Poll

Should there be more limits on who can post UPDATES in SpaceX

Yes
162 (50.9%)
No
156 (49.1%)

Total Members Voted: 318


Author Topic: Poll: Should there be more limits on who can post UPDATES in SpaceX threads?  (Read 33738 times)

Offline Lars-J

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How about a simple(?) filter for updates thread. If a post ends with a '?', reject it. Always.

Offline Joey D

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I agree. People should be allowed to post new information between launches but shouldn't be allowed to argue/theorize on launch day.  :)

Respectfully disagree.  Just one more "rule" for people to learn in a long and complex set of rules already.

* The forum has rules...check.
* The forum has active mods...and members who actively report problem posts to mods....check.
* Mods can and do enforce rules through moving messages and/or banning members...check.

Ultimately I don't see the real problem with the status quo....other than there being a slight uptick in moderation needed during certain events (since they tend to attract new users).

If you want to decrease entropy...you must impart energy.   The price you pay.  ;)
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 05:40 pm by Joey D »

Online chopsticks

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I don't know really.

This is what I think:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=53409.0

philw1776 referenced this above as well.

If authorized members are the only ones allowed to post in update threads, it should only be for launch days or other high profile events.

If my idea was implemented, regular updaters should be whitelisted from the warning. (Like Bocachicagal, RocketLover0119, Nomadd, StevenOBrien, etc.) Even people like Herb have occasionally commented in the updates thread by accident, and it can be easy to do if there's a dynamic conversation happening. The extra step would solve that I think. But only having whitelisted members to post updates seems like a bit of a reach. It might be better than the way it is now, but it seems like there could be a better solution.

Offline Joey D

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Yes. Several of the people saying no are frequent violators of the updates only rule. Joey D literally just had a post removed a few minutes ago.

Yes, I did have a post removed from an Updates thread.  And now I have learned exactly what an "updates thread" is and is not for.  Mod did his job....and I learned. 

So what exactly is the issue?

Offline cuddihy

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The issue is there are LOTs of people who have UPDATES threads on email notification. Very few notify on other threads like discussion threads.

Getting pinged constantly as people give their hot takes or nube questions in the updates thread makes notifications more like spam. It's nice if notifications stay update notifications so those who don't have time to troll forums all day can separate the wheat from the chaff.
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 05:43 pm by cuddihy »

Offline _MECO

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 More restrictions on who can post will just lead to an increase in elitism on this board. Updates threads usually only get mis-posted to the day of a launch campaign and even then it's just a couple of times. And the people who do it are always well-intentioned. It's not that big of a problem.
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 05:45 pm by _MECO »

Offline Joey D

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The issue is there are LOTs of people who have UPDATES threads on email notification. Very few notify on other threads like discussion threads.  Getting pinged constantly as people give their hot takes or nube questions in the updates thread makes notifications more like spam.

To be clear...you are going to get "spammed" by "updates" threads around event days no matter what....that's when most new posts (legitimate and illegitimate) occur.

The proper solution to this is to modify the forum software to specifically make an "update thread" recognizable and functionally different than an ordinary discussion thread.  Something that distinguishes it other than "hey...I put the text 'UPDATES' in the subject heading!" 

At the very least (as some have suggested) an official "updates thread" should come with a pop-up that specifically states the rules before starting the post.  You may even limit who can CREATE an updates thread to certain people...or you might require that all posts in updates threads be reviewed prior to posting.  (That comes with its own challenges though.)

However, if you limit who can post...you are going to limit the information that everyone ultimately wants.


Offline StevenOBrien

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There have been some great updates today from people who aren't regulars in the updates thread. It would be a shame to lose those if posting was restricted.

Offline OldSpace

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As a new guy to the Forum, I find it interesting but difficult to figure out rules even after reading the how to posts.  Just one persons comment.  Thanks

Online steveleach

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Yep, if for no other reason than it is probably confusing for the people who post in the updates thread without realising it is wrong (either they didn't check or didn't appreciate the rules).

Having your post moved, or having people reply to it in an entirely different thread, probably doesn't make sense if you didn't know you'd posted incorrectly in the first place.

And it's also likely to be a bit unnerving when you get shouted at in the forums.

And only a few people actually post updates in the updates threads anyway.

As for the "elitism" risk, I'd say that "there are rules that you are expected to know, but we'll just let you make the mistakes and then moan at you" probably feels more elitist than "there are a handful of threads that you need to earn the right to post in".

I'm including a pop-up warning under "more limits" by the way; I feel there should be more controls on posting to the updates threads, but I'm not fussed what they are.

