What's The State of the Board?

[Lancecastor]

I am open to the possibility that you are an interested lurker of a year who is now moved by your amusement to reply to my posts.

My views on moderation at Lit are consistent and oft-stated; i.e. the owners of Lit earn a very tidy living using the forums as a way to corral traffic to referral fee-generating payporn sites, several of which are owned by the same people who own Lit...therefore, they should at least have the decency to pay for unbiased, non-involved moderators to ensure the quality of discussion at their cash-cow is consistent....allowing and encouraging volunteer mods to post their personal views and referee the proceedings is inherently poor form...and ultimately debases the facility and hence the earning potential of the owners.

"Friends" of the mods and the mods themselves will quickly disagree with my view and sometimes attack the messenger, as is to be expected and in keeping with the bias inherent in such a setup.

That's where amused, alleged lurkers like yourself come in....a real lurker wouldn't be able to spout off examples of people the mods had helped in real life, for instance.

I don't think, however, that you need to fear there being very many on the BDSM forum who will support my view as the forum is and always has been a closed shop since the day it was formed. Anyone who makes statements that are different from those espoused by the emotionally invested mods and their circle of friends will be marked and shunned until they leave.

And so, the forum gets smaller, more cloistered. Because it's important to be able to say "BDSM and Wifeslut" in the meta tags advertising this site, the forum will likely always be here; it'll just become increasingly irrelevant, with the more intellectually interesting posters drifting to the GB, for example, where there are more kinky people posting daily than are seen here in a week.

That's what I've seen happen over the past few years...and I think there is a direct correlation between that happening and the presence of faux lurkers like you.

 

[WriterDom]

Interesting question. From my point of view, I find the board to be much "less" than it was prior to the split. I find very few current threads that interest me, and continue to note that the "meaty" threads are those from the past that continue to get bumped and added to by newer members.

Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but it is interesting to note that there has been a drop off those on those with real time experience posting with any kind of regularity on BDSM topics.

~anelize

I don't blame the Cafe. The problem is about 50% of the threads in Talk belong in the Cafe.

 

[WriterDom]

Including this one.

 

[A Desert Rose]

I don't blame the Cafe. The problem is about 50% of the threads in Talk belong in the Cafe.

You know, WD and I rarely agree on anything but he has a good point here.

And for the record, I too, was opposed to the split in this forum. But that's ancient history now.

 

[Etoile]

I find many things interesting here, especially as a lurker much, poster little, but get the feeling perhaps that should change. I'm amused moderators are now supposed to 'rise above' personal attacks...never realised they were super beings without feelings. Not allowed to be human anymore? When did it become bad to defend yourself, or is this a BDSM thing I missed? Pity there weren't others who reached out to a regular I know from this board when they went through a bad time, but there was only one who took the time. If she is what represents bad moderating and nasty person I must have missed somethin. Add I see a real commitment and personal contribution to the board, not boredom as some others have described feeling. As I said, it just amazes me at times how some people think and act. Thankfully it seams to be few, not many.

So, care to share your former name with us? Since you've obviously been here longer than November 2003 and posted more than 9 times total.

 

[Lancecastor]

The Forum was split allegedly so the anal retentive nazis that kept prattling about keeping BDSM "pure" with only talk of actual skin to skin experiences could have an exclusive place to talk.

All that happened was the nazis went to kinktalk.com by themselves to form a gated community and the two forums here became less than the sum of their parts.

But at least it gave the mods here more to do...and that's important.

 

[WriterDom]

All that happened was the nazis went to kinktalk.com by themselves to form a gated community and the two forums here became less than the sum of their parts.
.

I thought that happened about a year earlier when cym and co left.


Didn't the split have something to do with one a thread being moved somewhere? A lance thread perhaps? I don't remember. Maybe MissT can shed some light on why the cafe was created.

 

[Etoile]

I hadn't even heard of kinktalk before, but I just stopped by (without registering) and I see lots of familiar names. What's the atmosphere like over there?

 

[Lancecastor]

KT is not bad; it's a lot like it used to be here insofar as the founders and original group are all there, so the discussion tends to be more towards actual experiences and personal issues, as the group is tight and experienced.

As you saw, lots of current Lit members are there too, but mostly ones that post on the GB or GL forums.

Because it's very small, the threads are very slow-moving.

WD, you're correct that Cym & Monster left before the Forum split....picky, picky!

And, you can blame Cym'sleaving on me if you like (many do) but in my discussions with Laurel and Cym at the time, it was clear that Cym's repeated blowups and quest for greater power to ban/bar people she didn't like was the root cause.

Hell, if she'd left after your fight with her, or Artful's...they'd be blaming you or him, so you of all people should be better apprised of Cym's reality, such as it was/is.

Stop being such a grump; it's unseemly.

