NEWBIES: No "favorite ..." threads

[The Coop]

Well, since it has vanished yet again, here's the third version of this thread.

For those of you coming here for the first time, this is just a friendly request to avoid making a "favorite remix/remixer" thread on this site. I'm sure you're wondering "Why?". Well, the answer is pretty simple. Those threads almost always degenerate into flame wars, as they have been done literally hundreds upon hundreds of times (and thusly, everyone is sick of them). Also, those threads usually get the same answers each time, and this can lead to hurt feelings... and yet more flames.

If you feel the urge to divide your OCR collection up into the "WOW!" and "HOW'D THIS GET ON THE SITE?!" categories, please do so on your hard drive, and not on the site itself.

Moderator edit:
We're broadening this to favorite/worst stuff threads in general. They have the nasty habit of causing flamewars very fast (along the lines of "U IDIOT TAHT GAEM/SYSTEM SUX BALLZ/IZ GRATE") Same goes for those silly "Who would win?" threads actually. There's no winners in those, only losers. Not to mention that in most cases it's impossible to determine who'd win, since it's all based on opinion anyways ;).


The Coop edit:

I noticed a recent comment by Hausdog, and felt the need to update this post. It's been a while since the first version of this thread was made, and I figured it's time to give a more in-depth answer as to why these threads are still frowned upon.

The reason OCR has a "No favorites" policy is two fold...

1- To avoid having the remixes be "ranked". The point of OCR is that all the songs posted here passed the judging process, and thus, are worth at least giving a listen. The site doesn't divide the remixes up by most downloads, most positive/negative reviews, or what have you, and by extension, it doesn't allow user made threads that do the same basic thing. Doing so results in remixes being ignored that might have otherwise at least been given a chance, simply because some people didn't like it, or because the remixer wasn't on someone's "OMG BESTEST" list. The goal is to have listeners... well, listen. And threads that name the same few remixers and tunes over and over as people's favorites pretty much fubars that concept, and results in mixes being passed over because no one mentioned them in "favorite remix/remixer thread #17597".

OCR wants you to decide what you'll keep by hearing the songs. Not by going with popular vote.


2- Favorite game threads, like the remix/remixer ones, have been done to death. Franchises like Final Fantasy have had so many threads asking which one was your favorite, it was getting to the point of being like the movie Groundhog Day. You'd see them and think to yourself, Didn't we just do this? Such threads are also prime targets for flame-fests, as the moment someone disses the franchise (which always happens), the people who like it come to their beloved series' rescue and go after the supposed heretic that besmirched their game's good name (which also always happens). Bickering starts, and the cycle is complete. While the site supports people being able to discuss the games (and game music) they enjoy, the generalized threads dedicated to things like "Favorite Final Fantasy game", "Best Sonic game", "Favorite shmup", "Favorite Chrono Trigger song", "Favorite video game babe", "Favorite RPG weapon", "Favorite video game series", and so forth, will get the boot.

Keep in mind, if you're new to a franchise that has a lot of installments, it's okay to ask people which one(s) would be a good starting point. If you're new to a particular genre, it's fine to ask for advice on which ones are worth getting. If you just picked up a system, you're free to ask for recommendations... especially if it's an older system that has a huge library of games. But if all you're wanting to do as ask people "what's you're favorite _______?", no matter how you try and word it, it will most likely be locked rather quickly.


So there are the essentials behind why "favorite" threads are frowned upon. If you want to talk about a particular game, you can. If you want to compare and contrast the traits of a couple different series, you can. If you want to know what game holds a special place in the hearts of posters everywhere (and why it does), you can ask. But if you're just interested in knowing things like what everyones favorite healing spell is, your thread'll get shut down. Not because the mods don't like you, but because you stumbled upon an OCR "no-no".

[ekm]

Non-remix Favorite threads tend to be frowned upon too, as we've seen with Favorite Snack Food this week. Some topics are neat, like Favorite Weapon/Item or Favorite Boss, but some judgement really needs to be exercised before you start one of these.

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

[Lizz]

Non-remix Favorite threads tend to be frowned upon too, as we've seen with Favorite Snack Food this week. Some topics are neat, like Favorite Weapon/Item or Favorite Boss, but some judgement really needs to be exercised before you start one of these.

