss out one more as a peace offering in case you're insulted. This is what I truly want for all mankind.

"Minna issho ni kaki o mogitsutsu kaki o tabetsutsu"
- S.T.

Translated:

All together
We pick the persimmons,
We eat the persimmons.

Haha, well thanks for explaining that one to me.
Your post had the entire ATS chatbox looking for anime and japan >> english translators, without luck.
That language would be a great tool to compose the rudest personal attacks without ever being warned.

Anyways, you are one of those ATSers I consider to have "a sharp edge".
Great poster but at some level a bit agressive, in your case when it comes to religion for example.
It doesn't change that you're still a great poster, one can tell that your IQ is above the average.

[edit on 3-4-2005 by Jakko]

Originally posted by Jakko

Some people like to shock and like to be harsh. It's not just trolls distorting and derailing threads...

Certainly not. "Trollhunters" play their part too. Especially ones with warns that like to criticize other members that have no warns.

The posse/trollhunter mentality stops here. Mods deal with trolls. Members can either ignore them, or risk stooping to their level. Don't be so sure Mods will be able to distinguish the hunted from the hunter. Jerks all look the same to me.

Just a little perspective here, but here's what I see. Some stuff got ugly yesterday our of frustration, pretty much fueled by a thread I started, that then led to this thread.

But guess what? A lot of things got worked out regardless of all the mess. People that were flaming each other yesterday are actually having dialogues now, and a lot of threads are showing obvious signs of getting the message, that we just don't have to be flat out rude and to remember that these are real people we are talking to. I see it.

Take a look around, the person with the warns has really gone out of his way to mend the fences, and it's over. (Not due to the warns either).

Chat got caddy this weekend, I admit that, but it's being blown all out of proportion at this point, cause that's all it was, at least when I was there. And don't worry, no one is proud of themselves. This whole suppossed "posse" thing is really an exaggerated misinterpretation of what I saw. Maybe I didn't see it all, but for heavens sake, just when things are getting better do we need this kind of drama?

[edit on 4/3/2005 by Relentless]

Originally posted by RANT
Certainly not. "Trollhunters" play their part too. Especially ones with warns that like to criticize other members that have no warns.

If you are talking about my comments regarding winters rather special way of sharing his opinion, then you should know I was not the one who derailed that thread.

The posse/trollhunter mentality stops here. Mods deal with trolls. Members can either ignore them, or risk stooping to their level. Don't be so sure Mods will be able to distinguish the hunted from the hunter. Jerks all look the same to me.

Ah so now it's a mentality?
You seem to take my "trollhunter" title pretty serious, when it was merely ment as a joke to begin with.
Of course I can not hunt trolls, that's the mods job.

If you think an angry post directed at a trolling member is my way of hunting trolls you got it all wrong, I regret writing that post because it didn't do anything but get me warned, and show how I allowed a jerk to provoke me.

[edit on 4-4-2005 by Jakko]

Vigilante behaviour is not the way to go, the solution is in my signature.

I can not figure out why so many let these “trolls” become such an issue. It is simple, do not add fuel to their fire and they will eventually move on. I have read things here that have made me absolutely cringe but I have never once had the urge to flame back. If you can’t add anything, other than an angry rebuttal, then just simply don’t add anything. The only true way to really disarm this type of person is to simply not give them the ammunition to carry on.

So which is it? May we get an ATS definition of polite? I am totally serious at this point. Because it is my understanding at this point that anything goes except directly calling another member names. I think polite includes being respectful in real life. Obviously this may not be the case here.

That's like trying to define good and evil. It's very subjective. However, a good rule of thumb is to treat others as you would like to be treated. Needless to say, we all (myself included) have violated this from time to time....(we are human after all, well, and reptoids, grays, whatever).

Anyhow, one only has to look back at the history of ATS to see what happens to self-formed vigilante squads...(i.e. repeated use of the ban hammer), so I'd really not advise it...

As for requirements of being polite? I'm not aware of such in the terms, but needless to say, being rude all of the time isn't going to win you any friends, supporters, etc. and will eventually lead to you simply not having a very good time here, and then such problems simply solve themselves...

Again, simply don't flame back. That's what they're looking for. Fuel for the fire, food for the trolls. Reply if you want, but you'll get more with honey than with vinegar, and deny them that fire/food they're looking for.

being a southerner we do things a bit differently..............my thoughts are that i can make more friends with lemonade than i can lemons..........

if i treat everyone with courtesy no matter how crazy i think they sound....i can respectfully disagree with a person without being a total pig about it.

if they choose to be a jerk that's their perogative but doesn't mean that i have to lower myself to their level.

but that's ME.


angie

[edit on 4-4-2005 by amb1063]

One thing I haven't seen addressed in this thread is the problem of which moderator becomes involved in a dispute or discussion.

There is one moderator who seemed to take so much delight in trashing any thread I posted about economics or politics, that I have simply quit posting.

I wrote a thread before the election about how I thought Bush would be elected again. I didn't express any personal opinion of Bush, just why I thought the demographics would support his election.

Someone called me a name and the thread was trashed. I didn't get a warn, I just got my conversation killed.

It all seems to depend on which mod reads your post first. I had one thread that received applause from one mod, and got me a warn from another.

I've pretty much quit posting. I do more U2U than actual posting now.

The moderator involved is the first one who sees it (and of course, who is assigned to that forum). Mods can only do actions within their assigned forums. Supers/Admins can do actions on any forums.

No mod is right all the time. And closing a thread is preferable to trashing it. By all means, use the complaint feature, and then it's likely more mods will look at it, and then explain a little more why it was trashed, or restore the thread. Certainly preferable to just stopping posting....

[edit on 4-4-2005 by Gazrok]

Mods do an excellent job. Often they know where to draw the line and end the thread. However, I've been a part of many enjoyable threads that were shut down anyway. Sometimes people need to get a little personal to feel that their points have gotten across. Sure there can be immaturity but I often think that many closed threads didn't warrent being closed.

I'd like it if mods would do more to try and keep the threads going in the right direction rather than just closing them with an apology. Do mods care about their public opinion? The reason I ask is that when many people are really involved in their threads it doesn't matter to them if every reply doesn't directly address the original post. I think that closing these threads may be the wrong tactic. Of course I'm sure than many mods are in "fed up" states of minds when they close threads. Maybe they should instead try to get them back on track. If the work load is too heavy maybe we may have more of a need for mods?

Maybe the answer would be to let the threads self govern. Maybe the answer would be to open up another server or two to handle all extra unmoderated threads? If everyone donated a dollar ATS would get what $40,000+? Perhaps ther could be a no-mod zone where people could just duke out their off topic differences?

Soficrow suggested some kind of test to join ATS... there was a lot of speculation as to what the test should consist of, but it eventually came down to testing various criteria of being a civil, informed board member...

For the record, I've never taken the opportunity to warn anyone on the board. I think everyone should be entitled to say what they want even if it is uncivil. People should simply not entertain those who are obviously being belligerent.

Just some thoughts.
-S

[edit on 5-4-2005 by ServoHahn]

I tryed to approach this through an intermediary type approach, where in we help each other. Now this would require us to unite as one despite the methods employed. wether it be this way

Peace plan for ATS

or some other way the key is to group together to protect ourselves , by not welcoming in those we all know are out there only for kaotic disruption.

Eventually if you ignore an individual like this then they have no choice but to get bored an slink off.

I dont care what approach is taken, but the basics need to be utilized its simple ergonimics ie remove threats to well being with good planing and execution of plans.

"Flaming" is gonna exist no matter what.Especially when it comes to subjects as controversal as the ones you read on a.t.s. Just keep your cool