flaming threadsFollow

forums:

a place where discussion is encouraged and opinions run rampant. the place also, where many players of MMORPGs flee to in order to keep updated with the recent news and happenings in their beloved game worlds.

for the purposes of discussion, let us further limit the use of 'forum' to refer to Cerberus Forum of Allakhazam. as can be seen, the server forum primarily serves as a conduit for people on the same server to communicate with one another. if one were to source for information about jobs, they would be better off searching for information on a more related forum, e.g. Dragoon Job Forum.

as this forum is really only about people on the cerberus server, it stands to reason that the forum messages would be keyed towards the issues regarding players. be it searching for assistance, friendly discussions, flaming, as long as it is cerberus-player oriented, it would not be a surprise to see a post on this forum.

a lot of people frown on flaming threads. i am one of them. i do not believe that this forum should be abused in that names and events wholesale are quoted so that the info is 'to the benefit of other players on cerberus'. i do not believe that flaming threads are any more noble (regardless of the justification) than coming on the forum and calling all mithras whores. rather, flaming threads are basically a manifestation of someone's frustration. and it gratifies few others except the person starting it.

that being said, what should be done with flaming threads? should we criticize people for flaming? but that's their right: freedom of speech, no? or should we try to tame their flaming? like get them to be constructive? or should we just ignore the flaming threads entirely, for without an audience, the thread loses its gratification?

imho, it's the forum user's choice. if you don't like flaming threads, don't look. if you're so against it, don't respond. if you're for it entirely, and it makes your day, read, and play along. and if you're a flamer, flame away, but note that you're just asking to be flamed in rebuttal. ^^

it's interesting how i really enjoy your opinions.



yes, they do. a lot of players do. if we were to go into specific sociological concepts, Goffman (i hope i got the right guy. it's one of the two G people) states that all life is like a stage, where there are front stages, and back stages, and the in-betweens.

along the same lines, if all life were a stage, then wouldn't it imply that everyone craves drama in one way or another? even if they do not 'like' the drama per se, it's always a comfort that they know it exists so that they can abhor that certain type of drama? isn't life without some form of drama stagnant?

What part of, 'Not everyone' did you not understand?

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately in forums like this one, people have a tendency to respond immediately to the OP without so much as a glance at what has happened since the person first wrote the post. In the case of a controversial or troubling post, this can just reopen already closed wounds or make the situation ten times worse because you're rehashing old topics that people have already been around several times.

Anyway, what to do with flaming posts? I dunno. On the one hand, sometimes I wish Allakhazam's would just completely do away with the rating system altogether. It's nice to know whose opinion is respected and gives good advice, but at the same time it's terribly ripe for abuse. There's absolutely nothing to stop people from pursuing personal vendettas or just random attempts at fueling their sick senses of humor. If there's going to be a rating system, there also needs to be some checks and balances in the form of a genuinely supervised board, one where admins are present 24/7 and can catch these things as they happen. Ratedowns are supposed to be for honestly unhelpful or immature posts, not because you don't like someone's opinion. Maybe if Allakhazam's hired more moderators for their forums it could lessen the problem, though I doubt very much it will stop it. Usually websites hosting such a forum where so many people visit on a regular basis will hold off keeping a rating system for the simple fact that it's almost impossible to keep an eye on everything that happens and abuse is always, always a concern. I understand here it's sort of a method of self-moderation, but I don't see it doing all that much good, I'm afraid...

For now, unless the flaming thread is really something that I can't sit idly by and ignore and still sleep well at night, I ignore it. As previously stated, most people are just looking for trouble, so I see no reason to fuel their fire. Furthermore, if the situation has debased so far as to become a flaming war, the likelihood is great that anything I say will be attached to a "side." I will not be rated for my opinion; merely whose "side" I have taken. And in the best cases I'll be rated down simply for not choosing. I'd rather keep my rating and my temper intact than be forced to watch as people prove just how immature they can be when their personal beliefs are challenged. And if it's something that means enough to me to speak out despite the fact that I just know I'm going to get rated down... then honestly I don't care. I'd rather say what's on my mind and in my heart than be paranoid about a colored title on a messageboard. That may sound hypocritical after I just said I want my rating intact - the point is that I think it matters enough to put my rating on the line. In most cases my words won't matter...so why put them there and make the situation worse? Better to pick my battles and get rated down for those things that I love than just random battles, y'know?

Of course, those that are reading this topic will either be those that are intelligent and don't need this sort of advice or trolls that will rate us to hell anyway. *scratches her head* As usual, those that need the advice will never see this... and it's their loss.