General Disscussion? More like "stupid ****"

[OB-waN offline]

Heh. One thing I noticed about this forum is that there is a lot of spam--one word replies, replies that are chockfull of chatspeak, a lot of "yea i agree wit u"s and such from even senior members. Also, I feel like it's difficult to get into the forum; there's an established "clique" group, and people do take cues from other posters. If they see ppl typing like dis from the Senior Members, what's going to stop them from going, "Well, I guess I could slak off on my typin!11"?

There are a lot of ways to bring meaningful discussion to the General Discussion forum; one way is to start new threads by yourself, and hope some intelligent discussion gets out of it. There's a problem with starting threads, and that is if you start it and only have a few words in the post--say, "Code LYOKO movies" is the title, and your post is "so talk", that probably isn't going to provoke much discussion at all. Instead, the thread starter could write a paragraph or ten about the current rumors bouncing around, links to image galleries, and compare it to seasons one and two. Things like that. So instead of bemoaning, "OH THE BOARD IS DEAD" you could probably revitalize this forum by becoming a little... er, wordy. This not only creates discussion (because since you started one, people can bounce off your ideas), but could potentially draw a crowd.

And re: cut back on visiting the forum
I don't think it's as much as too many people visiting the forum as it's people being online for similar amounts of time, but posting more often.

I know that I could be seen as way out of line ("HOW DARE YOU IMPOSE YOUR ELITIST ATTITUDE ON US MAN"), but from my experiences with forums, proactivity does help.

Hurk. I need caffeine.

I read this and I love what this man brings to the table. SJ, you are a great writer and a great thinker. I hope more people read and do what you just said.

I have a feeling that we have just found our new OBoy here at LF. I for one coundn't be more prouder to have you take over and write the threads that matter.....like I USED to.

[Saphire-089 offline]

I can't help coming here whenever I can. I'm pretty much a loner. I don't have any friends outside of Lyoko Freak. At my school I'm just some Nerd/Loser.

[OB-waN offline]

I can't help coming here whenever I can. I'm pretty much a loner. I don't have any friends outside of Lyoko Freak. At my school I'm just some Nerd/Loser.

Sounds like you need a friend, YIM me and we can be friends!!!!

[DL offline]

Jeff...dude your threads still kick butt you just need something to write about now on to the fourm fixing

I think that everyone has had very good ideas. I have a plan but it would involve the mods getting tougher and I'm not so sure how that would work. Here it is anyway. First we need to come up with a rule to deal with spam, for example if there are more than three pages of spam the thread is deleted. Also Eyrnn needs to do a bit of deleting of old threads. There are quite a few in BKO, Games, and GD that have not been posted on in months. If we get rid of those we will be able to start over and have more to talk about because face it who wants to revive a month old thread or even look for one to revive. Everyone else will have to be a little more responsible as well. Like what Snakey said we need to have discussions. Mostr of the posts in todays threads are one or two words long. I mean lol is still ok but don't say that for everything. When someone agrees or disagrees with someone they should say why or why not. I mean making a good post starts with a good idea and then some BS and facts to show how you really feel. By BS I mean feelings and stuff like that. I mean at TvTome when Gino did the house cleaning it helped a bit didn't it? We had so much more to talk about because all the previous threads were gone. It was like starting fresh. That is what we need here. Because we all realize this need this is the perfect time to start over. It would be like pressing the reset button. It will most likely help if we do these things in our current atmosphere because we will all realize why it happened, even if you did not read this thread. This is the kind of thread, I think, that the mods at TvTome made all the time to try and put new life into their respective fourms. And besides if we wait to long to act it will be too late. I hope this thread helps fix what has happened and if it doesen't at least we all tried to stop the end form coming.

[OB-waN offline]

Dude, your like my favorite fan!!! I still got it, I just don't write as much cause their is nothing to write about.

Thanks DL, your great too!!

[Snarky Jargon offline]

Well, I've given one word replies here; usually to questions that can be answered in one word.

Heh. I moderate another board, and often see one word replies as spam. It just kind of leaves me scratching my head and going, "...you couldn't add a few more words?" most of the time. (Yes, LF isn't "my" forum, but I do feel there is relavence.)

While I'm not sure about the slack typing part (I guess I'm not sensetive enough to it; once I can comprehend it I read it...), I must admit that a pecking order has developed here: the foundation members at the top, latecoming ex-Tomers in the middle, and then a gradient down from there depending on how much history one has here. That's pretty much to be expected when one site develops out of another site's demise

Again, I'm drawing a lot of experience up from moderating another board; we're almost stupidly obsessed with decent grammar and spelling, and it feels like posts have a little more thought when it's written in plain English. Not to say it's true all the time, but the general tone of the post seems a little sharper when people go for that extra keystroke. For example, "lol hi u good?" opens more avenues for short, fast posting.

And... well, I don't expect the order to change much; it's a smaller board, so in ways it's harder to change.

