guess that makes me and a couple others i’ve whispered between in the minority, we feel it is preventing topics started by about anyone other than the goat from coming to the front page.
nothing is being pinned anymore it seems that isn’t staff generated.
things that have gotten support of people and staff in the past are ignored.
My two cents worth: I really like it. I had been missing all of the interaction, with the staff on the forum, that we used to have. Was feeling kinda unloved. sniff
In my personal opinion there are too many of them too close together. Some increase is good, I personally think the increase is a little too much.
Since they have only been broadcasting flask threads they haven’t broadcast a non-flask one in a while. There are threads that, in the past, would have been broadcast and now aren’t. I’d guess that would influence how many people see it those posts. The other thing that is happening is that threads are getting buried faster which I think is a pity.
The impression I get is that the upshot of this is that the forums are being more controlled by meh choices since we now have a lot of flask threads. In my opinion that is a two edged sword. They are then driving the “flavor” of the forums overall, which may or may not be their intent, and may or may not limit the diversity of people who post here, and may or may not then eventually decrease the number of threads started by forum members… but it appears it has increased participation, at least for now.
In my opinion some threads are good and others not so much so or are not of interest to me but then again I never expected to like/be interested in all threads here flask or not. Of course we are free to ignore which ever threads we want.
I’d be curious why the sudden big increase in daily new flask threads since up until now first we had the @jonT input - which in my opinion was at something close to an optimal level and optimal type of thread/participation. He really (and some of the folks who came over from woot who apparently were active there) influenced the initial direction, culture, etc. of the forums. Then when he left we didn’t have enough flask input and there was some talk on the forum about whether or not the forums were dying. Then there was an small uptick in flask posts and also the then “new” suitcase folks who then became more involved. Now (in the last few weeks) it feels like, to me, a floodgate of flask threads that are dominating a bit (in my opinion) too much. Makes me wonder if this a new meh experiment, what the underlying goal is/purpose is of this new approach and presuming this is deliberate action of meh, if it is achieving what they had hoped (@snapster care to comment?)…
I am not so sure it is such a good idea to have quite so many of them, although having some - of the right kind - are good. Then again nobody died and made me king. Meh can do what they want.
At this particular moment in time, looking at the first 22 threads (stopped counting with the post prior to the new goat thread since usually a flask started one), 12 of them are flask started.
Things others have whispered to me make me wonder if there is a generational divide in who likes it and who doesn’t.
While I have read past the first post in a couple of them, I have overall found the topics boring and not worth my time. Had there been less of them, I might be more tempted to look down to see if someone not a flask had posted anything interesting.
So far most interesting comment I saw was someone saying that they’d like to see a dual between mediocre staffers. That tickled my funny bone
@Cerridwyn As an ornery old fuck, I feel compelled to point out that I’m pretty sure you meant “duel”. I mean, unless you think we should only ever hear from two staffers or some weird shit (and, really, if you meant something like that, it is certainly a weird fucking way to say it).
@Cerridwyn@joelmw
Ditto. If someone is too lazy to give a crap about proper word usage, then I’m entitled to be too lazy to give a crap about how they feel about pointing it out.
I noticed them, I enjoy them, and I cared enough about them to write support and express my pleasure with them (even if I did it in a trolling way). Aside from things like “Clipisode”, I don’t think they should be pinned though as they aren’t time sensitive or need to know.
I like posts that are engaging, that start a discussion where multiple people can participate or relate to, and ones that give me a reason to check back more than just reading the initial post and leaving a comment.
Bottom line me for: Before the influx in staff posts, I got bored a lot easier than I did with them when visiting the site.
Aside from things like shipping threads, I don’t recall many user posts getting pinned. If content is interesting, people will post on it, which will keep it at the top. The exception is the post I made with this image, made from many other images, that should have gotten way more attention because of how awesome it is:
@lichme If there are ton of staff posts the sheer numbers cause posts to drop down. I’d imagine, especially if one is reading on a small screen phone scrolling down that far isn’t likely to happen all that often. I’d say staff need to think carefully about number, timing, and like you I’d agree don’t pin them unless they are a contest, or something special.
@Kidsandliz I pretty much only use meh on my phone. I can find new posts with no problem. It’s only been a few posts a day. If you’re here at least once a day, it would be no problem to see whatever is new.
@RiotDemon It isn’t just what is new, it is also what has new replies - and that is far more threads than a few a day. My count above somewhere was 12/22 of the first listed consecutive threads were flask started.
