Ok I'm Gonna Say It!!!!!!

[Sunderflame]

The performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental content...

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Flame Me: Enough with all the Frelling POLLs.....It was fun at first but come on Scapers.....Everyday it's more and more polls...I dread even getting on FMD anymore. Mods can you please chime in and get this under control....or just flame me....:kitty: :smokin: STOP WIth ALL THE POLL's , It is out of CONTROL, Please for SANITies SAKE

[JrMissToughChick]

I took a poll people seemed to like them, but I'll cool it with the polls already!

~JrMTC~

[RescueFarscape]

Originally posted by JrMissToughChick
I took a poll people seemed to like them

:rollin: You took a poll about polls, JrMTC? :lol

i don't really mind the polls. ;) If they interest me, I vote. If not, I ignore them.

[JrMissToughChick]

No Haesan did the one on polls Haesan beat me to it I should say. I did a poll on should I stop posting Polls

~JrMTC~

[Sunderflame]

But now they just seem to be every where about anything..it's nuts here, I answered your poll with it's fun but that was before this thing got out of hand. It's dragging my spirits down. I don't know about anyone else but there are are couple others that it is weighing them down to. It's very depressing. It's like a bunch of school kid's gone wild. I know I'm ranting about this, but that's how I feel. No ill will intended. It's just getting too busy with crap.
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[JrMissToughChick]

It's like a bunch of school kid's gone wild.Could be it's been winter break

~JrMTC~

[Ouroboros]

I agree, enough is enough. I've seen some threads that didn't need to be polls like the "what do you think of Braca" one the "merchandise one" the "when will the mini start one" and several others. There's no reason these can't be just plain old open ended discussions in fact it'd probably be better if they were. Reserve the polling for things like what's your favorite episode. Does it really matter or is it even logical to care which John and Aeryn return the author could dream up is the one voted most popular by the thread readers? You can make a good discussion thread without always including a poll guys.

[JrMissToughChick]

Okay I'll admit I did the Braca one but I like Braca and wanted to see what people thought I figured more people would vote than would reply normaly so I did it in poll form... Sorry I will not do any more stupid how do you see people polls.

~JrMTC~

[haesan]

Well, the obvious solution to me seems to be that we should post a poll asking people whether they want the polls to stop! :D

Just kidding... :rollin:

[JrMissToughChick]

Uh I did that one!!! :rollin::rollin:

~JrMTC~

[chri-baby]

Ok. I did a few poles but only because I felt the board was getting stagnant and wanted to stir things up. I apologise people. I will lay off, but maybe people could try starting new threads more often, threads that are interesting and fun.
dont mean to sound demanding I'm just naturally winey...

[grinner]

A-Frelling-Men. Thanks Sundy... that is something I wanted to say... but didn't want to rain on anyone's parade. There have been way too many polls lately.

[harveywhispers]

Sundy......:signbravo

I'm okay with polls....just not so many. It is possible to have some thoughtful discussion, without using a poll to break the ice.:)

[Roland]

Originally posted by RescueFarscape
[B
i don't really mind the polls. ;) If they interest me, I vote. If not, I ignore them. [/B]

Ditto! :)

But we can chill out so the Flame don't go aSunder! ;) Ha ha.....sometimes I'm sooooooooooooooooo funny! :goof: :duck:

[jayelsee]

Ha ha.....sometimes I'm sooooooooooooooooo funny! Yes, you are really on a "roll"(-and) today! Groan.

[ipimen]

but what's the difference if the thread is a poll or not, it is still there. Are you mad because they are useless (read stupid) or because they are polls?

Because there are a lot of other threads (not polls) that are completely useless (stupid) and spam only threads and i haven't seen any complaints about that. Those actually bother me, cause they have this weird subject and you have to go there and read them to know what they are about and if there's something worth your time. It makes the board very difficult to read, there's just too much dren around. Just my worthless 2 pennies.

[CrystalMoon]

The polls seem to have taken over the discussion area of the board. Maybe it's time to take a break from polls. I do miss regular old discussion threads.

