Slowly Leaving Certain Parts Of The Site

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Illunadick and ahem should be fucking banned, let alone be some fucking mods admins lmao

[GrimmZReaper]

those are actually pretty good ideas for the most part,.. only problem is....this...is...the...internet...people love to argue online because theres no consequences. The guy calling u a bitch on here is probably a 5'5 skinny pale nerd who gets smacked around all day in school or at home. So they feel safe up here acting tough. That's the major fault on these sites..

mods aren't the issue,,,thats a scapegoat..if everyone just acted like stand up dudes and no one was bitchin or in their feelings about EVERY LIL thing they disagree about up here, then shit would go smoothly.. the mods jobs would be to update ranks/clean threads/ set up tourneys....

[Mr Elmsby]

those are actually pretty good ideas for the most part,.. only problem is....this...is...the...internet...people love to argue online because theres no consequences. The guy calling u a bitch on here is probably a 5'5 skinny pale nerd who gets smacked around all day in school or at home. So they feel safe up here acting tough. That's the major fault on these sites..

mods aren't the issue,,,thats a scapegoat..if everyone just acted like stand up dudes and no one was bitchin or in their feelings about EVERY LIL thing they disagree about up here, then shit would go smoothly.. the mods jobs would be to update ranks/clean threads/ set up tourneys....

Problem is the mods are the softest and most emotionally fragile people here.

[OG Maestro]

don't leave before we have our topical rematch though, unless we can do it somewhere else.

Sure thing, right after the SS Finals that will start being voted on 12/3.

I'd rather do it elsewhere due to multiple reasons, so hit my inbox if you have any ideas. I know of a few places, I just never frequent them

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I miss the old rob. Time for a face lift.

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Rb not rob

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How bout the Clint Eastwood a year tho dope right

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Any not a year

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Lawdy I hate spellcheck

"I miss the old rob, time for a facelift" has me in tearss yo lmaooo. jesus christ

but you're right, this is probably the second most aesthetically displeasing place I've ever seen as a forum of this caliber. I pushed an idea for OM to look more vibrant (just saying that so it doesn't sound like I'm complaining, yet haven't ever tried to do anything about it)

[OG Maestro]

Here's few quickies-

1) Eliminate the two link rule- this isn't 2004 when forums were active. It is outdated and encourages moderator freeposting.

2) Establish a voter rewards program: In a stickied thread updated weekly each person who wants to battle in the week posts three voting links from any section to be able to participate in battles. This could be applied in all leagues as well, but if you transfer them you can carry over two of the same voting links but need a new third one. If you vote more, the fourth and fifth would each count as 1/2 of a point in the local rankings as each section would have a ranking system to determine the eventual champion. Any votes further than that would count as 1/4 of a point meaning if you help spur activity it would have the potential to give you an edge to attaining the status of the regional champ, which those who vote often in the first place likely hold value to while offering those who may not see victory as often a fighting chance while putting lazy folks at a disadvantage of sorts.

3) Reduce moderator influence: most of you are not very useful anyway, integrating a self-sustaining system where your only job is to manage points, rankings, and close finished threads of competitions would make all sides happy. The mods here have very little fanfare and most if not all of you are lazy fucking slobs anyway so this is a win win. Plus it reduces any notion of bias as flat math is unalterable by (frail) emotions.

4) Completely remove @Kill Spree from any post of power. He's more useless than spermicide at a lesbian feminist nightclub.

5) Integrate leagues and league rankings into a site championship where all forms of written (and audio if applicable) competition are tested and crown once and for all the most well rounded writer.

6) If there is quarrel with a vote, both parties are to subject fault and reason of fault to an impartial board without appeal to emotion (i.e- he's a faggot, he's a bitch, mine was better, etc). Only reasons for contest would be along the lines of "his vote failed to critique (x aspect/aspects)", "the vote was legitimately biased based upon (excerpt from vote). And to keep this from being abused, only two contest of votes are to be conducted a week. All contested votes shall be recorded and monitored in a stickied thread and will be handled by a third party both members of the battle with the vote in question will agree upon within 24 hours of the point of dispute. Deliberate attempts for one side to stymie the process shall result in the vote being weighted against them regardless of any other factor.

7) There is to be less emotion-based decisions here running forth: the cause of failures of most of the sites endeavors have stemmed from fragile moderators and angry members and of these two the members are of more value as they are the lifeblood of the site. Peer-based reviews are to be conducted on a biweekly basis where any appeals against any moderator are to be done coherently.

And thisis how to pull the fucking site out of the ground.

8) Do not use the check-in rule out of its functionality of tournament reserves and on the basis of courtesy to your opponent and/or moderator -- any other purpose which is used against competitors would result in a handicap or debilitation to the competitors.
8.2) 'Recombining' battles in leagues, or altering the scheduled matches in a league in order to achieve a full battle between two competitors is an unethical decision due to 2 factors: 1; by recombining battles (in accordance to the size((going from small to large))of the league) it will result in there being more losers than winners which will effect the standings in the league, 2; recombining battles would result (in accordance to the topics and/or opponent(s) delegated to each battle) in a 'mismatch': a pair of competitors that have produced, or will produce, on an unequivocal level which will produce corrupted and inaccurate results for the league in which it is performed.

