Was the flame pit a successful idea?

[Animeniax]

I imagine the flame pit was someone's idea of giving people a place to vent, thereby reducing the amount of flaming in the anime and general discussion threads. So do you think it was a success or a failure?

[bagandscalpel]

I imagine the flame pit was someone's idea of giving people a place to vent, thereby reducing the amount of flaming in the anime and general discussion threads. So do you think it was a success or a failure?
I think you're just cross since you couldn't handle the INTRICACIES of my mind-bendingly difficult puzzle.

EDIT: Ah, but you can't deny that I have provided a plethora of opportunities for you all to flame me during that little stunt, thus keeping this post on topic.

[Animeniax]

bag is still basking in the supposed cleverness of his one comprehensible post.

This isn't the flame pit bag, keep to the topic of suffer the consequences.

[Carnage]

This shitty thread should be in the flame pit.

Seriously, why do you insist on acting like a retard?. Don't make useless posts.
-Assssin

[Board of Command]

GREAT SUCCESS

[Abdula]

Well if you go by posts per thread then yeah its immensely successful because the only section that gets more posts per thread is Gundam. We could always argue over content though but thats another matter.

[Board of Command]

GREAT SUCCESS

You too. Once was enough. Say something worthwhile or dont say anything.
-Assassin

[Animeniax]

This is a serious discussion so I think it's in the right section.

I don't really read the anime threads anymore since I can't download and watch them due to my company's draconian internet usage policies. So it's hard for me to say if rampant flaming still goes on in those threads. The general discussion threads are typically pillow fights, but that's understandable since you're discussing some mundane topics instead of discussing the blood boiling action in your favorite anime. So I'm curious if the flame pit has helped reduce flaming.

I appreciate BoC's enthusiastic replies to the topic.

[Board of Command]

I'm not enthusiastic at all. That's just the way it's supposed to be posted, if you know what I mean.

...And I got warned for doing it because Assassin doesn't watch TV and was therefore oblivious to the (self-proclaimed) clever reference there :(

Anyway, if the issue in question is whether or not the flame pit has reduced the amount of flaming in other sections of the forum, then the answer would probably be no. It didn't. There wasn't much flaming in the first place. The flame pit is mostly used to post a bunch of nonsense that would otherwise be considered "spam" in non-flame pit sections. Whatever flaming that did occur prior to the flame pit's introduction were all very brief posts that didn't carry on for very long, and they definitely weren't elaborate enough to have dedicated threads.

But some people are much more enthusiastic about it than others. For example: Mizuchi (while it lasted).

[David75]

I don't even understand the purpose of the flame pit on a forum that is so strict.

On one side you have the ultra effective police that gives you warnings and/or negrep for anything that isn't auto-censored, even if it's pure airheadness (meaning you should read anything you post at least 3 times, or just make you posts empty...).
It sounds a bit like a negative answer, however in a way threads and discussion are sometimes interresting and not spoled by useless remarks. But it comes at a very high price.

On the other side you have the flame pit where unleashed human hatred and idiocy can express themselves. It's so strong that to me it defeats a great part of what the other forums tried to establish with a lot of efforts, efforts going to waste.

But then, that's probably because I use the "newposts" function, the one I use the most on all BBSes I go to, because it makes monitoring discussions a lot faster.
But in gotwoot forums case, I get to see flame pit thread titles that I don't think do justice to gotwoot forums.

Then everything written till here is only my opinion.

[Animeniax]

I'm not enthusiastic at all. That's just the way it's supposed to be posted, if you know what I mean.

...And I got warned for doing it because Assassin doesn't watch TV and was therefore oblivious to the (self-proclaimed) clever reference there :(

Anyway, if the issue in question is whether or not the flame pit has reduced the amount of flaming in other sections of the forum, then the answer would probably be no. It didn't. There wasn't much flaming in the first place. The flame pit is mostly used to post a bunch of nonsense that would otherwise be considered "spam" in non-flame pit sections. Whatever flaming that did occur prior to the flame pit's introduction were all very brief posts that didn't carry on for very long, and they definitely weren't elaborate enough to have dedicated threads.