[Sunderflame]

Another one of my concerns,(it does not effect me, I have roadrunner) but sometime's it seems to take forever to bring up parts of FMD, due to so much information being downloaded to bring up some of the discussion threads. For some people it is causing problems due to the modems and isp are very slow. I know alot of you use your college computers, or work computers. I just want the board to become somewhat normal again.
:ewink:

[FL_Redleg]

Okay. My 2 cents.
I usually just lurk over here.
But, I typically ignore Polls. If it's a discussion topic, then I will probably open it to see what is being said. But a Poll, IMHO, is just asking opinions about the labeled subject, not asking about discussion. Ergo: I usually ignore Polls.
If a poster wants to start a discussion, just start a topic.

Again, just my opinion.

Joe,
Florida Redleg

[TajaKayScaper]

i'm with FL_Redleg on this one!

[Nicola]

The problem I find with polls, is that people vote, and the poll gets bumped to the top of the list, but people don't add to the discussion.

This isn't a problem if there are only one or two polls being voted on, but if the board is swamped with them, it becomes ... frustrating. Especially if there are some interesting topics that could be commented on but people are just voting.

[atlantagirl]

I hadn't even noticed an increase in polls. It seems like there are always tons of them. I generally ignore them unless one really piques my interest. But as far as I can tell, a poll only gets pushed up if someone is interested enough to vote on it. Therefore, if there are a number of polls up near the top of the page, it must be that there are people who want to participate in them and are probably enjoying them. What's the problem if they want to have some fun? I don't honestly see the harm. Boring polls that no one is interested in will die a quick death anyway.

Of course, if polls are causing widespread mental damage among board members, perhaps the mods could just create a new forum specifically for polls. That way, the people who enjoy creating and responding to polls could do so to their heart's content and everyone else could just stay away from that forum.

I suspect the number of polls will diminish anyway now that people are getting back to work and school following the holidays.

I also agree with ipimen. I have much more of a problem with the pointless posts and those with shock value titles, especially since these seem to be the ones that stay around forever.

[generic_screenname]

Ok..first off, polls don't bother me at all. If I want to read it, I do; if not, I don't. There are tons of them, that's true. But so what? If anything it proves that the board is alive and well.

I think some of the polls are conversation starters. Some people aren't as skilled as others in terms of discussion. If they have a poll with with choices, maybe it's easier for them (in other words, multiple choice quetions are always easier than essays) If they want to elaborate on their choice, that's great. If all they do is vote, at least they are participating.

As for the spam, I don't really know what you're talking about. You mean the OT stuff? The threads I look forward to all day because they make me laugh so much and make me feel better than I've felt in years? I've met so many really cool and interesting people on this board, mostly in "pointless" OT threads. Hell, I met my girlfriend here. I love hanging out with people at FMD and finding out what's going on in their lives. I have a friend who doesn't even watch Farscape (I'm trying, I'm trying!) but lurks here because of the great atmosphere.

But maybe you're right. Maybe people should stop enjoying themselves and making friends.

[atlantagirl]

g_s, I suppose you're talking to me. I never suggested people should stop starting or posting the OT threads, and I never suggested they should be deleted. All I said is that I find some of them more annoying than polls, particularly threads with shock value subjects. I'm sorry if you take personal offense to the fact that I don't find the same joyous abandon that you do for the OT threads. But, I'm also well aware of the fact that just because I find something annoying doesn't mean that it has no value to others. That is my point. Even if I don't find most of the polls tremendously useful or interesting, there are obviously some people who do so why are people suddenly jumping all over them for just having a little fun.

As far as I can tell, many of the current poll-starters appear to be newer members. I'm glad that they (like all the people who hang out on the OT threads) are enjoying themselves, and I'm glad it keeps them hanging out during the "lull" times so that they are also around for times when their support is critical to the campaign. It takes a lot of different people to make a community and I think we'd do well to try to not jump on each other too much for minor annoyances. We don't want to push away the people we've been trying to cultivate just because they have a newbie's enthusiasm for this great community. :D

[Sunderflame]

The Spam emotion was just a picture, not a statement. Enjoy your poll's to your hearts content, I'm just merely saying that IMO only that some of this stuff is out of hand. Since you've been ill, I understand you have ootles of time on your hands. I'm glad your feeling better. It is just so crazy to try to read all this *stuff*. I just decided to voice my opposition. It's just really hard to catch up and really get into any discussions. This is strictly my opinion. You are free to do as you wish. I'm just saying it is getting really sloppy on the board. I'm not throwing sticks and stones out there.
I love the OT forums/ I wouldn't change a thing. It's all these frelling Poll's.....Too ManY.......!!!!That is my last comment......on the subject matter at hand.


