How does a post being qualified as "low quality"?

[OneMoar]

I like it.

I won't have to read through someone's strange attachment to wanting to blame everything on Trump (or some other political aspect that no one else in the topic had made any reference to that doesn't even pertain to the topic, they just want to say they hate some side of politics just to be a jerk and stir the pot) or make some snide comment towards religion. If I wanted to read crappy comments such as those, I'd sign up for a Facebook account or I'd trudge through posts you find on Yahoo news stories.

If I really want to see what those people posted, I can always click on the post and it will expand to show their post.

I don't want a post voting system either - folks will always downvote or upvote something just because they hate/like someone. If the mods are okay with going through and flagging a few posts here and there as "low quality", it won't hurt my feelings. It may even correct those people that constantly like to try and derail a topic just because they can.

On the CTS lab story, the first page has 4 "low quality" posts. All of them they just seem to want to blast TPU about their news posting methods or get some quick shot in, they add nothing to the topic and, to me, only seem to entice others to go along with blasting the OP or TPU and not actually contributing to the topic.

I can agree, at times, with what some of the "low quality" posts are trying to get through, but posting them there in the topic isn't helping. If I had issues with current news postings, I would rather create a different topic about the issue(s) I'm having in Comments & Feedback (https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/forums/comments-feedback.6/) section of the forums.

Just one suggestion @W1zzard with this possible new approach. Would you be able to make it possible to have a button to expand and collapse the "low quality" post. Right now, if I click on a "low quality" post it expands.....sometimes what someone posts is so completely off the wall that it would be nice to collapse post again so it wasn't still staring me in the eyes. Currently a quick press of F5 refreshes the screen and the post is collapsed again, so I can do it that way if a button can't be added. Just a suggestion.

see and there in lays the problem here
thoses posts aren't low quality to me
I really believe
TPU got it wrong there is no good reason for TPU or ANY other site to be posting that story anymore until AMD makes a proper statement, not given what we know so far about that story hell even linus said the same thing about parroting headlines
so we have two stories up over it with NO new information about it just replies from the the folks in question saying stuff we knew from the get-go which is that it doesn't work without admin rights and is nowhere near as severe as they made it sound its not on the level of specter or meltdown hell its not even on the level of the intel me bugs from a few years ago

 

[Countryside]

Shitposts should be blocked to guests

And if by that you mean deliberate shit dumper then yes but when shitpost or low quality is defined as not relevant then no there is a fine line here.

 

[xorbe]

OneMoar is on track. Basically what we're seeing here is a vested interest in hype and clicks, and suppressing of countering views. My post was on-topic (that TPU is quick to republish CTS/Viceroy claims in the absence of a response, while Viceroy has a terrible history), not about politics or religion. Luckily it's easy enough for visitors to mentally mark forums as low quality also, and not mention, link, or patronize them.

 

[dorsetknob]

I'm thinking of a psychological effect of a collapsed post ... it's hidden, it's forbidden fruit so to say ... user will be compelled to click on every one of them for sure, and be sorely disappointed if it's not something controversial ... I think it's just human nature, it might as well say 'click me' ... but this could be good for TPU, it'll be like a little game

Especialy if Clicking the post you have to see an Ad to view it

 

[Recon-UK]

OneMoar is on track. Basically what we're seeing here is a vested interest in hype and clicks, and suppressing of countering views. My post was on-topic (that TPU is quick to republish CTS/Viceroy claims in the absence of a response, while Viceroy has a terrible history), not about politics or religion. Luckily it's easy enough for visitors to mentally mark forums as low quality also, and not mention, link, or patronize them.

Exactly what i have been saying the entire time too just in a different way

 

[dirtyferret]

Please go nuts with the low quality flagging. Send them all back to TomsHardware.

I like the "low quality post" feature.

 

[erocker]

Well this house is a bit of a shambles... Where s the fire that I can put my feet up in front of?
Where do I get a drink? Where do I sleep?
Oh the analogy tried but it failed to see reality

It seems to be troublemakers like yourself that are bringing this place down. Just a semi-objective observation from someone who has to deal with bad behavior here everyday. I sincerely welcome you to leave for the sake of this forum. Thanks!

