ATS selling out: Membership quantity over quality

I've noticed that ATS has recently had a huge influx of new membership. Most of which post once or twice, then fade away. This huge influx seems to be primarily individuals who feel the need to point out that the US military should nuke all Muslim countries, or that black people are inherently inferior while pointing out out cultural flaws. They say that people with brown skin should be rounded up on the off chance that they're here illegally or that homosexuals and Africans deserve to die from AIDS.

There are even several threads dedicated to addressing why people hate Jews. And although I should point out that the OP in most of these threads did not advocate this prejudice, there were plenty of posters who continued to post racial stereotypes.

I have even known moderators to go so far as to quite because of the increased racism on the board. And it wasn't just the racist posts that forced them away, but the applause some of the posts received from higher ranking moderators.

And I'm not talking about our conservative posters in general. As a matter of fact, I'm friends with many conservative posters and respect their point of view and their ability to stand strong in a tough debate. But in general, they don't stereotype or generalize. There is a specific type of poster, and I think most of you can recognize them.

I know that ATS is the largest conspiracy forum on the net, and I know that the more members we get, the higher ranked we are and the more ad revenue we receive. But the big question is:

Is ATS selling it's soul for profit?

Should we be afraid of members slowly disappearing and taking the quality posts to 'GLP' '? Sure for every quality poster who leaves we receive 10 new members, but it seems to me that as the exponential increase of membership grows, the exponential decrease in quality follows suit.

What are your opinions?
admin edit: removed promotional mention of "site non gratis".

[edit on 6-25-2008 by Springer]

like all things that get popular you get quantity over quality

noway to change it really

ATS hasn't 'sold its soul' to any one. It provides us with a FREE place to post our thoughts / views / pictures / beliefs in an evnvironment where we feel safe to do so.

Alot of what i have shared i would never ever share face to face with my family for instance bar my wife.

To attack people just because they are new and you don't like them or their ideas.. well... and if their threads are so offensive let the Mods deal with it. Thats what they are there for.

ATS hasn't sold out at all, its just growing / moving in its own sweet direction.

If you don't like some one, thats what the ignore buttons for im my opinion.


# edit # Some of the more 'established' people here on ATS can be arrogant to the extreme at times too - but thats life.

[edit on 24-6-2008 by Dan Tanna]

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
I've noticed that ATS has recently had a huge influx of new membership. Most of which post once or twice, then fade away. This huge influx seems to be primarily individuals who feel the need to point out that the US military should nuke all Muslim countries, or that black people are inherently inferior while pointing out out cultural flaws. They say that people with brown skin should be rounded up on the off chance that they're here illegally or that homosexuals and Africans deserve to die from AIDS.

There are even several threads dedicated to addressing why people hate Jews. And although I should point out that the OP in most of these threads did not advocate this prejudice, there were plenty of posters who continued to post racial stereotypes.

Agreed.
There are some new members who hold extreme views; members were onced banned from ATS for posting such material. And, there is true anti-semitism in some threads. Most topics about Israel turn into a monolithic Jew bash.

From recent conversations I've held with other members, I am not the only person who has noticed this.

ATS really has no control over this issue. People will come because this is a place where they can view their viewpoints without censorship. Once you start censoring a certain group and not the other, the site will die.

Interesting, the OP appears to be thinking along the lines of the techno-pagans, in that information and technology can carry souls.

Rasobasi420, when you say 'Abovetopsecret is selling it's soul' perhaps you would be better off asking SkepticOverlord About it instead of telling the members of ATS that their favorite website isn't up to scratch in your eyes.

Originally posted by jhill76
Once you start censoring a certain group and not the other, the site will die.

No, it has happened before on ATS.
Three years ago if I remember and still happens now and again.

reply to post by Rasobasi420



i dont agree with you on much taso but im with you on this. it seems that alot of these newbiees for go the T&C as well and end up with mutli warns and ban's. oh well just means we have to weed through more bs to get anything of substance i guess.

reply to post by infinite


Interesting? I mean I know it happens when certain subjects come about, I even heard about certain things can't be typed in U2 and about certain people getting banned. I guess you are right after I think about it.

Members signing up with various points of view equates to ATS selling out?

This is a double edged sword guys, and those who cherish how great we have it can't be the ones to fault us with the same stone.

We do not censor points of view and we do not fault members for disagreeing with one another. We allow members to speak their mind, with the one expectation that it abides by the terms and conditions.

Given the political season and the dynamics of the upcoming general election, we are certainly at a crossroads. The near future may be endured with some of the most ignorant individuals you have ever crossed paths with.

