Posted by: UL7IM4 G33K
Im not really arguing the overall importance of this one feature anymore, but generally any feature that has member involvement in the main forums. We cannot even post topics in the gallery, so it has since become a stagnant wasteland. We can't lock our own topics because it "isn't our property" and "they would use it to end an argument that they are losing". We can't have signature/avatar images because people would put in vulgar images. We can't have post counts because it promotes elitism. We have virtually decimated everything that a forum is except for its basic function. And whenever a good idea comes up to improve member participation in the overall community, it is usually shot down with, "It will be abused".
1% of over 500,000 people may be a large number of people, but in comparison to the 99% that use it correctly it is a worthy compromise. No matter what it is we have, someone will abuse it. Just because one member out of a hundred is being an idiot doesn't mean that should ruin it for the entire community.
I know that diving in without really checking the depth of the water is sometimes a bad idea. But rather than jump in with all bets off, why not measure it with a meter stick? Test out a system in... say the Flood, General, or the Halo 3 forums. If it works out, move it up to all forums. If there are any problems, than take it down. Speculation is only speculation until it has experience to back it up, no matter how convincing that speculation is.
Now we're throwing around statistics and numbers, complete with percent signs! Awesome.
I always thought that a forum was about discussion, not pictures next to a name/under a post, not meaningless numbers, and not locking your own topics(you may find it pointless to keep open, but others might not).
Like many others have said, who are you to decide what's worthy of discussion? If nobody wants to talk about a subject, the thread dies. If the topic has gone completely off course, the moderators will lock it. Why waste time and effort creating this feature when what we have now works fine? Giving people this option is like being a half-op in IRC; completely pointless pseudo-authority.
[Edited on 08.04.2007 12:47 AM PDT]