My rant against the new lock rules

[ShaneGR]

Ok, I understand the idea for it. It keeps the garbage threads down and probably also helps the DU bandwidth. And god knows they've got enough tech problems to do with already.

But, I think it puts the mods in a terrible position.

EXAMPLE:
A thread was started asking for information on Harold Ford Jr. I think it was like two sentences. Seriously, how many sentences do you need to ask a question about Ford Jr.? Now I understand that there have been a lot of posts with really vague questions that could be viewed as disrupting threads. The problem is this 5 sentence rule, the moderators need to display some judgement on what should be locked and what should not.

[Bertrand]

1. regardless

I come to this forum to hear about popular progressive thought, not to be folded into the stream of DU-Approved Style. I can understand the concept of rules regarding a thread about breaking news, but this really needs to end.

[drdigi420]

2. agreed

I had to pad a piece of satire to keep it from being deleted, and the result was a flame war of massive proportions.

The 5 sentence rule is counter-productive like the war on drugs.

[BigMcLargehuge]

5. I witnessed that one drdigi

It was like throwing a copy of Gulliver's Travels into a garage loaded with oily rags.

Whew... I gave up reading at 250 some-odd posts. It was so vicious, in fact, I considered leaving DU for a while. However, considering the hair trigger reaction a select group of intolerant, thin-skinned reactionaries have to any post about belief systems as demonstrated over the last week or so, I was able to put the madness into perspective. The whole exercise really pissed me off though.

To be honest I don't think it was the padding that made that post erupt like Vesuvius, I think it was the flamable nature of the premise of the post. I know you meant it as satire, and that's how I read it, but the gang that should have recognized the satire went insane with rage.

Five sentences, one sentence, or one hundred sentences, I don't think it would have made an iota of difference.

[liberalnurse]

3. Maybe we should post in APA format too.

I have experience there.....

[Brotherjohn]

4. Agree. I wanted to post this morning on the new Pew poll results...

...but I really couldn't think of 5 sentences worth saying about them (other than they're great -- Bush down to 53%). I agree this rule will end up with ridiculously padded posts that end up being more inconsequential than whatever the mods are trying to prevent.

BTW, if they're trying to solve problems that cropped up before the forum was changed some weeks ago, they should consider going back to the way it was some weeks ago. There were never the delays, double-posts, etc. then. Now it seems this is always the case, and half the time, the GD forum is down.

I know you're trying, mods (and techies behind the whole thing). But maybe older is better. Seemed to work fine (for me anyway) before.

[bowens43]

6. It's a bad rule

that will do nothing but piss people off.

[newyawker99]

7. I am locking this thread.

Questions about Democratic Underground policies belong in the "Ask the Administrators" forum. All discussion topics relating to Democratic Underground policies, procedures, enforcement, etc., which are posted outside of the "Ask the Administrators" forum will be locked or deleted.


NYer99
DU Moderator