Seriously thoughtful Let's be civil, please

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by dsvick

And I say don't ban either.

I and I don't say ban them, either, I'm just playing devil's advocate. For every person who thinks even the slightest hint of disapproval of the US military (or whatever subject) is "inflammatory and offensive crap" you will find people who think even the slightest hit of praise of the US military (or whatever subject) is "inflammatory and offensive crap." Just as the OP in the "ebooks for the troops" thread probably had no idea it might descend in flames, the OP in the "leaked war video" probably thought that he had seen something indefensible and never would have expected to see people defending it.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Topics themselves do not necessarily need banning, but the comments posted have to be sensible....

I agree 100%

But if there is a fear that deleting a thread constitutes censorship, then I'm not too sure why closing it down for further posts does not....

Surely leaving a thread in existence, but closed, shows idle lookers that the posts remain tolerated.

Censorship. to me, implies removing or not letting something see the light of day to begin with. Closing a thread by stating "This thread closed because the children could not play nice" I think would show that opinions and discussion are tolerated and encouraged but that there is a line that should not be crossed.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by dsvick

Censorship. to me, implies removing or not letting something see the light of day to begin with. Closing a thread by stating "This thread closed because the children could not play nice" I think would show that opinions and discussion are tolerated and encouraged but that there is a line that should not be crossed.

But at the same time it could lead to mischievous posts that deliberately inflame, whilst knowing that the comments would remain....

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

But at the same time it could lead to mischievous posts that deliberately inflame, whilst knowing that the comments would remain....

True, but we've not had that problem yet, or at least not much. And, I would have no problem with trolls being removed, banned, and ostracized.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

I and I don't say ban them, either, I'm just playing devil's advocate. For every person who thinks even the slightest hint of disapproval of the US military (or whatever subject) is "inflammatory and offensive crap" you will find people who think even the slightest hit of praise of the US military (or whatever subject) is "inflammatory and offensive crap." Just as the OP in the "ebooks for the troops" thread probably had no idea it might descend in flames, the OP in the "leaked war video" probably thought that he had seen something indefensible and never would have expected to see people defending it.

You absolutely right. People just need to be civil about it and understand that there are different opinions and theirs may not be right one. Luckily though, there don't really seem to be that many people like that. All it takes is one bitter apple to ruin the pie - even though all the rest of us apples are so sweet.

[jharker]

One reason I don't contribute much on MobileRead any more is that there always seem to be debates going on in the forums about pointless subjects. People just bicker back and forth in religious wars. Many serious discussion threads devolve into Amazon bashing or Apple bashing... I don't see the point.

I used to get involved in discussions and debates in online forums. Then finally, one day I had a revelation. It was this:

I put this on my wall to remind me: life is too short. Go out and do something useful!

In the interest of saying something constructive, I would suggest this: Lounge discussions should not show up in the "Week's Hot Topics" list on the front page. In fact, I would recommend that that list be moderated or curated to reflect only discussions that are both popular AND substantial. Just an idea.

[dsvick]

Originally Posted by jharker

In the interest of saying something constructive, I would suggest this: Lounge discussions should not show up in the "Week's Hot Topics" list on the front page. In fact, I would recommend that that list be moderated or curated to reflect only discussions that are both popular AND substantial. Just an idea.

I like it. We dont want to draw people to MR because there is raging debate going on in the lounge. Once someone has visited the site and seen the more serious (?) forums they can stumble into the lounge themselves.

Thanks for the comic, I had forgotten all about that one!!

[ngrant]

Originally Posted by jharker

...life is too short. Go out and do something useful!

Agree 100%. As a relative newcomer, I was having fun reading and participating -- then found too much negativity creeping into even the device and ebook format discussions. I don't need to come here to be abused, I can get that anywhere So I no longer visit on a daily basis, just now and then to see, for example, if there's a new firmware for my device. Or if there are any new ebooks for download that are of interest to me.

Thank you all the same to *some* of the nicest people on the internet for all their efforts here. Hope the bad apples don't end up spoiling it for everyone. For me, I have a huge TBR list awaiting me... isn't that what we're about anyway -- reading??

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jharker;868293...

I used to get involved in discussions and debates in online forums. Then finally, one day I had a revelation. It was this:

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I put this on my wall to remind me: life is too short. Go out and do something useful!
....

Thanks for posting that. I literally rolled on the floor laughing when I saw that the first time!

[GeoffC]

From a deviantartist ....

[dsvick]

True, but I'd also say that that would qualify as a personal attack, even if it is their opinion.

Originally Posted by GeoffC

From a deviantartist ....

My daughter goes there all the time

[GlennD]

I hope there isn't a limit placed on what kinds of topics can be discussed in the lounge. Mobileread has a diverse group of members of various nationalities, typically well-educated (hey, we're all readers! ), who aren't here specifically for the purpose of arguing politics. That kind of environment allows for some discussion that probably doesn't occur elsewhere. Boards that are in place for political arguments typically have exactly that - arguments.

I know that the health care discussions we've had, for example, have given me some insight into how a nationalized health care program can work, and DOES work, in other countries. And that's given me the chance to moderate my own opinion of health care in the US. It doesn't always show in my immediate reponses to a post (these things take time to filter through my brain!) but I personally see a lot of value in these discussions as long as we can avoid attacking people.

[ardeegee]

A little math.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by ngrant

Thank you all the same to *some* of the nicest people on the internet for all their efforts here. Hope the bad apples don't end up spoiling it for everyone. For me, I have a huge TBR list awaiting me... isn't that what we're about anyway -- reading??

Well, to some degree, but I'd say it's also a question of whether one lets someone else spoil things. One's own approach, e.g. not to let other people and their opinions get to you, is quite important, too, and I would say one's responsibility. I've trained myself to develop much 'thicker skin' than I used to have online (and it used to be pretty thin), and it has been a positive experience. Not that I'm perfect, not that I never 'slip', but I am generally much less upset about discussions such as those referred to than I used to be (BTW, MR has rarely been problematic, it's pretty peaceful here, it's other discussion groups mainly). At this point, I tend to more often see the silly absurdness of it. It is my personal impression that perhaps those that are very bothered by such things as an (occasional) negative tone, take it too near - a little too much to heart. More than they have to.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

A little math.

That anonymity thing is one reason why I like to use my real name.