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?
The vengeful ghosts of the old FAVRIT REMIXS threads, perhaps?
Yes, most favorites threads are looked down upon.

[The Coop]

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

I wish I knew. Even [-Smoke-] doesn't know what happened to the first thread, and I'm sure the second ones disappearance is just as mysterious.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with it not being posted in for 3-4 weeks, since that seems to be how long threads last in this forum. Maybe despite being a stickied thread, it still gets deleted due to inactivity.

[The Orichalcon]

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

I wish I knew. Even [-Smoke-] doesn't know what happened to the first thread, and I'm sure the second ones disappearance is just as mysterious.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with it not being posted in for 3-4 weeks, since that seems to be how long threads last in this forum. Maybe despite being a stickied thread, it still gets deleted due to inactivity.

We'll just have to remember to reply to it every fortnight or so.

[Smoke]

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

I wish I knew. Even [-Smoke-] doesn't know what happened to the first thread, and I'm sure the second ones disappearance is just as mysterious.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with it not being posted in for 3-4 weeks, since that seems to be how long threads last in this forum. Maybe despite being a stickied thread, it still gets deleted due to inactivity.

The second one vanished in less than 2 weeks. And Stickies aren't affected by the age of the most recent post, they stick forever until unstickied when too old.

[The Coop]

]Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

I wish I knew. Even [-Smoke-] doesn't know what happened to the first thread, and I'm sure the second ones disappearance is just as mysterious.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with it not being posted in for 3-4 weeks, since that seems to be how long threads last in this forum. Maybe despite being a stickied thread, it still gets deleted due to inactivity.

The second one vanished in less than 2 weeks. And Stickies aren't affected by the age of the most recent post, they stick forever until unstickied when too old.

And the mystery continues to unfold...

**plays "Unsolved Mysteries" theme**

[ekm]

A mystery? Perhaps. One that will go unsolved for countless generations? Most likely. Or perhaps it's simply a fact of life that has to be dealt with when you enter... the Twilight Thread.

[equiski]

Coop: why does the thread keep disappearing?

I wish I knew. Even [-Smoke-] doesn't know what happened to the first thread, and I'm sure the second ones disappearance is just as mysterious.

I'm wondering if it has something to do with it not being posted in for 3-4 weeks, since that seems to be how long threads last in this forum. Maybe despite being a stickied thread, it still gets deleted due to inactivity.

We'll just have to remember to reply to it every fortnight or so.

We could just talk about our favourite mixers to keep this bumped, you know :).

[The Coop]

Just giving this thread a nudge to potentially prevent deletion.

[Lavos, Devourer of Time]

I'd also like to add that there should be no "favorite console" type threads. Those always degenerate into fanboy flame wars anyway. The last n00b to post one got his thread locked (luckily it was after the mocking had begun!). Please, keep the forums clean and free of stupidity!

[The Coop]

Getting close to that infamous two week mark, so I'm giving another nudge to this thread.

And Lavos, I can see where you're coming from, but most threads about a favorite console are made on purpose by someone being a smart ass because it's a topic that they know will degenerate quickly. Favorite remix and remixer threads on the otherhand, usually get made by newbies that don't know the tiresome aspect of the topic on OCR, and wander into the fire unaware that they're about to get burned.

[Xenophule]

Keepin' this mofo alive, yo!

[Pyrion]

]The second one vanished in less than 2 weeks. And Stickies aren't affected by the age of the most recent post, they stick forever until unstickied when too old.

Then it's possible that stickies themselves have a time limit.

[Xelebes]

]The second one vanished in less than 2 weeks. And Stickies aren't affected by the age of the most recent post, they stick forever until unstickied when too old.

Then it's possible that stickies themselves have a time limit.

Threads get deleted after a month not 2 weeks, most of the time.

[Smoke]

]The second one vanished in less than 2 weeks. And Stickies aren't affected by the age of the most recent post, they stick forever until unstickied when too old.

Then it's possible that stickies themselves have a time limit.

Threads get deleted after a month not 2 weeks, most of the time.

