Managing the volume of the Investor's Roundtable thread

[pz1975]

With this discussion happening now in the main thread, let’s try to come to a consensus here on how to reduce the volume of posts in that main thread. It is now to a point that I cannot keep up anymore and end up skipping 100s of posts every day. I have been here since 2013 and had never missed a single post (even if just skimming quickly) since then until this past week. I expect the volume of posts in the main thread to continue to increase over time unless something is done.

The best and easiest (for the mods) solution IMO is to limit the number of posts in the main thread per day for each user to a reasonable number like 6 (as was proposed by someone else in the main thread). They can post as much as they want in the other threads here and in the other forums, but a hard limit in the main thread should make a significant reduction in the useless/non-content posts that end up costing all the rest of us so much wasted time wading through.

I don’t think asking kids to delete 100s of posts per day will help because the posters who get deleted won’t care and will just keep posting at an unnecessarily high volume, and it adds a lot of extra work for the mods.

If you agree with the proposal above (hard limit of 6 posts per day per user on the main investor thread), “like” this message. If not, please post your proposal(s). Hopefully the mods can help us all to unburden the work required to keep up with our TSLA investments!

 

[bhtooefr]

Ideas that could all work:

• Rate limits (this will likely result in people combining posts)
• Remove the main thread altogether so people are encouraged to create new threads for new topics (needs moderator intervention to split and merge threads as needed still)
• Move to automatically-created daily main threads (may make it easier to keep your place, disrupts off-topic conversations)
• Have a way to flag posts as off-topic or unproductive (Disagree exists already, and I've used it as an "off-topic" at times even when I do agree with the post content)
• Some way to filter posts to only the best posts and direct replies to you
• Threaded discussion ala Reddit/Slashdot (not possible on this forum platform AFAIK)

 

[bdy0627]

I think we are seeing this problem primarily as a result of eliminating one of the main threads. Many people previously were not interested in the day to day market action thread and so used the general interest thread for general interest discussion. They no longer have that option now. I get that there was a lot of overlap with the threads, but isn't this solution much worse than what we had before when we had the two threads?

 

[bhtooefr]

I think it literally is just higher interest causing higher volume - the two threads were never split well...

 

[bdy0627]

I think it literally is just higher interest causing higher volume - the two threads were never split well...

I understand what you are saying, but with higher interest and more volume, isn't it even more important to split the threads up in some way to make them workable? I think a lot of us would say the current situation is just broken.

 

[bhtooefr]

I recall towards the end of the two-thread model, people actually started posting more to get their point across, posting the same thing in both threads.

I suspect the solution is really to not have a main thread. We have a whole subforum, use it. It's just that the volume in the main thread is so high that nobody has time to also read the other threads.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Straight trolling is creating a lot of the mess. Not the troll post themselves, but the responses from regular posters. Huge conversation going on right now about Maxwell's cash position and Tesla's. Completely pointless rehashing of things we've discussed a thousand times all from a guy who signed up today.

I vote you should have to be signed up and actively posting 3 months before you can post in the big thread. Would only calm it 10%, but it's easy to do and would take away the worst offenders.

Throw more trolling bans out there indiscriminately. 24hrs, a week, whatever.

 

[tander]

I think we should split the main stickied thread into 2 again like 2 years ago.

Thread 1 (market action): only posts relevant to TSLA, price action, etc.

Thread 2 (social): OT discussions, jokes, memes, etc.

I know it didn’t work perfectly last time but if people take half a second before posting, they should be able to select the appropriate thread and keep the signal:noise ratio much higher in the market action thread. Right now, it is awful and worse than it has ever been by an order of magnitude since I first came here in 2013.

I basically just skim the thread now and try to view each page in less than 1 minute. It is the only way to stay somewhat caught up now but I am probably missing some important info while skimming, but it is the only way to keep up without quitting my job or getting divorced.

That seems like a good idea, especially if venting/rooting could be adding to the social thread. It seems like a lot of posts end up being a) people venting b)bragging on an up day c) pumping the stock on a bad day. And unfortunately sometimes the really good/informative comments get inundated by the above.

 

[UnknownSoldier]

I guess I've never been to any Internet social gathering where people felt compelled to read every single thing posted.

I just skip to the last page of the thread and if it looks like interesting discussion I might read the previous page. Otherwise, it's whatever. It's not like reading every single post affects the stock price.

 

[vigleik]

I would love the following two features:
1) A way to flag posts as off topic;
2) A way to filter posts by number of off topic votes.

Is that feasible to implement with the current forum software?

 

[jbih]

I have implemented a filter that only shows posts with a specified number of upvotes. Counting 'disagree's and 'funny's is optional.

I have used this solution for several weeks now and it works very well.

My solution is unfortunately not easy to roll out to everybody, so I'm hesitating to publish it. I also think it would be more convenient to reimplement it in GreaseMonkey. Or, better, if it was implemented in the forum software.

