@Robert Gentel,
Robert Gentel wrote:
Olivier5 wrote:....They'll just use cute words drenched in vitriol...
Sure, and that's why some of the changes simply need to be to allow for different lines of conversation to progress more easily. With one linear conversation toxic conversations ruin topics for everyone for example. Blocking too is something that will reduce the bickering in ways that no rule can as well.
I'm fine with the threads and blocking but keep my expectations low on their effect on toxicity levels. I trust human moderators more. They have a wider effect than meets the eye. As they say in chess, the threat is stronger than the execution. I mean that the threat of being banned from the site can have potent effects, even if very few people are actually banned. I also get that it's a bit like the nuclear option.
I think the mods should keep an eye on how newcomers are treated. They are often welcomed poorly.
I was about to point out that the site introduction blurb under "about us" was well worth updating but i see you're on it already. Me think we need something a bit funny and self-depreciating, while getting a shot at selling what you want to sell. I would say something of the long history of A2K, the original attempt at building a knowledge community, how it evolved into some sort of high-end forum, and mention a few typical thread subjects: the love sick asking for advice, philosophy and religion, world affairs and foreign policy, the word games, the occasional latin translations ... Also, in due time, a brief on the moderation policy and the basic tools to protect onself from "toxicity" (ignore, block).