Depends on the expiration time set for each separate forum though. Faster-moving forums benefit from a shorter expiration time to keep size down. And this forum is set to 3 weeks apparently.

[The Coop]

Whoa.

Just saw that the second "How To" thread here just got axed. Giving this a bump... just because.

[ScytheofDeath]

how to make sure your sticky thread ....(tehres a joke somewhere) doesnt get deleted

[The Coop]

Since it's getting close to that two week mark, I give a bump for the newbies out there.

[mrmoeo]

Holy crap Coop, you're going to break the 10000 limit.

Oh, and bumb for good measure.

[ajgunn225]

my bad, i guess you could call me a veteran listener but a newbie poster. I didn't realize that there was so much flaming on these boards of our remixing community. I was actually posting that topic in an attempt to find out what other people liked so that just in case there was something i hadnt sampled already, my search for good remixes would be helped along. In any case, I see good reason in disallowing such topics now that I've thought it through more. Thanks for not flaming.

[AbyssWyrm]

my bad, i guess you could call me a veteran listener but a newbie poster. I didn't realize that there was so much flaming on these boards of our remixing community. I was actually posting that topic in an attempt to find out what other people liked so that just in case there was something i hadnt sampled already, my search for good remixes would be helped along. In any case, I see good reason in disallowing such topics now that I've thought it through more. Thanks for not flaming.


Well, if there's something specific you were looking for, you could try more like "piano mix recommendations."

[The Coop]

And here's a bump to keep this thread from vanishing... again.

[Infinite HP]

Due to the recent "flux" (or "influx" or however you want to put it) of newer people (I prefer to use the politically correct term for "newbies" :wink: ) I am helping to preserve this thread/sticky by posting.

[Setz]

I'm not letting Coop get all the bumps!

[AmishNinja]

i realized that i created one of these threads but i do not have the option to delete it. what should i do?

[Smoke]

That's what moderators are for. We'll lock or delete the thread if needed. Editing the subject and first post doesn't make it all good again.

[equiski]

I posted a favourites thread and all I got was this lousy *bump*.

[The Coop]

Since we lost one of the sticky thread again, I felt the need to bump this.

[rem]

There is a very easy way to prevent favorites threads being made. Just sticky ONE "favorite remix" thread in GD. At several anime sites I frequent, people don't create favorites threads because one already exists as a sticky.

[equiski]

There is a very easy way to prevent favorites threads being made. Just sticky ONE "favorite remix" thread in GD. At several anime sites I frequent, people don't create favorites threads because one already exists as a sticky.

The problem is we don't want any favourite remix fullstop, as we don't want to hurt the feelings of remixers etc.

[The Coop]

A little nudging to fight off the deletion fairy.

[Smoke]

A little nudging to fight off the deletion fairy.

Look at the topic type again, these don't time out ;)

[The Coop]

A little nudging to fight off the deletion fairy.

Look at the topic type again, these don't time out ;)

OMG THERE IT IS!!!!

;)



Huh. I hadn't noticed that. I'm so used to these few threads being stickies, it had become almost instinctual to bump them after the last couple months. Nice to see they've been given a more permanent status.

[Axel B.]

Well, since it has vanished yet again, here's the third version of this thread.

For those of you coming here for the first time, this is just a friendly request to avoid making a "favorite remix/remixer" thread on this site. I'm sure you're wondering "Why?". Well, the answer is pretty simple. Those threads almost always degenerate into flame wars, as they have been done literally hundreds upon hundreds of times (and thusly, everyone is sick of them). Also, those threads usually get the same answers each time, and this can lead to hurt feelings... and yet more flames.

If you feel the urge to divide your OCR collection up into the "WOW!" and "HOW'D THIS GET ON THE SITE?!" categories, please do so on your hard drive, and not on the site itself.

Moderator edit:
We're broadening this to favorite stuff threads in general. They have the nasty habit of causing flamewars very fast(along the lines of "U IDIOT TAHT GAEM/SYSTEM SUX BALLZ") Same goes for those silly "Who would win?" threads actually. There's no winners in those, only losers. Not to mention that in most cases it's impossible to determine who'd win, since it's all based on opinion anyways ;).

