One of the interesting things about this thread is that it demonstrates that various users have very different experiences of SI.
I agree completely. Some threads are very businesslike and others atrocious.
I also haven't seen much of that posting OT with impunity. On most threads I read, folks identify their OT posts and recognize that they should remain limited.
I see posting OT and just adding the ***OT*** or some such warning as posting with impunity. That is, they know it's wrong but do it anyway because they've indicated it's OT.
While I prefer threads that stay on topic and are very businesslike, I don't like those where a minority make it their business to police the thread to try to achieve the purity they seek.
I personally have no problem (I used to but I've matured, I think) with a little banter because it creates a friendly atmosphere and I prefer to converse with friendly people than with those not so friendly.
I agree it can, and does on some threads, get completely out of hand. I was looking to add a feature which would, at my whim, enable me to enjoy the banter or ignore it, based on my feelings of the moment, or my time available or whatever criteria I wanted to use.
If you are right that a button would increase OT posts, then it would not have done what I was seeking and may indeed create a bigger problem than it solved. I'm not convinced you're right, but you certainly could be.
I see the beta as a chance for SI to try out some of the proposed new features, especially the controversial ones, and get some experience on how they work in the real world. If they don't work out, kill 'em.
If you had the button, you'd get the same flurry of arguments when a poster doesn't use it and another thinks he should and posts a complaint.
That's probably true if the checkbox was ignored frequently, but I have no reason to think this would happen, except by those whose specific intent is to disrupt a thread. |
