(Since this is text and you may not be able to tell, nothing I say here is meant to be directed at you in a negative way. I am just trying to explain what I think about the discussions here.)
The discussions boards here are a representation of the type of people that use them. The people who post here can post about almost anything they want in any way they want and that allowed the discussions boards to develop and grow into what they are now. This is a good thing, communities should be able to develop naturally without people stepping in and telling others what they can or can't do.
I don't think there should be any restriction at all about what people can say or talk about, but there are certain rules here and I think these rules should be followed whether I agree with them or not. I do not own the site and I do not make the rules. If I want to use the site I will follow the rules.
The internet is a big place. Instead of trying to change an entire community to fit your ideals, why not find another discussion board that better suits you. Don't take this the wrong way, I am not saying you should leave, I am just saying why not talk about certain things here that belong here and fit in with the community and talk about other things in other places? There are all kinds of communities out there for talking about just about anything. For example, if I want to talk about politics, drugs, porn, or cars, I am not going to do it here because there are much better places to do it and they each have their own site. You may get a few people here that are interested in the topic and have something to add, but in forums dedicated to these topics, you will have a much better conversation.
There are a lot of young and immature people here, so the discussions are going to represent that. Again, this is not a bad thing, there are many places you can talk with mature people that are interested in the things you want to have a sincere, logical discussion or debate about. This is not and will probably never be that site. Most people here seem to want to just have fun and joke around.
I am not saying all threads here are a joke and there aren't any good conversations. There are sometimes some serious discussions here that don't get derailed and turned into jokes or blacklist fests. This is because these threads talk about topics that many people here are interested in or can relate to such as depression, addiction, suicide, relationships, being introverted or having some type of autism spectrum disorder.
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Very well put - couldn't have summarized it better than you did. Yeah, it is much better to accommodate ones communicative needs on multiple sites that are known to be "good" for certain topics, than trying to focus/force all on one/few site(s) and be unsatisfied ...
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I wouldn't be opposed to a "Giveaways" Category for discussion.
Giveaway threads are weird because they just go under offtopic/general.
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This is a game-gifting site.
If I want to have deep, meaningful discussions about love, life, politics, or whatever else, there's always the idiots standing around on their soapboxes on Facebook.
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We can have discussions about games, too. I don't want to preach my opinions here, I want an exchange of them.. And to draw a paralel, this is to forums what /r/funny is to reddit.
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The other ones are the fabulous gifs! and cats!
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Oh, it's you... complaining... again!
I'm starting to wonder if you're just a troll or you really don't understand that we like this place as it is. I'm pretty sure most people around here only want to get distracted and entertained, there are other places where you can have more profound discussions but I doubt there are that many places as light and friendly like here where people gather to give games for free to strangers. Remember that these communities tend to change with the passing of time so enjoy it while it lasts, it may no longer be here in a few years.
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I browse the forums mostly to be informed about the newest promotions, to find out about new games I might not have heard about otherwise or for lighthearted discussions about movies or games. It can also be very useful for technical advice. I find certain threads like "Help me name my new flip knife" distracting from the important threads. I also don't see what discussing politics or religion here is going to accomplish. In my opinion online activism is pretty useless and rather lazy. If you want to change the world go outside and do it there and not from the safety and comfort of your own home.
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Forums are fine and the content is appropriate for the specific of this website, with occasional serious threads. I think that you are actually looking for something like Quora and you're expecting to find it here, which isn't a fair way to judge the SG content.
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The forum is what their users want to be. This sounds stupid, but I think you, me, whatever can't change a forum. It is how it is becase we made it like this.
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I love this forum. There is some merit to your complaints, but all in all it's probably my favorite feature of this site. I really like the variaty of the participants are, from practically every corner of earth. If only it supported inline images...
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Well the giveaway is community driven, and having the forum encourage people to socialize each other, making community more happy.
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I actually kinda like this forum. It often happened that I received help of any kind within mere seconds after posting a topic. I'm always grateful that SG's forum exists.
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I swear 90%+ of what you post here is you moaning at one thing or another. xD
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Ain't it funny how you have not replied to a single comment in your own discussion? Looks to me like you are just trolling here.
