A new Idea for a New ATS.

I say a new idea but I don’t know if this has been suggested before but I was struggling for a title for this one so it will have to do. This in essence is yet another suggestion for a new forum but with quite a interesting twist.

It came up to me when I saw this thread.

Now before I get to my suggestion let me start by saying that I think ATS has a problem and there seems to be quite a significant group of ATS members who agree with me. That problem is the slipping in posting standards and the quality of threads. Now I know that there are many who will disagree with me, and I know the owners and mods might not like this but for my money its true.

By quality I mean those “Mega-Threads” the ones were a member has spent months researching the topic, where the reader is met with multiple sources, pictures, videos and solid analysis from a author who knows his stuff to present a original and in depth thread. These kind of threads are becoming rarer to find and I think I know the root of the problem and how to fix it so please stay with me here as I explain the problem as I see it.

The problem

As stated above the problem is a slipping in thread standards but what’s caused this, I think there are a number of factors. The first one being that these “Mega-threads” as I call them tend to take quite a bit of time to read and digest so it can be off putting for members to read through them all when taking a quick glance at the “recent posts page”. Another problem is that quite often these threads tend to be written by a author who really knows his/her stuff and the thread may seriously challenge the beliefs that others may hold. So it’s easier for them to basically ignore the thread and hope it will go away and they won’t ever need to worry about it too much. Thirdly quite often these kind of threads whilst excellent might not spur much discussion, like say a member posting a prediction or some kind of political thread might encourage debate. All three of these mean that combined the “Mega-Thread” will just become relegated to the deep dark hole that is “page three, recent posts” with about 15 flags and a handful of “wow grate thread dude” replies.

This brings me to the last problem is the biggest problem in my view, it is a result of the previous three problems and that is a lack of incentive. Really what is the point for a member to go away and write a huge “Mega-Thread” when it will just be overshadowed by lesser threads (yes that is very much a matter of opinion) and fall so far down the recent posts page that nobody bothers with it. What might have taken a member months to write might only be a topic of discussion on ATS for a matter of hours and after that it is never to be seen again.

I know that I don’t really like wasting that sort of time.

The Solution

Ok the solution to this problem.

We need some kind of separate forum for these “Mega-Threads”, it could be called a “Mods-Pick” or “Mega-Thread” forum essentially it would be a forum where only threads that meet a high standard are selected by mods and sent to this “Mega-thread” forum if the thread meets a set criteria. Now what exactly these rules would be for having a thread sent to this “Mega-Thread” forum would be, I really don’t know that would be for the Mods to decide but I do have some suggestions.

For a thread to qualify for my hypothetical “Mega-Thread” Forum the selected thread must:

• Have multiple sources to back up the author’s claims
• Be at least 7500 characters long or more.
• Be well presented.
• Makes use of videos, pictures, quotes, links and so on
• Clearly demonstrates in depth research from the author
• Does not violate T&C’s (ok a obvious one)
• Perhaps a WATS score requirement

Threads that would automatically not be included.

• Any breaking news event
• Any topic of political argument, such as one party/ candidate is better than another.
• Should not be a “Ask me Anything” thread

Effectively when a Mod sees a thread like this it would be moved to the “Mega-Thread” forum if it is clear it meets the standards of that forum. Much in the same way a “HOAX” gets moved to the “HOAX” forum and would not really require all that much extra work as there are only really a hand full of Mega-threads a week just now.

I think it would be also kind of nice that if a member has say 5 threads put into this “Mega-Thread” forum that he/she could have something similar to the “writer/scholar” status.

Overall though this solution would probably lead to better threads being produced by more people and hopefully overall improve the site.

Problems with the solution.

Ok right away I can think of some problems.
• Accusations of Mod Bias- Well yes but that goes on anyway and if the rules were set in place and were kept flexible yet tight enough to remove these accusations it would not really matter.
• Members requesting their thread be moved into the “Mega-Thread” forum—Real simple solution, simply make it a rule that if anyone does this, automatically no matter how good the thread might be it does not get moved into the forum.

Closing thoughts.

The outline of this proposed forum above is just that a outline, the "rules" that i proposed were only to give examples I am sure that my fellow members can come up with others more suitable.

Also Let me say I know that what is a good thread to some might not be a good thread to others, some might think that threads that just simply have a line and a info-graphic are the best threads ever. That’s fine, under this system those threads would still exist but I think we have to have something that rewards good work by members.

