Stars and Flags for DoomsDay Topics

This is just my opinion, I'm not demanding anything. It's not my site.
This is just a suggestion.

I believe that topics involving a doomsday predictions, Possible Natural Disaster, should not be eligible for stars and flags. (Mainly the topics in The 2012 Forum, Fragile Earth etc.)

I think a simple subscribe button would be best, a email is sent that alerts when someone has replied to a poster.

It seems people posting Doom and Gloomy Topics, and replies for Stars and Flags. It's no secret that OP's, and replies that feature
"Comet Elenin is coming, to Destroy us all"
"Big Things Are Coming" (EarthQuake, Hurricane, Alien Invasions, etc)
Featuring what some guy found on youtube.

Are more popular then
Topics, replies that are backed by pure facts.

There is a huge separation in the amount of stars, in Most topics that feature doomsday replies, and factual replies.

You can look at any Topic in Fragile Earth, 2012. Etc..

Just replace flags and stars with a subscribe to thread button.
Doomsday should not be rewarding to anyone.
So get rid of Flags And Stars for these topics.

We are all here for proven facts rights? Not outrageous claims.
Fear Mongering should not be rewarded
All in my opinion.

so you're proposing ATS management should


1) decide for us which topics are apocalytic

ie, a topic that theorizes that the world's 'doomed' when fossils fuels run out?


and likewise

2) prevent ATS members from starring and flagging such topics because they wreak of fear mongering?


and are you kidding me, above top secret intel & theories are going to be proven fact? proven facts that are above top secret?? oh yea obviously they go hand in hand.



face it budd, alot of topics on ATS are about conspiracy theories & predictions. heck, 10yrs ago 9/11 visions would have been written off as fear-mongering per your proposition.

already its obvious mods move many unsubstantiated predictions as well as questionable fabrications to Skunkworks. isnt that good enuf? whats wrong with preserving ATSer freedom on what they star & flag?

and if ATS could decide what type of topics we can and cannot S/F, what would that mean in the bigger picture?

I think opinion threads should be banned

I think people are too concerned about stars and flags.

Honestly, I don't even give these two things any consideration. When reading a post, it's about the message to me, not about how many stars or flags it has.

Doomsday topics with a ton of stars and flags, if untrue, are still untrue at the end of the day even with all of those S+F's. In my opinion, bickering about ATS point systems and rating systems belies the site's purpose.

Originally posted by LeTan
I think people are too concerned about stars and flags.

Honestly, I don't even give these two things any consideration. When reading a post, it's about the message to me, not about how many stars or flags it has.

Doomsday topics with a ton of stars and flags, if untrue, are still untrue at the end of the day. In my opinion, bickering about ATS point systems and rating systems belies the site's purpose.

edit on 21-9-2011 by LeTan because: (no reason given)

I was gonna give you a star for your comment but I can't..........

reply to post by LeTan


I think there should be an option to hide ones stars and flags. The star farming has gotten pretty blatant and I feel like a large number of threads are derailed by someone posting a funny picture and everyone just talking about how it was el oh el so funny. I freely admit to having done this a number of times, and regret being part of the problem.

reply to post by StarPeace


Well wouldn't that all depend on the quality of the Gloom and the realistic nature of the Doom? I jotted down some of my favorites here ---> The Ultimate Doomsday Gloom and Doom Thread!

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by StarPeace

 

Well wouldn't that all depend on the quality of the Gloom and the realistic nature of the Doom? I jotted down some of my favorites here ---> The Ultimate Doomsday Gloom and Doom Thread!

I just flagged and star'd that thread. Well writen post.

@ OP, the thing is there is something about doomsday topics that catches peoples interest. The bottom line is, no matter who you are, deep down inside we all have an inner desire to see something apocalyptic in nature. Why that is? I have no clue, but I can only speculate or assume that it has to do with an Adrenaline rush one gets as we wonder if we will survive such an event.

Think about it this way, it is like being inside a movie where your role is not yet defined, you can be an antagonist a protagonist or a victim. No rules apply during doomsday.

it's simply part of human nature to discuss such topics.

them losing their credibility and reputation once their predictions turn out to be thrash neutralizes all of the s&f anyway, so why bother?

Originally posted by jamsession
them losing their credibility and reputation once their predictions turn out to be thrash neutralizes all of the s&f anyway, so why bother?

Actually it doesn't. People have memories like goldfish around here including the people who make the failed predictions. It's rarely long before you see them up to their same old antics again, fooling the exact same members for the nth time. Every day is ground hog day in the forums.

IRM

The old statistic of the view count was a better indicator of the interest in some of the topics and posts that are thought provoking and interesting, but not star provoking.

I was always keenly interested in how many people had read a post of mine.

reply to post by StarPeace


I see you got a flag for this thread... kinda hypocritical if you ask me(although not your fault)

I say this to everyone that complains about doom & gloom threads...

STOP READING AND POSTING IN THEM!

follow that simple rule, and you save yourself and others alot of headache

Not sure what the big deal is about stars and flags. Are we allowed to turn them in for sweet ATS items? Honestly, when FEMA takes over they'll probably seek out those with the most stars and flags and send them to the reeducation camps.

It really doesn't matter anyway, we will all be destroyed by ELEnin shortly. DOOM!!!

Originally posted by Feltrick
Not sure what the big deal is about stars and flags. Are we allowed to turn them in for sweet ATS items? Honestly, when FEMA takes over they'll probably seek out those with the most stars and flags and send them to the reeducation camps.

It really doesn't matter anyway, we will all be destroyed by ELEnin shortly. DOOM!!!

Yep go a week without Stars and Flags..
If activity goes down. And if people starting making threads about "Why am I not getting stars and flags."
I'm sure that will happen.
Well then I was right. This is becoming Dooms Day Site.

I'm working on a little experiment about this site to prove my point. My results will be included by the end of next week or so.

reply to post by StarPeace


Fear sells. That's the bottom line. People (sheeple) will buy into fear whether it's real or imagined. The folks who get the most stars and flags are the purveyors of that fear. But don't get upset at them, they are only giving the sheeple what they want....fear.

On this board fear is free. You should be upset at the true criminals who play on these same fears in the real world. These purveyors of fear take the money of the sheeple through lies and deceit, selling them bunkers and over priced food to survive any number of made up catastrophes.

Stars and flags are worthless and only fill an egotistical need.