Why are the "Very scary end of the world" threads getting locked?

Please unlock our beloved thread. There are rumors flying all over the net about it, why do those rumors warrant our very popular thread getting locked????

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by d1k]

Because it was a hoax, just like the report that a professor announced in Seattle that a meteorite had crashed on Washington.

ATS is not known by its hoaxes, but by denying ignorance.

maybe you should read this...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

EDIT: Mauddib beat me to it... but i gave a link

[Edited on 6/3/2004 by cmdrkeenkid]

The thread was locked as several sources (some in the thread) are confirming a wide-spread Internet hoax. The new thread (linked in the main thread) is for continued discussion: www.abovetopsecret.com... Also, from the guide we posted here: www.abovetopsecret.com... Giant threads become useless as there will very often be more than one sub-topic and sub-conversations contained within the massive thread, making it difficult for new readers to follow what's going on. Since the main topic of the thread was revealed to be a hoax, it makes sence to begin a new thread discussing the hoax nature.

If the thing over washinton was a hoax why did one of our very own moderators here SEE and HEAR the thing?

And who is to say that the whole AB thing was a hoax? There was no evidence to say it was a hoax just like there was no evidence to say it was real either. If that does not call for the discussion to continue I do not know what does.

Since the main topic of the thread was revealed to be a hoax, it makes sence to begin a new thread discussing the hoax nature.

Who revealed it to be a hoax? One post from this so called "The Monitors" whom then made another post saying his first post of them making up the whole AB thing was in fact false, that he really does not know if the AB thing is real or not but posted that false info to prove that "people will really believe anything they read on the net"

Please reconsider locking that thread. It was just as good and healthy on its last page as it was its first.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by d1k]

Originally posted by d1k
If the thing over washinton was a hoax why did one of our very own moderators here SEE and HEAR the thing?

And who is to say that the whole AB thing was a hoax? There was no evidence to say it was a hoax just like there was no evidence to say it was real either. If that does not call for the discussion to continue I do not know what does.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by d1k]

I went to GLP for a minute to see what the zoo is up to...and it seems that the meteor impact was hoaxed not the sighting. There are some links that have video of the flash.

Now -as far as I know- noone is claiming AB as a hoax, although common sense say it is (to me at least)

It seems we are back to square 1 with the whole thing...round and round she goes...

We are not in square 1, as the supposed people who began this hoax came clean, they were also trying to "wash their hands" from any liability the hoax has created and might create. You will also see clues from the beginning of AB's post that it was all a hoax.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by Muaddib]

This is the trouble isnt it.

The little boy who cried 'wolf' once too often......... and no one believed him.

This thing has developed a life of its own and now the time has come to 'rightly' close it down the alledged 'hoaxers' are debunked as Goverment Cover Up agents and liars themselves.

Two camps the Pro AB and the Anti AB.

Heh well if 'AB' is right we got 15 days to sort this row out..!

I would like to applaude SO for locking what had become a bloated thread. I would also like to applaude SO for opening a new thread to continue the discussion. The AB thing has become so muddied here that continued discussion into its validity without further new evidence is pointless. Posts claiming to be AB or responsible for AB are not credible evidence anymore so the discussion on the old thread had become moot. Hopefully one of two things will happen.

Either new concrete evidence such as the arrival of a dust cloud or a series of initial meteors will reignite the AB line of discussion under a new evidence based thread or...

This thread will serve as a discussion board to help those affected by the original AB information to sort through their opinions in light of the current chaos on the subject.

In ATS I vote that we err on the side of sanity and productive discussion rather than on the side of free for all chaos as found on other conspiracy sites like GLP. Kudos to SO and also to Kano who let the thread progress until it had matured with the proliferation of confessional debunkers.

Hopefully the thread will be available as a teaching tool in the archives for years to come. In fact might I suggest that this thread and its progression, if it is proven wrong by the passing of its terminal dates, be used as a training thread for all newbies to the board. It really did have some wonderful and entertaining moments as the hype took control of the facts and began to create its own story. A sociologist could do a doctoral dissertation on this thread, whether it proves to be correct or not.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by Johannmon]

Thanks, Johnnmon, I'd also like to point out the not-so-obvious here. The big thread, Very scary end of the world article had turned into a massive traffic draw for us over the past two days. In just a short period of time, it had gained nearly 70,000 views, as people continue to link to it from other sites. Other sites seem to be unfazed by the admissions of hoax, and are continuing in their paranoid speculation of the coming end-of-the-world. After all, nothing sells better than bad news! I hope our action shows that we (ATS staff) are much more concerned with integrity and honesty in our discussions, news, and style of board management. We could have continued to promote the thread and enjoyed the benefits of increasing traffic and the incremental income provided by the banners. But, our mission of deny ignorance supersedes such thoughts. And judging by our popularity (that continues to grow on a monthly basis), this approach matters to the 150+ new members that join every day. Some may have become concerned with the appearance of an action that looked as though we want to be "thought police", especially with all the guests coming to see that thread. Well... on the flip side, for the type of new members we want to attract, I hope this will be seen as a pleasant breath of fresh air. In this era of overblown-paranoia of Internet chaos, we aspire to be a site that slaps down that nonsense as quickly as it's known. I'd rather please people who are encouraged by that, than placate people who want to continue speculation in the face of contrary evidence. [Edited on 3-6-2004 by SkepticOverlord]