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[MournsZhaan]

Originally posted by CrystalMoon
The polls seem to have taken over the discussion area of the board. Maybe it's time to take a break from polls. I do miss regular old discussion threads.

Amen!

Part of my dislike for the polls is that they're so limited. So few of the polls posted have an answer which suits me. A direct discussion of the topic, IMHO, is much more likely to wander into interesting territory. Polls too often look (to me) like a crutch for cocktail party small talk.

Polls are appropriate for counting (for example, signing up for the shuttle bus to the Tonight Show taping during the Burbank convention). Beyond that, I think they're a poor substitute for the art of conversation.

Chris

[Under A Dying Sun]

see if it was me, i would have started a poll asking what people thought of polls.

[JrMissToughChick]

there has been two like that already

[Under A Dying Sun]

see.

i am so out of touch with everything.


back to baking pies!

[VBKatLou]

I was on a message board the other day where they actually had a 'poll' forum. The description underneath the forum title led me to believe that maybe they had had the issue being discussed here. Maybe we could ask the mods for a new forum, for polls. Farscape polls, OT polls - you could poll to your heart's content.

That way if you like polls, you'd have a new place to post. And if you think polls are useless clutter, then they would no longer be in your way.

edited to add: should I make a poll to see if people want a new 'poll' forum? :rollin:

[JrMissToughChick]

WE should make a poll forum here

~JrMTC~

[VBKatLou]

You mean a sub forum inside of this forum? But then wouldn't all the polls have to be about Farscape? It would be better to make it a sub forum inside of the OTs. Anything goes over there (and that's how I like it :) )

[grinner]

Originally posted by VBKatLou
Anything goes over there (and that's how I like it :) ) too right...:D

[Zantar]

we could make a poll to get rid of polls.

[vikingscaper]

I have done only one poll but it was about the map project. I don't have a problem with polls but sometimes I think that there should be a little bit of moderation when it comes to creating a new poll.

[grapeshot]

Hey, I agree with Atlantagirl when she says the shock value subjects are a waste of bandwidth, and a nuisance, but I've learned to live with it. But I'm also glad that Sunderflame said something about the increase in polls. They really don't cause a good discussion, nor do they prove any useful point, and they're wasting my personal bandwidth, if not the bandwidth here. If we must have them (as apparantly, we MUST have those shock value posts) then let's at least have them in their own subforum.

The best discussion I've seen in this forum are in threads that don't have polls. That's what I'd like to concentrate my time on.

Furthermore, I would argue that polls asking whether we should have more polls are very unlikely to be answered by those people who are annoyed by them. Therefore, they cannot be used as a guide for what the majority here would prefer.

[grinner]

My one and only poll I ever did was back in March of last year. It was asking if anyone read all the news articles I post. I don't understand all these polls... other than maybe a vanity aspect... I started these threads. Or not?

[Sunderflame]

Grinner you know how much we love ya here. I love the Vanity thread. Oh must not forget trubador's ignore thread. I miss the little guitar man...:ewink: :smokin:

[LadyCrais]

A forum just for polls does nothing to alleviate the problem of their bumping to the top just when someone votes. I think most of us use the global New Posts since I was last here feature. They'll still overwhelm the results, just as they have for the last month or two. And there's no question it's gotten to be a real pain in the pitooti to try to see what's happening and what's new and what's being discussed in a reasonable amount of time when you're wading through the thread lists that are 50% polls. And for us poor schmucks on dial-up, there's no way to even consider looking at what certainly have started out as totally random/meaningless thread names with many hundreds/thousands of posts just to see what they're about. My server would probably have me bumped before even one of those threads loaded.

