Can we please have an anonymous forum?

[Gay Sex Hippo]

As the nonnies among you will know, these days the idiot modemins at the Snackpit keep making retarded decision after retarded decision and are generally making it a pretty shitty place to post.

Additionally, there is an extremely vocal contingent of nonnies who object to the "gweebification" of the Snackpit, and think the Snackpit should only be about the snark. These snark purists endlessly moan and whine about those of us who like to have fun in the Snackpit.

In conclusion, the Snackpit sucks these days for posters like me. If we had an anonymous forum here, I'd have no need to go back to the Snackpit. If you're concerned about the snark, you could enact a "no snark" rule and just make it about anonymous posting for fun (although I personally believe a "no snark" rule wouldn't be necessary).

Thoughts?

[WednesdayAddams]

Well, that's why we allow socks. Especially in the Box. You can say more or less whatever you want with no one the wiser. If you wanted to start a 'socks only' thread, I don't think G or any of the rest of us would object.

[Gay Sex Hippo]

Originally Posted by WednesdayAddams

Well, that's why we allow socks. Especially in the Box. You can say more or less whatever you want with no one the wiser. If you wanted to start a 'socks only' thread, I don't think G or any of the rest of us would object.

True, but there is a difference between going through the whole signup rigmarole every time you just want to post under a different name, and just being able to type in your name when you post. Plus part of the fun of the snackpit is impersonating others, which we wouldn't be able to do with socks.

[severe delays]

I was gonna come in here and point and laugh but I'm so stunned that the sock is posting sensibly that I can't remember how to.

[Dragonlady]

SD
How about this?

Just tryin to help out!

[Gay Sex Hippo]

Originally Posted by severe delays

I was gonna come in here and point and laugh but I'm so stunned that the sock is posting sensibly that I can't remember how to.

Yes, I am rather stunning.

[Gay Sex Hippo]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

SD
How about this?

Just tryin to help out!

Hawt

[hajario]

I don't see how such a forum would be a positive addition to the place but I'll keep an open mind and listen to what everyone has to say.

[Uthrecht]

Don't worry, haj, I've got this covered.


Your idea sucks balls.

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Hey, I've got a better idea.

Why not have an ANYTHING GOES forum?

[Gay Sex Hippo]

Originally Posted by Sleeps With Butterflies

Hey, I've got a better idea.

Why not have an ANYTHING GOES forum?

You're silly! We've already got a forum like that. It's called The Box.

[Gay Sex Hippo]

Originally Posted by Uthrecht

Don't worry, haj, I've got this covered.


Your idea sucks balls.

I bet you wouldn't say that if anybody else was making the suggestion.

[The Futility of Nihilism]

I think this idea bears serious consideration.

:: consider consider consider ::

No.

[The Futility of Nihilism]

Originally Posted by Gay Sex Hippo

I bet you wouldn't say that if anybody else was making the suggestion.

You should feel honored. I've never seen Uthy offer to let anybody else's idea suck his balls.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Sleeps With Butterflies

Hey, I've got a better idea.

Why not have an ANYTHING GOES forum?

Holy crap, that's an excellent idea that I wish had been thought of before.

PS Haw haw @ shitty snackpit moderation. Too funny.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by Gay Sex Hippo

I bet you wouldn't say that if anybody else was making the suggestion.

Okay, you have a point. If it was someone else, I would point out that I like the requirement of ownership you get when your posts are attached to your persona. You have a much greater degree of freedom when it's a sock, and socks can get out of hand (and has been evidenced), but as you noted, socks require work to create, so once you've made a sock, you're inclined not to get TOO out of hand. If you go straight with anonymous, I suspect we'd end up with threads that are essentially tags. I think sock threads are a happy medium.

Originally Posted by The Futility of Nihilism

You should feel honored. I've never seen Uthy offer to let anybody else's idea suck his balls.

Or that.

[Jeff]

Seriously, though, let's do this. This could be our chance to kill the snackpit.

[Dragonlady]

Originally Posted by hajario

I don't see how such a forum would be a positive addition to the place but I'll keep an open mind and listen to what everyone has to say.

Just in case anyone is still counting - no thanks!

[Mbossa]

I suggested this once in the past, and I stand by my suggestion. The whole point of the Crazy Town is to try out new ideas for forums and dump them if they turn out to be shitty. If people don't want to participate in it, they don't have to participate. Simple!

[anonybitch]

But...you're already "anonymous posting for fun".

[Giraffe]

Watching the Snackpit mods delete endless "tee hee I said nigger omg" posts makes me think a fully anon forum would be too much of a moderation headache, and I'm way too lazy to stay on top of something like that. Also, while there is a lot of harmless fun to be had in anon posting, it's gotten pretty shitty at times. Which doesn't exactly make my petticoats fall off, but when combined with indistinguishable posters makes for an unfair fight. At least with socks, whoever is being attacked can put a face to their attacker(s) and confront him/her/them about why your BO is so bad and how it's not your fault.

