[extropy-chat] Re: Oxygenating the flame in threads

[Brett Paatsch]

The Avantguardian wrote:

> --- Emlyn <emlynoregan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> What you could possibly do is set up an email
>> address - say extropy-crap at lists.extropy.org.
>> People could forward email they disliked to that
>> address, as a vote against it. Instead of killfiling
>> someone, you could forward their entire output to
>> that address, as a permanent mark of disdain!

I just want to point out this is not what I meant by
shunning. This sort of technological community thing
is still feedback.

Human nature is such that some will actively go out
of their way to give others a bad reputation if some
system is set up to encourage that they do. 

I'm doing *personally* formally now what I think
most intelligent people mindful of avoiding wasting
their time do informally (or they may also do it
formally). I'm keeping a *personal* database of 
contacts. Its for my use only. I put the categories
in and I only update it when I want to. I put down
my opinion of the IQ and and EQ for posters, as well
as skills etc and I can add whatever other stuff I want
to their variable length record. 

I would continue to do it or not irrespective of 
whether there was a system set up because I can
and have build the personalised system I want for
myself. Its just me using a memory extension. And
its something that I'm treating as a evolving prototype. 

Why am I even bringing this up why not just do it
and keep quiet about it? I could have. 

But I thought others might find the idea interesting.
Its not entirely original. Someone else I though it
was Hal or Harvey years ago posted that they
were keeping stats and folders of individuals posters
valuable posts and that someone or other had earned a 
haircut. And that Gina's Nanogirl posts were automatically
routed into that database for further credit to Gina. 

I can't remember who it was that was doing it, but it
struck me as a good idea, so I'm doing something like
it but with slight modifications. I don't plan to 
record bad stuff because I am not going to try
to dwell on bad stuff I am going to try to focus
my efforts on good stuff because its in my interests
too. I've only so much time in a day. Also the
exceptionally good stuff and posters are a far
smaller amount of data to keep track off and I
don't like data entry.  
 
>> I guess you'd also want an
>> extropy-great at lists.extropy.org, to send
>> excellent posts and favoured postors to.
> 
> I like this idea. It's like a hall of shame or a
> blooper reel. You idea has both the positive and
> negative reinforcement that is the best basis of
> heuristic learning. I think this would be appropriate.

Any system that is automated will still require someone
to maintain. Its another beast that someone will have
to tend.  

I've gotten off track though. The point about oxygenating
the flame in threads is that people respond to any feedback
even negative feedback. No feedback can often be
worse. 

If Jack writes crap and Jill says its crap rather than just
ignoring it then Jacks thread which may have only been 
flamebait aimed at drawing out Jill anyway, gets oxygenated
when it otherwise might have burned out quickly. 

If Jack and Jill dislike each other, and there is an automated
system they will be running up each others bad rap with the
some gusto as before. An automated public communal system
isn't the answer in my view. 

Personal database keeping IS the answer in my view. 

- Brett Paatsch

Sorry the above is so verbose.