Like any of that's enough to fight the Dark Master. Bator.

Xander ,'Lessons'


Bureaucracy 3: Oh, so now you want to be part of the SOLUTION?  

A thread to discuss naming threads, board policy, new thread suggestions, and anything else that has to do with board administration and maintenance. Guaranteed to include lively debate and polls. Natter discouraged, but not deleted.

Current Stompy Feet: ita, Jon B, DXMachina, P.M. Marcontell, Liese S., amych


Kat - Jul 17, 2007 8:51:58 am PDT #9970 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

I think in all of this we should remember that the genesis of voting was to keep the imaginary people with the loud voices from skewing the consensus

What has happened instead is that a small number of loud people are still skewing it because the rest of us can't be arsed to form an opinion and we vote NP just to make the issue resolve. Or because most people are polite enough to think that an issue should pass if people feel passionate about it, that we want to give people what they want.

but if most people vote NP then they don't WANT.


megan walker - Jul 17, 2007 8:52:56 am PDT #9971 of 10001
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

most items have passed, but wouldn't have if a quorum hadn't been reached

Is this true, though? And, if it is, wouldn't removing NP have the same (but opposite) effect? That is, most items would effectively result in a "no" vote since they didn't meet the quorum?


Kat - Jul 17, 2007 8:54:01 am PDT #9972 of 10001
"I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret." Leigh Bardugo

Megan, with the difference of there not being a 6-month moritorum on the issue. So if it doesn't meet quorum it isn't resolved. It's still open for discussion.


Jon B. - Jul 17, 2007 8:54:05 am PDT #9973 of 10001
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

>Because: most items have passed, but wouldn't have if a quorum hadn't been reached

OK, I just checked the last six votes we've had, going back to August 2006.

  • Close Veronica Mars
  • Original Cable Programming thread
  • Non-Fiction TV thread
  • Temporary Experimental TV threads
  • Heroes thread
  • Premium Cable thread

In EVERY case, the main item on the ballot would have passed with a quorum even if the NP votes were excluded. In a couple of cases, the secondary items on the ballot (e.g. white-font rules), would not have reached a quorum, but (in my opinion), those are exactly the sorts of decisions where a NP vote makes total sense. For example, you want to close the Veronica Mars thread, but don't particualrly care whether it happens today or in the fall.


Sophia Brooks - Jul 17, 2007 8:59:04 am PDT #9974 of 10001
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here

What has happened instead is that a small number of loud people are still skewing it because the rest of us can't be arsed to form an opinion and we vote NP just to make the issue resolve.

I really think we should look into root causes and possible solutions if buffistas feel this way. That is, is it a perception issue, is it a new issue caused by people not understanding no preference in context, is that we are sick of all sorts of voting and just vote because of the moratorium, or many other reasons why people feel that way? Once we get to the bottom of that, we can make solutuions.

My personal experience is that I skip the vote if I just really, really don't care and that I vote no preference when I want the majority to get what they want. I understand that other people have different no preference experiences.


Frankenbuddha - Jul 17, 2007 9:00:23 am PDT #9975 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

...and we are quickly running out of blah-blah space here.

Go Mr. Rogers. Choose Mr. Rogers.


Jon B. - Jul 17, 2007 9:02:54 am PDT #9976 of 10001
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

Given that I've just PROVEN that NP votes have not affected the outcome of our votes, can we get back to naming the new thread?

Go Mr. Rogers. Choose Mr. Rogers.

What Frank said.


megan walker - Jul 17, 2007 9:02:59 am PDT #9977 of 10001
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

Megan, with the difference of there not being a 6-month moritorum on the issue. So if it doesn't meet quorum it isn't resolved. It's still open for discussion.

Yeah, I guess that's a pretty big difference. So, are the people who think there are too many "yes" results because of NP, hoping to force more people into voting an opinion, or hoping for more "no" results from abstaining (and presumably more discussion of the issue)?


Sophia Brooks - Jul 17, 2007 9:04:46 am PDT #9978 of 10001
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here

I like Job (for the thread name).


Polter-Cow - Jul 17, 2007 9:05:30 am PDT #9979 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

I'm not entirely sure I get it. Is it just because we're all so oppressed?