apprentice queries: BelowTS and banned posts

Hi: I hope that as an apprentice member I may be forgiven the following 3 silly questions?
1. What is "Below Top Secret", and does it require a seperate account? I actually made another account for this, but I've never used it, and the threads don't offer edits/replies. Is it a "hell" for unwanted threads?
2. Especially on busy nights I sometimes lose track of threads, but recall the poster. Yet not all posts or threads are on the profiles. Could one not find a scheme where not only threads but Posts could be searched (e.g. keywords: author+subject, alphabetically)?
3. The occassional banned posts cause immense curiosity. Perhaps also as educational info on ATS, could one not have a category of some exemplary "banned" posts? A "Wall of shame" if you like (it could be anonymous). I think a practical example category like this could go much further in explaining the rules than the sometimes vague guidelines.
Otherwise:
Blessed be...

[edit on 1-12-2009 by halfoldman]

reply to post by halfoldman

While I'm at it, I also had the following experience. My ATS list had all the threads I posted, yet by mistake I pushed the red delete button, and the thread disappeared. I know there is a "thread search" option, but it seems quite over-powering. Is there no "Your deleted threads" option, similar to a conventional trash-box with restorative powers?
It happened weeks ago when I joined, but the person had an interesting post as a reply, and I've never found them again.
Then: if I this list, does the thread also disappear from the recent posts lists? I mean there were some threads (my own) that I really wanted to go away the morning after - can I do this? Strangely, these were the threads that eventually proved immensely popular!

reply to post by halfoldman


Another way to see the threads you have posted in is to check your profile:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

near the top you will see:

Extended Profile And Info For halfoldman
PROFILE [posts] [threads]


hit the [posts] button and you would see this:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

which would show you links to your last 250 posts and the thread they were posted in..

hope this helps..

reply to post by halfoldman


hiya
Ill answer question 1 and staff can address your other questions, I do like point 2 you raised, the search function is not very robust


This is BTS
www.belowtopsecret.com...

Its a more social relaxed forum, I sign into both. Below Top Secret is top right next to the Above top Secret link. There are music and movies threads, people, travel etc, you also have the mutter box on the right wich is like tweeting, but even more inane natter at times if that is indeed possible. Theres jokes and puns and at the moment UKtoday has a hillarious matchmaking members thread going there.....its generally a more chilled place to hang out when ATS makes you twitch a bit too much, and a good place to socialise with your ATS friends rather than just debate them on boards

www.belowtopsecret.com...

See you there!

Cheers Zazz


[edit on 1-12-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by halfoldman
The questions you ask all have answers, but most of them are just mistakes on your part, no big deal just must live with, or maybe until you receive a sever scolding from on of the mods.
Then you could get 30 days in electic chair, but that's the worstt hat could happen I think.

The thing is there is a lot of info on these matters available at ATS, but you have to look for and read, if you are lucky you will understand the info, if not you will have to do like some of the rest of us and play it by ear.

Good luck and you can just go to BTS no extras needed I know of, just watch out you may become trapped there, it happened to me a couple of times.


[edit on 1-12-2009 by googolplex]

Originally posted by halfoldman

1. What is "Below Top Secret", and does it require a seperate account? I actually made another account for this, but I've never used it, and the threads don't offer edits/replies. Is it a "hell" for unwanted threads?

BTS is the place where we discuss relevant but not conspiracy related topics. There's a little bit for everyone on BTS, good camaraderie, light hearted discourse, muttering, and a whole lot of good easy going shenanigans. For a lot of folks it helps balance out the sometimes "intense" nature of ATS.

It does not require a separate account, same username/pw as ats and atsmedia. Actually all the features of ATS are on BTS but for the ability to "star" posts ... all the edit/reply features should work exactly the same.

It is not "hell" for unwanted threads, it is the appropriate forum for the corresponding topics. For example we have a "religion consp" forum on ATS and a "faith" forum on BTS depending on the nature of the topic.

One of the good things about BTS is that it doesn't move at the pace of ATS, so even though less folks might see the topic come up when it's created, it is visible for much longer giving everyone a chance to note it and participate in it.

Come on over, most of us don't bite.

2. Especially on busy nights I sometimes lose track of threads, but recall the poster. Yet not all posts or threads are on the profiles. Could one not find a scheme where not only threads but Posts could be searched (e.g. keywords: author+subject, alphabetically)?