 

[jbih]

An interesting side effect: My solution makes it hard to post or reply - resulting in much fewer posts from me recently. I only post or reply if I think something is really important. I'm guessing everyone is thankful for that

The killer feature probably is that downvoted posts simply don't show up. Something that happened a few times recently: Between 1 and 3 pages without any posts above my threshold (i. e. empty pages for me), and then one single post of someone complaining about some new troll spamming the thread. The thread was successfully de-spammed for me!

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Why can't this massive and endless FSD conversation be taking place in an automation thread in an appropriate forum? Rather than mods breaking out individual OT posts into separate Investor Forum threads, can we just warn OT posters on various topics once or twice, point to the appropriate forum, and then start deleting?

i.e. [Ctrl V] "This OT post has been deleted - Please move FSD discussion to [link]"

Might be easier for posters to get the message if one big OT item is targeted at a time. This week it could be FSD, force em all into the Autonomous Vehicles forum so we can build a robust conversation there. Would be much easier for interested part-time posters to follow.

 

[oneday]

I would propose certain topics be banned from the general thread similar to how politics is.
1. Demand
2. FSD
3. Anything else as needed
Give them there own thread

This right here eliminates 50-90% of all posts currently

 

[mblakele]

You’re no fun. This thread is like a box of chocolates. Scratch that. It’s like a gunnysack of chocolates and you got to stick your hand blindly in and hope you don’t pull out the fake jelly filled or tooth breaking one. But you can always throw those away and stick your hand in again. Once in awhile you pull out the cashew and caramel one. You can protect it like your first born or go to your closet and savor it all by yourself or cut it into pieces and share with your besties.

Anyone hungry? I’m suddenly very hungry.

More like this:

And the bran tub, which Nanny Ogg usually ran; it was a brave man who plunged his hand into a bran tub stocked by a witch with a broad sense of humor.

— Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
​

No fun? Try this modest proposal.

1. If you can't post on-topic, don't post in this thread
2. If you can't post anything nice, don't post at all
3. Don't reply to posts that break Rules #1 or #2 — no, not even if they posted first
4. Don't be this guy: xkcd: Duty Calls
5. If you want to reply but it might break Rule #1, reply in a new thread (hint: quote, create thread, insert quote)
6. There is no Rule #6

[reposted from the roundtable thread]

 

[bhtooefr]

For decades this limitation has been good etiquette for ham radio operators where they are contacting citizens of distant nations where politics and religious practice varies widely. Still works today.

...that gives me an idea. Not a good one, and not one that can at all be implemented in this software, but an idea.

Implement things as a net.

Have the forum software be "net control", check into the net, and then when called upon, post your comment. Replies to your comment then "QSY" into another thread.

 

[JRP3]

Has anyone notice the volume in the thread we are discussing has dropped? Problem solved?

 

[mblakele]

...that gives me an idea. Not a good one, and not one that can at all be implemented in this software, but an idea.

Implement things as a net.

Have the forum software be "net control", check into the net, and then when called upon, post your comment. Replies to your comment then "QSY" into another thread.

Oh, lots of things can be done in software. Maybe not in the software this forum uses, though.

I'm not familiar with QSY but a quick search suggests that it's a radio instruction to change frequency. So the idea is that every reply would generate a new thread? That's certainly possible in software. But how would readers follow a conversation?

Another software-based approach is to check new posts for redundancy and topic. Stackoverflow and reddit both do a little of that, to discourage duplicate posts. More could be done with the right text-analysis software, or perhaps a neural net. But that kind of software isn't perfect, so there'd probably have to be an override for users who know better. And some of those users would be wrong, of course.

Hmm, but maybe I'm going off topic here myself. All this is interesting to think about, but we should probably limit ourselves to solutions that can be reasonably implemented within the xenfora software that TMC already uses.

 

[mblakele]

Has anyone notice the volume in the thread we are discussing has dropped? Problem solved?

Could be. You don't think it's seasonal variation? We're getting into graduation season, wedding season, vacation season, etc., which leaves less time for TMC.

 

[mblakele]

That leaves us with a large blind spot since politics will affect the stock. We gain nothing by keeping our heads in the sand regarding an important topic. It may get ugly at times but we can't just pretend the topic doesn't exist.

You're absolutely right about the blind spot, but I think the solution is to talk about policies rather than politics. This requires a little care, that's all.

For example:

BAD: Trump just raised tariffs on Chinese imports, raising the stakes in the trade war. This will hurt TSLA because Tesla imports parts from China. Plus China will probably retaliate, hurting Tesla sales in China.​

Mentioning any politician or party makes it politics, and likely to start a distracting political argument. But we don't have to.

OK: The USA is raising tariffs on Chinese imports, raising the stakes in the trade war. This will hurt TSLA because Tesla imports parts from China. Plus China will probably retaliate, hurting Tesla sales in China.​

That's news about a policy change. As long as it's clear that we can't discuss politics, there's also no excuse for a reply that drags any particular politician or party into the discussion. Just the facts.

EDIT: I see @lascavarian posted pretty much the same idea.