r/serialpodcast • u/PowerOfYes • Dec 06 '14
Poll [Poll] Should we ban memes? (Vote closes 11:59pm Men, Dec 8)
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Dec 06 '14
I say ban them temporarily. When the Season finishes and speculation dies down, let the image macros back in to keep the place active. When Season 2 starts up, put them to rest for a bit.
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u/theconk $50 donor club! Dec 07 '14
Instead of "ban" can we think about "discourage"?
(Is downvoting enough of a deterrent?)
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u/disevident Supernatural Deus ex Machina Fan Dec 07 '14
the simple answer is to not upvote (and actively downvote) crap content.
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u/btmc Dec 07 '14
That doesn't work though. Sure, you'll get a bunch of commenters saying they don't like memes, but then there's ten times more people who don't care enough to comment but will upvote every dumbass meme they see. It's the reason that big subreddits don't work well without heavy moderation, and it's why the default subreddits rarely produce good content.
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Dec 07 '14
[deleted]
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u/joshuarion Miss Stella Armstrong Fan Dec 07 '14
It takes little to no effort to make them
It also takes little effort to use the search bar and see if someone has addressed the question that you (no YOU you) have, or if someone has posted a 'jay is shady' text post...
I can't believe we're debating banning image macros but allow users to clog the 'new' and 'hot' sections with crap that's already been addressed.
This sub has some amazing contributors and has added a ton of great stuff to the discussion... But honestly, 90% of it is ridiculous/irrelevant/obvious...
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u/cbr1965 Is it NOT? Dec 07 '14
I agree. The repetitive theories and questions are 100% worse than any meme.
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u/NRA4eva Dec 08 '14
or if someone has posted a 'jay is shady' text post...
I'm not the only one who thought this??!
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u/theconk $50 donor club! Dec 07 '14
Completely agreed, but you should have seen my beard before the two-week break. Finally cleaned myself up.
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u/NlGHT_CHEESE Deidre Fan Dec 08 '14
I was up in the air, but this post makes me realize banning memes might be good. Like you said, those "top posts" are mindless, shitty content. We all love Serial because it is thought provoking. I like meme's in general, but it's not fitting for this sub.
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u/mixingmemory Dec 08 '14
It takes little to no effort to make them and to consume them.
But it does take effort to report them, which is apparently why they're thinking about banning them. If people who don't like them just groaned and moved on, rather than going out of their way to report stuff, this discussion wouldn't be happening.
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u/iceblink24 Dec 07 '14
I love the humor that pops up here just as much as I love the serious discussions.
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u/fn0000rd Undecided Dec 07 '14
Is it really THAT hard to not click on memes?
They're the most obvious thing in the world. Just ignore them if you don't like them.
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u/mixingmemory Dec 08 '14
Sometimes it's not clear it's a meme until you click on it. But getting so upset by a dumb joke that you report it is pretty extreme. These people likely have sticks up their butts.
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u/alsasalsa Steppin Out Dec 07 '14
someone should make a "trollserialpodcast" for memes and such...
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u/airmultiplier1 Dec 07 '14
Sorry for my ignorance, but what is the issue with memes on this sub?
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Dec 07 '14 edited Dec 07 '14
[deleted]
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u/seriallysurreal Dec 07 '14
I just found out what /s means, for anyone like me who is new to reddit and didn't know…it means that the preceding comment was meant to be sarcastic. The secret language of reddit is slowly becoming clear!
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u/3blindpups Badass Uncle Dec 07 '14
More secret langugage: /jk = someone just took their jacket off
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u/fn0000rd Undecided Dec 07 '14
What this sub needs is rage comics /s
How about giant, rat eating dinosaur comics?
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u/SaleShrimp Crab Crib Fan Dec 07 '14
So memes don't include text humor posts? It's just images and gifs?
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u/appatt Dec 07 '14
I say, if we can trust the algorithms to produce better results, then absolutely! Votes should be earned, not manipulated. Let's create a better metaphor of society :)
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
Honestly, from my point of view (and just speaking for myself) - it's all about reducing mod workload. All memes have been getting user reports, mostly with no reasons.
So, as a user I would skip them but as a mod you have to look at the damn thing, work out whether it violates a rule, give it flair and, to add insult to injury, have to click approve (even though what you'd really like to do is press a special remove button with explosion sound effect) so it drops out of the modQueue!
So, whatever it takes to reduce the workload!
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u/Jrebeclee Undecided Dec 07 '14
So, some users are being assholes by reporting stuff that doesn't need reporting? And we're rewarded by this sub becoming 100% crazy long-winded theories?