When you find a member's profile, there is a link for their last 250 posts and 500 threads. If you're on the "recent posts" page, and you see an OP (thread starter) whom you wish to look in to, there's a little hyperlink thingie next to their author name. That will also take you to a list of their threads.

3. The occassional banned posts cause immense curiosity. Perhaps also as educational info on ATS, could one not have a category of some exemplary "banned" posts? A "Wall of shame" if you like (it could be anonymous). I think a practical example category like this could go much further in explaining the rules than the sometimes vague guidelines.

ATS from what I have observed, discourages discussion as to the details of a particular member's banning. After all, much the reason behind such extreme action happens between the member and staff as they interact behind the scenes, and even a banned member deserves to have their privacy honored. At the bottom of every ATS page there's a "terms and conditions" link which I would encourage you to read thoroughly.

Also if you are not sure as to a course of action, the best way is to either contact a staff member directly or to use the submission feature at your discretion. I am also happy to help should you have any questions or direct you to someone that can. So send me a U2U any time.

Hope that helps a little.

reply to post by JacKatMtn

Yoohoo, hooray, found the extended posts list! Excellent!
On BTS I still cannot reply. Practical example: somebody had a thread called "The Problem with Muslims", and I've also had a thread moved there on Fifa (the gangster-like soccer organization). So whenever I press the thread on my ATS lists it goes there. Yet, despite the fact that I have an account there I cannot comment, edit or do anything really.
Must I first complete another 20 posts there to qualify?
However, since nobody else has commented further since they were moved, can I assume they were somehow blocked?

reply to post by halfoldman


You have to login to BTS ...

same name same password, but separate boards.. just login as you would on ATS then you should be able to get to the thread and be able to post...

reply to post by halfoldman

Then I wonder about techniques for quoting. Sometimes the quote comes through well marked by margins and shading. But sometimes (especially when one heeds advice to clip quotes) it looks and can well be mistaken as a part of the reply post. I'm sure I could figure it out after a century of quoting, but how exactly does it work? I (coming from an academic background) leave a space after quotes, but that is maybe the problem?

I just lost a post, can't remember what I wrote, where did it go, that cat got it "I can Haz free web" something.

What I do sometimes on a long post for fear of losing it, I copy it, it least I can retrieve part of it, I don't know of any other way.
So many lost post, at least I have never double posted. Patience is a virtue.


[edit on 1-12-2009 by googolplex]

reply to post by halfoldman

With "quotes" I'm also refering to quotes from other posts.
Just tried BTS again-grrr. However, in my past confusion I think I made an error.
Instead of my ATS hotmail account, I entered a new yahoo account, with a totally new "name". So I've had two passwords until I thought that may be the problem, and now the login link went somewhere into the ether.
Next try will revert to my normal ATS account. I know one shouldn't have two accounts, but at first (actually until tonight) I thought BTS required another account.
I can't help but ask - how does one become a forum moderator?
I'm asking just for interest (I have no aspirations to become one). Do you guys and gals get paid?
I certainly realize that my difficulties are due to my own ignorance and silliness.
What I still wonder about:
- can I make a post that I later consider undesirable go away, or does it lurk somewhere?
- banned posts: fortunately none of mine as yet, but I've had somebody insult me and it was blocked, and I'm still curious to know what they said. I think deducting points with a logged name is not much more "private" than a wall of shame. But then, some masochists probably would get a thrill being on it (still not much difference to having a huge blocked banner in the thread). That's just a thought, and I have no issues with the way things are run. What scared me a bit was the post in the "alternative substance" section which said that any poster here could be banned without warning. I'm a recent member, so I don't know the history here, but I do hope that I will first be contacted before being banned, which will hopefully never happen.

