nsx

Here's the text for a draft proposal:

The TalkBoard recommends creation of a Games forum under the OMNI category, to be used for the following types of threads:
1. Counting games
2. Contests
3. Threads where the content of a post is related to the time of day, the content of the previous post
4. Threads for random thoughts
5. Threads that have in the moderators' judgment become gamesthat Lounge threads established for the users of a particular forum are not considered Games threads that belong in the Games forum, so we don't need to worry that our definition of a game thread might apply to Lounge threads. Whether Lounge threads should or should not be counted is off-topic here. (FWIW, I believe that opinion heavily favors the status quo on Lounge threads.)

The TalkBoard does not consider Lounge threads or other off-topic threads established for the users of a particular forum to be game threads that belong in the Games forum.

To the extent possible, posts made in the Games forum shall not be included in a member's post count.

wharvey

#4 feels like many posts in OMNI... and OMNI PR... not sure that is my idea of a "games" thread.

RichMSN

That's a good point. I think that needs to be refined or eliminated. Didn't catch that myself. Most forks have 4 prongs, anyway.

kipper

If there is a motion to count all posts, why would a games forum explicitly prohibit counting posts? Doesn't that then put FT back into the inconsistency of post counts that the current motion is trying to correct?

Mary2e

IMHO, because some jokers in 2007/2008 thought it would be "fun" to rack up thousands upon thousands of posts just to make it to evangelist or legend. I saw one thread where a person posted 18k times - and there were several threads being posted to.

Having a non-counting games forum will prevent that from happening again, because as one of the mods posted, they don't consider counting any more post padding than a "yes" or "thank you" reply in other threads or forums.

RichMSN

I couldn't possibly care about the counting or not counting of game posts. I would be more than happy to create a games forum and have all those posts count, myself.

Sometimes, though, you don't always get what you want in order to get something else you do want...

kipper

I understand that, but feel that if one of the big reasons for the current TB motion is consistency, then a non-counting games forum shoots a huge hole in that reason, because it isn't consistent.
I guess I'm just looking at it and thinking, "If this were to pass then as well, how long until the calls for, 'count posts in OMNI-Games. We're being treated unfairly, because our posts don't count," starts?

kokonutz

I personally think games can build community.

But I am for putting them in a separate forum if they start to clutter up OMNI. I personally don't think games should not count...if someone wants to go on an Evangelist run I have no problem with that so long as they don't inconvenience anyone else in the process. After all, once they have OMNI and CC access, post counts are largely meaningless.

JMHO.

wharvey

I agree with this... it is easy enough to search and figure out posting history outside OMNI... why create another forum that disenfranchises members?

Keep it simple... until a problem truly exists.

kipper

I don't mind an additional forum, as an OMNI-Games forum, if it is decided that the games are cluttering up OMNI.
^ Thank you for explaining it better than I could this morning. Apparently, a lack of sleep and a lack of coffee aren't a good combination.

Cholula

Yeah, more I think about it I agree. This point is a bit too vague and should probably be eliminated. If it looks like a thread full of so-called random thoughts is actually turning into some sort of game, the OMNI Mods can move it over to the Games sub forum.

Cholula

I have no strong feeling one way or the other but this brings up a good point. Maybe we should make two motions out of this.

The first would be should we break out a third OMNI sub forum called OMNI/Games?

The second is should the posts in this new forum be counted?

The motions and voting can run simultaneously,

I don't think we can make this one motion as some folks might favor a Games sub forum but vote against it as they don't think the posts should count. And vice-versa.

I think we have two separate issues here.

Mary2e

How about going one better and forgetting about the games threads altogether and consider it post padding?

I can't think a single value to this community of someone counting up or down from 500,000 - particularly when all they post is a 6 digit number (now).

Responding yes or thank-you is at least saying something.

kipper

Wouldn't post-padding fall under moderation, which isn't under TB's purview?

Cholula

Mary, my reasoning is that people come to FT for any number of reasons and, I guess, playing games is one of them. Quite a few people play them and they haven't been getting post count credit for years so I assume they're playing them for fun or as something to kill time or whatever. I don't think anybody is posting to these game threads because someone is holding a gun to their head. They must be getting some sort of pleasure or enjoyment out of them.

I don't want to decide what should or should not be fun for the FT Community. I think we just need to decide where these games should be placed and whether or not the posts should count.