But some people are much more enthusiastic about it than others. For example: Mizuchi (while it lasted).Well damn, that means I'm missing the reference too. Of course, I don't watch a lot of TV either.

Adding spam and trolling to flaming, it sounds like the pit at least reduces some of this unwanted material from the anime threads.

Whatever happened to 'zuch anyway? Name change?

[Assertn]

I don't even understand the purpose of the flame pit on a forum that is so strict.

On one side you have the ultra effective police that gives you warnings and/or negrep for anything that isn't auto-censored, even if it's pure airheadness (meaning you should read anything you post at least 3 times, or just make you posts empty...).
It sounds a bit like a negative answer, however in a way threads and discussion are sometimes interresting and not spoled by useless remarks. But it comes at a very high price.

On the other side you have the flame pit where unleashed human hatred and idiocy can express themselves. It's so strong that to me it defeats a great part of what the other forums tried to establish with a lot of efforts, efforts going to waste.

But then, that's probably because I use the "newposts" function, the one I use the most on all BBSes I go to, because it makes monitoring discussions a lot faster.
But in gotwoot forums case, I get to see flame pit thread titles that I don't think do justice to gotwoot forums.

Then everything written till here is only my opinion.
Well, the other side of Gotwoot is that it's mostly inhabited by older members who are pretty used to each other's presence (and subsequently have a greater urge for various informalities.....like take the second half of SK's posting history, for example....). As a result there were burn-sessions between veterans and flamepit was an attempt to isolate that.

[Board of Command]

Well damn, that means I'm missing the reference too. Of course, I don't watch a lot of TV either.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8723/boratpreview1se8.jpg

[Animeniax]

Ahaha! I get it now. I do know the reference, I just missed it then.

I'd like to think the flame pit is one of the few reasons I'm still not perma-banned, but most of the flaming in there feels artificial. I realize nothing will stop me from flying off the handle and flaming the next time I read some ridiculous post in a normal thread. It's like expecting a fat guy to pass up some free McDonalds' even when he's at an all you can eat buffet.

[XanBcoo]

most of the flaming in there feels artificial
That's my main problem with it, and the reason I never actually flame anyone in it. I share BoC's view, and treat it more like a nonsensical spam section, because we don't need a section full of uncreative "I win, you phail, gg" threads written by people who like to think they're being offensive.

Then again, we don't really need a spam section either, but I enjoy it because I don't watch any anime anymore, so I feel confined to the Off-topic section of Gotwoot.

[Animeniax]

You too huh? I get more enjoyment from watching j-dramas than anime these days. Besides the fact that I can't download anime to watch, I just started to lose interest since the two mainstays Naruto and Bleach were both going nowhere. Add to that the feeling that a lot of anime is cliche and formulaic, and that leads me to dwell in the off-topic section of the forums, like yourself.

I still like having the flaming pit for the occasional smack talk, and at first, some of the flaming in the pit was pretty hilarious. Every now and again we still get some gems too.

[Board of Command]

The only dorama I've seen is Garo. I didn't like it that much.

[Animeniax]

Watch Densha Otoko, then Kekkon Dekinai Otoko. Our kind of people I think, so we can relate.

I think the flame pit would be more successful if more people used it. I get tired of flaming the same 5 people, who I'm now fond of so I don't even want to flame them anymore.

I just checked to see what "Garo" is. I don't think it counts as a j-drama, not unlike Power Rangers.

[Board of Command]

Where does one generally download doramas from? Are there fansub groups for doromas in the same manner as anime? I'm not familiar with this stuff.

[mage]

i thought it was nice, but does not compare to the flame forums from which i originated.

[Junior]

I think the flame pit would be more successful if more people used it. I get tired of flaming the same 5 people, who I'm now fond of so I don't even want to flame them anymore.


You guys make the Flame Pit feel like it's a 'SERIOUS REAL COOL MEMBERS ALLOWED ONLY' place. Or it might be just me. ^^;

[Abdula]

Flaming Pit doesn't should real "cool" to me. I really don't get the members only thing though, somebody explain that. What exactly is down there that requires it to be members only?


I think the flame pit would be more successful if more people used it. I get tired of flaming the same 5 people, who I'm now fond of so I don't even want to flame them anymore.


