Some thoughts about ongoing realtime megathreads

Hello all,

Like many others I've been reading the ongoing MegaThread about the Boston bombings and I noticed a couple of things.

First of all it was moderated in real time, if you were just one page behind and clicked next some post were already removed according to ATS T and C so my respect for all the mods it must have been a hell of a job.
Second i read a lot of similar questions about updates about the ongoing process what is completely logical. Some participants even post the ongoing updates which were respected by a lot.
Third i read a lot of posts from mods to not post 'gore'

So it made me wonder...
Luckily we don't have a lot of these ongoing realtime happenings so I would suggest the following:
Lets hope we never need it (eey I still can dream can't I?) but if there would be another happening would it be possible to add some extra features to such a thread. I would like to see either something like a ticker or a block of text at the place advertisments would be if your not logged in above each page that shows:

A short summery of the updates as provided in the thread and things like "please no gore" both only accesible by the mods.

Updates that are confirmed or dismissed could have a link to the according page. And in future it would be a fast an accessible way to go through the information provide by the thread.

I know it is a lot of work to implement it in the site, but it removes the questions like "where are we now? Any updates? Can someone inform me what happened the last 50 pages?" And it would be easy for members to recognize to not post unwanted images or post, that seem logical in the heat of the ongoing process but are against the t and c. I just want to make clear that that features woukd only be orcastrated by the mods and should be free of opinion or sides.

Your thoughts?

It is a bit much to ask of the mods but perhaps a group of volunteers with minor mod powers to run a thread in real time as a summary thread and with the same name as the primary thread with (summary thread) after the name.

Only the designated people could post to the summary thread to keep it very neat and tidy.

Just another suggestion.

P

reply to post by pheonix358

I just said mods because we know for sure they will be around 24/7 and it is important that that information is not just implemented by just every one.

But a side thread or update thread is a good idea too, as long as it is shown in the main thread. Maybe a link under the thread title.

perhaps it would be a way to put the Samaru heuristics technology to work for ATS in a meaningful way?

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Sounds good to me if it works. Let it loose on all 350 pages, see what it comes up with!

Unfortunately, we can not load all 350 pages. As I said else where, we would need the ability to search an entire thread for matching words or phrases, much as this suggestion needs similar access to the entire thread as opposed to page by page as we are limited to now..

P

reply to post by pheonix358


That is the exact reason why I propose a realtime update.. some members posted a summery of th updates and that was pretty awesome.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


I know it is nearly impossible but a member participating in the thread made a recap.

Please remove if it is not according to T and C but im talking about this post that was posted during the events. I can imagen a lot of readers and participants were glad to read it.

This post

Originally posted by AmatuerSkyWatcher
Here is a recap on all the events, so as to stop the confusion:

1. MIT police officer shot dead
2. Police respond to MIT shooting, suspects still at large
3. Unconfirmed reports of explosion at MIT, by ATS member on skype with friend at scene. !!!unconfirmed!!!
4. Male carjacked at gunpoint in black mercedes, by two, "short" middle eastern men, who held him hostage for half hour, whilst driving around
5. Middle Eastern Males talked about going to New York City, before they released the carjacking victim, who rang police
6. Car spotted at a Gas Station, where suspects sped off at speed
7. Police pursuit of vehicle
8. Suspects fire and throw "explosives" at police from Mercedes
9. Something happens (unclear) and suspects ditch Mercedes and make off in State Police SUV
10. Officer heard screaming on scanner that suspects were throwing explosives at him (lots of gunfire heard in background)
11. Suspects leave SUV and gain control over a black Camaro somehow (unclear as to how)
12. Suspects leave Camaro in Watertown on foot
13. One suspect shot and transported to MG hospital
14. 2nd suspect evades police
15. Police locate him, but are called off by OC, due to explosive packages strew in different places "Retreat retreat" was heard over the scanner
16. Police corner a suspect (white male shown on news pictures), and make him lie on the ground and strip
17. White male was just caught in the whole situation and is freed
18. 2nd Suspect still remains at large.

