What happened to ATS like we used to know it?

I peak in from time to time to see what the latest threads are and what crazy idea's people have.


But why aren't the mod's deleted the topics that just drive people away.

I'll list a topic I've seen to just be complete bull crap:
How to summon UFOs

^^ Come on are we telling fairy tells now?

There are just all sorts.

What happened to the UFO videos where things simply could not be explained? You know the latest 2008 videos you can clearly see there are flashing lights like you would see on any HUMAN aircraft.

What happened the the UFO's that go 657489MPH (Just a figure) and suddenly stop and shoot off at the same speed or more in the opposite direction? Those are the videos that simply can not be explained because to this day there is no plane that can do that.

What happened to this place? All I see is a lot of hoaxers, people trying to get popular on a web forum, CG effects and more.....



[edit on 22-6-2008 by xweaponx]

[edit on 22-6-2008 by xweaponx]

Some of those threads like the 'how to summon ufos' are really old, think that one was 2006 at least, those threads should probably go to skunkworks anyways

i tend to agree - a lot of newer footage would be better off on Youtube and not on ATS.

the admins need to be a bit more ruthless - otherwise this place will be swamped with crappy CGI ufo videos.

Everything grows and goes through periods of change. ATS is not immune to that. We have moments of intensity and moments where everything seems static.

The discussion is what's important.

You will never know the truth by hiding in a shell and claiming you know it.

Getting out there and bashing heads and learning and teaching each other is how we grow.

Even when the discussion seems old, the learning is new.

It's why I love this site with all my heart.

wupy

The topics are not a problem to me (Although I do consider some to be slightly 'trippy').

It is more the way that members actually speak to eachother.

Alot of agression on here!!

Gees!!

Chill Pill Guys!!!!

Well I can say as a mod that we do take a lot of care in deciding which threads stay and which thread go.

And a lot of times it comes down to "do we believe the sincerity of the poster or not".

If the thread is titled "My proof of aliens" and the op talks about his/her government contacts and that they have undeniable proof etc. etc.

That thread would be looked at differently than a thread that is entitled "Why I believe in aliens" or "Why I believe I've been abducted."

In a proof thread we ask for proof if none is forthcoming we'll close it...or may close a similar thread for other reasons.

But a personal perspective thread we'll let stay, simply because a person is relating their personal experience.

Now of course some thread cross the line into the grey area such as a "summon ufo" type thread.

Thread's like this are a tough choice and while a mod or two or more may think the thread is rubbish or that a particular topic is not credible we will weigh that against what the community thinks.

If I personally disagree with a thread in this forum or personally think it's absolute rubbish I wont delete it out of hand just because it doesn't meet my standards. If a (in my opinion) ridiculous thread has a lot of discussion going on then it seems obvious from a mod standpoint that this is a thread the members like...and that's really what we're here to do, make sure the members of ATS can talk as freely as possible (without violating the T&C) about as many different types of topics they're interested in.

But this is just my opinion.

spiderj

Like most forums I've seen they start out searching for answers to this nut house world we're in only to be over run with jokers.
It don't matter the forums topic......any topic.......the jerks move in to any FREE forum and start the crap.

Cya

What gets me is the number of posters complaining about the content on ATS, and ATS seemingly bending over backwards to appease the complainers. Instead of free thought and open discussion, it's turning into a forum of political correctness and thought police.

As long as we dont have any more "reptilian" stuff here we'll be OK. Good videos are worth posting here on ATS.

1. As mods, our job is not to censor the thoughts/expressions of others, but to moderate according to the terms and conditions of the site. We aren't thought police, it's up to the members to decide what's rubbish, and what's good information. (and this is highly subjective)

2. I've been on the "inside" for quite a while, and I can tell you that the owners and moderators are certainly not "disinfo" agents, and have nothing but the most sincere drive to deny ignorance and exhibit the best conspiracy evidence brought by the site members. Our opinions as staff on any conspiracy topic are just that, opinions. Posts get moved/deleted, members banned, etc. for violating the terms and conditions of the site that we all as members adhere to, not for their views or post content.

3. As members, all of us are responsible for what content shows on page one. If you think a post is crap, fine, don't reply to it and give it more attention! The posts that show are a direct result of the interests of the members, so if a bunch of "crazy" topics are showing, then that's what have been getting the replies! Do something about it! Post a nice, well-researched thread, and add to the discussion!

4. Moving/Not Moving to Skunkworks is a pretty subjective thing. Remember that moderators are volunteers (and not omniscient), and in the spare hours spent here, usually concentrate more on flagrant violations of the Terms & Conditions, member requests and assistance, and other more priority duties than weighing a thread's "merit"... The members assess and assign the weight of anyone's posts.

5. Everthing goes in cycles. Forums are no different. When there's good, hard-hitting UFO news, you'll see the stars come out to shine and offer up excellent information, research. When slow in that department, all there is left is typically the more "fluff" stories and personal accounts.

6. Use the Search! Over the years, some EXCELLENT material has been shown to and from members. Take advantage of it, by looking for some older threads on your favorite specific subjects.

