General Bitching

[Glenn the Great]

Should we bring it back to stay? Vote seriously, please. A lot of people are truly wanting to see a return.

[Icey]

I think it might be worth a trial run. I'd like to see it back but I know there are some concerns about it, so if the (actual) staff is thinking about whether or not to bring it back, I'd think a temporary re-opening could be a good answer. If things go well, keep it open; if not, close it again.

[Pineconn]

If it's okay with a majority of the staff, I don't see any harm in it. If it's possible, the forum should be safeguarded by disabling the ability to give reputation within it or something like that. However, you wouldn't see much of me in GB if it stays.

I voted the third choice simply because I'm impartial. But if I had to vote yes or no, I'd say yes.

[Beldaran]

Maybe I'm just getting old and docile, but I don't see why we need a place to insult each other. It just encourages negative attitudes and exacerbates tension. If you have a real issue with someone, just put them on "ignore" and stop talking to them; because you aren't going to change their personality by screaming at them in GB like a pedantic child.

Then again, there's always some good humor to be had there. I don't know. I voted against it, but I am not passionately against it.

[Glenn the Great]

Humor *would* be kind of nice around here. Hence today.

[Skulkraken]

Wait. That was all a joke? AGH! I did all that for nothing. -_-;

[ShadowTiger]

One of the only real problems I've ever had with General Bitching is that you could start a thread about a concept, rather than a thread calling out another community member, .. and find yourself being flamed for your opinions, whereas all you wanted to do was gather similar opinions on the matter, similar to a flame-filled debate thread, but one sided. Essentially a private riot army confined to a single thread. :p Those are actually pretty fun.

So thus, you've got all types of threads that could go into GB. I'll try to list a few off m'memory.
Member against member.
Member against group.
Group against member.
Group against group.
Member/group against Group.
A WTF thread. Yes flaming others.
A WTF thread. No flaming those not involved.
Generic Coliseum type threads.
If my Wii had sufficient visual space, I'm sure I could find the effort to expand upon each of these. But basically, GB should have the option of either being able to flame everybody there, or being able to flame nobody there. Some people want half the GB experience, without all the messy "Hurty Feelingy" aspect. (.. .. ew, @ term used.) Those people wouldn't flame a soul, but still have gripes a bit too inflammatory for GD about something that they need to get off their backs, and when people join in to discuss that with their own complaints, why, .. that feels just as good there as flaming a person to those who enjoy flaming others, or something.

Apologies for my poor grammar; I have taken several heavy coconuts to the head today. Apparently.


So yes to a new, ordered GB. No to the old "I'll flame anyone I feel like and I don't care if they started it or not or want to get involved" GB.

[Dechipher]

I like GB. If you want to have a real conversation go to Think Tank.

[Russ]

I say no, it should not return.

[vegeta1215]

Maybe I'm just getting old and docile, but I don't see why we need a place to insult each other. It just encourages negative attitudes and exacerbates tension. If you have a real issue with someone, just put them on "ignore" and stop talking to them; because you aren't going to change their personality by screaming at them in GB like a pedantic child.

Then again, there's always some good humor to be had there. I don't know. I voted against it, but I am not passionately against it.

I feel the same way.

[Gleeok]

I wasn't a member here when there was a GB forum, so naturally I'd like to see one. What could go wrong?

Man, are april fools at AGN always like this? :p

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I would like to see it make a return as well. Under some new pretenses would be cool.

Edit: Lol, my avatar is still funny. Stupid April Fools.

[Prrkitty]

I totally agree with Bel... BUT...

Much as it's generally a negative filled area... there are those that need a place they can go (if they want and have the post count) to piss, moan and groan about things in a way they can't in any other area of the community.

GB fulfilled that need.

[Zaphod Q. IX]

...a place they can go (if they want and have the post count) to piss, moan and groan about things in a way they can't in any other area of the community.
GB fulfilled that need.
It's also a lot of fun. :sb:

[phattonez]

It also gave AGN a lot of its personality. It needs to come back.

[Zaphod Q. IX]

It also gave AGN a lot of its personality.
That it did. I loved General Bitching. I may be a bit biased though. ;)

[Mitsukara]

It's not my favorite thing ever but I think it's an integral part of AGN and removing it has always been dumb. But perhaps I'm mistaken.

What would be a lot more interesting and weird, if hard to do, would be a special forum accessible to banned members.

Such a thing shouldn't be visible to new members; maybe a post count limitation or somesuch, with exception for if you're banned.

In this den of epic failure, the banned could speak but not be seen by new members, not be involved in the main community, and be easily ignored if one chose to do so.

I think this would be interesting and useful to the community structure of AGN. Jackasses you don't want hanging around, don't want to see or mess with, could still play in a little crib off on the side, where the interested old regulars can talk to them or screw with them or whatever.