Again you might challenge me by saying “well why are you hear if you just want a cookie”, well why should members who post truly amazing threads not get some kind of recognition as they put in loads of work into their threads. I think it is a very reasonable request that threads that are truly “Mega-Threads” get popped into a special forum that recognises their contribution to the site.

I would really really appreciate some feedback from my fellow members on this and would also like some consideration and from the site owners.

Finally, here are some examples of what threads I think should be put into this “Mega-Forum” I am sure there are many more

www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Dam it!

This is in the wrong forum it should be in the business broad forum I hope a mod can move it for me please.

thanks and sorry for my mistake.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


As I said in the other thread I think you have a great idea.

Wanted to support your proposal here and hope it gets a thousand flags and stars.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


I am taking myself out of my self imposed timeout to say I think that is a great idea!

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


While I agree that it would make such threads more readily located by users interested in them, I do not perceive how it will encourage others to read them, especially if those posts are further compartmentalized through their very own forum. If someone has a mega thread that is along the lines of "Education and Media", then placing it in there assures that those users who hold an interest in those subjects will be more likely to see it. Sticking them all in their own forum simply risks them never being stumbled across on their own.

I also am really against the idea of the mods selecting mega threads for the forum but not necessarily due to bias. I think the moderators of ATS actually have a very diverse and broad range of viewpoints. I simply think that their practice of moving those threads that are substandard in research quality into the Hoax or LOL forums is sufficient in quality assurance. They have a lot to weed through in the first place without having to be faced with the added pressure of choosing megathreads for a new forum and dealing with complaints/accusations of bias for threads that were not selected for it.

I also agree that this is a good idea, creating a sort-of "Well Researched" thread forum. Although I think the word count should not be one of the requirements. I mean, if I can distill an idea down to its essence, and explain it in the least amount of words, I will do that actually. Since I've been here, I recently did gather my years of research into the Roswell crash, distilled my thoughts down to (what I believe is) the essence of one of the key arguments, with the most credibility, and a story that has not changed since hour 1 of the event.

(NOTE: I am not promoting my thread at all here, just trying to prove a point)
My New Roswell Debris Review

I may not have used 7500 words, but I have spent many hours, days, and weeks compiling the data and my thoughts toward formulating a hypothesis. This thread was a request out the ATS expertise for input, yet I got minimal response. That said to me, that well researched and long OP's were a turn-off here at ATS (which I thought was not the case when I joined).

One of the factors I see in this downward trend is the prevalence and targeting of mobile platforms for the readership. I have a smartphone myself, however, the form factor being such that it is, it's not designed for long reading sessions IMO. This form is better suited to one-liners with abbreviated text (OMG, u dnt sa tht) and short "sound bites". Folks that have grown using only these formats are used to that behavior, and loathe reading longer more in-depth information (trained by our spoon-fed 5 seconds cut-shot media). Unfortunately, I do not think this trend will go away, and we will see less and less well researched threads and more of the one-liner, with video, threads since in the rising mobile device space, this is the best match to that form factor.

This, in turn, could be a contributing factor to the reduction in page-views and quality threads we are seeing at this point in time. This makes me wonder if ATS is losing some of the quality thread posters, and they are being replaced by "drive-by page passers" and leach-like consumers.

Do I have the answer, no, but I hope this trend plateau's and maybe even reverses as time goes on, otherwise, ATS may just be in a continual decline I'm afraid.

But then, this is just my opinion and observation.

It is a good idea that has been well presented in an almost mega thread fashion

I have come across large threads, mostly by luck, whilst looking through the various forums and feel that your idea would solve this.

Whilst I can also appreciate that well researched and presented threads can be very interesting, sometimes it's nice to see some short and to the point threads. Mega Threads are a bit like listening to a 'Pink Floyd' or 'Led Zeppelin' album track, so much to take in and absorb and appreciate. Short threads are like listening to a catchy three minute pop/rock tune.

Both have their own appeal and whilst I agree that some members just post videos or links to breaking news stories without actually commenting on them or explaining what their own opinion is, that should be down to the mods to police not for members to bleat about. Just like some people choose not to engage with Mega Threads, people can always ignore those types of threads.

Anyway, a good suggestion and maybe we will see this come to fruition?

reply to post by Cobaltic1978

Mega Threads are a bit like listening to a 'Pink Floyd' or 'Led Zeppelin' album track, so much to take in and absorb and appreciate. Short threads are like listening to a catchy three minute pop/rock tune.