 

[Countryside]

The way i see it is that all comes down to relevence if your post is not relevant to the thread it gets marked as "low quality"

 

[neatfeatguy]

see and there in lays the problem here
thoses posts aren't low quality to me
I really believe
TPU got it wrong there is no good reason for TPU or ANY other site to be posting that story anymore until AMD makes a proper statement, not given what we know so far about that story hell even linus said the same thing about parroting headlines
so we have two stories up over it with NO new information about it just replies from the the folks in question saying stuff we knew from the get-go which is that it doesn't work without admin rights and is nowhere near as severe as they made it sound its not on the level of specter or meltdown hell its not even on the level of the intel me bugs from a few years ago

I'm not disagreeing with you - I don't see much merit in the claims and the whole story just kind of came off sounding like BS to me. Might there be merit in it??? Maybe. Might it be complete bullshit? Maybe.

It would be nice if such efforts for some of the news postings were marked accordingly in the titles with words such as "Unconfirmed" or "Rumor" to make the reader aware that the information they're about to read may not be fully accurate. However, this would be something I would create a topic in the Suggestion and Feedback part of the forums if I felt strongly enough about it. Or if you have a particular issue with one of the mods/news story posters, maybe even go as far as to send @W1zzard a PM (though I would make this my last ditch effort if my other attempts fell on deaf ears).

Then you go as far as to argue if such stories that would be marked as "Unconfirmed" or "Rumor" should even be posted on this site....but, that again would be something to address in the Suggestion and Feedback section of the forums.

 

[Tatty_Two]

Remember dear admins ""With great power comes great responsibility"

One thing it's not is "Greater power" (although I get your point), in fact it is the opposite, the slightest form of moderating, lesser even than deleting a post never mind a thread ban or an infraction/ban, there is a big difference between a punishment (for want of a better phrase)..... read infraction/ban than a "moderator action".

I would imagine that this would only be done by Mods assigned to specific forums and as currently, Senior Mods can moderate all areas.

 

[thesmokingman]

This thread might be deemed as low quality!

 

[Kursah]

All users please read the Techpowerup Forum Guidelines

If you can't follow those, expect some low quality flags, post deletions, earned infractions and vacations. Pretty simple IMHO.

Also, TPU forums is a privilege to be a part of and I'm honored to be. This place is for all of us to be a part of and choose to either be one of the ones that makes it a better place or a more toxic place. What is your choice?

On these forums, your words are also your actions, it all speaks loudly to your intentions. I hope it resonates from day one, or from this day forth that you want to make TPU a better place, I really do.

The fact we have to deploy yet another method to try to manage the toxicity and BS posts should be a sign that too many folks have lost sight about what TPU is and has been truly about, which is saddening and frustrating. And to see how many folks here are more of

is there a set guidline for deeming these poor quality posts as such (meaning they must meet a predetermined set of requisites)? Moderators are simply users with more privileges and colored usernames, so Far from beyond reproach...it seems like accountability would be a good thing on both sides here, like if their username was posted next to the window deeming a poor post, so we know who deemed it as such

Frankly I think we can all identify low quality posts quite easily but the gray zone lies in what one prefers to see on TPU whether or not it conforms with the guidelines I linked above that W1z expects us to enforce and everyone to follow.

I disagree that users should see who flagged their post as low quality and understand that some folks are uneasy about not knowing who out of this moderator team is flagging posts as low quality, but I would hope that users would take a second to realize that maybe what or how they're posting isn't welcome here. That is the point we want to make so that there's less toxicity and more help, get TPU back to its successful roots.

Not everyone will like it, but TPU deserves that much from all of us as members.

If you or anyone has a post flagged as low quality, report it and request to discuss that with a mod.

If i get a bit toxic, i had reason to do so, stubborn and a force to be reckoned with, i will be at the mercy of a moderator and that is essentially me, i would rather be banned than live a fake life.

