Before I post my thoughts in detail about the behavior towards questions being asked multiple times and the treatment of newbies in general, I would like approval from the moderators that it is acceptable to post this here.
Related
No offense meant to anyone. But why was this thread closed ? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=609557
It wasn't posted in the wrong section. It is the definition of off-topic. It wasn't political. It wasn't racially or ethnically offensive. It wasn't obscene. Just because one ( again no offense ) didn't like it ?
I guess this begs the bigger question, what is the exact definition of off-topic that Mods use to decide on closing a thread ? What is too off topic. And is it a group decision to close a thread or is it a personal one ?
I have seen a lot of off....off....off topic threads in this section allowed to run their course and die ( " ...who here likes melon ? .....) Just wondering what is the definition and what is too far ?
As I felt that our discussion regarding the above-noted thread did not end on a positive tone, I took it upon myself to discuss my action of closing the thread with Flar ... as she is one of the Administrators of XDA, and ultimately should have a final word on what content should be permissible.
I remain firm that the thread should remain closed as it will simply serve to instigate a "flamewar" session amongst fellow XDA members or encourage comments that could be construed as a personal attack on Tiger Woods behaviour as depicted by the media.
That said, I am additionally concerned that closing the thread may also communicate a form of censoring as you implied - which is certainly not my intention. After my discussions with Flar, we have agreed to re-open the thread with the caveat that it not deteriorate into a personal attack on Tiger Woods or fellow XDA members.
Here is the relevant excerpt from our conversation
hilaireg said:
Hi denco7,
My intention was certainly not to offend you or to "sensor" the Off-Topic forum. I felt that no positive or constructive outcome would come from this thread.
Regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
denco7 said:
Don't get me wrong, I was neither offended nor did I think that you were censoring anyone's rights to their opinion.
There have been a lot of way of topic threads that have turned into fun little conversations. Getting personal insights and opinions on things from people who you usually interact with on a purely technical basis, let's you know people a little bit better and gives you an additional perspective on people. I think that is what off-topic is all about and there for. I don't think anyone is loking for anything constructive out of these threads, just fun.
I have always thought that moderation should be done in moderation. And if you thought that that violated the forum rules for off-topic, I thought that maybe it was time to start a conversation on what exactly off-topic was for and what content is too off-topic. And it wasn't just that particular thread, so I hope you weren't offended .
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have little interest in Tiger Woods' sex life or his moral make up. The only problem that I have is with " over moderation " In a semi public forum ( privately owned , but open to the public ) , as long as a thread does not violate forum rules, it should be allowed to run it's course and die a natural death. It is a public statement and the trashing of the thread , because one person objects to it's content or sees into the future that it " might " go awry, is censorship. I am however pleasantly surprised and most impressed that you were concerned enough to discuss it with Flar and return the threads. You have my utmost respect for doing the " right " thing despite your personal trepidations.
All that being said, let's get to my point in starting this thread. What is everyone else's opinion on what the off-topic thread should be. Aside from obvious offensive material like politics , war , race, ethnicity, porn, should we be allowed to discuss anything or just phones, HTC, or electronics.
What do people think off-topic should be, and what do you think is too off-topic
Sorry I have sbagliato where postare !
Bye
Simone
To answer your question as to what is off-topic? This thread certainly counts. You win the prize!
In an effort to decrease what seems to be a growing number of complaints over useless, counter-productive posts (which in my humble opinion, are in and of themselves, also useless, counter-productive posts) I've started this thread.
Got a problem with a stupid, useless, thread-clogging post?
Want to flame someone endlessly for not reading the thread before posting? Or not reading the Original Post? Or asking a question that was clearly answered three posts before?
Cut and paste it, list it here and comment on it. Then if possible, PM the perceived wrongdoer and let them know. Or let them know as part of your next "useful" post by adding a short comment and a link to this thread. Take the fight or argument off-thread! That way, the complaints that you would be tempted to post in the affected thread, won't cause the very thing you're complaining about!
If anyone likes this idea, add the link to this thread in your signature...please don't PM me telling me you don't like this thread...
First Complaint
This is a waste of space.
All posts I make are a waste of space AND time.
