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Originally posted by NerdGoddess
I agree with this thread; I dislike strongly the fact that some ATS users look down upon other members, and sometimes in my opinion, say very rude and uncalled for things to them. I think it is possible for us to correct someone without being rude. If I have the knowledge on a certain topic, and another person on here makes a statement that is completely incorrect, I won't be rude about it, I try to politely let them know the facts, and encourage them to go and learn more on their own. I would hope others here would do the same for me. S&F
Originally posted by SaturnFX
I think the admins are restructuring the flagging procedure...
According to SkepticOverlord:
Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
We've said it countless of times, and it seems we need to continue saying it over-and-over, just to stem the tide (not eliminate) of those who assume "someone" at "ATS" is "controlling" the content.
The site is programmed in such a way that even I, the person who programmed it, cannot dictate which topics appear where on all the pages that aggregate the top-flagged and most-replied threads. For example, these pages:
Site Home
Top Topics (most-flagged)
Hot Topics (most-replied)
30-day Overview (most-flagged & most-replied)
ATS Real-Time (time-sensitive new threads)
DISCLAIMER: However, there have been rare occasions where an extremely important thread/topic was hard-coded into one of the top-two positions on the site home -- typically because of very hot thread (such as the Japan earthquake) or a sponsored thread as a companion to an ad campaign (such as the werewolf topic not long ago). But in the handful of these cases, we made it clear what was happening.
That being said, we (staff) have from time to time discussed the issues members raise about flagging on ATS, and the occasional topic that receives a high amount of flags, which then turns out to be not what everyone expected -- such as the recent "I am a scientist" hoax.
The flagging system is intended to provide our members with a rather significant tool to "crowd source" the editorial management of topics on ATS. With that "members in control" intent in mind, we (ATS staff and management) would never consider inappropriately subverting or otherwise influencing the system.
However, we (staff) do realize ATS has experienced some rather significant evolution since the flagging system was first introduced, and we often discuss possible alterations. Since the core ideal is to ensure our members only flag that which is important to them, change is often resisted. But, it's being discussed again and the possibility of refinement is on the table. I can't promise what form it might take, or if there will be any change at all -- only that we recognize some of the concerns and are considering potential alterations.
Stay tuned.
So ya...things will be changing soon...and then we can have threads about how that new way sucks and the old way of random flagging was soo wonderful as it gave a chance for all sorts of new and wacky ideas to hit the top.
incidently, is the redneck vampire related to batboy? now that is a topic worthy of front page
Atheists are useful idiots
A well thought out thread or threads that someone took the time to research and share with ATS gets (almost immediately) pushed to absolute obscurity, and or mediocrity, while threads with titles more fitting for weekly world news or latest celebrity tabloid Hook Line and Sink every hapless thread user on this site.