There is no reason for you or anyone to be toxic for any purpose on these forums. It is a choice, and not the right one for this community. That's not fake, if you have to convince yourself that being toxic is being real, there isn't much we can do about it but let you earn your way out of here. Hopefully you'll choose to change that course rather than embrace sinking to toxic levels unnecessarily. That's real, not fake.

I digress, that's not what this topic is about, but I'd like to discuss further if you'd like to at some point as I'd rather see if we can get you out of seeing toxicity as appropriate in any capacity on TPU.

I've seen this sentiment many, many times here from various people and I don't agree with it.

It's actually a two way street, like any relationship. A contract doesn't have to be over money, or even legally binding. In this case it's more of an implied understanding. Yes, there are forum rules to prevent extremism and keep things straight etc, but by and large it's an unrwritten contract of understanding between the forum owner and the users.

The life blood of a forum is getting lots of active users to make it a vibrant place and possibly for the ad dollars, so in return they make it a nice place for users to hang out in. As long as both sides understand this and play fair, then both sides benefit.

Thanks for the feedback. You're spot on about creating a nice place for users to hang out in, and it does take both sides to work through the good and bad.

At the end of the day this is W1z's forum, and he felt inclined to add yet another way to filter the BS from the topics here, how many of us even stop to think about how he feels with being forced to find a solution for that?

How many of us will acknowledge the issues we or others are creating for this change to have happened and change course?

How many of us will continue to help make TPU a good place?

How many of us as members will blindly and ignorantly look at this as oppression or more "mods vs. members" BS rather than seeing that there's an issue that many are responsible for even if indirectly?

Frankly I care a lot about this place, and also want it to maintain the environment of helping others that made it successful in lieu of other tech forums, I try to do my part as a member and mod, I hope those of you that find this as a negative change take a step back and see what TPU is trending towards to see why this is even happening in the first place.

More of us can do our part, so let's step up and choose to do so!

 

[xorbe]

This thread might be deemed as low quality!

Haha yeah this is a dangerous opinionated thread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[bogmali]

We all know what this is about. Just act like adults and state your opinion. Name calling, rants and retaliatory responses are just a distraction from getting anything good from a discussion. I have stated something wrong before and been called names for it. I just ignore the reply and move on but some poeple go back and forth and it ruins the thread.

I was starting to lose faith and then BAM!! someone gets it

Will it be mod mood dependant? i.e. how will you maintain consistency.

If that were the case, half of you would have been canned long ago cause I was in a bad "mood"

Fear not as each one of us Mods possess a high level of objectivity. Coincidentally, I do maintain a ledger that has names of peeps that like to do these "shitpost" that you've mentioned

 

[Xzibit]

When is this feature coming to News post...

When news articles are overly Sensationalized. When News post include a source or are born out of "low quality" reddit or other forum post. We recently had News post of a thought someone had related to a story and the thought of the source took priority becoming the headline.

 

[EarthDog]

Ill have more to say when im not mobile..

That said, this is an interesting way to handle things. I recall in another thread the idea of a thumbs down being poopooed. This is essentially a staff poopoo. Personally, id prefer if the moderators worked a bit harder out of the gate...(to pay off in the end)

...lol....


....hear me out.

Instead of coming across a thread and marking the posts as low quality. Infract and ban people. Seems like a low quality post breaks the rules since those are what was referenced as a guideline. If this place has a toxicity issue, and it does, I dont really see how adding an additional layer without consequences will help. Many are past changing their behavior because mommy gave them the eye. People are intelligent to enough to know what is good or what is bad.

Im afraid this method will end up further separating the mods and members...you know darn well people wont agree with what is low quality...why not cut to the chase?

Anyway, perhaps something whuch can make it worthwhile is to have a visible counter, like thanks, for these low quality posts. Thanks count is utterly useless... maybe this will hold some water? I also hope low quality refers to terrible advice/facts as well...slippery slope though that is....

....in the end, mods need to be able to infract and ban and stop reindeer games of being nice adding additional layers of effort without consequence.

