Hi, guys.
I've been MIA the past few days with an avalanche of schoolwork. I came back only to find this issue coming up. I knew it was only a matter of time before this stone became turned over.
Look, people are always going to have different opinions on any given matter, both in real life and on the internet. It's amazing how much heat can be generated by lovers of a theme park. That is what makes this site so great: everybody here loves Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Dominion, and/or Busch Gardens Tampa for one reason or another. This is the place where I can come to talk to other people like myself who share the same passion for the parks. I love talking to you all about the good and the bad that happen at these parks that we are all so passionate about.
The problem is, I find it difficult to talk about the parks I love when some members find it appropriate to treat the forums like Facebook. Most of you should know that I for one love humor; it makes even the darkest of times better. Some comical relief is absolutely fine. However, I did not join this site so I could talk about movies, Dr. Who, or the saaammee jjookkkee ooovvvverrr aaannnddd oovvvveerrr again.
This site was created for one sole purpose: a place where true theme park lovers could build an online community. And to build a community, you can't only have people posting paragraphs upon essays upon practically novels of opinions, ideas, and passions about the park. I get that. You need a place just to socialize, to learn some more about each other, to break the tension. I get that.
Unfortunately, I think people take it a bit too far, as Pretzel Kaiser has already highlighted. There comes a point where you know you aren't posting those jokes, those annoyingly goofy one-liners, those same memes and GIFs in order to add to the discussion. There comes a point where this stuff becomes worthless garbage, total spam that only clogs up the Unread Posts page. Some of you might know when you're taking it too far, but my guess would be that 90% of you don't even realize what you're doing is annoying and pointless to the rest of us.
I'm going to single out the Whovians for a minute. Please don't take offense; you're not alone. However, there is a group of about five people (you know who you are) who continually talk about Dr. Who, and maybe five or so more who tend to post every now and then about the show. The problem I have is that only these people care about this topic. Everybody else has to avoid it like plague and it just clogs up the discussion. This is applicable both to the entire thread about Dr. Who and the one jab into a topic that quickly avalanches on on-topic thread into another Dr. Who thread. I did not join a Dr. Who forum, I joined a theme park forum. If that's what you really want to talk about, you should go here:
http://www.thedoctorwhoforum.com/
It's just as distracting when someone posts something that sorta-kinda fits the topic but still adds literally nothing to the conversation. For instance, I've seen on numerous occasions in the Kings Dominion boards, deep in the middle of a deep discussion, someone posts nothing more than something like, "I don't like Kings Dominion, so I can't comment on this issue. But I still don't like it." Why even post, then?!?
These two types of posting are, in fact, spam. Nothing good comes out of it.
You still don't have to write paragraphs to fix this issue if your posts typically fall into these categories. It's just a matter of what I call "high-quality" posts vs. low-quality posts. Example:
"I want the Southwest booth. I don't care if it fits the theme or not."
vs.
"I would prefer the Southwest booth. You may disagree with me, but I think good food comes first over theme for a special event. A Southwest booth would be good because[...]"
These posts contain the exact same opinion. One post is high-quality, one is not. I hope I don't have to hold your hand and tell you which is which.
I think the "Thanks" system gives you a good idea of how high of quality your posts are. I can't speak for other people, but I thank posts based on how thought-out, genuine, or helpful the post is; not whether or not I necessarily agree. For instance, Netdvn one wrote a nice, long post about why he likes Scott G. I don't agree personally, but his post was full of justified reasons and logic, which I appreciate. So I thanked it. The "Thanks" system, in theory, should tell you how popular your post (not your opinion) is. Your post doesn't have to be an essay to be good. I've seen plenty of amazing posts with the point given across in just a few sentences.
Then again, spammers think alike. Someone posts about Dr. Who, the other Whovians thank it.
Look for a variety of people who like your post. The more the better.
Again, some humor is fine. Once Luke brought up what the turtles would think of the new Rhine bridge. I literally laughed out loud. I love that post, so I thanked it.
It's as simple as this. Think long and hard before you hit the "Post Reply" button. If you think what you're posting adds to the discussion, then post away! If you have to second-guess, then don't. It's for the good of the site, for those who truly care.
Thank you.