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Ain't it funny I literally just arrived home for work, I opened the thread before going to sleep yesterday and I haven't had any time to answer to anybody?
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Honestly, there's the freedom of speech, so anyone can say anything they want, as long as they don't offend anyone. Thing is that most people do offend people - and usually that's being done intentionally. So, I don't mind seeing any kind of discussion, as long as it's not full of hate speech and offensive comments. :P
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anyone can say anything they want, as long as they don't offend anyone.
Ack, no. Thats not how free speech works at all. If something I say offends someone, tough shit for them. If I am not breaking a rule of the site, they can go be offended in the corner by themselves. Free speech means exactly that FREE, not limited, not controlled. Now, can there be consequences for excercising your right to free speech. Absofuckinglutely. I can be an offensive doucheknuckle all day long, but it's going to earn me blacklists. If I push it far enough and piss off the admins or support, I might even get suspended. But it's certainly within my rights to be offensive.
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So, you think you can go around, swearing at everyone? :P You can't just make hate speeches. That's a crime in some countries.
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Then they dont truly have free speech in those countries. And yes, in my country, I can just make hate speeches. I support it fully as well, see people think omg, how horrible. Meanwhile I think, the easiest way to spot a bigot/racist/sexist is if they are loud and proud of it.
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The forums are a bit messy and could use more categories but other than that, they are fine. You should be free to post whatever nonsense you want for whatever reason you want so long as they are within the confine of the rules.
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Well, time to return from my grave and say something...
I think that the forum is pretty bad, it was a bit better about two years ago and recently I've started avoiding SG simply because I don't like the site that much any more. Don't get me wrong, the idea of this site is good and it works pretty well but I rarely see any familiar faces here. Most of the people I talked to 2 years ago have already left the site and now there are new guys who are dominating the forum. New faces are good, they bring new energy with them but sadly there isn't anything unique here, something that screams "Open me now, you know you want it so better do it quick!". Most of the posts are just boring as hell and if you have an unpopular opinion, then oh boy, you're going to get blacklisted! Most of the main page is filled with puzzles, deals and bundles so it's hard to find something that's worth reading. So yeah, that's my opinion, I don't care if you blacklist me for that. SG officially died for me when SGv2 came out. Peace ^^
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They should another category for "whining and complaining" (not to be confused w/ the actually helpful "suggestion" category). I feel that a lot of users use the forum to vent why they are not able to enter a GA. There are more important things in live. If you really to improve SG, check suggestions and come w/ an objective idea.
But what do I know, I rarely visit the forum. Usually, just to check announcements.
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One of the sites I frequent actually has a slot for that... mods are quick to re-categorize as well when they try to slip that stuff elsewhere.
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Spam like it's June '15! :3
Ahh, the sweet Midsummer Madness ♡
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I suppose the only thing I would add is that more topics should land in the realm of "off topic" than actually do. Otherwise, I think that forums are for discussing lots of different things that appeal to the users, and that the conversations are driven not only by the site. Honestly, I cannot fathom this place if we only discussed game giveaways.
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I mean, there's nothing wrong with the Birthday/Cakeday/whatever threads that people want to create, but I think we can agree that they aren't the best grounds for an exchange of opinions.
Do you open threads labeled "CaKeDaY! Come here for GIBZ!" expecting serious discussions? Also, why can "whatever threads that people want to create" not be(come) the perfect "grounds for an exchange of opinions"? Also, you seem to never really engage in your own "discussion" threads, just agree with a bunch of people, why is that?
And I would argue that your clickbait titles serve a very similar purpose as the mention of giveaways in the title - for people to open the thread and read it. (don't know about others, but I rarely find things I want to enter for in those threads, which is why I mostly ignore the GA tag and read the regular title instead, to see what the thread is about)
I don't want to preach my opinions here, I want an exchange of them
Your thread titles tell a different story, they all seem incredibly biased, creating 2 groups in the comments basically fighting each other (sometimes in a more civilized manner than other times) - those who agree with you and those who you sought to enrage with your title.