[Mbossa]

Originally Posted by Uthrecht

Okay, you have a point. If it was someone else, I would point out that I like the requirement of ownership you get when your posts are attached to your persona.

Keep in mind that this is just for one forum. GSH isn't suggesting opening up the entire GB to anonymous posting. Most of the GB will chug along as it always has. There will just be one forum tucked away down the bottom where people can post anonymously if they want to.

You have a much greater degree of freedom when it's a sock, and socks can get out of hand (and has been evidenced), but as you noted, socks require work to create, so once you've made a sock, you're inclined not to get TOO out of hand. If you go straight with anonymous, I suspect we'd end up with threads that are essentially tags. I think sock threads are a happy medium.

If we do end up with threads (in this one single solitary forum) that are essentially tags (but without the limits that usually apply), so what? Tags are great fun. They are, IMO, one of the most entertaining parts of the Raffe. I know some people disagree, but those people probably aren't the target market for an anonymous forum, so they can just pretend it doesn't exist.

[Falcon]

I also vote no. I don't mind the odd sock cropping up, but one of the reasons this place works so well is that the culture encourages people to deal with each other directly and openly if they're having a conflict. So little conflicts don't tend to escalate into big ones.

Of course, this means the Pit is hopelessly broken, but it also makes this a fun place to hang out. Toss in a bunch of anonymous snarking, and I don't see any good coming from it. I could see it sowing suspcion between people who are having some issues with each other and who assume it's the other party snarking at them. That could just escalate tension rather than encouraging folks to work things out and move on.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by Mbossa

I suggested this once in the past, and I stand by my suggestion. The whole point of the Crazy Town is to try out new ideas for forums and dump them if they turn out to be shitty. If people don't want to participate in it, they don't have to participate. Simple!

You know what? I change my vote. The moderating thing was the other half of it to me (which Giraffe pointed out), but I would be okay with (if vB supports it), setting up a forum for it, and at the point that it ticks off a mod or crosses some arbitrary line, they pull the plug. At the very least, it would put the issue to the test rather than have me pontificate on how I think it wouldn't work.

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

Originally Posted by Giraffe

Watching the Snackpit mods delete endless "tee hee I said nigger omg" posts makes me think a fully anon forum would be too much of a moderation headache, and I'm way too lazy to stay on top of something like that. Also, while there is a lot of harmless fun to be had in anon posting, it's gotten pretty shitty at times. Which doesn't exactly make my petticoats fall off, but when combined with indistinguishable posters makes for an unfair fight. At least with socks, whoever is being attacked can put a face to their attacker(s) and confront him/her/them about why your BO is so bad and how it's not your fault.

This makes perfect sense. Why create more work for mods and admins? There isn't much you can't say around here in any forum.

[Jeff]

Wait, don't we have a trust-fund-baby mod with nothing better to do with his life than mod forums?

If not, we should get one. They are awesome.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Wait, don't we have a trust-fund-baby mod with nothing better to do with his life than mod forums?

If not, we should get one. They are awesome.

I volunteer.

Now, if someone will set up this trust fund, we can get started!

[hilarity n. suze]

Waitaminute, I thought we had a whole anonymous BOARD here. I mean, it's not like Hilarity is my real name, you know?

[Chacoguy]

The flopping cat speaks the truth.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Falcon

one of the reasons this place works so well is that the culture encourages people to deal with each other directly and openly if they're having a conflict.

No, it doesn't. If the mod/mins like you or don't care about you, you may be allowed to quibble for a while, until you've had your say. But if they don't like you, they'll be saying something to you about it to shut you down, and call it a derail.

If that weren't the case, there wouldn't be so many people going to the snackpit to post there about this place. Lately, I can see a post here and know that there will be something about it there.

Unlike Giraffe who said here:

Originally Posted by Giraffe

[But since starting this place, the snarkpit has felt distinctly pointless to me (sorry anonymonster -- I still love you). You can talk about whatever you want here (although we may move it to the Box), you can make a sock if you don't want anyone associating your comments with your normal account -- I just don't see the need to post fully anonymously. I like being able to separate out the nasty assholes from everyone else. I like to know when I'm talking to e.g. Carol Stream or Rand Rover and when I'm talking to someone worth wasting a second of my life on -- it's just more efficient.

Although I still don't post at the snackpit, I see more of a reason for the snackpit. In general, when you can't say what you want to say in a forum, you go somewhere else. And there are a lot of things here that can only be said there. Or people would be saying them here. And they don't.

Originally Posted by Mbossa

Keep in mind that this is just for one forum. GSH isn't suggesting opening up the entire GB to anonymous posting. Most of the GB will chug along as it always has. There will just be one forum tucked away down the bottom where people can post anonymously if they want to.

