02-08-2000 04:30									#1
	The Temple of Ming--What's With The Hypersensitivity in OT? Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I created a "Temple of Ming" thread in the OT, which was summarily closed after a whopping one minute. This response is entirely hypersensitive, considering the fact that Ming's appellation has recently changed to "Deity"--his rank had not been worth mentioning up to this point. If it is worth mentioning in his profile, why is it verboten to devote one thread to it?

Also, the thread was meant to be congratulatory. I think that producing 10,000 posts, the vast majority of which were of high quality, is a huge achievement and deserves approbation and recognition. I was trying to shed light on this achievement and was treated like a kid in response.

This sucks.

I can understand the reasons that the war against spam in the OT has been ratcheted up. But if you want to discourage people making a run at Deity just to see their name in lights, then you could start handing out fines for spam with greater regularity. As I see it, there are about 4 or 5 posters that cause most of the spam. It would only take a couple of massive post count reductions to make the point.

	02-08-2000 04:51									#2
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Here, I'll demonstrate spam, so that no mistake can be made...

THIS IS THE 10,000th POST IN THE APOLYTON FORUM!!!
<font size=1 face=Arial color=444444>[This message has been edited by DanS (edited August 01, 2000).]</font>

	02-08-2000 05:14									#3
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font>the vast majority of which were of high quality
<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

I calculate 142 posts involved the words "Case Closed" and 17 of them were in response to threads created by me.

	02-08-2000 06:03									#4
	Inflate your Upload Space

It was a thread about post counts and titles... Pure spam. It was deleted. It is that simple!

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Ming
CivII & Off-Topic Forum Moderator
Ming@Apolyton.net

	02-08-2000 17:10									#5
	Increase Your PM Length

It was a celebration. Just like transendence over on the alpha.owo boards, except with more significance. Everybody who transended got a thread.

I refuse to have my life modded to such a degree--you needed to cool your automatic machine gun and see how things developed. I'm taking a vacation.

	02-08-2000 17:36									#6
	Got spare money?

You will be missed, but your choice.

Any thread that says you should bow down to one of the members here because of their title is just pure spam, and the one post that snuck in before I deleted it proves that to be the case... it only would have gotten worse.

This isn't the alpha.owo boards


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Ming
CivII & Off-Topic Forum Moderator
Ming@Apolyton.net

	02-08-2000 18:02									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Just because a thread isn't serious doesn't make it spam (you are defining the term as you wish and then saying a thread is clearly spam). Further, just because there are posters who hang on and post inane one-line spam in certain kinds of threads, shouldn't mean that certain topics are forbidden.

As I have said in other threads, I can understand that Apolyton wants to raise the content level of the OT, but there are other, more positive, ways of getting it done. If you wage a total war against "spam," then you will have no posters.

Ah, I need a vacation anyway. See ya in a couple of months.

	02-08-2000 18:23									#8
	Remove this text

It has already been well defined that threads about post counts and titles aren't allowed because they are spam. This isn't a "new" policy, or just a matter of opinion. My actions were consistent with what has been done in the past, and what will be done in the future.

I'm sorry you see it as a problem... but the real problem was all the "hey, I'm a king" threads, or "this is my 1,000 post" threads, or "this thread only for King" threads, or the "bow down to us because we are emperor" threads.

So don't take it personal...



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Ming
CivII & Off-Topic Forum Moderator
Ming@Apolyton.net

	02-08-2000 19:01									#9
	Suffering from ads?

Yeh, I'm taking it personally somewhat. If we can't talk about post counts and rankings in at least a limited way in OT then why have them? Apparently, you were proud enough of your new status to make a profile change (and rightly so, in my estimation--10k is huge), demonstrating that the topic at least had a passing interest to some.

Lastly, I'm not arguing the consistency of the policy. I concede the point, but who cares, when maybe 3 or 4 posters will ever achieve Deity? At this rate, it will take me 10 years.

	02-08-2000 19:13									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font><font size=1>Originally posted by DanS on 08-02-2000 10:01 AM</font>
If we can't talk about post counts and rankings in at least a limited way in OT then why have them?
<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

you're right, DanS!

	02-08-2000 19:20									#11
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I will agree with you that only a few people will probably reach Deity in the near future, and that it should be considered special.
(unless it's just one of the spam artists )

However, put yourself in my shoes...

The thread was about me reaching Deity.
If I had left it open, people would have started accusing me of having a double standard... closing/deleting all the "post count" threads, but leaving the one about me open.

While "I" appreciate your congratulations thread dedicated to the subject, I had to close it on principle, because those are the rules I have been enforcing since taking on this job.

There have been threads where discussions of post counts and titles have come up. And I haven't closed them. But, usually it comes up in the general discussion of a thread, and not in a thread dedicated to the subject.

Whenever I see a thread dedicated to that subject, I just close/delete it.

Again, I'm serious when I say nothing personal. Your thread put me in difficult position. I loved seeing that somebody was willing to use their 8 hour thread to offer congratulations, but the rules say I have to get rid of it.

Maybe I should have posted my reasons, and then closed the thread so that you could see my reasons for doing so... For that I'm sorry. Maybe it was an error in judgement.
But again, since it was about me... I didn't want to be accused of double standards for leaving the thread up... even if closed.

But it wouldn't have changed the fact that those kind of threads aren't allowed...

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Ming
CivII & Off-Topic Forum Moderator
Ming@Apolyton.net

	02-08-2000 20:50									#12
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Ming: after being calmed down by an e-mail from GP (thanks GP), I can only say "you're right on all accounts." But nobody would have begrudged one thread on the subject, even if against the rules, considering that you ascended into heaven on the 2nd anniversary of Apolyton--it would have been attrocious if that fact hadn't been noted. Rules are meant to be bent in extraordinary circumstances...

Anyway, congratulations your deitiness! Are you going to change your name to Jupiter or Zeus or something?

Sorry about being so strident in my protests...

	02-08-2000 22:52									#13
	Suffering from ads?

You know... if it had been somebody else that made Deity first, I probably would have looked the other way for the reasons you state... But it wasn't...

Thanks for understanding. Sometimes, I'm just between a rock and hard place.

And as always... Thanks GP! He may not be posting anymore for now, but he is still with us. If you are ever in Chicago again, I'll buy you another drink

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Ming
CivII & Off-Topic Forum Moderator
Ming@Apolyton.net

	03-08-2000 01:32									#14
	Remove this text

Ming, why did you delete my thread in the Off-Topic?! I was just trying to post a link to <a href=/forums/"http:/www.angelfire.com/mt/DoH/picture.html">this picture</a> but Angelfire wouldn't let me. By the time I did fix it, you deleted the thread! Why?!


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	03-08-2000 11:20									#15
	Full PM-box? Change here!

A paradox: How can an organ be a spamming brain and a smart ass at the same time?

	05-08-2000 01:46									#16
	Remove this text

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font><font size=1>Originally posted by Ming on 08-02-2000 09:23 AM</font>
It has already been well defined that threads about post counts and titles aren't allowed because they are spam. This isn't a "new" policy, or just a matter of opinion. My actions were consistent with what has been done in the past, and what will be done in the future.

I'm sorry you see it as a problem... but the real problem was all the "hey, I'm a king" threads, or "this is my 1,000 post" threads, or "this thread only for King" threads, or the "bow down to us because we are emperor" threads.

So don't take it personal...

<img src=/forums/"/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

Just as a sidenote: Didn't everybody just love Jools's thread about Princes turning against kings ?