Com2Kid's Journal: LISTEN UP, how to fix Slashdot NOW

For all you whiners and complainers, this is a how to of how to SHUTUP and start fixing things.

Problems:

1. Too many ignorant people who don't know what they are talking about poke into technical discussions on the front page.
2. The circle (jerk) has gotten too calm.

Solutions:

1. Wield the -1 moderations like a clue-by-4. If someone says something that is wrong, DOWN MOD THEM. If you lack moderation points at the time, YELL AT THEM. I remember when I first came on /., I was hardly said damn nearly anything, for fear of getting down modded AND flamed if I was wrong. Bring that attitude back to the .!

   Amongst the Circle, a good number of us have mod points at any one point in time. If we uniformly post links to idiots who are wrong, we can spread the word: Stupidity is NOT rewarded.

2. Stop being so nice to everyone! If you are going to say something that will piss someone off, so be it!

3. In closing, I would like to say that /. has a level of free speech that does not exist in ANY other online community. This is best exemplified by how hard it is to get banned from /.

   Yesterday, I saw a user who's signature line was "Be a patriot, shoot a republican."

   That line would get a user banned from ANY other form on the web. I have been banned from forums for saying far less incendiary things than that! On /., no one even bats an eye, no one flames him over his sig, and no one posts angry retorts. /. has that feeling. NO ONE ELSE DOES. Even SA has stricter rules than /. does.

   Don't leave, fix it. You see stupidity, slap it around a bit. Noobs always come, don't let them overrun the place, just slap them around a bit until they get the idea of how to behave.

The circle has gotten too calm.

[tomhudson]

Sorry ... but I'm still in jury duty (just finished week 3) ... otherwise I'd be happy to stir up things a bit.

Well I post stuff

[jawtheshark]

But alas, it's geeky and not controversial. Few, post, most to offer advice and help which is perfectly fine with me. I'm sorry, I just don't have that much to tell. Boring life and all, you know.

Well

[Captain Splendid]

Are you telling me to be more vocal and annoying? Beware what you ask for...

Other than that, mod JE up, very well said. However, since a large chunk of the circle is making a bid for (illusory) emancipation, it will probably be a litle quieter, at least for a while. Meanwhile, there's plenty of fresh blood rolling in.