Yeah the Flame Pit doesn't get much traffic so you should try and find another place to get your daily fix of insults.

-Did that say Mage?

[mage]

just call it spam pit from now on btw

without mage it can never be a true flame pit.

[Board of Command]

just call it spam pit from now on btw

without mage it can never be a true flame pit.
Now I know you're an imposter.

[XanBcoo]

I think the flame pit would be more successful if more people used it. I get tired of flaming the same 5 people, who I'm now fond of so I don't even want to flame them anymore.
For a while it was pretty much the "Animeniax-Abdula-BoC-XanBcoo pit".

I agree it needs more traffic. I even posted a thread in there telling lurkers to post. Oh well, apparently spamming nonsense is considered prestigious.

[mage]

Now I know you're an imposter.
im the real deal son

[DB_Hunter]

I stopped posting in there bcos it became it became more of a love nest than a flame pit. Now its just the odd post here and there.

[Board of Command]

im the real deal son
No thanks.

[KitKat]

I can't say that I visit the flame pit often, because firstly I think of you guys as my online family, and the things people say to me affect me quite a bit. Thus, I don't really feel the need to be insulted, nor do I wish to insult or demean anyone else here. I know that in my sociolinguistics class we looked at how in general guys bonded more through challenging each other and tossing back and forth insults, whereas girls would bond through affirming and sympathizing with each other. *shrugs* For me, I'll only tease the people I know very well because they know when I'm not being serious.

Secondly, all the conversational random spam and off-topic chatter is accomplished a just as well by visiting #gotwoot on irc.

I can't say that I've really noticed a big difference in the amount of flaming that goes on in the forum since the inauguration of the flame pit. If anything, a decrease in flaming likely correlates to a decrease in forum activity in general here. However, it gets a fair amount of posts and activity, so if you're measuring by sheer statistics then you might say that it was successful.

[Junior]

Flaming Pit doesn't should real "cool" to me. I really don't get the members only thing though, somebody explain that. What exactly is down there that requires it to be members only?

I suppose it's because in order to go with the flaming, you kinda have to actually know people here. o.o

[Abdula]

I get what your saying but guests can't post anyway so why not let them just enjoy the entertainment.

[Sapphire]

She's talking about herself, not guests, isn't she?

I think I started arguing/debating with Abdula right away lol (not in the flame pit though) I don't think you really have to get to know people here to talk to them.

[Junior]

yeah what Sapphire said. XD

I dunno. It's probably just me. o_o I'd rather get to know people before I joke around with them or it gets awkward.

[Animeniax]

I think we need more controversial subjects to talk about, or subjects that matter more to us. Discussing whether or not masa looks like a piece of sh*t, or trying to figure out why DB_Hunter was being a douche, those kinds of subjects don't require much thought or elaboration, and end up becoming one-liner spam fests. While those are fun, they get old when every single thread degenerates into that.

[Abdula]

So do you have a subject we should discuss? We could always revive the abortion thread.


yeah what Sapphire said. XD

I dunno. It's probably just me. o_o I'd rather get to know people before I joke around with them or it gets awkward.
Well really if you want to get to know someone the best way to do that would be to interact with them. Besides like Ani says the flame pit is rather tame and none of us take it seriously.

[Animeniax]

No, because we don't all care about the same stuff. Given that most of you are young and inexperienced, you're not going to care about a lot of stuff that might preoccupy someone older or wiser like me. We also don't have the same interests beyond anime, but since there's already discussion threads for anime, we talk about them there, but we're not allowed to flame there. For instance, I couldn't care less about abortion, but I could talk endlessly about hockey or Japan.

[Board of Command]

I'm pro-choice.

[Abdula]

I see your point. Forget hockey though hockey isn't a sport. The only real sport there is, is football. As far Japan yeah there is always material there but that really is getting old.

you're not going to care about a lot of stuff that might preoccupy someone older or wiser like me.

That made me laugh. On a side note I get the feeling that we'll all get warned for off-topicness next time Masa shows up.

[Junior]

Well really if you want to get to know someone the best way to do that would be to interact with them. Besides like Ani says the flame pit is rather tame and none of us take it seriously.