7. People often resurrect old threads when they deal with a current topic. In the summoning UFO's thread case, there was a recent thread on updates with our old debunked pal, "Prophet Yahweh", so sure, it was inevitable that anything related might be dug up...

8. You are all the authors, so kind of hard for you to complain about the book!!!

reply to post by xweaponx

I am curious.. what is your OTHER username? You speak of some old ATS and yet you registered in february of this year. So unless you have another name that you are no longer using and one might wonder why you cannot use it anymore.... how would someone who is relatively new to ATS know the history of our forums.

Its just a question but a simple one.

I have seen many people answer your question already and quite honestly I do not feel it has changed that much over the years. There have always been false claims and their have always been a few rude skeptics and a few rude believers in the masses. Time and bannination takes care of those.

ATS is just fine.

reply to post by Doc Velocity

It has nothing to do with thought censorship it has to do with expressing your thoughts in a civil non hostile manner to those you are interacting with.

No one says to believe one way or another but when you are speaking to another member.. be respectful no matter what your take be it agreeable or disagreeable. Present your point in a civil manner and they will respond in kind.

Simple, ATS got taken over by a bunch of kids. It's a shame really, ATS used to be one of my favorite sites but now it just tries my patience whenever I stop by.

Originally posted by NephraTari
It has nothing to do with thought censorship it has to do with expressing your thoughts in a civil non hostile manner to those you are interacting with.

Well, no, that's not what I'm talking about. When I see recent threads on, say, Evolution vs Creationism (which are unrelated topics, as far as I'm concerned, but I'm not going to object to people discussing whatever they want), I'm sort of alarmed to see other ATS members come crashing into those threads, denouncing the topic, asking that the thread be closed, and injecting a few snide and condescending remarks, as well.

Here's an actual example: "How many of these evolution vs. creationism threads are we going to have to endure? It's always the same rhetoric back and forth between the same people. Yeah, I could just bypass these threads when I see them on the board, but why waste the space in the first place?"

Now, that is the work of thought police, attempting to belittle certain topics and chase away the participants. I'm not talking about ATS mods, per se, but established ATS members for sure. And I see this sort of naysaying, closed-minded whining with increasing frequency.

Well, although i'm not a mod and i'm not psychic (i think), i believe i can probably understand their thinking behind these matters.

Essentially, it goes along the lines of 'everything changes', and this was touched upon by another member in this thread (kudos to mrwupy), however not as deeply as i want to take it.

Everything changes, whether it wants to or not.

This includes people.

So, just because someone makes a few bad posts or a few bad threads, doesn't mean they don't possess the potential to be valuable members of the ATS community.

Which is more than can be said for one or two bad apples who seem to be doing their best to spoil the harvest.

Isn't "free thought" what the site is all about? I agree that some posts are a little "out there", but we still should be free to discuss! People have gone so overboard with "political correctness", to the point where you can't be free to discuss anything! I think it's great that we are able to discuss many various topics on this site! That's what makes it fun!

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
I'm sort of alarmed to see other ATS members come crashing into those threads, denouncing the topic, asking that the thread be closed, and injecting a few snide and condescending remarks, as well.

Here's an actual example: "How many of these evolution vs. creationism threads are we going to have to endure? It's always the same rhetoric back and forth between the same people. Yeah, I could just bypass these threads when I see them on the board, but why waste the space in the first place?"

Now, that is the work of thought police, attempting to belittle certain topics and chase away the participants. I'm not talking about ATS mods, per se, but established ATS members for sure. And I see this sort of naysaying, closed-minded whining with increasing frequency.

I can see what your saying to an extent. You have to understand that members can get frustrated when new members refuse to use the search function to look for a topic before they post a new one on the same subject that there are already 15 different threads discussing. There is much valuable information and ideas in existing threads and if people take the time to read them they might find the answers they seek without having to take up more server space and force everyone to REPOST their thoughts again and again and again just to help someone out.

some don't mind but others get tired of having to type the same thing over and over. And I am sure the site owners would prefer we think before we post to help use the bandwidth we have for new information and utililize what is pre-existing for reference. I mean, who says you can't reply to a topic that was started 2 years ago? Opinions then are just as valid as they are today and if the discussion is a worthy one, many people will be grateful to see all those views that might they might have missed the first time around.

However when a member brings up the point that a topic is repetitive, they can and should do so in a civil manner.

[edit on 23-6-2008 by NephraTari]

I think a big part of the problem is that ATS is different things to different members.

a conspiracy discussion forum
a debate forum
a news aggregate site
alternative topics
social networking

It's just so wide open that there is lots of interpretation. Not to mention ATS has other sites to compete with, particularly alt news and news aggregate sites like Reddit, WRH, Drudge, etc. Everyone just wants to be the latest internet sensation to be highlighted in the MSM. And the sites let it happen so they can corner the biggest share of web-views.

I think it is refreshing to start a new thread on a subject! When people say, "Oh, there is already a thread about that", it sort of throws me into a migraine to try to search and go through all of the old info from 2 years ago, etc. On another board that I post on, after a subject has 200 posts, it is closed and then Part 2, Part 3, etc. begins. It is much easier to manuever that way. If a thread gets too long, I just get frustrated and give up!