I think we really encourage that shit with our attitude in the chat about that. Trolls engage in trolling to get reactions, of which they get plenty that are supplied by staff. I would sooner cut that behavior off immediately and without fanfare. The more boring that idiotic practice becomes for the troll, the better.

This is standard internet troll theory, and what I used to believe, but I've only rarely seen actual evidence of it.

In some cases it's true, but in general the main difference I see is that we get the same exact amount of trolling, but the staff members who have to deal with them get more and more miserable. Because we're getting a troll deluge either way, and it's not fun to deal with. The reason I allow a certain amount of fucking with trolls is to combat burnout.

It wouldn't work on the wiki, but no one's suggesting that.

I think a Mean Comments video or series of videos could be fun. We get dumbasses at a steady rate anyway, and I'm pretty sure we can deal with the minimal addition to the pile.

We might as well have some fun with it. I really doubt it'd change anything at all.

First, this could be cute. I took a look through my back catalog, such as it were, and I couldn't find much in the way of mean comments. I found some aggressive comments, most of them from people who are now staff. That could be a funny thing on its own, since that then makes it to where current staff are both dishing out the hits and taking them. So I think this has potential, even if I can't find a way to participate.

Second, I really don't necessarily buy the "if you comment on/react to X, then more X will happen". I don't care for decomms, but one of the arguments against their existence was that if you make bad articles funny, then people will make more bad articles. Now, I caught the very tail end of the decomm era, so I wasn't here for their zenith, but I can tell you, we still have bad articles. I've seen trolls show up and get positive reinforcement and adulation, I've seen trolls show up and get banned immediately, I've seen trolls show up and get lengthy interview-style educational conversations where we dissect their motivations, and no matter what response happens, the trolls pretty much show up whenever they feel like it.

Long story short: I don't think highlighting shitposts are going to make more shitposts happen. I don't think they'll make fewer shitposts happen. I don't think anything will substantially change the existence of shitposters. All you can do is discipline them when they arrive, which we do.

I mean, it's a bit like saying we can't have fun with trolls because it encourages trolling… except we ban for trolling, yanno?

That could be a separate thread, really. I think we really encourage that shit with our attitude in the chat about that. Trolls engage in trolling to get reactions, of which they get plenty that are supplied by staff. I would sooner cut that behavior off immediately and without fanfare. The more boring that idiotic practice becomes for the troll, the better.

Yes, I suppose we ban them in the end. Many of them then spend a bunch of time creating sockpuppets so they can come back and do their thing again, which seems to be met each time with about half an hour of "lol hey it's that guy again oh man so funny" reactions.

This is a dynamic that I don't really want to see on the wiki. Please find another way to be goofy.

Also this idea of kaktus' seems like fun, and the site is meant to be fun.

Also I think another way we could go about it is to post more often in the "staff fucking around in staffchat" thread. lord knows we goof off about ten times more than we admit to it already.

Also, I don't think anyone's ever said anything mean on my tales or articles. Stupid, yes. Mean, no. ;)

Users shitpost anyway, though. And it's against the rules. I mean, it's a bit like saying we can't have fun with trolls because it encourages trolling… except we ban for trolling, yanno? Not a perfect analogy, true, but still.

I also agree with this:

Note: There's a reason for doing this aside from being goofy. If we want to seem more approachable and break down this majestic glass barrier we've built around ourselves, doing stuff like this will go a long way to that end.

Also also: No risk, no reward.

Personally, I don't think this is really necessary for the site. Maybe an April Fool's or similarly slapdash thing, but it definitely shouldn't be anything regular or with extra effort invested in it.

But your comment now makes me concerned. Hmmm.

Also it strikes me as mixed messaging, given how much of an issue we've had with shitcrit lately.

/me goes to look for more fun things to kick in the balls

I dunno if you guys have seen these videos or not, but they're celebrities reading mean things people have tweeted to them on the Jimmy Kimmel show. It's fucking comical.

TroyL had a good idea, and I want to spearhead this project. Basically, we get as many people as we can to pick out mean comments people have written on their SCPs/tales, record themselves reading them, and I'll put together a video full of sad puppies or some shit. Imagine the mirth.

Anyway, if you want in, you're in. All you need is a mic, a way to record audio, and some mean things people have said about an article you've posted.

Note: There's a reason for doing this aside from being goofy. If we want to seem more approachable and break down this majestic glass barrier we've built around ourselves, doing stuff like this will go a long way to that end.

GAME ON.