Yeah you're right. There should be more random/diverse threads in there, so it's easier for people to post. o.o

[Animeniax]

Don't get me started about hockey in Japan. Actually, I watched a Japanese hockey game on TV when I was there. It was weird. There was so little emotion, except from the two or three white guys, whom incidentally, I recognize from their days in the NHL. How can you really play a rough sport like hockey when the guys are so congenial and amicable with each other like the Japanese are? It doesn't really work. There was little hitting, definitely no fighting, but they were somewhat physical and very celebratory when scoring goals. It really defined sportsmanship in ways north American hockey can't. But NA hockey is far more entertaining.

[Sapphire]

No, because we don't all care about the same stuff. Given that most of you are young and inexperienced, you're not going to care about a lot of stuff that might preoccupy someone older or wiser like me.

You're not actually 42 are you? :eek:

I don't even like sports, though I was an athletic trainer for three years. (lolz) The only real sports are dodgeball and kickball!

[Abdula]

Ofcourse he isn't. I think he is in his late 20's 32 at the oldest.

[Animeniax]

You're not actually 42 are you? :eek:

I don't even like sports, though I was an athletic trainer for three years. (lolz) The only real sports are dodgeball and kickball!
Only if you're actually 13, sweetie.

@Abdula: how did you come up with those numbers?

[Sapphire]

If you're really 42 and I'm really 13, isn't it odd for me to be called sweetie by a 42 year old on the internet? XD

[Abdula]

Really Sapphire how old are you?



@Abdula: how did you come up with those numbers?

Its just the feeling I get from you thats all.

[XanBcoo]

Secondly, all the conversational random spam and off-topic chatter is accomplished a just as well by visiting #gotwoot on irc.
I guess the flame pit is for those of us who don't like using IRC. Like it was said before, a few people don't actually "Flame" in the flame-pit. We just use it as an off-topic section. I think it's a pretty good substitution.

I know that in my sociolinguistics class we looked at how in general guys bonded more through challenging each other and tossing back and forth insults, whereas girls would bond through affirming and sympathizing with each other.
Heh, looks like your Sociolinguistics class was as useless as mine was. I don't think I know any guy who has "bonded" with their friends by acting like that.

Coincidentally, I was taught in Sociolinguistics that terms like "sweetie", "Cupcake", and "honey" were terms of latent chauvinism, referring to how men saw women as frivolous, inconsequential portions of a more substantial "meal".

[Abdula]

"sweetie", "Cupcake", and "honey" were terms of latent chauvinism, referring to how men saw women as frivolous, inconsequential portions of a more substantial "meal".

That sounds about right.

[XanBcoo]

It also sounds about right that your "lost in the darkness" quote refers to you struggling with urges of Pedophilia, but that doesn't make it accurate

Maybe in 1930s gangster movies it's true, but it sounds more like Feminists trying to get attention by attributing connotative meanings to pretty neutral (often non-gender-specific) terms of endearment. I don't care how "deep" someone thinks it is, making up deep-rooted solutions for trivial conventions is not an intelligent observation.

Edit: And yes, it was a Feminist who made that argument. And yes, my entire class (75% girls) knew it was bullshit.

[Sapphire]

I agree with Xan.

That aside, I feel like submerging myself in Bollywood music.

[Assassin]

That aside, I feel like submerging myself in Bollywood music.

seriously? wtf


As for the flame pit....well i've noticed that the number of warnings i've given out has gone down since the flamepit was created. Though like kitkat said, it could just be due to a lack of activity on the forums overall.

[Abdula]

It also sounds about right that your "lost in the darkness" quote refers to you struggling with urges of Pedophilia, but that doesn't make it accurate


Actually its strong homicidal urges among other things but thats another matter.



Maybe in 1930s gangster movies it's true, but it sounds more like Feminists trying to get attention by attributing connotative meanings to pretty neutral (often non-gender-specific) terms of endearment. I don't care how "deep" someone thinks it is, making up deep-rooted solutions for trivial conventions is not an intelligent observation.

Edit: And yes, it was a Feminist who made that argument. And yes, my entire class (75% girls) knew it was bullshit.