@RiotDemon Not worth it to hunt. Each to their own. In my opinion easier to do a major scroll on a laptop. The biggest issue to me though is balance between flask threads and user threads. The pendulum swung too far recently (again my opinion). Flasks can also contribute to user started threads and be involved that way (as some do). They don’t need to just start a thread and then (as some do) sit back and don’t contribute further. For the most part they don’t even star answers in their own thread. The later seems contrived to me (start a thread, hit and run - in my opinion if you start a thread you need to stay involved with it - flask or user). But then again, as I said before, no one died and made me king. Meh can do what they want and influence the threads/forum any way they want. It’s their company and their server space.
@RiotDemon No idea. Likely meh has analyzed this out the ying yang, related it to sales, compared new vs occasional vs frequent posters… and that flurry of flask posts was not accidental. Be curious to find out but likely they won’t respond to questions like that due to strategic issues.
@Kidsandliz from what I understand, in the beginning there was a lot of employee driven stuff in the threads, then they got too busy. Now they have a bunch of employees again and have a little extra time to join in again. Not really sure why it bothers a few of you. I’ve read your points, but I still don’t get it.
I’m sure it helps drive sales because more time spent on the forum means more that you see the item for sale.
Whether it’s the flasks, the goats, the poos, or anyone else posting; I’m gonna keep lurking, occasionally hearting, and infrequently replying.
Many days that’s the closest I get to social interaction. Thanks.
but, hell, I’m easy and it’s Friday night and I’ve been drinking.
I think any thread that gets sufficient traction should stay on the front page, but maybe the broadcast thing is getting overused. Do we really need a broadcast thread every day? It seems to me it should be reserved for only occasional topics that everyone really needs to see (like maybe goat voting.)
@Kidsandliz@mehbee Yes, I think one of the hallmarks of meh is that we have actually become a caring and benevolent community, so this is important to many people here.
Of course, perhaps our defining characteristic is our high level of snark, but they seem to go together well.
No sarcasm is intended by any of the preceding and, no, I’m not still drunk. (Check back in a few hours)
I think the staff posts and conversation starters are fantastic! It keeps things moving along and allows me to waste even more time here. Three cheers for the flasks!
(Disclaimer: My opinion should in no way be construed as ass kissing in an attempt to acquire a premium pallet of crap in the premiere IRK event, whenever that may happen)
I like them, but sometimes it does seem like there are an awful lot of them. Then again, I don’t always participate in the forum, so I may be imehgining things.
I am indifferent to the flask folks’ new fucking posts because I don’t notice them enough to form an opinion or emotion.
I do like some if replying or starring constitutes liking them.
/image flask folk new fucking posts
@eonfifty Now that is seriously cool that this comes up with that image backslash. We really, really need a t-shirt with this graphic. Free to VMP’s. Right?
I’m only here intermittently these days, fwiw. But when I do check in, I like seeing the flasks. Reminds me a bit of the good ol’ days when it seemed like we were more in touch with those fuckers that actually get a paycheck for this.
Here’s to ‘em.
/giphy cheers
I like seeing all of the ex-goats too. Those are the ones you have to watch out for, troublemaking miscreants.
Yes. They are part of us. The flask people are as much a part of this community as you and I. Yes they should be encouraged to play here and have fun. We need to be more welcoming of people flasks and newbies.
I like them all. Each and every one.
I like them. Makes it feel like a community between us all and they are fun to participate in.
Yes. It makes me happy. More people are participating.
I kinda do, too. Getting to know the other mehmbers better!
guess that makes me and a couple others i’ve whispered between in the minority, we feel it is preventing topics started by about anyone other than the goat from coming to the front page.
nothing is being pinned anymore it seems that isn’t staff generated.
things that have gotten support of people and staff in the past are ignored.
Just my not so humble opinion
My two cents worth: I really like it. I had been missing all of the interaction, with the staff on the forum, that we used to have. Was feeling kinda unloved. sniff
@Barney
/giphy purple hugs
@joelmw Aww… I miss you.
In my personal opinion there are too many of them too close together. Some increase is good, I personally think the increase is a little too much.
Since they have only been broadcasting flask threads they haven’t broadcast a non-flask one in a while. There are threads that, in the past, would have been broadcast and now aren’t. I’d guess that would influence how many people see it those posts. The other thing that is happening is that threads are getting buried faster which I think is a pity.
The impression I get is that the upshot of this is that the forums are being more controlled by meh choices since we now have a lot of flask threads. In my opinion that is a two edged sword. They are then driving the “flavor” of the forums overall, which may or may not be their intent, and may or may not limit the diversity of people who post here, and may or may not then eventually decrease the number of threads started by forum members… but it appears it has increased participation, at least for now.