 

[Tatty_Two]

I was starting to lose faith and then BAM!! someone gets it



If that were the case, half of you would have been canned long ago cause I was in a bad "mood"

Fear not as each one of us Mods possess a high level of objectivity. Coincidentally, I do maintain a ledger that has names of peeps that like to do these "shitpost" that you've mentioned

Liar, you stole mine.

 

[Countryside]

All users please read the Techpowerup Forum Guidelines

If you can't follow those, expect some low quality flags, post deletions, earned infractions and vacations. Pretty simple IMHO.

Also, TPU forums is a privilege to be a part of and I'm honored to be. This place is for all of us to be a part of and choose to either be one of the ones that makes it a better place or a more toxic place. What is your choice?

On these forums, your words are also your actions, it all speaks loudly to your intentions. I hope it resonates from day one, or from this day forth that you want to make TPU a better place, I really do.

The fact we have to deploy yet another method to try to manage the toxicity and BS posts should be a sign that too many folks have lost sight about what TPU is and has been truly about, which is saddening and frustrating. And to see how many folks here are more of




Frankly I think we can all identify low quality posts quite easily but the gray zone lies in what one prefers to see on TPU whether or not it conforms with the guidelines I linked above that W1z expects us to enforce and everyone to follow.

I disagree that users should see who flagged their post as low quality and understand that some folks are uneasy about not knowing who out of this moderator team is flagging posts as low quality, but I would hope that users would take a second to realize that maybe what or how they're posting isn't welcome here. That is the point we want to make so that there's less toxicity and more help, get TPU back to its successful roots.

Not everyone will like it, but TPU deserves that much from all of us as members.

If you or anyone has a post flagged as low quality, report it and request to discuss that with a mod.




There is no reason for you or anyone to be toxic for any purpose on these forums. It is a choice, and not the right one for this community. That's not fake, if you have to convince yourself that being toxic is being real, there isn't much we can do about it but let you earn your way out of here. Hopefully you'll choose to change that course rather than embrace sinking to toxic levels unnecessarily. That's real, not fake.

I digress, that's not what this topic is about, but I'd like to discuss further if you'd like to at some point as I'd rather see if we can get you out of seeing toxicity as appropriate in any capacity on TPU.




Thanks for the feedback. You're spot on about creating a nice place for users to hang out in, and it does take both sides to work through the good and bad.

At the end of the day this is W1z's forum, and he felt inclined to add yet another way to filter the BS from the topics here, how many of us even stop to think about how he feels with being forced to find a solution for that?

How many of us will acknowledge the issues we or others are creating for this change to have happened and change course?

How many of us will continue to help make TPU a good place?

How many of us as members will blindly and ignorantly look at this as oppression or more "mods vs. members" BS rather than seeing that there's an issue that many are responsible for even if indirectly?

Frankly I care a lot about this place, and also want it to maintain the environment of helping others that made it successful in lieu of other tech forums, I try to do my part as a member and mod, I hope those of you that find this as a negative change take a step back and see what TPU is trending towards to see why this is even happening in the first place.

More of us can do our part, so let's step up and choose to do so!

Respect dear member!

 

[dirtyferret]

Coincidentally, I do maintain a ledger that has names of peeps that like to do these "shitpost" that you've mentioned

 

[dorsetknob]

How many of us will continue to help make TPU a good place?

I for one ^^^

I've Been here from the Early(ist) Days and over the last 3 to 4 years often shaken my head in despair at the way its gone ( sometimes almost to the brink). The Good People here have managed to drag it Back But Too many of the Great Members no longer post or visit
more than a few mutter about jumping ship.
I Just Hope this new Scheme does not turn into a SCREAM nuff said from me for the moment

 

[Papahyooie]

I obviously respect W1zzard's right to run the site as he wishes. So take this keeping mind that I love the site and am not criticizing it, or anyone else... Just a suggestion, maybe to alleviate some of the concerns...