Sorry to re-quote everything you wrote coop but i just want to agree on the fact that favorite topics do lead to flame wars and feelings being hurt. so pretty much, it's not a bad idea to ban favorite threads at all.

[Uberwulf X]

Kyo, you could've done the...

[Entire first post]

...method.

[RocketSniper]

Moderator edit:
We're broadening this to favorite stuff threads in general. They have the nasty habit of causing flamewars very fast(along the lines of "U IDIOT TAHT GAEM/SYSTEM SUX BALLZ") Same goes for those silly "Who would win?" threads actually. There's no winners in those, only losers. Not to mention that in most cases it's impossible to determine who'd win, since it's all based on opinion anyways ;).

NO MORE NINJA-PIRATE FIGHTS!? NOOOO!!!!

[Smedricksman24]

Those always tend to end badly.

[Chris 'Bill' D]

Two months since the last bump...
but meh

[Agonotheta]

Ahahaha, so this must be why I was banned. But mine was a joke. Maybe that means double-ban? Oh well, no regrets, learn from your mistakes, etc.

[SoloGamer]

I made a sticky. :wink:

I made a sticky.




On OLRemix.
Right, and who would you be, if you don't mind me asking?

[hazardous]

I'm surprised this thread isn't locked...I never you knew you could post in it...

[SoloGamer]

I guess it's just in case someone has any questions about the issue, they can post it here instead of making a new thread.

[RimFrost the Tourianist]

The bottom line is :

DON'T post any "My favorite FF game" type thread.

[the_bug]

Too bad my topic was locked.
I'll never learn about the wide range of music here thanks to you!

/end of sarcasm

I still love OCR :oops:

[Baruch, Vampire Lord]

I was reading this thread when suddenly it hit me. I JUST SPENT THE LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF MY LIFE READING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Today is a boring day. But yeah, any discussion about favorites always ends badly. You should have seen this one thread called "DRAGONBALL Z VS. LOBO" (it was on a different site) One guy had actually hacked one of the other people posting on the thread, found out their address, and threw a brick through the guys window that said VEGETA KICKS ASS, YOU STUPID M----- F-----! The only reason I know this is because the other guy threatened to retaliate. It was the funniest thing I've seen in years. Long story short, some nerds get way to worked up about those things.

[Broken]

Now would creating a "Wich______ do you reccomend" thread be looked down on? Do you think it would invoke flamming? You see I'm not sure whether I want a photobucket account or image shack to host my photos and such. (those were suggested in the image sticky)

I mean I've never used either, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. I just don't want to get banned for doing something silly.

[Childe Roland]

Now would creating a "Wich______ do you reccomend" thread be looked down on? Do you think it would invoke flamming? You see I'm not sure whether I want a photobucket account or image shack to host my photos and such. (those were suggested in the image sticky)

I mean I've never used either, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. I just don't want to get banned for doing something silly.

Not in this section (Tech Help/Newbies), where it really should be. In other places... it really depends on the maturity level of whoever is online at the time of posting. :P

[SoloGamer]

Recommendation threads, as far as I'm aware, are pretty acceptable. I see them every so often in GenDisc and even in UnMod.
And as for Photobucket vs Imageshack, I personally prefer Imageshack, since it allows bigger file sizes (1024 kb vs 250 with PB), and you can easily transload (http://imageshack.us/?uploadbyurl=ayes) an image from another site so you don't have to leech from their bandwidth. However, PB is more user friendly and makes it easier to share pics with other people by making your album public, like mine (http://photobucket.com/albums/v609/SoloGamer87/), for example.

[Ranorath]

I think your right even if the thread didnt start out as a recomandation, sometimes u see em in threads.
oh and it is now 12:50 A.M.

[RocketSniper]

Teh bump. This doesn't need to be deleted. Again.

Also, I use Photobucket simply because I already have an account there. Lazy? I think so.

[Smoke]

Teh bump. This doesn't need to be deleted. Again.

Also, I use Photobucket simply because I already have an account there. Lazy? I think so.

