Just saw this on Pinside where they upgraded in the last 24hrs with a new version for the forum section.
Each post can be scored with different ratings and then you can tilt a post that has no relevance or is questionable in content. After two tilt votes the post is hidden and can only be seen by the people placing a post in that thread if they wish to open it. This aids the guys starting a thread or particiupating in a thread to hide crap posts and keep it clean and eventually the crappy posters will give up.
I think with recent requests by guys about serious threads in relation to AC/DC and WOZ can assist in moderating the crap from a thread.
This would be a great system if ever you up grade to a version that has these features.
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinside-forum-post-ratings-coming-soon
I think that would be the worst thing you could add to this forum in a 100 year period. (I want to add i like Swinksys posts and ideas all the time, but not on this one, but i realise its only a suggestion, just one i do not see any need for).
The forum needs to have some personality and fun to it. Some human personality is what makes it fun and interesting. What makes a forum interesting is people. Having the forum like a robotic restoration only textbook is good for restoration info, but alot of people do not do restorations, and this is where the fun and energy of topics like AC/DC and WOZ are so good for the forum. These 2 x topics arent about text book repairs or restos, but more about peoples actions, ordering a new machine and their hopes n dreams n feelings. Feelings and hopes n dreams is what people enjoy and like to talk n read about. New info, photos n videos etc.
It all adds to the personality of the place, as can be seen by the fact that these 2 x posts are the most popular ever on AP.
The forum over recent times (the past 12 months) has lost alot of its personality, with quite a alot of people just reading, and not many people as in past times, doing posts. The last thing u want to do to this forum is moderate it more and more with click boxes that delete posts or rate posts and slide them off into obscurity. That stuff sucks the life and fun out of these forums and posts. The rules abouts posts supposedly going off topic are already a bit too tuff in my opinion, which PB Pete aluded to, but its from serious members wanting everything to stay serious like a wikipedia site, which i do not agree with.
Theres a time for being a million percent serious (resto threads etc) and theres a time for some fun and personality with other posts etc. Making the place more and more and more serious, which some people have suggested will slowly but surely suck the fun and life out of this forum.
AP forum is a place for people to meet, talk, share feelings and dreams, likes n dislikes, its not Wikipedia or a textbook forum. We need to keep this place fun and interesting.
Take the fun and personality out of the WOZ thread, or the Members who have ordered AC/DC threads, and the viewed numbers/posts added would be a third. The place needs fun and peoples personalities on here. Why does every subject, every post have to be serious like a funeral parlour ?
Keep the place fun. Keep the members coming, posting, viewing and sharing. We need to build the place up, not lock it down like a wikipedia.
and yes, the MODS do a great job 95 percent of the time, leave the forum the way it is, but people need to remember posts need to be interesting and fun, as well as informative. its a forum for people , not robots/machines. We need to read posts, enjoy them, add to them, not judge everything like its a critics site, which has happened a bit in the past. Rate the posts, not the person. As Nino says, play the ball, not the person. Lets keep the fun and interesting people coming back on here.
