Let's all grow up...

I cannot express enough how much I agree with allenb on this one. I just started posting regularly on AO about two months ago. At first I was very pleased with the way the site was run, and still am for the most part. But I don't go to this site for lame ass children posting hate based messages and trying to make my way up into the elite part of antionline. I'm not here for recognition and I'm not here to deal with other people's insecurity problems. I deal with that **** enough on a daily basis to have to deal with it every time I decide to get online. When this first started occuring I thought it was a rather minor problem of just a few people, but every time I get on here I see two or three more members with large post numbers being banned. Not to mention only a few moments ago a read a post betweein rioter and JChosting trying to decide who was trying to gain the upper hand upon the other. One question......who the **** cares?! We've got people complaining because someone may not have used original code and others complaining that the accuser is actually trying to deface members. Since when did AO become a site of independent internet police officers? I'm on this site to learn, and I would assume that the majority of members are as well, and if you aren't here for that then you are nothing but a hindrance. So my advice is either post relevantly to the sites specifications and stop trying to make this the second generation, "days of our lives" or go waste your time on IRC.


edit: I want to make the last statement a bit more clear, before I get negged again about not being here very long by someone who obviously is lacking in comprehension skills. Notice the absense of the word "antionline" next to "IRC". Believe it or not, there is a reason for that. Why you say? Because the statement about IRC wasn't pertaining to antionline's IRC room, but to IRC chatting in general. Yes, I was expanding beyond the scopes of this site, into the much broader status of the internet. Sorry for all the sarcasm, but I was hoping the intelligence level here at AO was tipped off a bit more then that, or maybe it was just a simple misunderstanding. Either way, I hope it's very clear now.

y0 allenb, exaclty, you hit the hammer on the head. its extremely lame how ppl use the sys for "banning" other members. the people that do that either have to compensate for something with there antipoint power or have an inferiority complex. all im saying is damn , if you are as lame as to be threatened by new members or even old members that are doing betterr or worse than you, you shouldnt be able to use the internet, because you are always going to find someone better or worse than you. what i want is the old ao back, rather than it becoming overzealous and all. just a simple board like it used to be back in june and before ish where ppl can discuss security issues or hell, anything at all legal basically. come on guys, seriously, cant we all just please get along ;)

allenb1963, I want you to know that the following has absolutely nothing to do with you or your post:

Does it seem ironic to anyone other than me that when a newbie member who is frustrated with the AP system voices their opinion either here in General Chit Chat or in Site Suggestions the post goes suicidal faster than a lemming on downers, but when a senior member mentions the same problems with the AP system, they get so many green AP's that those legions of leprechauns drop dead from exhaustion? I'm tired of the double standard, and I'm tired of staying quiet about this. I've been here for quite a while, but I'm no where near overflowing with greenies. In truth, I never cared about the greens. I was just forced to care when people started getting banned for the stupidest reasons. I'd really like to just ignore the whole system, but I've gotten enough stupid and childish negs to keep me checking to make sure I never say anything too controversial in any of my posts -- I can't afford to lose any! In fact, I've gotten quite a few negs for the same stupid and juvenile **** that allenb is complaining about, but I've had to be tolerant becase I haven't had enough greens to speak out!. I love the AO community, but this is getting ridiculous. I got negged twice for telling some new user welcome to AO! It's easy as a senior/multi-green member to voice the problems with the AP system. You all have enough greens to voice that opinion without fear of being banned. I, for one, want to applaud some of the newbies with enough courage to speak up about the problems with the AP system. They're taking an enormous risk on this site in being banned, and they usually do by people calling them whiners. It's asinine! But there is hope. It's a rare thing, but it occasionally happens, and it happened to me once. After I got my 2 negs for welcoming the new user to AO, I was ready to drop this site. I logged on one last time, and to my surprise my greens were back. Here's why:

Quote:

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Making up for the negs you got in the Thank you post, you should not have gotten negs, and the post shouldn't have been suicidal. Deb

---

How cool was that?

This is not a plea to remove the AP system. I believe it has merit, and in most cases it works. The best and worst thing with the AP system is that it's stacked against new users. They have to work very hard to post quality items (great!), and be extra careful not to offend anyone, or it's the axe (suck!). It's just those few ignorant users who feel like it's an outlet for their tawdry revenge schemes because someone dared to (*GASP*) disagree with them. Hell, I welcome diverse opinions. Why the hell do you think I'm here day after day? To get a LOT of differing opinions about the widest range of topics I've ever seen in a forum. JP is doing all that he can to keep this system fair, but I think it's also up to the AO community (especially the senior or high-green members) to help keep the system working when they can. This is a plea to the AO community at large: watch out for injustly negged posts. Give greens when you see someone negged for no good reason. Protect your fellow members. They have just as much to offer this site as you do. Too many people are bitching about getting negged for no reason, but don't seem to care when others do. You're never going to get rid of the stupid people negging for no reason. The best thing you can do is counter that when you can. Show some pride in AO, and get pissed when someone takes advantage of it for their own personal gain. JP has made an awsome system, but it's one that requires support from all the members at large.

Amen, Roswell. That's about all I can say.

roswell to answer your question - ppl are going to be ppl. you give someone any amt of power, they can abuse that power if you want to. as the old saying goes power and money corrupt. well power can either corrupt or do good. the ap sys was intended for good, but also has one major flaw - Corruption. now with this corruption a user with power can either use it for good or bad. if you are a friend of someone bitching about someone, arent you going to support them? sure you could say no... but given popular soveignty in the situation if you so care to carry it that far, with its usage... you have to accept it. now if someone you dont know or dont like bitches, arent you going to be against them? of course y0. tis human nature. now apply the ap system to that and you have your answer.

er0k

I could not have said that better myself.

Regards
v/man:)

Excellent post roswell but I cant give any more AP's out today. Anyway regarding all these AntiPoint discussions I think its really starting to piss people off, there is like three threads like this and one is a debate about cheating for points. I closed one about the banned members also and I feel that a closed thread policy may stop all this Antipoint banter that seemingly goes nowhere.

This is not directed at anyone, in fact some of the posts have been great, good points but we all know by now that JP will change it his way, he will keep it clean regardless of our rantings, he just wont announce his plans.

I remember AO before AntiPoints, when you could post anything, I remember first joining and there was people like Seb-G etc. who would post random insults and abuse the community. Now before you think about getting rid the AntiPoint system think about the positive effects. When the system was introduced he was negged to hell. People realised his ways and JP could see he was of little value to the community.

He was banned.

Now the system has advanced and is still advancing, just give it time, its always getting better and if you feel you are getting negged unfairly let JP know.

Dont post in here saying:

I got negged unfairly...

So and so is cheating...

Ban Antipoints...

Etc.

Why, because its all been done before, we know about the faults...

Anyway this was a morning rant, hence it makes little sense.