Offline rickyramjet

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NO!!

The OP didn't say why there should be restriction on update posts, I'm assuming it's to stop unimportant posts and accidental posts that belong in the discussion threads.  But who decides what is unimportant?

I made the suggestion a long time ago when update only threads first appeared.  When you hit the submit button on an update thread a second confirmation popup should appear with the question "This is an update only thread, are you sure this is an important update"?  Or some other similar text.  Requires a bit of programming, but why not try it?

People talk about self-policing, but come on, we know that isn't going to work!!

Offline Rocket Science

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I voted yes and only during live events to L2 Members which helps support the site... Other times are fine and anyone can make a mistake from time to time... You can still post it to the Discussion Thread...

Edit to Add:
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 06:28 pm by Rocket Science »
"The laws of physics are unforgiving"
~Rob: Physics instructor, Aviator

Offline theebag

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No. Everybody should be able to add usefull updates. Limiting to L2 members goes against the open, helpfull and friendly nature of Nasaspaceflight.com which makes it such a great platform.  A kind of gatekeeping or reminder could be considered:

- Add a warning that you are about to post in the Update thread instead of the Discussion thread. (This is where I went wrong today, mea culpa.)

- Disable Quick-Reply in Update threads to add an extra step and limit impulsivity.
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 06:31 pm by theebag »
Floating around the globe.

Offline Pueo

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How about a simple(?) filter for updates thread. If a post ends with a '?', reject it. Always.

Alternatively, there could be a "passcode" posted in the first comment for the thread that you need to include at the bottom of your post or your post is auto-removed.  It would be a constant reminder for the regulars that they were in the Updates thread, and if they still forget then the post is auto-removed anyways so there's not need to publicly berate them.
However there needs to be some method of verifying the location of the passcode so newcomers responding via quotes still trigger the auto-removal even though the passcode is in the quote.

Another strategy, and I apologize to the mods because this would require additional work on their part, is on launch days set the updates thread so that posts are held for mod approval.
Could I interest you in some clean burning sub-cooled propalox and propalox accessories?
Forget drinking ethanol meant for rocket fuel, propĆne is the eutectic fuel mixture you can huff!

Offline RocketLover0119

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I voted yes and only during live events to L2 Members which helps support the site... Other times are fine and anyone can make a mistake from time to time... You can still post it to the Discussion Thread...

Edit to Add:

That’s just pay to win.....
"The Starship has landed"

Offline Steve G

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This site can be very intimidating to the non-rocket-scientist space enthusiasts. It should be open, and patient with we laymen. We shouldn't cringe every time we post something, wondering who's ego-fuelled teardown for the sake of them looking smarter, better, or superior to the poster. There shouldn't be limits on people posting. There should be higher standards of civility and inclusiveness and not to shun people away.

Offline eric z

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 I once posted the word "wow" during some EVA coverage and got slapped down. I was mad for a bit, but in retrospect
realized it wouldn't really contribute to the historic record of the event itself, which I feel is one of the site's great responsibilities. Plus over the years I've went from neutral to fan of SpaceX, but I certainly don't have the firepower upstairs to contribute much to any particular updates. Self-discipline is probably the way to go. :-X 

Offline pb2000

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I vote no. You'll get the same problem, but in reverse: people will post updates in the discussion thread and perfectly good posts will just be lost in the noise.

How about a simple(?) filter for updates thread. If a post ends with a '?', reject it. Always.

People post perfectly legit updates framed as a question all the time, that would never work.
« Last Edit: 03/30/2021 07:08 pm by pb2000 »
Launches attended: Worldview-4 (Atlas V 401), Iridium NEXT Flight 1 (Falcon 9 FT), PAZ+Starlink (Falcon 9 FT), Arabsat-6A (Falcon Heavy)
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Offline Pete

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I thought the Update threads were *already* restricted to updates by authorized people only?

Offline Pueo

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Yep, if for no other reason than it is probably confusing for the people who post in the updates thread without realising it is wrong (either they didn't check or didn't appreciate the rules).

Having your post moved, or having people reply to it in an entirely different thread, probably doesn't make sense if you didn't know you'd posted incorrectly in the first place.

And it's also likely to be a bit unnerving when you get shouted at in the forums.

Would the stray posters even see the reply in the different thread?  As far as I can the "notify" option tells you about all the new replies to a thread, and there's no way to filter it to just the people actually responding to your post via quotes.
Could I interest you in some clean burning sub-cooled propalox and propalox accessories?
Forget drinking ethanol meant for rocket fuel, propĆne is the eutectic fuel mixture you can huff!

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