[143]

Here's few quickies-

1) Eliminate the two link rule- this isn't 2004 when forums were active. It is outdated and encourages moderator freeposting.

2) Establish a voter rewards program: In a stickied thread updated weekly each person who wants to battle in the week posts three voting links from any section to be able to participate in battles. This could be applied in all leagues as well, but if you transfer them you can carry over two of the same voting links but need a new third one. If you vote more, the fourth and fifth would each count as 1/2 of a point in the local rankings as each section would have a ranking system to determine the eventual champion. Any votes further than that would count as 1/4 of a point meaning if you help spur activity it would have the potential to give you an edge to attaining the status of the regional champ, which those who vote often in the first place likely hold value to while offering those who may not see victory as often a fighting chance while putting lazy folks at a disadvantage of sorts.

3) Reduce moderator influence: most of you are not very useful anyway, integrating a self-sustaining system where your only job is to manage points, rankings, and close finished threads of competitions would make all sides happy. The mods here have very little fanfare and most if not all of you are lazy fucking slobs anyway so this is a win win. Plus it reduces any notion of bias as flat math is unalterable by (frail) emotions.

4) Completely remove @Kill Spree from any post of power. He's more useless than spermicide at a lesbian feminist nightclub.

5) Integrate leagues and league rankings into a site championship where all forms of written (and audio if applicable) competition are tested and crown once and for all the most well rounded writer.

6) If there is quarrel with a vote, both parties are to subject fault and reason of fault to an impartial board without appeal to emotion (i.e- he's a faggot, he's a bitch, mine was better, etc). Only reasons for contest would be along the lines of "his vote failed to critique (x aspect/aspects)", "the vote was legitimately biased based upon (excerpt from vote). And to keep this from being abused, only two contest of votes are to be conducted a week. All contested votes shall be recorded and monitored in a stickied thread and will be handled by a third party both members of the battle with the vote in question will agree upon within 24 hours of the point of dispute. Deliberate attempts for one side to stymie the process shall result in the vote being weighted against them regardless of any other factor.

7) There is to be less emotion-based decisions here running forth: the cause of failures of most of the sites endeavors have stemmed from fragile moderators and angry members and of these two the members are of more value as they are the lifeblood of the site. Peer-based reviews are to be conducted on a biweekly basis where any appeals against any moderator are to be done coherently.

And thisis how to pull the fucking site out of the ground.

So as SS Mod, let me address this one time...

1) Did away with links, first year just feed, then when people wasn't leaving feed, just votes and that seem too much to asked.

2) This was an idea that I was going to bring into the next season but the previous seasons, we did offer those who are in OM if they voted on battles it counted for all the links needed, therefore integrating two relevant sub forums, yet no one has done it.

3) I have given the battler more control of each battle, rewarded the top battler and the last place battler with "powers" that they can use like pick their own topic or pick any topic from any battle posted on this site. I was looking for more of a battler interaction and let be free formed so that the creativity isn't stunted when it comes to writing topicals. My only influence was addressing no shows which killed this league. People didn't show up and all I ask is to stick to a deadline so that things can keep moving rather being stagnant as they are now, it would help the league.

4)I know who he is but don't pay attention to his section of the site.

5) I would like that as a yearly thing which gives you a very seasoned pool to choose from, I would also think that it would give a reason for those who want this crown to hone their talents.

6) I never had this problem addressed to me and if there was a problem with someone voting style I would take a look at the progression of the voting action. If it's more to position themselves to go at certain people or is it truly an honest vote. From then I would ask for an explanation from the voter to see if the reasons are valid and not a hater vote. This would encompass voting in other leagues as well to determine if it's a true vote or not.

7) I don't base any decision on emotion modding SS. I am a hard ass about deadlines. This is the only thing that makes or break a league. When you hear people saying the league is taking too long, you have to change the focus of the league to accommodate those feelings. When you hear that the topics are played out, then you have to accommodate those feelings and switch up the topics or let them choose their topics. I have been one who have taken in criticism from those who are in the league and change my approach. The way to make this site better is consistency. As a mod it is the one essential thing that we need so that changes can happen. You can't make changes if there aren't any battles being fought or a whole bunch of no shows. I have done things for SS that has never been done before ON ANY SITE. Name one site where you give out a championship ring? I'll wait.... but this can't happen if people don't show up. We are here to change any content if need be and the only way content can be given is showing up consistently.

So for everyone here I do invite you to sign up for the new season of SS starting in a couple of weeks, I do appreciate those who do battle in this league and I want all of your input so that this league can be tailored for you to stay competing.

[OG Maestro]

^This is coming from a man who's competed in tournaments and leagues and knows that 24 hour extensions are allowed in every SS battle, yet disabled that right in the middle of a season. I wouldn't be so quick to speak on consistency, 143.

[Mr Elmsby]

The general lack of feedback aside from Maestro and 143 is affirmation to the qualms had by many.

