4 ms·

That actually sounds pretty ideal. Add 3 people to your killfile, and you've removed most of the noise!

slyall 4y ago
That was the problem. The regulars had killfiles to filter out the problem users and topics but somebody new just saw lots of junk (and if they posted the trolls would be the first to reply). Thus nobody new joined the groups and they stagnated. I quit Usenet 20 years ago and if I look at them now some of those same trolls are still around. Or they have migrated to facebook/twitter.
- twiddling 4y ago
  having Michael Vandeman flashbacks
- javajosh 4y ago
  It is such a small improvement to simply share a killfile with new users. And it doesn't have to be a "bare" killfile - it could come with links to the posts that earned their place in it, if you were skeptical (and to avoid the inevitability that trolls would try to killfile the regulars in this way)
  - ninkendo 4y ago
    It’s an interesting thought for how to implement “distributed moderation” for a Usenet-derived (maybe something sitting on top of Usenet) discussion platform. “Moderation” can be implemented by a cohort of likeminded people by sharing and maintaining a kill file, similar to how mods on a subreddit determine who to ban. But they only are effectively “banned” for the people to trust that cohort and agree with their decisions enough to “subscribe” to their kill file. Don’t like that they banned too many people you want to hear from? Fork their kill file, or subscribe to a different cohort’s kill file. Make the UX good enough and it may be possible to satisfy the “free speech” absolutists as well as the people who want a well-moderated platform without trolls.
    - slyall 4y ago
      Pretty sure this sort of thing was proposed a few times. On the simpler scale People would even make pieces of killfiles you could copy. But like I said the problem was the new people. They'd open up the group see 90% junk and not bother going any further.
- NetOpWibby 4y ago
  So trolls just…persist? After DECADES?! This is extremely demoralizing.

That was the problem. The regulars had killfiles to filter out the problem users and topics but somebody new just saw lots of junk (and if they posted the trolls would be the first to reply). Thus nobody new joined the groups and they stagnated. I quit Usenet 20 years ago and if I look at them now some of those same trolls are still around. Or they have migrated to facebook/twitter.

twiddling 4y ago
having Michael Vandeman flashbacks
javajosh 4y ago
It is such a small improvement to simply share a killfile with new users. And it doesn't have to be a "bare" killfile - it could come with links to the posts that earned their place in it, if you were skeptical (and to avoid the inevitability that trolls would try to killfile the regulars in this way)
- ninkendo 4y ago
  It’s an interesting thought for how to implement “distributed moderation” for a Usenet-derived (maybe something sitting on top of Usenet) discussion platform. “Moderation” can be implemented by a cohort of likeminded people by sharing and maintaining a kill file, similar to how mods on a subreddit determine who to ban. But they only are effectively “banned” for the people to trust that cohort and agree with their decisions enough to “subscribe” to their kill file. Don’t like that they banned too many people you want to hear from? Fork their kill file, or subscribe to a different cohort’s kill file. Make the UX good enough and it may be possible to satisfy the “free speech” absolutists as well as the people who want a well-moderated platform without trolls.
  - slyall 4y ago
    Pretty sure this sort of thing was proposed a few times. On the simpler scale People would even make pieces of killfiles you could copy. But like I said the problem was the new people. They'd open up the group see 90% junk and not bother going any further.
NetOpWibby 4y ago
So trolls just…persist? After DECADES?! This is extremely demoralizing.