Why is this forum so comfy? How do we make it comfier?

sonoko · 2024-08-04T20:45:06+00:00

The big draw of this forum, for me anyway, is simply that it's comfy. I got to thinking about why, and I think it's just the fact that it has such a small us...

Reveriemoe

I'll declare neutrality on the like issue, but I have used the Doomworld forums for a long time, which added likes around 2018, and although I wouldn't say they directly contributed to a cultural shift (even if looking at older threads you see people talk in a very different way and not just because of neologisms), the site does have a lot of zero-effort threads that only facilitate the process of generating attention, rather than actual discussion - "React to the profile pic above" (not impossible to find on other forums also), "Post the last thing you bought", "What was the most recent movie you saw", but most of these actually predate the addition of likes. As far as I can tell, the reason SheepishPatio is 'comfy' is because its size makes it unattractive to the people who care more about the number at the bottom of their post than the post itself. People who only care about karmawhoring aren't going to stick around on a site where a thread they open might not get a response for 3 months.

music liker

Reveriemoe
Yeah, I completely agree. I don't think that the forum's big enough currently to really warrant caring, and it's a nice way to show appreciation for effortposting. I use the feature fairly often, myself. I am new though, so maybe my thoughts will change as the forum continues to grow.

sanner

After doing some reflection and reading Reverie and music liker's individual posts, I'd just like to add clarity on my original post ( link here: sanner ). What was mentioned in my post and in TINT's before seemed to resonate with some people. However, as this conversation has continued i don't feel comfortable leaving the original post as is without adding some further context to the opinions i shared.

I don't think likes are an inherently bad system, and i don't think i made that clear in my original post. Even though many people in this thread-- including me-- critiqued them, that doesn't mean they should be completely disregarded. For example, i frequently read posts on CSIG or General Talk that i don't have time or the knowledge/experience to respond to. The like button is a great way to show support to our peers if we can't continue the conversation. I think showing that we appreciate member's posts is super important, especially in regards to keeping the community comfy. I think a like system is a great way to easily do that.

In regards to keeping the site comfy; I'm just doubting right now if the way this conversation panned out is truly productive for this thread or the site, so I wanted to apologize for furthering a dialogue that seems to have created some negativity on the Forum. All in all, I trust Lume to do what's best for the site, even if some of us may have criticism (valid or not ) regarding the choices. This was more stream of consciousness so if it makes no sense i apologize again.

Ross_R

Colgatto I don't think the option of a dislike button would stop anyone form venting or insulting anyone if they really want.

It stopped me more than a couple times alright. There is a user which really, really fucking pisses me off simply by being present here, but so far I've been less or more OK with simply disliking them.
One time I wrote about my... concerns to Lume personally though. We discussed it rather extensively and came to the conclusion that I could go ahead and go, uh... reasonably ballistic, but I still held myself back and simply dropped a dislike. Lume's personal, rather... understanding position helped with that a lot that time.
Without dislikes though? I'd probably be banned by now.

gingermilk

It seems to me that many modern forums have abandoned the traditional thumbs up/down system and use reactions instead. Most of the reaction options are neutral and they are convenient when you don't have anything valuable to add on to a comment, but still want to express your opinion on the given comment. An opinion can be as simple as "I agree", "sounds comfy", "this is relatable" etc. and does not need an extra reply most of the times. Reactions can then be useful as they show that your comment is being read and appreciated.

Late_Settler

TINT

Exactly this! Old school forums didn't had this crap and this is what made them better than modern platforms.

I recall starting to see points or karma systems show up around 2004 or so. Mostly on boards running vBulletin software. It was the most feature rich message board software out there at the time. Anyway these features have been out there since fairly early on.

gingermilk

It seems to me that many modern forums have abandoned the traditional thumbs up/down system and use reactions instead.

I'm not sure why these features are so widespread because it's seems to hinder a lot of discussion. After all it's a lot easier to throw a like at a post than to take the time to articulate why you agree with someone or how you feel about their post. I guess technically a click is considered engagement and if you're an ad driven site then you're looking at that metric as an important thing.

As for the main topic. Smaller community forums are primarily driven by big personalities. As long as that core group has a vested interest in keeping things chill then general discussion should remain as such. Mods can take care of obvious problem posters but the community itself is largely self moderating. My general advice to people who are worried about their niche online hangouts is to make the community what you want it to be and lead by example.

gingermilk

Late_Settler I'm not sure why these features are so widespread because it's seems to hinder a lot of discussion. After all it's a lot easier to throw a like at a post than to take the time to articulate why you agree with someone or how you feel about their post.

Discussions don't always have to be long articulated opinions being throwing around constantly. Even in real life situations, people use gestures such as nodding and smiling or using simple expressions to show agreements or disagreements, and elaborate if it is necessary. This is an integrated part of any natural discussion.

Late_Settler

gingermilk

Discussions don't always have to be long articulated opinions being throwing around constantly. Even in real life situations, people use gestures such as nodding and smiling or using simple expressions to show agreements or disagreements, and elaborate if it is necessary. This is an integrated part of any natural discussion.

I see what you're getting at but I don't believe these systems add that kind of nuance to an online discussion. Generally these things only serve as an I agree button even if they have the extra options of "Haha", "Care" or what have you. It's also funny these systems typically avoid adding any negative reactions to avoid the hilarious pettiness of internet points wars.

In terms of virtual expressiveness I think VR Chat has come the closest. You need some of that live element. Even if it's stripped down to a couple of mannequins gesturing at one another.

Fimm

People don't come here in search popularity or notoriety. They share their interests here out of genuine apppreciation and passion.

Nah

Porter

You answered it well. The theme of this forum is a first defense as it calms people and let's them take a deep breath.

The smaller population of irate people means less prey for trolls to feed upon.

More importantly, a calmer demographic means we have less topics centered around complaining and more centered around chill discussions. It creates a cycle of less ranting, better moods, and more themes about slice of life, Sonic, bedtime, RPGs, literature, and coffee rooms.

And of course there's good moderation.

As to make it more cozy? There's a lot of discussion about likes/dislikes. I'd say keep the likes, remove dislikes, and hide them from everybody except the user. So if I get a like, only I can see that like. That way the user gets a sense of someone saying "hey, I like your post but don't have the words worthy of posting a reply" but we don't get people seeking social media clout.

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