Well true it doesn't have to be accurate it depends completely on the person using the term but this
"sweetie", "Cupcake", and "honey" were terms of latent chauvinism, referring to how men saw women as frivolous, inconsequential portions of a more substantial "meal" sounds just like a few "people" I have met.

[Board of Command]

Actually its strong homicidal urges among other things but thats another matter.
I get that a lot too.

[DB_Hunter]

You know we actually get more flaming in the General section of the forum than anywhere else. Especially when discussing topics like sexuality, politics and wars. These sort of things don't really come naturally to the flame pit, as these issues are real ones that are quite close to people, as they are often defined by what views they have on them. And its not a natural inclination to discuss these in an environment where ostensibly the idea is to ridicule or mock your views on such topics.

As KitKat said, a lot of people here know each other well enough now that they won't want to offend or insult each other. This place is an online community, with regulars and some passers by. For what its worth, there is a sense of community about this place and a lot of people don't want to jeapordize that.

[complich8]

I never thought the flame pit was a good idea. I'm still not sold on it, to be honest. People seem to like it, so I leave it be, but it's not the sort of place I find myself going a whole lot.

A couple people have been banned because they couldn't figure out how to effectively partition off their attitudes and conduct in the flame pit from the way they approached the rest of the forums.

To answer the question "why is it members-only" ... basically, I had two lines of thinking when I did that. First of all, the posts down there are pretty shitty. They're things that, as a community, we can't really take a whole lot of pride in. Basically, I see it as potentially offputting to people who might sign up to see a shitpost-flood on the forums, and generally bad for our reputation.

The second thought is, a lot of people here use names that one way or another track back to their real-life presence (eg: aim screen names that are also forum handles). For the people
that are in that situation, I'd rather give at least a little bit of shielding against casual investigators (parents, potential employers, etc), because ... well, honestly do you want your mother reading the shit you've posted there?

[Board of Command]

I think every forum needs, in one form or another, a section where anything happens. RealGM (generally a basketball forum) is a good example of this. RealGM is one of the busiest forums in the world, with hundreds of people posting every minute. Due to the traffic, it's heavily policed by dedicated teams of mods for each section of the forum. For all of the "regular" sections, people are given a very short leash and law and order are in effect, so to speak.

However, there's one section called "General Discussion" which is actually a disguise for a dump where thousands of people on the forum can go and shitpost. The amount of traffic that General Discussion gets is mind-boggling. That one section alone probably gets around 50 posts per minute. Like the flame pit, "General Discussion" is only visible to registered members. Overall, it doesn't really have any effect on the rest of the forum.

Even without all the policing in the other sections, I've never seen garbage from General Discussion leaking out onto the other sections. I think that has been the case as well on Gotwoot, but at a much smaller scale.

[David75]

Is there an option somewhere where I could deactivate my ability to see anything from the FlamePit?

[Animeniax]

You'll be missing out on a vital part of the experience of being a part of these forums.

@Sapphire: Since I'm not 42 and you're not 13, it's ok for me to call you sweetie, though I usually prefer to call girls "skirt" or "sweet cheeks".

Once again, BoC shows why people like us understand the world better than mere mortals.

[David75]

You'll be missing out on a vital part of the experience of being a part of these forums.

@Sapphire: Since I'm not 42 and you're not 13, it's ok for me to call you sweetie, though I usually prefer to call girls "skirt" or "sweet cheeks".

Once again, BoC shows why people like us understand the world better than mere mortals.

As I explained in a previous post, I do not like the Flame Pit for many reasons.
And since the search function I use let me see it, if I could find a way to prevent this (without affecting others choices) I would be very pleased.

To each their choices.

[Animeniax]

I stand by my assertion that you'll miss out on a vital part of membership in these forums if you exclude the flame pit. I'm being somewhat facetious, but not entirely. Besides, sometimes it's good to just act like a jackass, and the pit gives you that outlet.

[David75]

I stand by my assertion that you'll miss out on a vital part of membership in these forums if you exclude the flame pit. I'm being somewhat facetious, but not entirely. Besides, sometimes it's good to just act like a jackass, and the pit gives you that outlet. Obviously we will never agree on this.
In the end we are both right anyway, since it's our individual choices we are discussing here ;)

[Sapphire]

@Sapphire: Since I'm not 42 and you're not 13, it's ok for me to call you sweetie, though I usually prefer to call girls "skirt" or "sweet cheeks".