Thanks for posting this thread, and I have a question that falls within the realm of the questions being asked. If I reply to a thread, leave and come back, is there a way I can pick up where I left off?

reply to post by EMPIRE

I think I've had some similar problems. I type a lengthy revelation, and then click on a link to make sure an author or address is right, and when I go back to the post all my "gems" are gone, gone, gone!

reply to post by halfoldman

Perhaps one more request or thought: could we please have a Post-Colonial board?
From the vantage of a great section of the world, "power" is understood as a Western privilege. I think such a board could attract a new range of academically minded people. It's focus will be speaking "truth" to power, from the periphery to the center.
The board will also avoid some of the jingoism and anti-Muslim/third-world sentiments found elsewhere. Apart from north-south relations, general issues of the less significant countries, the exact meanings of Franz Fanon or Edward Said may be discussed. It will not grow rapidly, but I do think steadily. It will also go some way to dispel the notion of US/western centrism on ATS. In short: it could be a third-world/subaltern voice, a tendency that in any case regards the western power with distrust and suspicion.

[edit on 2-12-2009 by halfoldman]

reply to post by JacKatMtn

Oh brilliant! I'm on BTS.
Thanks for the advice!

Originally posted by halfoldman
reply to post by halfoldman

 

[clipped]
I can't help but ask - how does one become a forum moderator?
I'm asking just for interest (I have no aspirations to become one). Do you guys and gals get paid?

You've asked a ton of good questions in this thread! I'll take this one, in case the mods are too "mod"est

As I understand the process from friends here who have been "tapped", members who other staff members think would make good mods are discussed among the owners and staff, and when more mods are needed they are contacted via u2u and asked if they'd be interested. The staff is all-volunteer: mods receive no money, lots of abuse from members, and very occasionally a thank-you for their good work

I certainly realize that my difficulties are due to my own ignorance and silliness.
What I still wonder about:
- can I make a post that I later consider undesirable go away, or does it lurk somewhere?

I think that super-mods can make posts go away on request after the edit time window closes. Probably the best way to go about it is either contacting a super-mod directly or using the feature in your Member Center to start a thread in "Cosmic" (the closed mods-only forum) requesting the post be removed. But I wouldn't do this except under exceptional circumstances; it's helpful to readers to preserve the flow of a thread unchanged. We all say things that we change our minds about later; it's only human

- banned posts: fortunately none of mine as yet, but I've had somebody insult me and it was blocked, and I'm still curious to know what they said.

I suppose you could contact the person in question by u2u and ask, but I don't see what the benefit would be, unless you enjoy being insulted. If the post was deleted, then it was probably a personal insult rather than any kind of genuine criticism of your ideas.

What scared me a bit was the post in the "alternative substance" section which said that any poster here could be banned without warning. I'm a recent member, so I don't know the history here, but I do hope that I will first be contacted before being banned, which will hopefully never happen.

I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. Just don't post any personal use stories in the Alt Substances forum, read the T&C's, and if you really aren't sure if a specific post you would like to make is okay or not, run it by a moderator first

Originally posted by halfoldman
reply to post by EMPIRE

 

I think I've had some similar problems. I type a lengthy revelation, and then click on a link to make sure an author or address is right, and when I go back to the post all my "gems" are gone, gone, gone!

You could try doing what I've done in this response: I used the command-click (MacOS, I think it's control-click on Windows) when I clicked on the "quote" button to open a new tab in Firefox. That way I still have the thread open in a separate tab that I can refer back to while composing my reply

And finally, about the quote-nesting issue. It'll be pretty embarrassing if I ended up messing up with this post, but basically it just involves making sure that the BBcode tags are right. There should be a [quote] tag at the beginning of each section of quote and a [/quote] tag at the end.

Hope that helped

Originally posted by halfoldman
reply to post by EMPIRE

 

I think I've had some similar problems. I type a lengthy revelation, and then click on a link to make sure an author or address is right, and when I go back to the post all my "gems" are gone, gone, gone!

I open another window, or go to another one that is open or open to ATS, that way I can look around and don't lose my script.

One other thing I can't find the spell checker, but this has helped my spelling and comma thing.
I only have a third grade education, I graduated High School, but I was asleep from forth grade till they handed me my Diploma.

reply to post by googolplex

Thanks for all that (the latest three advice posts). I'll certainly give it try, and I'll keep this thread for future queries.
I've also wondered about a spell-checker - I mainly get confused with standard vs American English sometimes. Then, South African English has certain peculiar expressions, which I'm sometimes unsure about in a US setting. For example, we call a traffic light a "robot" (as in: "I stopped my car at the red robot"). I'm also not sure about word like T-shirt (sweatshirt?). We also tend to say "Ag shame", which does not imply literal "shame", but rather means "Oh cute", or is an expression of sympathy. Go figure.