Last point, I don't understand why you keep bringing up blacklists when you say you don't care about them (not necessarily in the OP, but in several other threads & comments) - if they keep other users from speaking freely, are those the users you want to converse with? Do you think those users would give their honest opinion even without those lists? They would have other reasons to not respond/respond overly cautiously (e.g. to not disagree with a well-known user in the same thread, repeat popular opinions to maybe get on certains friends lists, generally appear more likeable than they perceive themselves).
I don't know, I just feel like your threads lately are the most negative thing about the forums, but then I don't visit the forums that often anymore ... that's just my opinion, feel free to point me to all your amazing discussions I missed if you feel I should have a different opinion.
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I seldom open threads anymore, I glance at the front page, see all titled like you said, and mostly go on my way. And it's a shame, because I do want to participate in the community, but even after being for a while here and having participated a lot, I feel at odds with the place, something is not quite right, things have changed and I understand it but I dunno.
I don't know why you say I don't engage on my discussions, I answer to most of the comments on them, both those that agree, and disagree with me. If I agree with what they said, I'd say so, and if there's some kind of constructive, well-formulated criticism, I will answer too, c'mon, I even answer to the "troll" posts in some cases.
I do not see, on the other hand, why wouldn't a thread be biased. Of course I want to discuss and exchange opinions, but I should state mine first, shouldn't it? This is not a report, or a scientific study, it's a piece of opinion, my opinion concretely, it would be better if I tried to disguise it as facts, or as a thought out study. But it's not, it's opinion, feelings, and by definition, they are going to be biased. Why would my thread, or the body itself, anger anyone tho? I simply can't conceive that.
Anywho, I keep bringing them up because it's a flawled system. I don't care that I, myself, am blacklisted I obviously am grateful for the WL I don't hold a grudge against the users, I don't tailor my posts to appease anybody or to pat anyone in the back. I just post what I feel like posting, that's why I don't care about it in a personal level, however, I do care about them at a user level, I think they drag the community backwards for the reasons I've stated several times, that's why I don't like them. Not because I have been blacklisted, but because of the effect they have on the community. I don't know if I make myself clear, feel free to ask for further clarifications if I didn't get the message across.
Finally,my post are negative? Sure they are. I mean, and sorry for the next sentence, I am adressing several elephants in the room, be it the functionality of the forums, or the existence of crooked support members, they are going to be negative, and not only for the message I am trying to pass on here, but also due to the tone they are written at, and the stubborn obsession of the people with mantaining the status quo. I think that good discussions have spurred from most of them, being this one a perfect example. Not discussions in which I personally engaged, but discussions as a whole, I'm not a debate scientist, and I know it, but still.
They are negative because they have to be, because I am trying to deal with negative issues, they would be positive if that wasn't the case, but what point is there to create circlejerky, self-congratulatory threads?
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Most of your responses read either like "I agree" or "you didn't get what I was saying" to me, dismissing everyone who doesn't agree, that's why, to me, it often feels like you prefer provoking us to having a real discussion. This feeling may also stem from the fact that on your "fat people are a burden to us all" thread (sorry, that was probably not your intention, but it seemed to turn into that ... and I don't remember the exact title), you started with a wrong statement ("that movement that promotes healthy lifestyles is a risk to everyone's health"), which I tried to point out, and you blatantly ignored that and rather fuelled the negative side of it all. (I get it, clickbait titles get you more eyes, but it's also not a great start for those discussions you long for ... although it seems I got you wrong there and this is exactly what you were hoping for :/)
Of course you can start with your opinion, but like I said, the clickbait titles lean heavily towards one side and make it seem like everyone who disagrees is an idiot or something for not seeing things your way.
