my view on UNRECs -- you know how people bring beach balls to concerts?

[nashville_brook]

do a search back into some threads from a few years ago and
maybe check some top-voted threads. there was more of a
feeling like when you're at a concert and someone throws a
frisbee or a beach ball and everyone cooperates to keep it up
in the air.

now imagine if at a concert someone playfully tossed a beach
ball...which they thought about enough to smuggle in,
btw...and they blow it up, excited to see where it goes and
how long it lasts...and the 3rd person who it went to, they
used their cigar to burn a hole in it -- then looked at you
and sneered. or worse, called you names for bringing that
stupid ball to the show.

that's what we have now. we've gone from Phish to GWAR. and
there's some people here who think it's a damn Celine Dion
show. okay, now i'm just being absurd -- i have no idea how
Celine Dion fits in here.

[sandnsea]

1. Actually it's worse than that

There are people rounding up their posse to beat the shit out of the guy who brought in balloons for everyone instead of beach balls.

[dave29]

2. she sang the theme song to Titanic, which this site sometimes starts

to resemble

[nashville_brook]

4. ah! good point!

[Desertrose]

5. You have a point...

but who really believes in icebergs anyway...

[nashville_brook]

6. has anyone ever seen one? i mean, REALLY seen one?

:evilgrin:

[Desertrose]

14. Not me...but then I live in AZ

:rofl:

[Blue_In_AK]

18. Icebergs? You want icebergs?

I think I can oblige.

[nashville_brook]

29. sweeeeeeeeeet!

[qnr]

51. Well, as an icebreaker sailor -- oh, nevermind, don't wanna burst the iceberg beach ball :) n/t

[QC]

23. I think this place is more like Lord of the Flies.

Except that more than just one person gets to be Piggy, of course.

[SidDithers]

3. An unrec doesn't destroy the beach ball...

it's more like a guy shouting, "Hey, get that beach ball out of my way, I can't see the concert!"

Sid

[Enrique]

7. I hate when people bring cigars to concerts

that's why I stopped going to see Robert Goulet shows.

[nashville_brook]

8. my ex used to ALWAYS smoke cigars at shows -- b/c it would thin out the crowd around us

he was such a douche.

[Desertrose]

15. and that's why he's the "ex" right?

I hate cigars too. Ugh.

[nashville_brook]

32. heh heh -- not even in the top ten!

i actually wrote a Salon piece about it (for Cary Tennis' column), and it became kind of a controversy b/c it was so outrageous some people didn't believe it. cigars were just a symptom of a larger problem that can best be summed up as selfishness...or, in a Salon-speak, "narcissism."

aging rock musician meets life's realities. sometimes it works out. sometimes you have to load your dog in the car and drive for a month to figure it out. and by "dog" I don't mean the aging rock musician -- :evilgrin:

[ProgressiveEconomist]

9. Great post, and especially on-point about the first few minutes of a new thread

My favorite threads used to be very recent posts with low reply counts and several positive recs.

I don't see nearly as many of those now, because apparently some habitual Unreccers scan GD repeatedly, to pounce on them at the very earliest opportuinity. Those kinds of posts are most vulnerable in their first few minutes.

Later, when they get to, say, 15 replies, and all positive recs have been canceled by unrecs, the fatal damage has been done. There's no way to tell them apart from threads that never had ANY recs, positive or negative. So they're unlikely ever to gain nearly as many views as they would have otherwise.

[enough]

10. This is a very good description of the way abuse of the un-rec does damage to the site. (nt)

[Desertrose]

13. Message control!!!!!

Works quite well, too.
Unfortunately.

[yurbud]

11. and this thread has been unrec'd! I rec'd it, but it didn't come up above zero

[Desertrose]

12. I know...me too....

and that was awhile ago!

[villager]

16. needless to say... this was unrecc'd by the tight-sphincter folks!

n/t

[nashville_brook]

34. and, check out the vibes of the announced un'reccers in this thread. proof meet pudding.

[Turborama]

17. Rec'd for the analogy and the fact the last sentence literally made me laugh out loud!

:rofl:

[villager]

19. as for Celine Dion: Yes -- many on this board now insist it's "edgy music"

as far as the analogy goes, so it fits perfectly!

[yurbud]

21. because she is one of the other clients of their PR firm

[obxhead]

20. It would be interesting if by hitting unrec the person was

forced to post into the thread why they did so. Fail to post at least something and the unrec does not get counted.

It could be an interesting experiment.

[nashville_brook]

26. it used to be, might still be, on KOS that there's a public record of recs/unrecs

so you could look and see who's who in terms of R's and U's.

[scarletwoman]

22. I would unrec Celine Dion with extreme predjudice.

Wait... What were we talking about?