Such a forum should have similar rules to GB, so it would be drama-packed, but you could have the drama hidden away out of sight and not interfering with the real forums.

Not sure if anyone would be likely to go for that, but I think it'd be beneficial for a few main reasons:

(A) Humor
(B) If someone is genuinely interested enough for whatever reasons in contacting an old banned member, it gives them a better chance of finding them
(C) People who screw up the functionality of AGN's community, but are old and beloved parts of AGN's community... in an infamous and probably disliked way... who are stubborn and want to hang around, could, but in a heavily limited way. This would theoretically help hold AGN together better instead of making it seem alienating to old regulars who pop back in and say "what the hell happened to so and so? Oh, he was a jackass and got banned, okay. Hey man, WTF's up, lol whatev".

Or so I envision it. *shrugs*

[erm2003]

I started posted a bit more in GB by the time it reached it's latest demise. It was fun, but I agree that it could get really out of hand. I am in favor of GB returning if we can set a more clear set of guidelines. As Prrkitty said, I think we do need a place to go and gripe and unwind. It doesn't mean every single thread needs to turn into a flame war even though that may happen anyway, but I believe getting things off your chest is a good thing as long as you do it in a proper way. So I am for giving it another chance.

[Gleeok]

So the staff is really considering bringing back General Bitching? I wasn't here in the past, so I'm not really sure what kind of drama took place there, but I think that there might be a benefit now of knowing what caused GBs downfall initially and putting in some rules to prevent that. ....gah! I'm basically regurgitating posts already made using different words. Goodnight everyone, and Happy April Fools Day! i love this day

[FirstWizZedd45]

Coming from someone who was not posting when GB was up, but was a spectator. General Bitching is highly entertaining to read! Definately bring it back.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Coming from someone who was not posting when GB was up, but was a spectator. General Bitching is highly entertaining to read! Definately bring it back.

You have to have more than 100 posts, or it will not matter anyways. :-p

[Breaker]

We could bring back GB and just not allow members to flame eachother. It can be a forum to bitch about everything BUT other members. Flaming can still be against the rules.

[AlexMax]

why not just get rid of flaming rules in general and draw the line at out-of-board harassment

forums are generally more entertaining when people are allowed to speak their mind without worrying that they're going to get banned because someone might be offended

[ctrl-alt-delete]

We could bring back GB and just not allow members to flame eachother. It can be a forum to bitch about everything BUT other members. Flaming can still be against the rules.

Or...if they wanted to bitch about something, they could post it elsewhere if they were not wanting to be flamed.

Or...they could tag their thread as being [Flame Proof], meaning they just want to bitch and nobody can flame them.

GB will not be GB without the ability to flame. I live off of, "I hate brekkar!" threads.


why not just get rid of flaming rules in general and draw the line at out-of-board harassment

forums are generally more entertaining when people are allowed to speak their mind without worrying that they're going to get banned because someone might be offended

That would be a really nice way to draw in members, but something tells me it would be way too much trouble. A ton of spam would rise from that.

[Gerudo]

So it looks like quite a few people want to bring GB back, but then are bitching about how the forum would work. How stupid.

Let it be how it used to be. If people are retarded enough to click in, and bitch about the content there, make it an infraction. People don't really have a reason to bitch about eachother anymore, only because a significant majority of us have "grown up" together, so to speak. Alot of us have known eachother for what, like 5 or 6 years? Maybe more?

Well sure, put GB back up there, but I agree with Breaker. Members don't need to flame members, as well as we don't need any of that [Flame Proof] stuff. Ranting has always been restricted by the courtesy of not littering it with curse words because of a possibly few younger members and whatnot. I really believe that nowadays that people won't make douches out of themselves like they would have a few years ago.

tl;dr
If you can't bitch in General Bitching about anything that is pissing you off, then why have the forum in the first place?

less IHM, moar QQ. thx.

[phattonez]

It seems like we're making it too complicated. There was always the warning that goes something along the lines of "Don't like it? Don't click in!" We should let all flaming go; if someone gets offended, well hey they had a fair warning.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

So it looks like quite a few people want to bring GB back, but then are bitching about how the forum would work. How stupid.

Let it be how it used to be. If people are retarded enough to click in, and bitch about the content there, make it an infraction. People don't really have a reason to bitch about eachother anymore, only because a significant majority of us have "grown up" together, so to speak. Alot of us have known eachother for what, like 5 or 6 years? Maybe more?

Well sure, put GB back up there, but I agree with Breaker. Members don't need to flame members, as well as we don't need any of that [Flame Proof] stuff. Ranting has always been restricted by the courtesy of not littering it with curse words because of a possibly few younger members and whatnot. I really believe that nowadays that people won't make douches out of themselves like they would have a few years ago.

tl;dr
If you can't bitch in General Bitching about anything that is pissing you off, then why have the forum in the first place?

less IHM, moar QQ. thx.