About blacklists, didn't you keep updating a thread to inform us of all the new blacklists you got from that thread? Doesn't seem like you don't care - I believe you insofar that you probably don't care about not being able to join those GAs, but you seemed to see it as a badge of honor/validation of the "corrupt" system. Blacklists/whitelists weren't really meant for the forums that way (otherwise we would not be able to see certain posts etc), so all this perceived "dragging backwards of the community" (not a real quote, but close ^^) is, again, just for people who might not be able to tell you their real opinion without it anyway. The people who blacklist for having a different opinion are probably not the people you want to win giveaways from (or who even make giveaways), so anyone scared of those blacklists may have/find more reasons not to participate. You say blacklists keep people from having discussions, because they don't want to get on more of them. I say talk with the rest of the forums until those people realize those blacklists don't/shouldn't matter.
It's not a "flawed system" per se, it's just part of a, hm, regular? system that's being abused by some, unfortunately with some success, it seems - but then you don't lose anything by being on lots of blacklists, you just don't get to enter as many giveaways. (I used "you" in the general sense here, I know you specifically realized this already)
Threads don't have to be like "OMG we're all so awesome", but you made at least 3 threads now attacking pretty much everyone in this forum/who is okay with the forums, except those who feel like a suppressed minority for some reason, ranting about some witch hunt against you because one mod made a decision you didn't agree with and a ticket you filed didn't get answered as fast as you would've liked. In your OP you mentioned people getting "shunned" for creating discussions - were you just referring to the backlash from your own threads? I've made threads without giveaways - nothing interesting, but I talked with some people and let it die when no one else was interested. No one ever complained about missing GAs or how dare I open a thread that's not about free games (well, I think it was about stuff for cats, so I'm good there).
Yours just seem unnecessarily inflammatory, with a certain troll-like quality - sometimes the premise seems like it could lead to discussions, but the way you go about it does not make me want to participate (but then, I rarely agree with you, you would probably just feel shunned again if I replied)
(With "negative" I was really just referring to your tone, not just in the most recent threads about the site/mods, but also your "discussion" threads before ... none of them felt like "Hey, let's discuss this interesting topic", just, well more clickbait in a sea of clickbait - like you wanted lots of people to respond, but so far I never saw much content to your threads beyond "check out this controversial opinion" - and if a bunch of people simply stating their opinion is a successful "exchange of opinions" for you, then good job on all your topics, make more shitposts to become king of the, erm, discussions?).
the stubborn obsession of the people with mantaining the status quo
Have you seen the bugs & suggestions area? People want to change stuff all the time. There's only one guy responsible for site functionalities, maybe he has other priorities than adding a subforum so you don't have to scroll past all those annoying giveaway threads on this giveaway site? Also, you really just could have posted your concerns or whatever there ...
So much text, sorry >.<
Not sure I got my point across anywhere, I'm a bit all over the place with my thoughts these days, but TL;DR your topics don't seem any different than other people's shitposts to me, just more negative overall, leading to the same recycled opinions about blacklists and "elitism" etc, and my "most negative" statement referred to your thread title ("horrendous quality" -> helped greatly by your contributions).
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I think the only problem here is that some subjects cannot be talked here without people jumping at your throat basically
other than that, with 4 years of sg behind me, the forum is pretty awesome nonethless
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There you go, more negative waves. Have a little faith, baby. Have a little faith. It's a mother, beautiful forum. Now go on, get down into your hole.
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Refer to title.
This forum is very difficult to use as to have a discussion of any sorts. I don't know the exact numbers, but the feeling I get is that around half the messages in here wouldn't get past a spam filter.
Is this bad? Well, not inherently, there's a very lax approach when it comes to what constitutes content here, and it's not that I'm against it, but when people get shunned for creating discussion topics of any sort, or the forum-goers seem to be betrayed when there's no giveaway in the post, it's a bit sad, innit?
I mean, one could argue the purpose of the site is to create/enter Giveaways, and they would be correct, but I ask, isn't that, then, what the Giveaway tab is for? I mean, if trades are confined to Steamtrades, why aren't giveaways uniquely on the giveaways tab? I mean, there's nothing wrong with the Birthday/Cakeday/whatever threads that people want to create, but I think we can agree that they aren't the best grounds for an exchange of opinions.
What's your two cents on this? Do you browse SG's forum for discussion/news/content? or, on the other hand, do you skim it for giveaways? Would you prefer a forum geared towards discussion more, or, is it good as it is?
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