On the other hand, maybe we who dislike it should just quit using our global search and go individually to each forum we usually take an interest in. Unfortunately that relies everyone perfectly placing their threads in the "correct" forum. Whatever. Just my own feelings about it all, but with nary a thought or suggestion that it should change. If folks are having fun and enjoying themselves, why rain on the parade.

I do, and have for a very long time, wished that the bloody polls only bumped when there was a reply. That may not even be possible with the software. But getting back on the topic of a Polling forum, stopping the voting bump is the only way that it would realistically help the rest of us out with our global searches be swamped with poll threads. Those who really enjoy the polls would have a place to go to find them. And those of us who don't want to see them unless someone has actually made a comment in the discussion area would only see it on a search when that was true.

[BlackThorn]

I'm on crappy dial-up, and I've only had one problem loading a thread (when the banana festival took place.) I've never bothered using the New Posts feature. I know it's going to bring up a bunch of threads I have no interest in reading (half the polls and a lot of the game threads.) Do I think they should stop? Nope. Do I find it annoying? The only time I get minorly annoyed is when a bunch of very old polls suddenly show up at the top with no new responses. No big deal. I just do a little mental flinch and move on.

[grinner]

hey... the banana festival was... interesting at first. then it got exponetially bigger and bigger...

[BlackThorn]

Yeah, I didn't start having loading problems until the end, shortly before the bananas went poof.

[AyuRocks]

Personally I don't have a problem with the polls, but I can understand about the bumping up problem. Administrators can turn this option off in the VB panel by diabling this feature -

Update last post time
Update the last post time for the thread (thus returning it to the top of a forum) when a vote is placed.

Ashley

[LadyCrais]

But won't that turn it off for bumping period? You'd still want it to bump when there's a new message I would think. And do they have to do it poll by poll? I've always figured the administrators know what they're doing, and thus some valid reason reason exists for how the poll threads work.

As for load times, I suspect one's server effects it. If I hit the arrow to go to the next new post in any thread over 100-200 posts, I can easily sit for several minutes. So I pretty much bail on any thread that goes over 50-100 posts. I can sit for 15-60 seconds on threads with as few as 30 posts. Comes from being too cheap to pay for fast access and making do with my work account, which happens to be a university.

[VBKatLou]

I don't use the 'global New Posts since I was last here' feature, so I wasn't thinking about that when I suggested another forum. I guess I don't feel comfortable with restrictions in general. I've seen message boards in the past year where if one posted something that was even remotely off topic, they were practically flamed off the board. I think the rules we have around here (be nice, don't cuss, if you want to really argue take it outside, etc) are acceptable, but when people start classifying what kinds of posts should be allowed, it can become confusing. and intimidating to people and then they just won't post anything at all. And if nothing is being posted there won't be much to read and then people will stop visiting and that's something that we definitely don't want.

I think that there are a lot people who visit the board, or are new members, who feel awkward about posting, like what they have to say isn't worthwhile. Polls are a way of letting them participate in a thread without having to voice an opinion.

[chri-baby]

a stuped question ..but what is Bumping?

[BlackThorn]

Posting just for the sake of "bumping" the thread back up to the top. Works the same way with polls if someone votes . . . even if they don't post in the thread itself. That's why so many polls were staying up top.

[Under A Dying Sun]

for two years i have been trying to figure out what IMHO means.

[AyuRocks]

It will stop the bumping up of all threads with polls when a new vote is cast. It will still bump the thread up when people respond. I run a VB forum, so I know what the control panel is like and what the options are.

Speaking of bumping, I think unnecessary bumping is 1000 times worse than lots of polls. If a poll is bumped to the top, at least you can tell no one has replied because the person who made the last post stays the same. Bumping, you have to go in there just do see someone felt like bumping something for no paticular reason. It's one thing when campaign stuff falls onto the second page or something, but a lot of it is just random stuff.

IMHO - in my humble opinion.

Ashley

[Under A Dying Sun]

ahhhhhhhh. thx. :)