So . . . Mbossa, what do you want to say in an anonymous forum that you couldn't say anywhere else? What kinds of things would you be saying? Give some specific examples.

I don't really see the point of having pretend-anonymous posts. It wouldn't really be anonymous if you post without an anonymizer. If you're going through the trouble of using an anonymizer, you just as soon go to the Snackpit. Just like tags, they're only anonymous until someone thinks one of them is egregious. Then it's not anonymous anymore.

[Darmund]

The "roo is just saying" tag? That's me, just to not be accused of anonymous cowardice. I've added that one a bunch of times.

[Chacoguy]

Originally Posted by Roo

Although I still don't post at the snackpit, I see more of a reason for the snackpit. In general, when you can't say what you want to say in a forum, you go somewhere else.

I have never posted in the snackpit; it's not my kind of place.

[Darmund]

I haven't been following the snackpit for months now. Somebody want to catch me up on the latest retarded snackmode decisions?

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Darmund

I haven't been following the snackpit for months now. Somebody want to catch me up on the latest retarded snackmode decisions?

DUR
HURR
DERR
HURP
DURP
HURP DURR


that's about it

[backyard]

Originally Posted by hilarity n. suze

Waitaminute, I thought we had a whole anonymous BOARD here. I mean, it's not like Hilarity is my real name, you know?

hilarity, you're even more anonymous than you realize, as I just really looked at your avatar and you're not actually a seal, you're a cat! Yeah, I need to get my eyes checked.

We are anonymous here, IMHO. Socks provide even more fun cover. Maybe I'm too new to understand why an anonymous forum would be any more helpful. Personally, I'd spend a great deal of time saying to myself "I wonder who just said that?" Then beating my head against the wall would ensue.

[Pirate]

We do seem to have it all here.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by backyard

We are anonymous here, IMHO. Socks provide even more fun cover. Maybe I'm too new to understand why an anonymous forum would be any more helpful. Personally, I'd spend a great deal of time saying to myself "I wonder who just said that?" Then beating my head against the wall would ensue.

Well, that's the point. You'd be wondering because it'd be anonymous. I think the point of the advocates is that, while I don't necessarily know a poster's name on here, I know their posting history and style (or at least, I do if I go and read their posts). Conversely, if someone goes over-the-top and crazy-go-nutso at some point, they don't have that attached to their legal name, but they do have it attached to their user name here. With a fully anonymous environment, each post is a message in a bottle, devoid of any context (and which gets back to what I meant by ownership of posts).

[Wolf Larsen]

My vote is no. The snackpit veers between insanely stupid and genuinely evil with the occasional stop at hilarious. There is a reason the whore house is usually a bit outside of town if you catch my drift.

[Panacea]

I vote no also.

GSH, the snackpit kind of waxes and wanes. It will get better.

Of course, then it will get worse. =p

[The Futility of Nihilism]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

I volunteer.

Now, if someone will set up this trust fund, we can get started!

Every now and then you totally rock.

[Angry Lurker]

Here's a video that pertains to this subject:

[Giraffe]

Originally Posted by Roo

No, it doesn't. If the mod/mins like you or don't care about you, you may be allowed to quibble for a while, until you've had your say. But if they don't like you, they'll be saying something to you about it to shut you down, and call it a derail.

At which point you'd have to start a whole new thread. This of course is so difficult as to be nearly impossible, which is the secret to how we maintain our jackbooted tyranny.

[Uthrecht]

Originally Posted by Giraffe

At which point you'd have to start a whole new thread. This of course is so difficult as to be nearly impossible, which is the secret to how we maintain our jackbooted tyranny.

I'm stealing your secrets.

[Andrew Jackson's Hair]

I vote no. From the last few times I've been there I'll tell you why the snackpit sucks: it's because you people fucking suck. What's with the mile long chat thread and maybe one or two dinky little snark attempts? The shit's not funny. If you're not funny there, you're not going to be funny over here, and we have plenty of our own terrible posters. I'd agree whoever decided to break it up into increasingly elite snark microfora is equally to blame for the sad state of the snackpit, but seriously. If you think you're not the problem then set up another livejournal and find out.

[wring]

I would have zero interest/need for such a forum.

[hilarity n. suze]

Originally Posted by Angry Lurker

Here's a video that pertains to this subject:

tl;dw

[Angry Lurker]

how tremendously droll

[Falcon]

Originally Posted by backyard

hilarity, you're even more anonymous than you realize, as I just really looked at your avatar and you're not actually a seal, you're a cat! Yeah, I need to get my eyes checked.

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one! It's only a few weeks ago that I realized it was a cat and not a seal.

[Uthrecht]

One of those evil glowy-eyed seals.

[Falcon]

Originally Posted by Uthrecht

One of those evil glowy-eyed seals.

Exactly! You know, the ones that scare off the great white sharks.