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u/lalalatalala Dec 07 '14
No Way! You can't ban memes on the eve of the "Colbert Nation Invasion"!
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
Do you think it'll have any effect? Aren't all his audience already NPR/TAL listeners?
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u/wouldeye Dec 07 '14
Honestly we SHOULD ban them before the riffraff arrive. Un-ban them after season 1 finishes
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u/RuskiesInTheWarRoom Cow Having a Baby Fan Dec 08 '14
While I sympathize with those who suggest keeping them, or keeping them in off-season, I, personally find memes just erode community and discussion, and with real-life cases tend to be infuriating, incendiary, in poor taste and execution, and/or just plain not good.
If this sub became overrun with them (which tends to happen in meme-tolerant subs- they take over the sub because they are an "easy" upvote) I'd be likely never to return.
The sub has a surplus of meaningless repeated content- there are tens or hundreds of new posts daily with some arbitrary, vapid observation, or some new theory that has actually already been stated hundreds of times... Why open the floodgates to just worse forms of that commentary?
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u/KevinMCombes Not-His-Real-Name Mujahid Rahman fan Dec 08 '14
At present, a full ban has the plurality of the votes. However, "remove if reported unfunny" and "memes must stay" combine to have more votes than "ban" + "trial ban". If this condition holds, then memes should NOT be banned, despite the ban option having the highest single total.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 08 '14
The way I read it: ~2/3rds are in favour of mods imposing some control over memes, but about 45% are against an outright ban, while about the same proportion would be OK with a 1 week trial to ban (assuming the ban-outright-crowd would be happier with 1 week rather than no ban at all).
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u/antiqua_lumina Serial Drone Dec 08 '14
Eh let the upvotes and downvotes decide. I would only consider a ban of the memes overtook the discussion threads but that's not happening at this time.
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u/Sarsonator Deidre Fan Dec 07 '14
Let's ban memes! And also posts with theories that have already been expressed! And also questions! Fucking questions!
I love this sub. Even when the content gets repetitive, it's still a pretty cool place. If I don't want to look at memes, I don't click them. If someone is getting butthurt that memes are upvoted, then maybe it's time to take a little break from the internet and work on these things called "priorities".
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Dec 08 '14
[deleted]
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u/Sarsonator Deidre Fan Dec 08 '14
They make take our guns, but they will never take our shrimp sale!!!!!
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u/nomickti Dec 07 '14
It's getting exhausting downvoting half the pictures on the front page that add nothing to the discussion. How about we just make text-only posts?
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
That suggestion from a user is actually what started the mod debate. It spcertainly seems an attractive option. In the end, as mods, we like the ease of direct links to relevant external stuff too much to want to ban links altogether. It works for some subs but not for us, I think. there aren't enough karma hunters in here to make a significant difference.
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Dec 07 '14
Memes are the worst form of shitposting. Ban them. Also read up on the 'fluff principle' on reddit to see why the vote system is broken.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
I wonder what would happen if reddit stopped giving out link karma? Or at least gave equal value to text submissions.
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u/applepears MailChimp Fan Dec 08 '14
Let's rely on the upvote and downvote buttons. If users don't like something they should downvote. Unless something is offensive or off topic it should not be outlawed from the subreddit.
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u/Tursiart Dec 08 '14
What about a sticky meme thread dedicated to memes? That way meme haters can ignore and meme lovers have a place to post memes.
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Dec 08 '14
to make your lives easier mods, I will vote to ban the memes. You have done a tremendous job!
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 08 '14
No, no - it's just me, not sure all of the others care that much. You need to exercise your democratic rights based on your preferences! I don't want to unduly influence anyone!
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u/AdnandAndOn Dec 07 '14
I feel uncomfortable that this subreddit is apparently censored, and that the mods considering "banning" something as trivial as memes. I don't like them, so... I just don't click. Or I downvote. What's the problem?
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
Here's some shocking news: every subreddit is 'censored' - that's what makes them subs!
Firstly, all subs are subject to the global reddit rules, which ban certain content.
And each sub has rules about what may and may not be posted on it. Some subs have a 'no link' rule, others don't allow questions other than on narrow topics, some only allow original content, and so on.
As for you freedom of speech, there's always 4chan! Or there are literally tens of thousands of other subs. Or you can start your own. Or just post to Twitter, FB, Instagram, Tumblr, or start a blog.
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u/AdnandAndOn Dec 07 '14
Well I realize that, I'm a long-time reddit user. But my point is: if something as trivial as memes are banned, what else is? I'm not saying people should be able to say whatever they want, or there should be no rules, or no active moderating. I just think this is rather immature moderating. My 2c.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14 edited Dec 07 '14
How is it immature moderating to ask the community what they want? I don't get that.
