I went to my user page and looked at the “Ratings” page today. I see a number of comments that are labelled “Hidden comment.” What does that mean?
Thank you…
AG
I went to my user page and looked at the “Ratings” page today. I see a number of comments that are labelled “Hidden comment.” What does that mean?
Thank you…
AG
○ Don’t Think of a Troll
I have witnessed countless occasions when calling someone a “troll” or “troll-rating” their comment(s) simply poured oil on the fire, derailing discussions and helping to subvert the agenda of the original diarist or poster. I have witnessed numerous occasions when someone from the other side of the aisle has posted a polite comment just to test the waters and was instantly “troll-rated” into Hidden Comments. I have seen otherwise intelligent and important discussions disintegrate into schoolyard babble about whether a certain poster was a “troll” or not. I have witnessed the “troll police” stomping out discussions and people “troll-rating” other comments just to be nasty or vindictive. I argue that if we dropped the word “troll” and named disruptive behavior something neutral but descriptive, it would save us a lot of headaches and help to keep activity on the blog focused on accomplishing our important progressive goals.
○ The Case Against the Ratings System
○ Soj’s FAQ and Old Tyme Jamboree
How Can I Tell If I’m A Trusted User? – The simplest way to determine this is to look at the little box at the top right-hand side of your screen. If you see an option that says “Hidden Comments” you are a Trusted User. Or if you are rating a Comment on a Diary or Front Page Story and see “0 – Super Troll”, you are a Trusted User. If not, you’re not 🙂
Thank you, Oui. What i am asking appears not to be clearly covered in Soj’s FAQ.
When I make a comment or reply and get a single “1”, does that mean that my comment is hidden from all but “trusted users?” That seems a little…extreme…if you know what I mean. That means that pretty much anybody for any reason could essentially hide any comment from the sight of most people.
Booman, if you are reading this…what’s the deal here? It sounds like 4 or 5 people could essentially take over the comments and replies section if they so wanted to do so. Anything they didn’t like would just…pfffft!!!
Disappear.
Thank you…
AG
As soon as the rating averages below 1.00 the comment is hidden. In addition, that rating needs the support of a second (trusted) user who gave a 0 troll rating. A trusted user (TU) can use search to find hidden comments which is also noted above the comments of a diary whether there are hidden comments.
At BooMan, the troll rating is succesful by commercial entries which get a quick sown rating to disappear.
In a thread, as soon as a comment gets a negative rating and gets hidden, all replies added will also disappear from the thread. For user “Arther Gilroy” I found only a single succesful troll rating from 2012 …
○ Re: Connecticut Massacre (0.40 / 5)
Marduk is not a trusted user, so he/she can only rate 1.0’s which is done at a rate that determines his/her trollish behavior.
So what does this mean ? (A screenshot rom my own <User pages/ratings/page>)
I almost never give anything but 4 ratings. Who’s downrating all of these posts to unreadability?
AG
It’s not a Hidden Comment, but the rating is hidden on this page because the post has been rated by just a single user.
Oh.
Thank you.
AG
I’m going to de-lurk for a moment to comment on the whole concept of ratings and “troll” accusations.
I came onto Net communities through Usenet and privately sponsored (though open) NNTP newsgroups. Even still host some myself. All non-moderated and user funded. While everyone thinks of that protocol and systems as a cesspool, they are wrong.
1- Unless you are in a community with thousands of viewers, rating mean little to nothing. Then they can become a filter for the wheat and chaff. Regular reading tells you who to look for and who to pass over.
2-NNTP clients allow one to shitcan a poster, whom you personally find offensive, tiresome, or just a waste of time. Their posts disappear into the Void before they reach your monitor. Each person is their own moderator and controls the content viewed on their computer.
Thus being non-moderated, a community is wide open for the most meaningful to trivial conversation. You never know where the next great idea can come from or what might spark the most interesting tread.
Unfortunately, such personal control is not possible with common web blog software.
That brings up the issue of trolls. Yes, they are out there and some people just like to cause trouble. Its their joy.
Fine. But, as an adult (as we all are here), I don’t need someone to label a post or poster as a troll, threaten them with banning or disappear their post; thus preserving the sparkling clean atmosphere of a posting community. Makes it look nice for visitors.
Thanks, but I can readily identify a troll and know how to not read his comments. As Oui reposted, it just poisons the whole spirit of a community.
I know, been involved in horrendous flame wars where a community host had patrols of fellows enforcing his “rulings”, scanning server logs for offending posting IPs, checking MAC#s and even threatening to drop little bugs on boxes to retrieve HD serial #s. (this was before 9/11 when he was doing side work for the TLAs). It was his asserted right as he was paying for the server.
And he is right, its his (or anyone’s) absolute right to control the content on a server he is paying for. Fine, but as in anything, not exercising that absolute right is sometimes more beneficial on the whole than a mometary slapdown, no matter how satisfying that may feel.
So, when I see posts where community “leaders” or hosts, threaten with the Troll label, I leave. Don’t need to look over my shoulder to see if I may get hit with that same label next. And that threat is just a blanket on a community, smothering potential great insights or a funny, flip remark. All that things that give life to an online community.
(This may be especially meaningful as we are faced with the terrible campaign performance of a well known candidate; and the desperate attempts to shore up their online support or morale)
My 2 cents.
Ridge
Precisely.
Thank you.
AG
Excellent comment … thanx!