In my opinion some threads are good and others not so much so or are not of interest to me but then again I never expected to like/be interested in all threads here flask or not. Of course we are free to ignore which ever threads we want.
I’d be curious why the sudden big increase in daily new flask threads since up until now first we had the @jonT input - which in my opinion was at something close to an optimal level and optimal type of thread/participation. He really (and some of the folks who came over from woot who apparently were active there) influenced the initial direction, culture, etc. of the forums. Then when he left we didn’t have enough flask input and there was some talk on the forum about whether or not the forums were dying. Then there was an small uptick in flask posts and also the then “new” suitcase folks who then became more involved. Now (in the last few weeks) it feels like, to me, a floodgate of flask threads that are dominating a bit (in my opinion) too much. Makes me wonder if this a new meh experiment, what the underlying goal is/purpose is of this new approach and presuming this is deliberate action of meh, if it is achieving what they had hoped (@snapster care to comment?)…
I am not so sure it is such a good idea to have quite so many of them, although having some - of the right kind - are good. Then again nobody died and made me king. Meh can do what they want.
At this particular moment in time, looking at the first 22 threads (stopped counting with the post prior to the new goat thread since usually a flask started one), 12 of them are flask started.
Things others have whispered to me make me wonder if there is a generational divide in who likes it and who doesn’t.
While I have read past the first post in a couple of them, I have overall found the topics boring and not worth my time. Had there been less of them, I might be more tempted to look down to see if someone not a flask had posted anything interesting.
So far most interesting comment I saw was someone saying that they’d like to see a dual between mediocre staffers. That tickled my funny bone
@Cerridwyn Is it old people that like it? That would include me.
@Cerridwyn @sammydog01 I wouldn’t have said “old” people, rather many of them are down a more narrow line of interests.
@Cerridwyn As an ornery old fuck, I feel compelled to point out that I’m pretty sure you meant “duel”. I mean, unless you think we should only ever hear from two staffers or some weird shit (and, really, if you meant something like that, it is certainly a weird fucking way to say it).
/giphy curmudgeon
@Cerridwyn @joelmw
Ditto. If someone is too lazy to give a crap about proper word usage, then I’m entitled to be too lazy to give a crap about how they feel about pointing it out.
Say what?
I noticed them, I enjoy them, and I cared enough about them to write support and express my pleasure with them (even if I did it in a trolling way). Aside from things like “Clipisode”, I don’t think they should be pinned though as they aren’t time sensitive or need to know.
I like posts that are engaging, that start a discussion where multiple people can participate or relate to, and ones that give me a reason to check back more than just reading the initial post and leaving a comment.
Bottom line me for: Before the influx in staff posts, I got bored a lot easier than I did with them when visiting the site.
Aside from things like shipping threads, I don’t recall many user posts getting pinned. If content is interesting, people will post on it, which will keep it at the top. The exception is the post I made with this image, made from many other images, that should have gotten way more attention because of how awesome it is:
@lichme nice work!
@lichme Now that is cool. They need to make a t-shirt out of that. I missed it when you originally posted it.
Hey @snapster you see that irk clickface above? You need to make a t-shirt out of that.
@lichme If there are ton of staff posts the sheer numbers cause posts to drop down. I’d imagine, especially if one is reading on a small screen phone scrolling down that far isn’t likely to happen all that often. I’d say staff need to think carefully about number, timing, and like you I’d agree don’t pin them unless they are a contest, or something special.
@Kidsandliz I pretty much only use meh on my phone. I can find new posts with no problem. It’s only been a few posts a day. If you’re here at least once a day, it would be no problem to see whatever is new.
@lichme I’d buy that shirt.
@lichme @ruouttaurmind So would I if it was sold when I had money.
@RiotDemon It isn’t just what is new, it is also what has new replies - and that is far more threads than a few a day. My count above somewhere was 12/22 of the first listed consecutive threads were flask started.
@Kidsandliz I still don’t have a problem finding those on my phone. Not sure what the issue is there.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@RiotDemon older 4 inch screen perhaps contributes to the problem?
@Kidsandliz just scroll more?
@RiotDemon Not worth it to hunt. Each to their own. In my opinion easier to do a major scroll on a laptop. The biggest issue to me though is balance between flask threads and user threads. The pendulum swung too far recently (again my opinion). Flasks can also contribute to user started threads and be involved that way (as some do). They don’t need to just start a thread and then (as some do) sit back and don’t contribute further. For the most part they don’t even star answers in their own thread. The later seems contrived to me (start a thread, hit and run - in my opinion if you start a thread you need to stay involved with it - flask or user). But then again, as I said before, no one died and made me king. Meh can do what they want and influence the threads/forum any way they want. It’s their company and their server space.