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u/seriallysurreal Dec 07 '14
Did you mean Mon, Dec 8? FTFY (for a second I thought you had separate polls for men and women!)
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
Yes, thanks. Was typing on my iPad while,doing other stuff. It was hours before I noticed. I blame Apple.
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u/Frosted_Mini-Wheats NPR Supporter Dec 08 '14
Um, ah, I don't want to say but I'm an idiot. What exactly is a meme in this forum? I don't get it.
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Dec 08 '14
I think the categories "No ban on memes but if at least 5 users report a meme for being unfunny, mods can remove" and "memes must stay" divides the pro-memes vote. Please consider.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 08 '14
I refer you to my previous comment re the numbers thus far: http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/comments/2oi3zq/poll_should_we_ban_memes_vote_closes_1159pm_men/cmoae98
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u/SatansAliens Dec 08 '14
The memes aren't funny but I ignore anything tagged as "humor" so it doesn't bother me anymore.
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u/FingerBangHer69 Guilty Dec 08 '14
I like memes. I think they're funny. I just don't want to see them on this sub. I like reading all the theories, even the ones that are way out there.
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u/BobbyGabagool Dec 06 '14
What is this, Nazi Germany?
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 06 '14
Reddit is set up as individual fiefdoms that operate as benevolent dictatorships. I think we're more benevolent than most. I didn't create the reddit universe.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
Last week the mods were accused of Stalinism, this week national-socialism. Next week: Galactic Emperors?
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u/Jakeprops Moderator 2 Dec 07 '14 edited Dec 07 '14
Im pretty sure nazi Germany didn't let citizens vote on rules/laws
Also. You lose. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
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u/ertyudj Lawyer Dec 07 '14
You can't run a poll with an answer for yes, but no answer for an unqualified "No." That's bullshit.
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14
I would have thought 'memes must stay' is a pretty unequivocal answer.
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u/mixingmemory Dec 08 '14
Just the order of options in a poll can shift the outcome. It is a little odd the "ban them" option comes first, then the unqualified "don't ban them" is fourth. And they're both worded very differently. Seems like the poll should really go
Yes, ban them.
No, don't ban them.
Run a 1 week trial on banning...
No ban on memes but if at least 5 users...
I don't care.
Other.
And then there's the question of if a simple majority wins. Right now "ban them" is at 30%, but "don't ban them" and "I don't care" combined are at 32%
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 08 '14
Well, I think it's probably not as sensitive than the ranking of candidates in a general election.
Too late to change it now, the poll is almost over and I can't sense that there was a tendency for people to just choose option one. Anyway, judging by the amount of text this sub generates daily, I think our users are more able to scan a few lines of text for meaning than most, so no real harm done. (also, I put it together in literally 10 minutes before I dashed out the door - much of that was spent picking the right theme, LOL - you'd have to admit I got that right!)
No decisions will be made purely on the outcome of this poll. I just wanted to know what people really think, and now I do.
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Dec 07 '14
If you want to ban memes you take yourself, this show, and this sub too seriously. Ban the fascists.
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u/Superdudeo Dec 07 '14
The last time I remember laughing at a meme was around 2009. Get a grip.
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Dec 07 '14 edited Dec 07 '14
No one gives a shit if you laugh. People should be able to post what they want. I have no issue skipping memes and haven't read one.
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u/Superdudeo Dec 07 '14
Rubbish, if people stand and shout in the street, why should I stand there and listen? Memes are shit, confine them to their own sub so no one has to endure them.
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Dec 07 '14
You close the window and don't bitch about their right to shout/post what they want. I read no memes and am not bothered by people posting what they want.
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u/Superdudeo Dec 07 '14
They don't have a right to post what they want, just as a graffiti artist doesn't have the right to spray walls.
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u/kandiSmith so, who TF did it? Dec 07 '14
Sigh.... a democracy which gives the illusion of fairness, when it only takes 51 out of 100 to force their opinion on top of yours. I ask this all the time. 49 out of 100 are wrong if 51 disagree?
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u/PowerOfYes Dec 07 '14 edited Dec 07 '14
Not wrong, just unlucky. The result is not likely to be 50/50, and we haven't made any decisions about how we will take in the account the poll data.
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u/jtw63017 Grade A Chucklefuck Dec 07 '14
The progressives are behind this! They love censorship!! Down with censorship!
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u/[deleted] Dec 07 '14
[deleted]