The terms and conditions applies to everyone.

If you have an issue with a member, a post, a thread.. let us know.

reply to post by jhill76


I think you have misunderstood me. I was not discussing "those subjects" My bad.

Certain groups were banned because they committed an infiltration of the site (which I think has happened again) and had an agenda to promote.

reply to post by infinite


Well, it's a shame i'm not a moderator, i'd of loved to have known which members were part of that group.

Maybe the internet should have some sort of "riot act" whereby the names of the antagonists are read out for all to see, so that others can become aware of what kind of issues these people were pushing.

Just my two cents...

reply to post by Anti-Tyrant


Right, I shall kill speculation.
It happened three years ago and the members were neo-nazi's.

Thank you, i'm digging my speculation's grave right now!

I'll keep this in mind when i'm looking at threads with that kind of implication behind it.

Well, I tend to read a lot more than I post, so I also tend to realize who I respect and who I think is a BS artist. Yes, ATS has been overwhelmed with the new and ignorant, but, I hope after a year or two of real, interacting membership, they (The "new") will learn, listen and change their posting habits to reflect more the serious and "enlightened" nature that ATS really has to offer.
There will always be the ignorant and naive posting here. We just weed through them as we go, though, don't we?

Hang in there,
Cuhail

I agree with this thread. I remember when you'd register you had to write a little info on yourself and what you'll bring to the site, and the admins or owners would look it over before accepting you. When that went away I felt there was some coin involved, or just wanted numbers.

Quantity over quality.

What a piece of propaganda,
ATS is racist?
ATS is selling out?
Even the Mods think so?
Go to this web site instead?

I mean really If you don’t like it don’t read it…. I you really really, don’t like it alert a Moderator to it.
I get the feeling this is nothing but a hit piece, rant mixed with propaganda and the hopes to push some traffic too to a second rate site and another that has almost no members at all.

Charlie,

Originally posted by Anti-Tyrant
their favorite website isn't up to scratch in your eyes.

There may just be enough of us to confidently say, "in our eyes.

But this is what happens when any media outlet attempts to hit the "middle" ground. As more of the "average" people tune in, the "above average" drop out. Why? 'Cause frankly, the "average" is pretty dadgum dense. And it gets pretty darned frustrating when you attempt to discuss, question, or refute anything when the response is the same brick wall.

The ability to contemplate on complex subjects, or use level-headed reasoning to form a conclusion is frighteningly absent in a huge number of members here at ATS. It's like trying to discuss nearly anything with a two year old child......they can hear the words, or in this case, read them--I think--but they don't seem to have the frame of reference necessary to "compute" what they've just read or heard.

ATS is slowly moving away from the round-table it used to be, and becoming a soapbox for the disillusioned, the delusion, the pissed, the weird, the troll.....whatever.

When the printing press became a common tool, and regular folk, with the necessary literary skills could read, discuss, and share ideas, a great Enlightenment occurred. Many years later television came along and destroyed the two-way communication afforded by the printed or written word. Fast bright images, repeated messages, and that odd biological quirk that causes a certain part of our brain to shut down when bright colors and lights are hitting our optic nerve, has probably caused more brain damage than any food additive, pollutant, or drug ever could.

Now that ATS wants to become more "popular" with its commensurate elbow-rubbing with "reality TV", "mixed martial arts", "who wants to whore themselves out for a few minutes on TV", etc.......the results are on display.

It took me a bit to draft this--trying to get some work done at the same time--so forgive me if it seems slightly out of rhythm with the rest of the thread.

[edit on 24-6-2008 by MrPenny]

reply to post by Charlie Fineman


This coming from the new guy?

It was a lot more effectives upon registering before they switched the method of it.

Unfortunately, that pesky freedom of speech thing forces us to allow many of the posts that the staff would love to remove. We do our best to remove the blatant, obvious hate filled messages and I'm sure some do slip thru the cracks but, when someone says "(insert group) is the cause of all things bad" we tend to let them slide as the discussion of this so called conspiracy can serve to enlighten and there is no better way to combat hatred and ignorance than by speaking out against it with facts and data.

when someone says all muslims are terrorists, jewish bankers control the world, etc we are better served proving them wrong than simply removing the post. Removing it feeds into their belief.

There have been times where I am posting in a thread, countering every ridiculous anti-semitic thing posted and a staff member or two suggests removing some comments (like all jews are hunched over shambling men - yup, it's out there somewhere) I actually suggest the comments be left up there to show anyone reading the posts just how ignorant people cal be.