@Kidsandliz maybe the real complaint is that users don’t create enough threads?
@RiotDemon No idea. Likely meh has analyzed this out the ying yang, related it to sales, compared new vs occasional vs frequent posters… and that flurry of flask posts was not accidental. Be curious to find out but likely they won’t respond to questions like that due to strategic issues.
@Kidsandliz from what I understand, in the beginning there was a lot of employee driven stuff in the threads, then they got too busy. Now they have a bunch of employees again and have a little extra time to join in again. Not really sure why it bothers a few of you. I’ve read your points, but I still don’t get it.
I’m sure it helps drive sales because more time spent on the forum means more that you see the item for sale.
Keep’em coming Flask People. I like it.
@mfladd You’re a nut
I really hope this doesn’t deter the staff from making posts. They’ve been a lot of fun.
Yes, other posts get pushed down, but if no one is interacting with them to begin with, what’s really the difference?
Whether it’s the flasks, the goats, the poos, or anyone else posting; I’m gonna keep lurking, occasionally hearting, and infrequently replying.
Many days that’s the closest I get to social interaction. Thanks.
@Nate311 dito
I agree with all of the above…
but, hell, I’m easy and it’s Friday night and I’ve been drinking.
I think any thread that gets sufficient traction should stay on the front page, but maybe the broadcast thing is getting overused. Do we really need a broadcast thread every day? It seems to me it should be reserved for only occasional topics that everyone really needs to see (like maybe goat voting.)
Or the dreaded changes to membership.
/giphy VMP
@2many2no or helping schools?
@mehbee
Yes that would be nice. It was in broadcast mode the last two years mehricans did this.
@Kidsandliz @mehbee Yes, I think one of the hallmarks of meh is that we have actually become a caring and benevolent community, so this is important to many people here.
Of course, perhaps our defining characteristic is our high level of snark, but they seem to go together well.
No sarcasm is intended by any of the preceding and, no, I’m not still drunk. (Check back in a few hours)
@2many2no @Kidsandliz Snark and caring don’t cancel each other out…there’s no where that says you have to be GOOD to do good…lol…still sober?
@Kidsandliz @mehbee Yes, but I’m working on fixing it.
Meh
I think the staff posts and conversation starters are fantastic! It keeps things moving along and allows me to waste even more time here. Three cheers for the flasks!
(Disclaimer: My opinion should in no way be construed as ass kissing in an attempt to acquire a premium pallet of crap in the premiere IRK event, whenever that may happen)
No.
Yes.
I’d rather not say.
I like them. I enjoy these little glimpses into everyone’s world. I think staff interraction helps encourage the rest of us to play along.
I like them, but sometimes it does seem like there are an awful lot of them. Then again, I don’t always participate in the forum, so I may be imehgining things.
I am indifferent to the flask folks’ new fucking posts because I don’t notice them enough to form an opinion or emotion.
I do like some if replying or starring constitutes liking them.
/image flask folk new fucking posts
@eonfifty Now that is seriously cool that this comes up with that image backslash. We really, really need a t-shirt with this graphic. Free to VMP’s. Right?
@Kidsandliz Works for me. You should @ someone.
/image meh tshirt department
@eonfifty @Kidsandliz @narfcake
Mediocritee anyway?@eonfifty @Kidsandliz @PlacidPenguin
Mediocritee?
@eonfifty @Kidsandliz absolutely. Free to VMPs.
And for the non-OG VMPs, on your 1-year anniversary of continuous pseudo-VMP, you get an option on this shirt.
And, mehbe you lose the poop badge and reinstate the VMP badge.
I’m only here intermittently these days, fwiw. But when I do check in, I like seeing the flasks. Reminds me a bit of the good ol’ days when it seemed like we were more in touch with those fuckers that actually get a paycheck for this.
Here’s to ‘em.
/giphy cheers
I like seeing all of the ex-goats too. Those are the ones you have to watch out for, troublemaking miscreants.
/giphy mayhem
Yes. They are part of us. The flask people are as much a part of this community as you and I. Yes they should be encouraged to play here and have fun. We need to be more welcoming of people flasks and newbies.
What are flask folk?
@lseeber Mediocre Employees, they have a flask icon beside their username when they post/comment.
@lichme OOoohhhh… thanks!
Weren’t people lamenting a while back that staff weren’t around and posting like they used to??