I'll neglect retorting to that on the assumption that it's just a bad joke.

I think that the flame pit is mildly successful for the same reason as BoC, something to be used as a spam/joke forum while the other forums are held on a mildly tighter leash. Don't brick me for saying this, but for some reason the intelligence level is higher than average here (I wonder why) compared to nearly every other forum I've been to, so that's why I really enjoy coming here. If you're not a jerk about it and perhaps have some evidence, you can express your opinion without being overly flamed by idiots who don't know how to type or think 100% of the time. I also like lurking in the General Anime forum, that's where I decide what anime I should watch. And other forums for various reasons. If the flame pit somehow upped the quality of the other forums, then it should definitely stay.

[saman]

i hardly ever go into the flame pit, mostly because i lurk around the forum most of the time without logging in, so i don't see it. i'm a big fan of having a section for just general randomness on any forum, though, so i like the idea of the flame pit. although it might be better just as a general section instead of having it focused on flaming.

[Abdula]

the intelligence level is higher than average here (I wonder why) compared to nearly every other forum

Its not really higher than average its just other forums have so many members that any intelligent discussion is usually drowned out. Besides that this forum doesn't have many members and only a fraction of those are active so most of the people who are just coming here to flame someone or get their kicks will get bored and move on pretty quickly.

[Buffalobiian]

I can't say if the flame pit has had any influence on the forums, but amongst some of the useless threads there are some of the funniest things I've read. Which is something I don't usually feel in the analytical anime forums.

[David75]

I can't say if the flame pit has had any influence on the forums, but amongst some of the useless threads there are some of the funniest things I've read. Which is something I don't usually feel in the analytical anime forums.
It's true that the no abdula club one is a tad funny, I admit I read it for the 50 first messages or so. Only because it wasn't as vehement as other threads. It seemed a bit more civil than other threads in the flame pit I feel put the shame on gotwoot forums.

My opinion again.

[Animeniax]

@Buffalobiian: well that's another positive vote for the flame pit.

@Sapphire: of course it was a joke. I'm one of those guys who is too respectful of women, which results in an almost absolute failure to score with them, at least lately.

I brought up the "skirt" comment because of Xan's analysis of the use of words like "sweetie", "cupcake", and "honey" when talking to girls. Evidently referring to a girl as a "skirt" shows how men judge women based on the trivial fact that they were skirts and men don't, and that we're reducing a woman's identity to the lowest denomination of what she's wearing. And the chauvinistic nature of "sweet cheeks" should be self-explanatory.

[Abdula]

I think you guys are giving the Flame Pit a bad reputation. Its not nearly as bad as any of you make it out to be.

It's true that the no abdula club one is a tad funny

Awe come on all we get is a tad funny.

[XanBcoo]

the chauvinistic nature of "sweet cheeks" should be self-explanatory.
You know, I've never realized the real meaning of that phrase until just now. I had always assumed it was more innocent than that.

[Animeniax]

It may very well refer to the cheeks on a woman's face, but not as far as I know it or meant it in this thread. I'd check into it, but I don't really use it often so skip it.

@Abdula: I went back and read the thread and a tad is probably more than it deserves. I was only mildly offended that David75 stopped reading after 50 posts or so, considering I started posting at 52. He might have been trying to insult me with that comment.

[David75]

It may very well refer to the cheeks on a woman's face, but not as far as I know it or meant it in this thread. I'd check into it, but I don't really use it often so skip it.

@Abdula: I went back and read the thread and a tad is probably more than it deserves. I was only mildly offended that David75 stopped reading after 50 posts or so, considering I started posting at 52. He might have been trying to insult me with that comment.

Trying to catch me into the FP, right? :D

[Board of Command]

So this means David75 didn't read my 150-word submission? That's a shame.

[Abdula]

Lucky him.

@Ani: What do you mean tad funny, the concept alone was hilarious not to mention the fact that I was involved with it since the very beginning. Its like Frasier, not haha laugh out loud funny but hilarious none the less.

[Board of Command]

Frasier is not funny.