The ironic thing is, although a majority of the posts on XDA qualify for this, watch this thread be the one that's the least commented in. Oh irony.
Oh NO!!!! It's Mr Bill!!!
G1BRICKED said:
All posts I make are a waste of space AND time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@ tnpapadakos
*sights*... how do I put this?....
There is no flaming allowed ANYWHERE in this site. Not even in Off Topic regarding to anything else. By opening this thread, you are in essence encouraging people to be rude to others, allowing them to "vent" against others. Users are not allowed to be disrespectful or flame at any time in this site. If a user does, then he/she is breaking forum rules and moderators will act accordingly. The little triangle with the exclamation sign on each post is so that anyone can let us know if any of this is going on...
I am going to close this thread simply because the only thing that you wanted this thread to do is causing users to do exactly that. They are flaming you and posting comments that serve no other purpose other than... well, flaming the OP.
If you would like to revisit this case, pm me and I will be more than happy to talk it over with the other mods. But for now...
thread closed.
I don't understand why we need to post 10 times to change our state to a "normal" user... so, I post my first time, i see this for months but really now i wanna participate when i'm feeling comfortable.
dhmorales said:
I don't understand why we need to post 10 times to change our state to a "normal" user... so, I post my first time, i see this for months but really now i wanna participate when i'm feeling comfortable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only need 10 posts to post in the development sections. You can post in all the other sections.
This is to stop people creating threads in the development forums before they have familiarised themselves with the site a bit more. This means that the development forums are not cluttered with rubbish that mods have to move, and that we members can find our way round a lot easier.
Feel free to participate in the general and Q&A forums to build up both your knowledge and post count. Then, if you have anything to contribute (in the way of development) you can post in the correct place.
Blarg *being*!!!
Please change it so it doesn't bug me until this thread dies
Sent from my SilverBullet 'HTCDesireZ running CM7'
For more of an explanation of the 10 post rule, please see the link in my sig. Thread closed so people do not feed off of it to bump their post count.
Hello, and welcome to the forum,
Before you click the "New Thread" or "Post Reply" buttons, please take the time to read some rules/guidelines for posting in this forum:
1) Read and follow the Forum Rules:
Plain and simple. No further explanation needed
2) Post your message in the proper subforum (see above):
All questions, requests, and help & troubleshooting needs, go in the Q&A Help & Troubleshooting subforum if one exists for your device, and any misplaced messages will be promptly moved to their respective location. Users that make it a habit of posting in the wrong forum will be addressed accordingly. If you're unsure of where your post or thread belongs, please read the Forum Rules again.
3) No off-topic discussion:
While some Moderation Teams may allow some off-topic discussion and the creation of off-topic threads, we do not. There is an entire General Off-Topic forum devoted to this type of discussion and there are enough threads already available to meet anyone's off-topic needs. All off-topic threads, and posts containing off-topic discussion, will be deleted promptly and without warning. If you're concerned with the amount of off-topic discussion and misplaced questions in the Development forums, please consider making a Q&A Thread for your ROM/Kernel/Project/etc.
4) Don't ask for an ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival):
Asking for an ETA is the XDA equivalent of telling a Developer that the free work they do just isn't enough for you. It usually comes across as rude and/or demanding, and most developers will take offense to it. Even if a particular Developer doesn't mind being asked for an ETA, there are many that do, and there's a good possibility that it will incite arguments in the forum. In the end, it's just best to avoid doing it altogether. If you have no other choice but to ask for an ETA (i.e. the work you're doing absolutely depends on it), then please, do it through a private message and keep it out of the public forums.
5) Keep your signatures at a respectable size:
While members are given a great deal of freedom in creating personalized signatures, it is expected that this freedom is not abused. Abnormally large signatures are obnoxious to most users and they tend to be a major distraction from the topic at hand. If your signature is double the size of an average post or larger, expect be asked to change it. If you're not sure whether the size of your signature is within the respectable limits, feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum for clarification.
6) Be nice:
It's not that hard. If you can't say something nice to someone, don't say anything at all. If you feel the need to respond negatively to someone, please refer to #8.