The main reason I was talking about mods is that we don't get 300 pages of updates. But i clearly understand the work the mods are doing beside the personal feelings they have as every other participants.

So maybe an side thread, like an update thread would be better or more easy to devolp. In those threads only members with a new status "updater" or "recapper" can post in them and their posts could be having a prolonged duration of edits as long as the happening is ongoing. (Its like some "writer" threads wherein only writers can participate.

It should have been closed not long after suspect two was captured as example for the MIT shooting thread.

As I see it now, my OP was just a brainstorm, the OP of the update thread could be the recap as AmatuerSkyWatcher did (with or without links to the according pages, hardcore theorist always have sources of where the information is from especially when they are summerizing realtime events) and post two could be all the proposed links of scanners and live video streams.

I kind of like the idea of members having the status "real-time recapper" you first need to earn it. Automated updates sound logical but the problem as I see it is that without artificial intelligence the process woukd not make a difference between recaps of scanners and Iran/Israel/N.K. did it.

A recapper should be able to do that, although it is very hard not to mention personal believes and/or feelings in it that is why you should earn the status first.

Imo it would enhance the information experience on ATS with realtime events. It was just just because AmatuerSkyWatcher gave that recap that was appriciated by a lot of members/readers. And imo it was brilliant that he/she took the time in such an event to do that.

A self-appointed "recapper" could used his/her ATS Wall: comments section of the member profile for this purpose and put it in a signature link to redirect folks there. That way there is no edit window and it is self-moderated. Not a perfect solution, but an idea.

One could also use this to link to good resources used to follow the event in real time, like that ustream police scanner.

Could also do something like this in the custom title...

reply to post by Zarniwoop


Cut it out with those logical and sane solutions.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Cut it out with those logical and sane solutions.

Don't worry. Those logical thoughts of mine are purely random and infrequent. I'd warn people in advance, but I have no idea when they are coming.

apparently my fart joke was so good, ATS decided to double post it. It has instead been replaced by me with this lovely image of a poodle

reply to post by Zarniwoop


Kinda like me and gas.

reply to post by Zarniwoop



Hahaha thats funny but my title would be:

Just too lazy to do it myself so I use kind of smart words to make suggestions in the hope someone else will do it.




But in real that self acclaimed recaps and the threads that follow are not closed and open for posting from others and so again it will be hard to follow what the actual updates/recaos are. A side thread of 23 pages while in the midst of a realtime thread of 300+ pages aint going to work. Besides that every dumbass can claim that title and fill it with its own agenda.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
apparently my fart joke was so good, ATS decided to double post it. It has instead been replaced by me with this lovely image of a poodle

edit on 22-4-2013 by bigfatfurrytexan because: (no reason given)

I preferred the fart, its free gas man.

reply to post by Dumbass

But in real that self acclaimed recaps and the threads that follow are not closed and open for posting from others and so again it will be hard to follow what the actual updates/recaps are.

Not a thread... Your "ATS Wall" comments on your member profile are moderated by you and you only. You can keep it to one post, edit it as much and as often as you like, and delete any other comments people might make.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

Kinda like me and gas.

I'm so glad brain farts don't actually exude and odor. I'd have no friends at all.

Originally posted by Zarniwoop
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

Kinda like me and gas.

I'd have no friends at all.

.....ummmmm.......

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

I have just read your thread, and I have one major point to make. Since WHEN has there been an embargo against gore on this website? How does it deny ignorance to prevent people from actually witnessing the full reality of an event?

There have been threads on cattle mutilations, threads which link to the broken, shattered face of Osama Bin Laden, threads from during the Egypt Uprising, featuring ambulances mowing down roaming protestors, video from Afghanistan and Iraq, showing people taking headshots and going face down on the dirt, leaking profusely.

So I ask you, just what the hell is the problem? People die, the anatomical reality of which is not something from which we should shy away. I find this "no gore" crap utterly pathetic, and a total backstep away from the core ideal of denying ignorance.