That is a really cool quote!

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


.....or they can just go back to the way they used to do things, meaning when someone makes an OP that is 2 lines with a Youtube video and that is all IT GETS REMOVED for lack of content!

reply to post by littled16


I wouldn't say "used to"... I did that twice yesterday. One was a youtube video that said something along the lines of "check this out.

The second was a link to an EIGHT HOUR youtube video with no description, no summary, no effort... nothing.

So the removal of such posts is still very much the policy here, but as always, considering the volume we have here we do rely on members to alert us to them.

reply to post by littled16


I have seen mods that do remove a thread for lack of content

but the quick two lines and a pretty picture type of threads are not really what this is really about.

Also I do think at times a quick couple of lines and a YouTube video can suffice and make for a good thread provided the author of the thread gives us a little info on the video and his/her views on it.

No Mods or even site owners then want to take me up on this or entertain the idea?

I think it's a great idea. Perhaps they could use applause for the deciding factor to keep things 'fair' though really I think any well done thread should be separated from the kind I start and all the others that are a few quotes and paragraphs.

When it's clear someone has spent hours on the OP I think they deserve more credit and exposure. You're description of the thread with 15 flags on the third page filled with 'nice thread S&F' is very accurate.

It's difficult to wade through all the posts to find a great thread, having them lumped would be awesome.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


You confuse quantity with quality. There is no need to make long winded or extensive posts. You only need a single concept of evidence, or proof, to make a claim - adding supporting evidence is just hyperbole disguised as lucidness.

I do understand that some people marvel at quantity, and to each their own, but let's not say there is a "problem" with those who do not, or do not express themselves with such.

The problem is trying to alienate others just to get your desires fulfilled - not people who make short posts.

...

If you want a forum you can go to to read long posts, just say that, instead of inventing problems that don't exist.

But good luck with your wish. Truly.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


There is no problem, ATS is EXACTLY what its users make of it.

It's ALL ABOUT what THEY (YOU) want, seeing as how that's how ATS' content is generated each and every day.

Or how about a Hall of Fame forum, where the users vote in the threads they think deserve to be in the Hall every year? You get a little badge for every thread you get voted in to the Hall of Fame forum.

reply to post by Springer

There is no problem

I say this with the up-most respect for you and the rest of the staff here at ATS who do a amazing job to keep this amazing site running.

There is a problem

Now ATS is "your baby" so to speak so again forgive me for putting this bluntly, you and other members of staff probably not see ATS through the eyes of the members, your costumers.

Every day on ATS I see threads where members post comments like "this place is turning more and more into FaceBook" and complaints about the standard of threads. You would honestly have to be blind not to notice this happening.

What I have proposed is a idea that might go someway to tip the scales a little bit, it allows ATS to recognize members who post truly amazing threads and as such hopefully encourage others to take time to write more of these kind of "Mega-threads". AT the same time it has the additional advantage for members who just want to read a decent thread, it would mean they would not have to rake through all the guff that clogs up the pages of ATS to find a really special thread.

ATS is EXACTLY what its users make of it.

So true, and this is a user trying to make it something more, suggesting a new feature that could really add to the enjoyment of posting content on to ATS.

It's ALL ABOUT what THEY (YOU) want

In that case, why not take my suggestion on board and amend it as you see fit, such as the rules and so on, then have a staff announcement to ask members if they would support this kind of forum or not. so far the feedback for this suggestion although limited has been positive.

I have to ask why would ATS staff be against this idea?

I say BRAVO to your idea ....Applauses Stars & Flags

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin

Every day on ATS I see threads where members post comments like "this place is turning more and more into FaceBook" and complaints about the standard of threads. You would honestly have to be blind not to notice this happening.

For what it's worth, I lurked in 2005, joined in 2006, and back then, and ever since, there have been a lot of complaints about the standards of threads declining. This is nothing new.

As for your suggestion. It's OK and I think the concept is well understood. I see a lot of good suggestions come by these parts. Don't expect everyone to embrace it, drop what they are doing and run with it, though.

F and agreed..

I love when ATS populates with threads of in-depth, well-written information.

2 lines gets the boot? Bump it to 4-5 lines, IMHO.

In the end, I can't argue too much. ATS is now one of my best friends.

-AA