 

[Etoile]

Heh, I notice they have an "Age Challenged" member group. Presumably for those who are suspected of being under 18?

 

[Daddyslilpet]

LOL.... yes that still cracks me up Etoile. Actually I believe the "age challenged" group was set up for those who wouldn't put in the required date of birth to be a member.

Yes I am at both places. Yes KinkTalk is a slower moving board. It is also not as restrictive as Lance would like everyone to believe. Membership is open to anyone who is willing to follow the rules there.

 

[Lancecastor]

It is also not as restrictive as Lance would like everyone to believe. Membership is open to anyone who is willing to follow the rules there.

It is not open to everyone as Lit is; therefore it is more restrictive.

Lancecastor was specifically banned there, for example, before I ever posted under that name. Remember the squeals when my name appeared under the Welcomes Our Newest Member banner?

So I took another handle and have been there since the beginning.

It is a gated community, policed much moreso than here, mein frau.

 

[Netzach]

I think it'd be fun to generate something vibrant and new out of BDSM discussion...but then again, I've always liked the new thing.

We're all ears.

Or was the vibrant new thing was some flame wars from like 3 years ago.

 

[Esclava]

You make a good point ,FU...kinda like the old "If you can't say anything nice..."

I'm not sure I necessarily agree....the cathartic therapy of shouting and kicking a few things around might help you meet your next partner for all you know...but that's away from the topic.

This thread is starting to sound like one of those "cycles of the forum" things...which always sound fatalistic to me.

I think it'd be fun to generate something vibrant and new out of BDSM discussion...but then again, I've always liked the new thing.

I've tried to adhere to the old "If you can't say anything nice..." adage; but I have been dragged into several flame wars and flamed horribly in the thread I created. Flaming only happen when people get passionate about something that has been said - whether insult or compliment; something agreed with or not - it's the passion that causes most of the flame wars. I, for one, think passion on a discussion board is a good thing.

So, Lancecastor, if you think it would be fun to generate something vibrant and new out of BDSM discussion, start the thread! There are a lot of new BDSMers on this board that don't know what is new and exciting in the world of BDSM because we are STILL learning the basics of this lifestyle.

We depend on those who have been where we want to go (and are living this thing that we hope to achieve) to teach us what it is we don't know. And, IMOHO, the well-established among you have a responsibilty to learn what is "new and exciting" so you can pass it on to the newbies - so we can learn it, learn how you learned it and pass it on to the next generation. Without that passing of the torch, the knowledge dies with whoever is too "bored" or "apathetic" to make the effort.

If you don't know how it feels to walk into a BDSM gathering as a single woman - alone - then you should be doing everything you possibly can to keep this board alive. If for no other reason - than so said single woman has somewhere to go when she needs a sounding board for what she is experiencing in the big, bad, kinky world of BDSM. (Edited to add something I think is better left unsaid once I saw it in print.)

Esclava

 

[FungiUg]

they should at least have the decency to pay for unbiased, non-involved moderators to ensure the quality of discussion at their cash-cow is consistent....allowing and encouraging volunteer mods to post their personal views and referee the proceedings is inherently poor form...and ultimately debases the facility and hence the earning potential of the owners.

Interesting.

Firstly, I'm not sure I understand the concept of "unbiased, non-involved." Do you mean like a computer program? (Hopefully one that doesn't share the programmers' biases.) Please explain this concept to me -- because to me it sounds like sour gripe water over the fact that moderators AREN'T super-human. Any human I know gets involved, and has biases.

Secondly - aside from your statement that allowing moderators to post personal views "ultimately debases the facility" I (personally) have seen no evidence of that.

That must make a "friend of the moderators" I guess, since I am defending them. I've found that in most cases where I have issues with someone posting, it's because that person has an "agenda", and normally a nasty one. Unlike you, I haven't seen evidence that this is the case with our moderators. So I guess I need to be shown the error of my ways.

I will say that I enjoy the forums. Yes, I'm a little bored at the content, but that is more to do with ME personally than anything else.

 

[Esclava]

<snip>I will say that I enjoy the forums. Yes, I'm a little bored at the content, but that is more to do with ME personally than anything else.

I, too, enjoy the forums. Fortunately, most HUMANS I know get involved, have biases and passion as well (what a combination).

FungiUg - I think if you can admit to being bored (even if only for the moment and for personal reasons), I can own up to being apathetic. As new as I am to this site, how could I possibly be apathetic? The simple reason is because I'm tired of having to self-extinguish every time I open my mouth. The more difficult reason is because I have deep, passionate opinions. They are VERY personal to me and when something moves me to issue one; it is usually thought provoking or gets under someone's skin. Which is fine - I'm a big girl and can take care of myself - unless it is a personal attack. Then, the defense mechanism comes up and ... well, you can see the vicious cycle that gets started more often than not.