[Spoken Deity]

can't speak for SS, but writing in general is rough; writing quality isn't what it used to be around here. PC, PS, OM, and SS were vibrant just a couple of years ago. I've spoken with ILL about a subforum in the showcase to do some writing exercises that would relate nicely to both poetry and topicals, but thus far the only thing made is a subforum in OM, which I suspect will bet slept on.
Providing appropriate feedback is hard for folks too. Even writers with enough time here to know better give shit feedback. Everything is "oh, this really made me feel," or "this just hit me." And that's it. It's emotional drivel. There is no critical and helpful feedback.

[143]

^This is coming from a man who's competed in tournaments and leagues and knows that 24 hour extensions are allowed in every SS battle, yet disabled that right in the middle of a season. I wouldn't be so quick to speak on consistency, 143.

And also from those 24hr extensions people have complained that it takes too long to complete a week. If a battle is 6 days with a 24hr extension and I change it to being 7 days with no extension, it's still the same time frame and even still people don't show up or post in the time frame allowed. That's why I made the weeks longer with no extension looking at the structure of the weeks in previous seasons. Made it easier to focus on the writing by doing away with feed. And making changes due to the activity level has always happened. Nothing works if people don't show up. Consistency......

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can't speak for SS, but writing in general is rough; writing quality isn't what it used to be around here. PC, PS, OM, and SS were vibrant just a couple of years ago. I've spoken with ILL about a subforum in the showcase to do some writing exercises that would relate nicely to both poetry and topicals, but thus far the only thing made is a subforum in OM, which I suspect will bet slept on.
Providing appropriate feedback is hard for folks too. Even writers with enough time here to know better give shit feedback. Everything is "oh, this really made me feel," or "this just hit me." And that's it. It's emotional drivel. There is no critical and helpful feedback.

I like that idea for SS but it is the reason that I have limit the need to give feed. One, most people competing are seasoned vets so they should know a good topical especially if you have some HOF accomplishments, and two the stress of writing a verse then 3-5 voting feeds is tasking for people who even worry about posting on time. I want SS to be about the writing not tasks and checklists to be done. Now as far as technical points, it's good to have them but because everyone has different writing styles and approaches, basing a drop on the content and the expressions that it gives is more appropriate as far as topicals go because you're taking an open canvas and filling it with a story or an image that has to convey that topic. Furthermore there isn't an authority or guideline that universally define what a topical should have or should be. So emotional content and feeling is the best way to help convey the response to a topical.

[Nohbody]

the overall general lack of activity on these sites and the leagues / tournaments are not because of how they are run (for the most part)

i always go back to forums being a dying form of social media as the root issue.

but secondly, its the members lack of interest. These types of forums have been around for a long time. Leagues and tournaments have been tried a million different ways, and although they slightly contrast from site to site they are pretty much bullet proof in format and design. SS for example runs about as efficiently as it could possibly run if every member showed up each week and actually posted verses and got votes in. We even tried to make that process easier by eliminating the need to even leave a detailed vote and it was still an issue.

its not the admins or mods fault tbh. sure, you can hold them accountable or question what they are doing to improve the situation, but we cant hold guns to peoples heads at the end of the day.

i know at the moment i should be the last to talk because im a bit sidelined due to personal shit and not really active . . but thats my .02 anyways

[ILLunatic]

can't speak for SS, but writing in general is rough; writing quality isn't what it used to be around here. PC, PS, OM, and SS were vibrant just a couple of years ago. I've spoken with ILL about a subforum in the showcase to do some writing exercises that would relate nicely to both poetry and topicals, but thus far the only thing made is a subforum in OM, which I suspect will bet slept on.
Providing appropriate feedback is hard for folks too. Even writers with enough time here to know better give shit feedback. Everything is "oh, this really made me feel," or "this just hit me." And that's it. It's emotional drivel. There is no critical and helpful feedback.

There are tons of ideas that are good in theory but flop when actually implemented. I gave you a subforum in OM to get things started so that we could see how it went before we brought it to the forefront and included PC. Because it didn't go the way you wanted straight out of the gate, you decided to sit back and not do anything with it besides post in here.

[Emily]

1) Eliminate the two link rule- this isn't 2004 when forums were active. It is outdated and encourages moderator freeposting.

This has been implemented in OM for the month of December. It shall be interesting to see what happens.
Thank you Mr Elmsby for your input. Much appreciated.

[Emily]

...Even writers with enough time here to know better give shit feedback...

You're a writer who's had enough time here. Are you including yourself in that quote?

[Spoken Deity]

There are tons of ideas that are good in theory but flop when actually implemented. I gave you a subforum in OM to get things started so that we could see how it went before we brought it to the forefront and included PC. Because it didn't go the way you wanted straight out of the gate, you decided to sit back and not do anything with it besides post in here.

I'm actually getting the exercises planned with some extra time I have laying around. Doesn't mean I can be critical of the implementation... a sub forum in OM is far less visible than a forum in showcase, and it requires more individual recruitment which I didn't expect.

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You're a writer who's had enough time here. Are you including yourself in that quote?

I'd say I generally provide helpful feedback in PC. Battles are always far more brief.