I am not sure how much of this is directed to the CL-related categories. Most of us who persist here have reasonably well-defined threads in the CL-related categories. I think what's trying to be said here is that the General Discussion category is a bit too general, which confuses the inferno out of me because I thought that was the point of this category...

Yeah, I was having some trouble coming up with analogies and references everyone would understand. Laziness tops me once again! But looking back at the threads, I can't help but wonder if there's something out there that people could relate to other than common fandoms. I mean, come on. Is 9/11 and Katrina the only thing that stand out? A lot of the people in this forum definitely fall into the middle school/high school age group. Strike up a thread about the psychotic teachers that make everyone miserable!

Are people really posting more often than before? I thought there was a decline...

I wouldn't be able to tell! Lowly n00b here, ready to be pecked and reduced to ash. Just wanted to point out that just because a person is visiting a lot doesn't necessarily mean a lot of posting. (After catching bits of sleep during class, I wish I could delete that post and rewrite it. Now that I'm awake, it's easier to see where my brain derailed.)

Hurk. I need caffeine.

Hm... it's lines like that that spark quite a bit of the spam; for instance, I would reply to that with: "Go for the best: BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEE! YA! " (I know I get tangential; I also know that I am by *NO* means unique in this...)

Hah! Touche!

[Star Way]

Well guys... I really don't want to sound like I'm abandoning you or trying to convince everyone that this isn't my fault, but I do agree with Snarky Jargon and Doggiegal on a lot of points. The forum is going downhill because we're choosing to let it do so.

A forum is like a pet; you can't just let it go on its own and expect it to be a be okay... you have to care for it. The forum by itself is not good or bad, it's just a peice of internet software running off of a database... YOU people make the forum good or bad. And yes, the admin and mods are important to how the forum is too... but honestly, for the most part it's about you guys.

John-- I will tell you now that I only skimmed your post, but I think I have the general idea of what you're trying to say. But I'm not really certain how that'll help anything, to be honest.... there *are* a lot of old threads lying around, but they aren't hurting anyone. As for the spam, I definitely agree with you... some people just have issues with understanding what is a useful contribution and what isn't. Is someone makes a statement and then someone else just says, "yeah" or "I agree" without anything else... that's spam, even if it is technically on topic.

OBoy-- I can't help but feel that you're a little overly pessimistic about this whole deal. Last night I was really upset (probably mostly because I was tired and stressed) but after a bit of thought, this forum issue really isn't as big a deal as you're making it sound. This is not the death of a family member... this is not Hurricane Katrina in internet form.... this is a small dip in the road of the forum. We do not say, "oh, it's ALL over now" when we hit those bumps, we hit the accelerator and get back up the next hill.

Now, there are still posts here that I want to reply to, but I can't remember who said what, so here's just another few paragraphs with everything in one: Lyoko Freak was created for Code Lyoko fans. We are intelligent and mature and as a result, I believe we're the best d*mn forum out there... Call me vane, but it's true. CL.com and tv.com... those are kiddy sites. We're not. We're the real deal.

The problem is that LF is also getting bigger every day. I'm not sure when it was that I realized we were getting so many new users, but it hit me one day like the rock a neighborhood boy cracked my best friend's head open with when I was five. We are no longer a small community... and that's what's bothering people for the most part. Instead of this being "their community" it's becoming "everyone's community". And I understand how frustrating that is... but I also feel like we should learn to share. LF is not and never will be a big commercial site. We are just a fansite... but we are a fansite of loyal, devoted fans. And when people who aren't quite like that come here, it feels a little threatening.

I understand that I would like to be a little stricter with rules and who I want here and who I don't. So I'll be doing my best with that. I'm not sure exactly how just yet, but I will.

So you guys... don't worry... Everything is going to be great. You're all SO awesome and it is SUCH an honor to have people like you around here. I understand completely where you're coming from when you tell me that you feel this site is at a low point; but you all have to understand that your actions.... your posts... your activities here... ultimately you decide if this forum will be great or not.

[OB-waN offline]

First of all, RIGHT ON ERIN!!!!

Next, I was a little stupid back ther for the same reasons you where. Trust if this happen right now the whloe thing would have been much diffrent.

Here is a quote from G.T.E.'06:

Everyday I wake up everyday knowing that something cool and weird is or has gone on here. You guys are a eclectic group of kids, each one of us has something to bring to the table here at LF. Many have said we are like family and nothing could be more true, we are family and just like a real family we have are disagreement and different views on life but we also work things out and love on each other. We all have something to bring to the LF table each and every time we log on.

I believe in that so much to write it, it's so true so.....

[Star Way]

I was being stupid back there?

Hmm... beside the whole, 'I suck at life....and making forums' comedy routine, I'm actually a little offended at that. I was really frustrated with you guys last night for the same reasons that I'm trying to explain right now.

But anyway, that's neither here nor there.

[OB-waN offline]

I was being stupid back there?

Hmm... beside the whole, 'I suck at life....and making forums' comedy routine, I'm actually a little offended at that. I was really frustrated with you guys last night for the same reasons that I'm trying to explain right now.