Announcements never get purged and don't need bumps http://www.megaman.net/pics/vsmiley.gif

[RocketSniper]

Well, since it has vanished yet again, here's the third version of this thread.

[Smoke]

Well, since it has vanished yet again, here's the third version of this thread.

It was a sticky before.

Now it is an announcement.

[The Author]

... I do believe the actual problem with favourite threads is that they are never delt with in that manner. Instead, they become "best ____" thread.

Look at the "All time hardest boss" thread. It is based simply on opinion and it has yet to become a mess of flames and insult. However, favourite threads are approached in the worst way possible.

For example, a bad favourite thread:

Topic: What is your favourite remix?

Content:

I think Bad Tuna is the best song on this website. I love it so much, it's my favourite, and it's better than anything else over here. So, who agrees with me?


Example 2, good favourite thread:

Topic: What is your favourite remix?

Content:

I have to say, mine is Bad Tuna. It was the first remix I heard and at that moment, I knew I loved the idea of videogame music remixes. Whenever I turn on my Ipod, I go straight for that song, and sometimes I even put it on repeat.

So, what is your favourite remix and why that one in particular? Also, do you do anything special when you listen to it?




See, this is how a favourite thread should be. The same tone should be kept all through the thread. The OP presents why he likes a remix in particular, he never claims it is the best, and he does not expect people to agree with him. You should not argue about opinions.

[DrumUltimA]

lol the other day i saw a "least favorite" thread :D

[SoloGamer]

lol the other day i saw a "least favorite" thread :D
And it was going along pretty smoothly before the lock.

[Monday]

lol the other day i saw a "least favorite" thread :D
And it was going along pretty smoothly before the lock.
I think that was mine.

Least favorite level was the topic. I think DarkeSword locked it though.


And it was going smoothly!

[Nineko]

Actually I think that it's not implied that a favorite thread always leads to flamewar, and I agree with Youkai's point.
Favorite threads about OC ReMixes should still be avoided, but who cares if we say that we love Marble Garden instead of Green Hill? I think that the Sega guy who drew those levels doesn't care at all :p

[Defend]

I'm surprised that its been two years and no-one has brought up a problem with this rule.

Its a remix site where people aren't allowed to discuss their favourite remixes.
In fact, people aren't allowed to discuss their favourite anything.

...

Is this the best solution you guys could come up with? Some users behave badly to others... so you ban all such discussion, for everyone.

Wtf.

[Arek the Absolute]

I'm surprised that its been two years and no-one has brought up a problem with this rule.

Its a remix site where people aren't allowed to discuss their favourite remixes.
In fact, people aren't allowed to discuss their favourite anything.

...

Is this the best solution you guys could come up with? Some users behave badly to others... so you ban all such discussion, for everyone.

Wtf.

Are you serious?
You can post your comments on what you think on any remix in the reviews section, where that stuff belongs. This thread's statement is saying that people should not make favorite's threads, like say "favorite ff" or "favorite badguy", things that would obviously start a flamewar. Nowhere did it say that you couldn't comment about remixes.....

[Defend]

Nowhere did I say that either. I wrote about people being unable discuss their favourites. I am crystal clear on the thread's topic - people can't make "favourite <anything>" threads. Exactly.

And if people want to talk about their favourite bad guy? Or their favourite remix on OCR?
You asked if I'm serious?

I understand the potential for flamewars, and banning all combustible material does work. Of course it does, its the easiest solution out there. Just outlaw any conversation in any such subject. Brilliant. Its like this topic belongs in PPR - keeping the peace by disallowing positive expression.

Flamewars annoy me too, but it boggles my mind to think that the solution thought up was to ban all the topics that might have a bit more emotion in them. Just keep it numb, yeah? Robust discussion is too much to handle so just do away with it entirely. No more favourites threads.

I can't believe that's the way everyone sees it.

[Arek the Absolute]

The volume of people this site gets that have the maturity level of an infant is greater than that of those with the maturity level that is required to have a discussion about your personal "favorite" of anything. They wouldn't instate this rule unless flamewars have occurred more than just a few times.

[Smoke]

The problem with a LOT of favorites threads is that most posts in them are limited to "<x> is my favorite" and that's it. No discussion, no useful input, and the risk of flamewars because in the end it's all down to opinions. Same goes for those "Who would win in a fight?" threads.