[nashville_brook]

25. i got a little carried away -- :)

someone musta passed me a dutchie.

[NoPasaran]

24. Unrecced for whining about unrec

Now get you freaking beach ball off my lawn!

[EFerrari]

27. DU has been much more unpleasant since the primaries

and the unrec feature has simply been used the same way everything else around here is used. Skinner and EarlG could put a huge bowl of M&Ms in the middle of the G forums and people would find a way to use them as a weapon. :(

[nashville_brook]

30. that's an interesting idea b/c it reminds of the Valentine fundraiser...using a candy metaphor...

you know, where we get to give people hearts. i don't believe i've seen that turn ugly. that's one thing, at least. M&Ms, though...they are natural projectiles.

[EFerrari]

35. There was a group of posters that bought hearts

for a poster they didn't like just to upset him.

[nashville_brook]

44. that's an acceptable level of poo-slinging.

if it results in hearts...how bad can it be?

[pipoman]

28. I don't have a problem with rec/unrec

I just think it should be tied to a post. IOW, there should be a box for rec and unrec in the dialog box when you post to a thread. Just make everyone who wishes to rec/unrec sign in. I think a lot of the phantom unrec would disappear overnight with that feature.

[SidDithers]

33. Forcing a reply means you're being forced to kick a thread...

even if you think it's a piece of crap.

So, no, I don't support your idea.

Sid

[pipoman]

39. Sounds petty

nobody forcing anything. The divisive part of the unrec feature are those, apparently like you, who swoops in and unrecs a thread without explanation.

[SidDithers]

40. No, the problem is self-important buffoons who think they deserve an explanation...

They get their shorts in a knot because someone has the temerity to dislike their post without explaining why. Then we get treated to endless complaints about how their important and valuable opinion is being censored, their right to free speech is being impinged, and they've lost the respect and admiration of their peers.

Holy shit! Some anonymous poster on the internet thinks they're wrong. Big fucking deal.

Sid

[nashville_brook]

47. you shouldn't have to feel like you must silence your disagreement. that would be censorship.

you owe it to yourself, and the integrity of your position, to fully disclose your complaint. bonus points for further getting said poster's panties wadded.

[SidDithers]

49. And neither should I be compelled to voice my agreement or disagreement...

there's a perfectly good mechanism in place for me to vote yea or nay on whether I think a particular post should appear on DU's greatest. And I can choose to use it without needing to explain my vote. Smells like democracy to me.

Sid

[nashville_brook]

55. absolutely...and it's democracy as it's practiced here.

[nashville_brook]

36. i see what you're saying -- like a thumbs-up/thumbs down icon. if you R/U there's

an automatic post that appears with that icon.

it wouldn't necessarily have to kick the thread, although, that seems more fair to me than U and run.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. Analogy Fail

[DainBramaged]

37. Brain fail

:P

[Bunny]

38. Wow. Letting Unrec get you this twisted in a knot is really pretty sad and pathetic.

Perspective. Try it.

[nashville_brook]

41. heh heh...

i just read your journal. that's explain a lot. carry on, bunny. the lounge awaits.

[Bunny]

42. And you're full of over the top angst, nashville_brook. And all over something

as ridiculous as Rec/Unrec. Honestly, do you read yourself? Somebody poked a hole in your beach ball, and you're devastated? Wow.

[nashville_brook]

43. seriously, get a hold of yourself. you're fine, it's all gonna be okay.

[QC]

52. Looks like it's your turn to be Piggy tonight!

Stay away from Castle Rock!

[boppers]

45. My view on posts about a number with no real bearing:

0

[ProgressiveEconomist]

46. Interesting REC history for this thread: On the Greatest Page with +7 recs

a couple of hours ago, this very creative thread now is off the Greatest Page and shows ZERO net recommendations.

What changed?

[nashville_brook]

48. lounge invasion.

[scarletwoman]

50. You'd think they'd dig it. This thread has beach balls, cigars, icebergs, m&ms, and get off my lawn.

Tough crowd, I guess.

[QC]

53. This thread has no pictures of cats, though,

which pretty much ruins it for the loungers.

[nashville_brook]

57. the chic abides

[nashville_brook]

54. no boobies, tho. that's where it all went wrong.

:evilgrin:

[scarletwoman]

59. Hell, I can fix that! I'll just take off my shirt!

There! Boobies!

[LoZoccolo]

56. DU: BEST ONLINE GAME EVAR! n/t

[SidDithers]

58. +7...nt

Sid

[Bobbie Jo]

61. Winrar!

[villager]

60. Boy, this one really hit those Celine Dion-lovin' unreccers where they live!

Thus: Time to give it a bump!