But anyway, that's neither here nor there.

Hey Star, I'm sorry for treating it like it was nothing. That's just how I act sometimes.....OK??? Now, you know full well that if LF were to shut it's doors today I would be the first one there to keep them open. I promise to NEVER leave your site, ever. I am not going to jump ship becasue of this, I was tried last night, had alot of homework to do plus a new show was on comedy central I wanted to watch....I was just waiting for this whole thing to blow over, so I said some things I wish I never said.....you know what, just Im me if you want the whole thing OK..

Love ya!!!

[DL offline]

I have to agree with Oboy 100%. I really don't think anyone will leave because of this. They might not come arround as much but jumping ship is something I have never and will never do. If and when I leave it will be because it is time for me to go not because the fourm is in bad shape. I was doing some research to see if we could find an instance in history to see if you could use that as a model and applt it here and I found one. It is the great depression. It was happeneing at TvTome as well but LF was like a new economy and ppl came here to get a fresh start. The reason I said we should get rid of the old threads was so people could remake some of them in the future. I mean come on if you could make any thred better you would wouldn't you. I have a small plan that I am enacting right after I finish this post. It should help a bit and give the fourm a small jump start. Oboy if you could help me it would be great. You may not know my plan but just think about how FDR ended the depression. Looks for a few threads coming up in a few minutes. They should give a few days of discussion. Hopefully. And if not season two will give months of discussion.

[SamBlob offline]

I have learned never to say never.

But it would take a fairly large shake to dislodge me from here...

[OB-waN offline]

I have learned never to say never.

But it would take a fairly large shake to dislodge me from here...

Me to man, me to!!!

And DL, what are you ding that need my help with, are you going to try and write a big facny thread??? Is that what your up too??? Well, it's easy, just follow your heart. I can write a thread but my fiction skills need alot of work.

Good luck DL, I'm here if you need me......

[Mewberries151]

StarWay, you are so right about this. This isn't a big deal. It's like you said. a bump or a pothole. It's fixable, and even better, we can avoid it. And I also agree with you that it isn't even really a big pothole. Even if there is spam here, it will never ever get as bad as TV.com's or CL.com's because we've got an awesome bunch of mods and one fantastic admin making sure of it. I totally agree with you on everything you've said, and I wish you the best of luck with any future improvements/updates/new features you might choose to make. As they say all the time in CL, "I have faith in you". You're a truly fantastic webmaster, StarWay!

[MY85 offline]

The problem is that LF is also getting bigger every day. I'm not sure when it was that I realized we were getting so many new users, but it hit me one day like the rock a neighborhood boy cracked my best friend's head open with when I was five. We are no longer a small community... and that's what's bothering people for the most part. Instead of this being "their community" it's becoming "everyone's community". And I understand how frustrating that is... but I also feel like we should learn to share. LF is not and never will be a big commercial site. We are just a fansite... but we are a fansite of loyal, devoted fans. And when people who aren't quite like that come here, it feels a little threatening.

I completely agree with that. And I also like to see non-TvTome members that love Code Lyoko or that can be awesome persons, like Ransomed_Heart, Paige, just to mention a few. I know the oldest TvTome members will always like to somehow feel that the places they post at and hang around have to be like "their community", but I am (and others, of course) always open to variety, and that's kind of why I liked LF more than TvTome in the end. It wasn't the same routine in a certain way.

Besides, I have to agree with Mewberries151 about not deleting General Discussion for the reasons she posted. Deleting GD would not only take the younger users away from discussion (that would end up at BKO), but also take away certain users that avoid BKO becaue of cussing and fighting and for their own reasons.

And just to speak about forum activity, the day before Enki got banned the forum's total post was a bit below 26000 posts. After almost a week, we posted more than 1000 posts between the whole forum. Just had to say that.

[Xx te*rs r*n c*ld xX offline]

i think this is more or less what i was attempting to describe in my post to bko... of course, my thread went horribly off topic, but i won't go into that.

i do agree with erynn though. whining about it is only making things worse.

[Ransomed_Heart offline]

I agree with Mew and Erynn, this forum is onyl what we make it. If we choose to allow spammers and rule-breakers, then that is exactly what we will amount to. As Samblob said, it would take a very large shake to dislodge him from this site, and I think that applies to many of us. We can make it better if we all work at it. You do a great job, Erynn!

[Mewberries151]

I agree with Mew and Erynn, this forum is onyl what we make it. If we choose to allow spammers and rule-breakers, then that is exactly what we will amount to. As Samblob said, it would take a very large shake to dislodge him from this site, and I think that applies to many of us. We can make it better if we all work at it. You do a great job, Erynn!

Here here! I would never want to leave LF either.

Interestingly...this same sort of thing happened several times at TV Tome, IIRC. And we got through it there too. Whatever is supposedly wrong here, can definitely be fixed, and with everyone's co-operaton and effort!