Remix threads are specifically disallowed because of the site's goals and rules. You may have noticed that there's no rating or genre system either.

[The Coop]

Defend- OCR has a simple mission- if it's on the site, it's "good". By "good", that means it passed the written (and any unwritten) standards of the site in terms of arrangement, production, etc. (or at least, balances those areas out). There are no 10s or 1s here, no ratings, no "favorites" play lists... just remixes that passed judgment. And really, that's all the OCR higher-ups want it to be from what I've gathered. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll like the genre chosen, or even where the remixer went with it, as that's going to be opinion-based. But favorite "remix/remixer" threads do exactly what this site doesn't... it divides up the remixes into rated groups. If the people running this site don't want this, why would they let the posters do it?

If folks want to break up this site's remixes into personalized "bad" and "good" sections, people can do that on their playlists. If they want to say how much they love a remix or remixer, they're more than able to do so via PM or in the given remix's thread. It's not about keeping people from saying how much they like a tune or person's style, but rather about keeping the site from becoming a mass of threads talking about nothing but.

Plus, one of the things about favorites threads is that frankly, they've been done to death. Unless the topic is about a movie, game or what have you that just came out, the same points come up every single time (and the same insults too). And when you're dealing with OCR remixes and remixers, the same people and songs come up over and over and over. And as somewhat unlikely as it may sound, after a while, these kinds of threads may even lead to people ignoring any remixes that weren't mentioned in any of the "OMG BESTEST" lists... and that pretty much defeats what the whole judging thing's about.


Basically, it keeps the bullshit to a minimum. No one's being silenced, or told to not say what remixes they like. They're just being told to put those comments where they belong. That's all :)

[CayleyGraph]

my bad, i guess you could call me a veteran listener but a newbie poster. I didn't realize that there was so much flaming on these boards of our remixing community. I was actually posting that topic in an attempt to find out what other people liked so that just in case there was something i hadnt sampled already, my search for good remixes would be helped along. In any case, I see good reason in disallowing such topics now that I've thought it through more. Thanks for not flaming.

I had a similar question; I wanted recommendations for works to put on a CD as a stocking-stuffer level Christmas gift. The question was vaguely answered by AbyssWyrm (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=10805), whom I did not recognize as an authority. I was hoping someone might give me a more definitive and specific response. If anyone has any suggestions for framing the request, or can tell me why I should not ask such a thing in this forum, I would appreciate that advice as well.

Thank you.

[Moseph]

I had a similar question; I wanted recommendations for works to put on a CD as a stocking-stuffer level Christmas gift. The question was vaguely answered by AbyssWyrm (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/member.php?u=10805), whom I did not recognize as an authority. I was hoping someone might give me a more definitive and specific response. If anyone has any suggestions for framing the request, or can tell me why I should not ask such a thing in this forum, I would appreciate that advice as well.

Thank you.

If this issue's still relevant, one thing you could do is consult the ormgas.com Top 100 list (http://oc.ormgas.com/toplist.php). The official OCR site might not track popularity, but the Ormgas list is as close as you can get to an official favorites list.

[Bozlifyme]

Myyyyyyyy bad.

[LuketheXjesse]

Some people might want to make a "my favorite music" thread just because they really want others to know about their musical tastes and just want others to experience songs that they are really passionate about. I always try to promote the music I listen to (look at my sig :P) because I feel like I listen to some of the best music known to man. And I hope to find even better music out there and, quite possibly, create better music.

But I must agree, however, that a "my favorites" thread can lead to pure disaster. I think these are the onle flamewar free forums I have ever seen. Probably well-moderated place.

[just64helpin]

I always try to promote the music I listen to (look at my sig :P)

That's such a silly way to promote music...

[LuketheXjesse]

Maybe so...I just like introducing new music to others to hear their opinions. Music is a fun topic of discussion for me. I've only got one friend who has a big appreciation for video game music though.

[SLyGeN]

No "favorite ..." threads....

unless they're relevant to Darkesword's interests (http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=495131#post495131) :<