Perhaps there were fewer flame wars "back in the day" because there was a suggestion or something (written or unwritten) to deter personal attacks that was adhered to by most posters. With so many posters in this new generation, I wonder if that deterrent is one of the "torches" that didn't get passed along.

Esclava

 

[Daddyslilpet]

It is not open to everyone as Lit is; therefore it is more restrictive.

Ok, as I stated, it is open to all who are willing to follow the rules there. And there are rules that must be followed or someone can be banned. The main one being to respect your fellow posters and not start flame wars.

Lancecastor was specifically banned there, for example, before I ever posted under that name. Remember the squeals when my name appeared under the Welcomes Our Newest Member banner?

Remember why? Remember how you upset them?

So I took another handle and have been there since the beginning.

And since that handle has followed the rules, have you been banned??

It is a gated community, policed much moreso than here, mein frau.

Agreed it is policed much moreso than here. It is a privately owned site, paid for by the owner out of the owners own pocket without dues to the members or donations asked for..... so they have the right to police it moreso than here if they so desire.

 

[Lancecastor]

My perspective on the BDSM forum is based on my time and interactions here, just as each of you draw upon your time and interactions in forming your perspectives.

With that in mind, I suggest that in discussing the state of the board there is no harm in anyone using comparisons and parallels based on past experiences here.

I'm not the sort of person to say my BDSM Mojo is more powerful because I have more posts or time in...I find that sort of thing lame. Likewise, I'm not interested in being told my point of view is not valid if I reference dynamics from a time before one or more of you were here to make a point.

Dixi, thanks for coming around to correcting yourself on KT being more heavily moderated.

FU, without the BDSM Forum being dispassionately or unmoderated, it's not possible for us to know if one way is better than another, is it? However, I do say two things in response to yours...first, it is certainly possible to be uninvolved and fair without losing one's humanity. Think of referees in sport.

Second, the General Board is unmoderated....threads are bumped up, sink down, are referred to, last two minutes, two years...and there is much more traffic and posting volume.

Less is more.

Anyway....so...what is the State of the Board?

 

[Netzach]

Have you ever been in a Yahell group?

Mods can kick you out because they don't like the way you smell. It's very fascist.

And yet, I know few people on the net who aren't in one or two of those.

Yes, it's very unfair. Pick self up, dust off, want a lollypop?

 

[MzChrista]

The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

[FungiUg]

FU, without the BDSM Forum being dispassionately or unmoderated, it's not possible for us to know if one way is better than another, is it? However, I do say two things in response to yours...first, it is certainly possible to be uninvolved and fair without losing one's humanity. Think of referees in sport.

Okay, I think you just proved MY point. *chuckle*

No, it's okay, I do get your point, BUT (it's a big BUT, I like big BUTs I cannot lie) a discussion is not a sport. There aren't any rules per se (or few) and what rules there are seem to be very open to interpretation. With sport, on the other hand, the rules are well known and well defined. So the comparison doesn't really work for me.

Second, the General Board is unmoderated....threads are bumped up, sink down, are referred to, last two minutes, two years...and there is much more traffic and posting volume.

Less is more.

Well, again I beg to differ. Less is less. I find it impossible to have a serious discussion on GB. It's fun to play around in, but for serious, I come back here. Why? Because GB always seems to drop into flame wars and personality clashes. Sure, we get that here as well, but it seems to have more of a signal to noise ratio; enough so that a discussion is possible.

The discussions I have seen on GB tend to be very un-thought provoking. People generally rant.

So... less is less. I will agree that there is more traffic and posting volume, but I'm not sure I agree with the implication that this is what marks "success".

 

[Lancecastor]

More posts equals more hits equals maintenance as the highest traffic erotic story site on the web equals highest referral fees for exit traffic equals more money for the humans or corporations behind the entity known as Laurel.

The success of Lit comes not from your individual experience but from the money made by the owner(s).

But enough of that...you folks keep saying you don't want to talk about stuff from days or yore...then keep yapping about it.

Anyone else have thoughts on the State of the Board ?

 

[FungiUg]

I certainly wouldn't propose doing away with the GB -- it's a living, dynamic part of Literotica.

But, so far as I can tell, so also are the two BDSM boards.

And diversity is part of what makes Literotica (as a whole) attractive.

That seems like a pretty healthy state to me.

 

[Kajira Callista]

stalks fungiug quietly

 

[Lancecastor]

1. Have you ever been in a Yahell group?

2. Mods can kick you out because they don't like the way you smell. It's very fascist.

3. And yet, I know few people on the net who aren't in one or two of those.

4. Yes, it's very unfair. Pick self up, dust off, want a lollypop?

1. No, never. Lit is my only online community. I'm not as invested in text communities as many I guess.

2. That explains the odour in this thread...

3. Fewplusone.

4. Perhaps you should consider alternatives to repeatedly being knocked down for candy.