# lack of input

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Friday, 14-Apr-2006 10:02:25

I have noticed over the past few months that there has been a real downturn in responses to posts, it seems that the majority of people on this site, are only interested in one topic of conversation themselves, anything remotely intelligent is of no interest barring the most purile childish crap, which is usually the preserve of beavis & butthead. I'm used to being ignored, it no longer bothers me, but for others who have just joined it's hardly a positive start for them to be faced with this level of self obsseession. Personally I think these people need to drag their heads out of their arses, probably for the first time in years, and get a grip.

## Post 2 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 14-Apr-2006 10:59:20

um, goblin, has it not escaped your attention that the decline in posts, and stimulating debate coincided rather unsurprisingly with the ignore feature which incidentally, is a feature that you yourself use liberally when ever anybody should question anything that you say. i staunchly protested at the time that the ignore feature was a bad thing to have available in a public discussion forum for this very reason, among others but, once again, you yourself were one of the people who believed it to be a good thing. i hardly think at this stage that you have a great deal of right to start bitching about the lack of intellectual debate that has subsequently followed. what else did you really expect? the majority of people who are capable of that very thing, you are currently ignoring because they don't happen to think in the same way as yourself. as a result of that the self-same people don't bother responding to your topics anymore for the simple reason that you won't read their responses. to coin a phrase, you've made your bed, now lie in it.

## Post 3 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 14-Apr-2006 11:06:58

as an addendum to my previous post too i should add that goblin is also ignoring my posts so even these responses won't lead to any meaningful debate. i just thought i'd add that to put into context the pointlessness of his initial complaint

## Post 4 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Friday, 14-Apr-2006 11:35:15

Bravo Harp. He is also ignoring my board posts. And although I did agree with the ignore feature when it first came up, I do see now that it has a lot to do with the fact that board posts have diminished. And have you ever accidentally hit the ignore link? Jeesh, you have to jump through hoops to remove someone from ignore. I really wish they had never implemented this feature.

## Post 5 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Saturday, 15-Apr-2006 8:24:27

As I expected the usual ignorant empty headed abuse, at least you are consistant, if nothing else.

## Post 6 by blbobby (Ooo you're gona like this!) on Saturday, 15-Apr-2006 9:38:13

As a new comer to the zone, I enter this arena with fear and loathing: but what's life all about if there isn't a little contraversy?
I don't really see what ignoring another person has to do with the subject of this post. It seems that there was probably quite a contraversy about the ignore feature and all that, but I think Goblin's original question is worth discussing. (I must admit I would have phrased it a little less abraisively), but the question is still a valid question.
There does seem to be a lack of input to some posts while others get a great deal of discussion. A case in point is a post I made yesterday about a proposal for a new game.
Now, I'm not questioning whether or not people like the proposal--in retrospect, it was probably a pretty dumb sugestion. But since I posted that proposal, about 24 hours ago, it has sunk to about fifty-three in the newest posts, which means that someone is posting prolifically, yet it has been viewed six times, which means that many of us don't even care enough to see what someone else has to say.
I'm not posting this to promote my own dumb idea, I guess I'm just trying to get us back on topic.
Thanks,
Bob

## Post 7 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 15-Apr-2006 10:06:47

I actually thought that I had made it perfectly clear the link between the over use of the ignore feature and the subsequent decline in meaningful discussion on the boards. Apparently not though so let me see if I can make it even clearer.
At the time of writing this post the zones own statistics page shows that, just the top 50 most prolific board posters, have posted 39271 times which, according to the same statistics page, accounts for 63.24% of all board posts ever made. Now you have to take into account that the zone thus far actually boasts around 3000 users. So now does it start to become clearer for you what I am saying? An over whelming number of users don't bother to post to the boards at all and of the others that do, they don't post very much.
In short, a very small number of users post a very large amount of the material on the boards so bringing up the ignore feature is in fact highly relevant to the topic. If you start ignoring people on these boards then you very quickly make meaningful debate nearly impossible because of the small numbers actually posting in the first place.
To you Goblin I will apologize. I didn't actually mean for my initial post to come across as a personal attack. That wasn't in fact my purpose at all. I was merely trying to make you see that, by ignoring other users on these forums the way that you, and others, do, you are in fact causing the very problems that you are now complaining about. However, while I apologize for the tone of my first post in no way do I with draw the point that I was making. Far from my criticisms being, quote ignorant empty headed unquote, they are in fact very pertinent. I'm sorry if you can't see that.

## Post 8 by blbobby (Ooo you're gona like this!) on Saturday, 15-Apr-2006 10:30:16

I think I stand corrected.
Harp, you've given me a lot to think about here, and I haven't even looked at the site statistics before posting. Thanks for your prompt and pertinent post.
Bob

## Post 9 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Monday, 17-Apr-2006 8:39:55

I dont see how this problem can be so easily solved by mere statistics, people here are just not interested, and the site is becoming extremely boring.

## Post 10 by Perestroika (Her Swissness) on Friday, 21-Apr-2006 3:34:17

hmmmm i think it could also be a decline in subject matter? do you think that it's possible that there's nothing left to talk about? we had fabulous chinese to eat last night by the way...now there! wasn't that interesting? lol.
*from the UK edition*

## Post 11 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 21-Apr-2006 5:42:32

Yeah, I agree with the last poster. Well, it could be both the lack of subjects (which I don't get since we have new topics almost every day I think) and also it could depend on the topics themselves. For instance, I notice that the topics where we are asked to rate certain Zoners (whether it's the best or worst of something or who we'd prefer or not prefer to sleep with), stayed on the first page of "Topics with New Posts" for awhile. Also, a lot of jokes are on the first page as well and sometimes discussions about favorite (whatevers) or some other minor questions. This of course is not including writings that some Zoners do (as poems and stories would always be on top when someone thinks of them or gets responses.) But I notice if they are more serious topics (such as news or most serious questions/discussions, or things like that), not as many of those stay on top because I guess unfortunately people just aren't interested or else they can't think of how they can relate to it.

## Post 12 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Friday, 21-Apr-2006 8:40:56

I think they are both legitimate reasons but if all the members can only conjur up is the pathetic purile post comparing dick size, which I answered purely out of abject boredom.Or constant references to Harry Potter,then you really have to wonder if it's worth posting anything really thought provoking at all.