Perhaps rolling out this new feature by letting the first posts to get flagged as Low Quality (as far as I know) be posts that directly criticized the news reel for essentially posting fake news... maybe that wasn't the best idea. Punishing/calling out those that directly criticize the site might not have been the best debut. It just sets a bad tone, and one that insinuates that speaking out against the site will be punished. I mean... if that's what you want, go for it. It isn't my site, so I have no control over how it's run. But it puts a bad taste in people's mouths when they're essentially labeled as second class citizens because they called the site out.

Just my two cents. To the point of the original thread, the computer god, Linus himself has come out in defense of AMD, stating the obvious... it's not a security issue if it requires physical and root access to the machine. No computer is ever secure if you replace the bios or microcode on the processor... So the cries of fake news and spreading FUD are not unfounded, in my most humble opinion.

Perhaps I'll get marked as Low Quality for this... oh well. Love the site, and I won't stop frequenting it just because moderation is getting stricter. Just want to give the suggestion that it might not be wise to use this new tool specifically to label those who criticize the site itself.

 

[the54thvoid]

There is a definite lack of consistency already in this very thread regarding what is low quality and what is not. That is the inherent weakness. Erocker's post being 'low quality' is probably an inside joke but it doesn't appear that way to the outside when a mod is 'dumbed down'.

I don't think it will work very well as the mods are not robots - they have opinions of their own and those opinions and tolerances will make the system exceptionally subjective and therefore broken. I'd be happier if people who troll or slander were just kicked out altogether. W1zzard and a few mods deciding - "do we ban this chump?"

Ban more with consensus among you. But the subjectivity of the proposed system is very poor in its implementation.

 

[Batou1986]

I want this to be a place where people can ask for help and get useful answers and have civilized technical discussions.

I like it, I'm tired of seeing threads completely derailed by people that want to argue about things that have nothing to do with what the OP asked.

Agreed on both points, and since the moderation on TPU has always been pretty fair and moderate I trust their judgment for which posts are low quality.

I don't often post anymore because most threads I see a few people trying to have a discussion or solve a problem being drown out by people shouting opinions at each other and go back and forth for pages trying to convince the other person they are right ignoring the original question or topic.
Also the comments on news articles and the personal attacks on editors that have sprung up in the past few years is appalling, when I see people calling TPU editors "shills" in what equates to a press release I really have to wonder if they understand what a news editor does.

Hopefully this system will make people think twice about what they are posting and encourage them to be more polite and topical if they want others to read their posts.

 

[xkm1948]

Agreed on both points, and since the moderation on TPU has always been pretty fair and moderate I trust their judgment for which posts are low quality.

I don't often post anymore because most threads I see a few people trying to have a discussion or solve a problem being drown out by people shouting opinions at each other and go back and forth for pages trying to convince the other person they are right ignoring the original question or topic.
Also the comments on news articles and the personal attacks on editors that have sprung up in the past few years is appalling, when I see people calling TPU editors "shills" in what equates to a press release I really have to wonder if they understand what a news editor does.

Hopefully this system will make people think twice about what they are posting and encourage them to be more polite and topical if they want others to read their posts.

This should also apply to the news articles being published. Think carefully before publishing something is always good.

 

[Fx]

Wow. This is the most drama I've seen on this site since I joined so it must be a pretty big deal to W1zz. Since I've been here, I've heard a lot and said a lot. I must say that this home has been very objective and laid back. I think that is why I like it so much. There are many posters that are very opinionated and that is fine as I am as well. My only real issue is when differences of opinion resort to name-calling.

After much more thought than I would have anticipated, I've come to the conclusion that I don't like down/up-voted posts, I don't like censorship in general (there are understandable cases though), and I don't like 'low-quality' posts I. I would rather be warned/infracted/banned for my posts than feel I am being chastised in front of all for reasons that may not be quite clear to me or even others. I guess I've always practiced scolding someone in private and confidentiality and prefer it.

With that said, there must be greater levels of toxicity than I am aware because I have never been punished for posts that I thought 'may have a tad too much opinion or passion'. I applaud these moderators and like them very much. They do a good job at handling very thin, intangible lines. I think what's best is to just apply the guidelines that are already in place although that may feel hard. It feels like this is one step too far into the gray zone.

Just my 2c, but I'll respect your decision regardless.