Lol...love the edits.

I agree with whoever posted the TL;DR.

There is no real reason to bring it back if we cannot bitch about whatever and whoever we want, whenever we want.

Besides...it is way more fun to be all..."Blah. I totally hate that asshole user, Poj..."

[Zaphod Q. IX]

We could bring back GB and just not allow members to flame eachother. It can be a forum to bitch about everything BUT other members. Flaming can still be against the rules.
That would be boring.



GB will not be GB without the ability to flame. I live off of, "I hate brekkar!" threads.
Indeed.

[Prrkitty]

I think War Lord decided to remove GB because the negativity was bleeding into all areas of the community.

If and when GB comes back, at this point I think we're all old enough to make sure that doesn't happen again.

[Freedom]

The definition of insanity is trying the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
;)

[Beldaran]

The definition of insanity is trying the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
;)


Like praying? [obligatory signature "Beldaran" troll]

[phattonez]

Can I make a flame thread about Bel now? You know that we've all been waiting for it.

[Gerudo]

Lol...love the edits.

I agree with whoever posted the TL;DR.
those were my edits. ;p you must have seen it before i editted it again. i think if you do it in less than 60 seconds after it wont show the edit message.

[Freedom]

Like praying? [obligatory signature "Beldaran" troll]

Or like your mission to make everyone else as blind as you are. ;)
Don't you ever really wonder what the driving force behind your obsession is? ;)

[Archibaldo]

I think GB has been gone long enough. Let it come back. We've had a long enough time with out it. Theres a hole inside that can only be filled by GB.

[The_Amaster]

Yeah, it was before my time, but I've heard the legends. Why not?

[ShadowTiger]

Here's a phenomenally stupid idea: A GB for flaming the concepts, and a GB for flaming the members.

The first thread in the latter can be about how stupid this idea is. =D

[DarkDragoonX]

I'm fairly neutral towards GB, myself. While I've never really had any problem with it, over time you start to see it start to leak out a little into the other forums. There's no real harm in opening it up again, though. You can always close it later if things get out of hand.

[Beldaran]

Don't you ever really wonder what the driving force behind your obsession is? ;)

Whatever it is, at least isn't a 2000 year old magic carpenter who walks on water and lives in another dimension! Because that would be crazy.

[Zaphod Q. IX]

Whatever it is, at least isn't a 2000 year old magic carpenter who walks on water and lives in another dimension! Because that would be crazy.
Don't forget his father...
"...an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money." -from George Carlin's bit on God.

[rock_nog]

Whatever it is, at least isn't a 2000 year old magic carpenter who walks on water and lives in another dimension! Because that would be crazy.
Come on, Bel... Independent thought isn't for everyone. I mean, all these people running around, apparently completely dependent upon other people telling them what to do and what not to do... Who knows, take away that control, and we might end up with a few billion people running around like chickens with their heads cut off :tongue:.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I know one thing...if there is justification for closing down GB because of stuff leaking into the other forums...

Then there is justification to closing down Think Tank(more specifically the religious debate forum), because that has definitely leaked out to the other forums.

Just an observation.

I love GB. I want to see it back. Forever.

[AlphaDawg]

General Bitching was great fun and I'd like to see it stick around. I just wish some of its older content was still around (like my Shit Lists, my roasts, AGN vs. ZCN threads, and anything else amusing I can't remember right now).

In any event you'll likely see a kinder, gentler AlphaDawg in GB this time, as nobody's really pissing me off right now.

[AlexMax]

That would be a really nice way to draw in members, but something tells me it would be way too much trouble. A ton of spam would rise from that.

Uh, like how?

[ctrl-alt-delete]

Uh, like how?

New thread: Alexmax sucks! Lulz! Discuss.

That is how.

Just because it has always been your character to flame randomly...does not mean that would work out for the community as a whole, no matter how much you and a few other members would like it.

Not everyone wants to be wide open to being treated like shit just for posting a question about a videogame.

[AlexMax]

New thread: Alexmax sucks! Lulz! Discuss.

That is how.

Just because it has always been your character to flame randomly...does not mean that would work out for the community as a whole, no matter how much you and a few other members would like it.

Not everyone wants to be wide open to being treated like shit just for posting a question about a videogame.

are you saying that you are incapable of dealing with retarded spamthreads?

okay, maybe the creation for general bitching for specifically venting on specific people might be a good idea, but calling an idiot an idiot in a normal thread shouldn't be cause for HOLY SHIT BE NICE TO PEOPLE NO FLAMING ALLOWED overreaction.

also do you care to point out a specific example, because you seem to have one in mind.