7) Report all violations of the aforementioned rules/guidelines and DO NOT respond to them in the open forum:
If you happen to notice a rule violation, use the "Report Post" button of the offending post, or send them a polite reminder through private message so they may resolve the problem on their own (for minor violations of course). Please do not respond to posts that are in violation of the rules in public. Regardless of the fact that it leaves more work for us to do when cleaning the forum, responding to them in public only compounds the issue and it puts you at risk of getting in trouble yourself. Moderators have much more effective ways of dealing with these situations than by arguing back and forth and disrupting the entire conversation, so please, let us handle it.
If there are any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matter, please feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum. You can find a list of the assigned Moderators at the top of each sub-forum page.
With that, here are a few great threads to help you get the most out of your experience here...please take advantage of them:
Get the most out of XDA!!
How to make a good THREAD, POST, QUESTION or POLL
WhatsApp / Telegram Chat Channels - Way Forward
Why you get short/one word answers! (The Long Answer)
How to give constructive feedback to developers
How To Logcat
GPLv2 tips for developers
Getting a moderator's help
And as always...
Thank you, and have a great day!
Hello, and welcome to the forum,
Before you click the "New Thread" or "Post Reply" buttons, please take the time to read some rules/guidelines for posting in this forum:
1) Read and follow the Forum Rules:Plain and simple. No further explanation needed2) Post your message in the proper subforum (see above):All questions, requests, and help & troubleshooting needs, go in the Q&A Help & Troubleshooting subforum, if one exists for your device, and any misplaced messages will be promptly moved to their respective location. Users that make it a habit of posting in the wrong forum will be addressed accordingly. If you're unsure of where your post or thread belongs, please read the Forum Rules again.3) No off-topic discussion:While some Moderation Teams may allow some off-topic discussion and the creation of off-topic threads, we do not. There is an entire General Off-Topic forum devoted to this type of discussion and there are enough threads already available to meet anyone's off-topic needs. All off-topic threads, and posts containing off-topic discussion, will be deleted promptly and without warning. If you're concerned with the amount of off-topic discussion and misplaced questions in the Development forums, please consider making a Q&A Thread for your ROM/Kernel/Project/etc.4) Don't ask for an ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival):Asking for an ETA is the XDA equivalent of telling a Developer that the free work they do just isn't enough for you. It usually comes across as rude and/or demanding, and most developers will take offense to it. Even if a particular Developer doesn't mind being asked for an ETA, there are many that do, and there's a good possibility that it will incite arguments in the forum. In the end, it's just best to avoid doing it altogether. If you have no other choice but to ask for an ETA (i.e. the work you're doing absolutely depends on it), then please, do it through a private message and keep it out of the public forums.5) Keep your signatures at a respectable size:While members are given a great deal of freedom in creating personalized signatures, it is expected that this freedom is not abused. Abnormally large signatures are obnoxious to most users and they tend to be a major distraction from the topic at hand. If your signature is double the size of an average post or larger, expect be asked to change it. If you're not sure whether the size of your signature is within the respectable limits, feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum for clarification.6) Be nice:It's not that hard. If you can't say something nice to someone, don't say anything at all. If you feel the need to respond negatively to someone, please refer to #8.7) Report all violations of the aforementioned rules/guidelines and DO NOT respond to them in the open forum:If you happen to notice a rule violation, use the "Report Post" button in the upper right hand corner of the offending post, or send them a polite reminder through private message so they may resolve the problem on their own (for minor violations of course). Please do not respond to posts that are in violation of the rules in public. Regardless of the fact that it leaves more work for us to do when cleaning the forum, responding to them in public only compounds the issue and it puts you at risk of getting in trouble yourself. Moderators have much more effective ways of dealing with these situations than by arguing back and forth and disrupting the entire conversation, so please, let us handle it.If there are any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matter, please feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum. You can find a list of the assigned Moderators at the top of each sub-forum page.
With that, here are a few great threads to help you get the most out of your experience here...please take advantage of them:
Get the most out of XDA!!
How to make a good THREAD, POST, QUESTION or POLL
Why you get short/one word answers! (The Long Answer)
How to give constructive feedback to developers
How To Logcat
GPLv2 tips for developers
Getting a moderator's help
And as always...
Thank you, and have a great day!