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Websites with the worst Internet comments?
- Thread starter tzhu07
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I think Reddit's voting system helps keep the junk buried at the bottom. Also, because I tend to browse specific sub-Reddits, the comment quality is a lot better than the front page.
While I understand Youtube comments are really crass, bad, insulting, vulgar, thoughtless, tasteless and neurotic, I would argue I see these same trends in most forums in one degree or other.
I am a member of several forums (or fora!) and there are members that always, ALWAYS run into tasteless, combative arguments. From emacs to vi holy war discussions some decades ago to any other topic you may think about.
I am only mentioning this because I joined macrumors to learn about macs. It was a superb (well it is still is I guess) source for modifying mac pros and learning about hacking macs in general, and of course, learn when new ones are coming, and with what features. For the same amount of useful info that I used to get some decade ago, now you have to swim and almost drown in pure noise. You really have to read many useless posts before you come across that golden nugget of info. And I think that is now the rule in most places.
I came to learn about macs (and now other Apple devices) and just this very week, a member's wife shared she is filing for divorce in this forum after he trolled the forums for years about their marital problems.
I think that shows how deep this human issue in forums goes...
Peace!
I am a member of several forums (or fora!) and there are members that always, ALWAYS run into tasteless, combative arguments. From emacs to vi holy war discussions some decades ago to any other topic you may think about.
I am only mentioning this because I joined macrumors to learn about macs. It was a superb (well it is still is I guess) source for modifying mac pros and learning about hacking macs in general, and of course, learn when new ones are coming, and with what features. For the same amount of useful info that I used to get some decade ago, now you have to swim and almost drown in pure noise. You really have to read many useless posts before you come across that golden nugget of info. And I think that is now the rule in most places.
I came to learn about macs (and now other Apple devices) and just this very week, a member's wife shared she is filing for divorce in this forum after he trolled the forums for years about their marital problems.
I think that shows how deep this human issue in forums goes...
Peace!
Drudge report...especially when he puts on the Anti-Gay rhetoric......Matt can be found at any number of Gay bars in Coconut Grove part of Miami.....he leans against the wall, nursing a beer with a cowboy hat on.
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The day after Trump loses the election....watch all the Trump will win videos get deleted by the authors.
On any site, putting aside comments by ten year olds, comment content is subjective. For example, I judge every leftist site to be moronic, but others may disagree.
MacRumors PRSI is surprisingly bad. It's a step up from YouTube and Fox News, but only slightly -_-
The Washington Post often features comments from both left and right that are not worth reading. I used to wade through for thoughtful remarks from either side, but no more. Sometimes I feel that way about the NY Times as well, although I think they do a better job on moderation or else the higher paywall is more of a deterrent. Still I can't read Times readers' comments on politics this year for the most part. I get through about 15 or 20 and just bail out...
Maybe a lot of these venues need to raise the bar on their moderation and make it clear that round after round of playground-level mockery adds nothing of value (and that the purpose of the comments section is to allow for added value). But then they seek revenue and to offend someone who gets a post deleted often enough to get mad and cancel the subscription is doubtless a risk they try to avoid. Otherwise I see no reason why they don't swat about 50% of the posts that go up on political reporting.
Maybe a lot of these venues need to raise the bar on their moderation and make it clear that round after round of playground-level mockery adds nothing of value (and that the purpose of the comments section is to allow for added value). But then they seek revenue and to offend someone who gets a post deleted often enough to get mad and cancel the subscription is doubtless a risk they try to avoid. Otherwise I see no reason why they don't swat about 50% of the posts that go up on political reporting.
Is the word 'moronic' necessary when describing a political perspective with which you disagree? And the verb 'judge'.
This almost proves the point, which is that debate and discussion are hardly possible when the starting point is utter contempt for those who differ with you.
I am not sure whether this is down to the fact that the internet is such a new - comparatively speaking, - form of communication that an etiquette of what is appropriate online conduct has not yet evolved.
Equally, I am unsure whether it can be ascribed to the safe cloak of anonymity afforded by the internet, which offers a feeling of safety which face to face communication would deter.
Or, whether the freedom of instant communication serves to encourage the idea that anyone with a keyboard and a thought can consider themselves the equal of those who spent years mastering the topic in question.
Or, for that matter, whether it is due to the blurring of the 'public space' and 'the private space'.
Or, more to the point, whether, politics and religion give rise to challenges asking questions of core issues of identity, and how one defines the self, and thus questions and differences are translated internally as attacks, but, yes, paying a visit to the PRSI forums here can be quite an intense experience at times.
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Youtube - Too much stupidity. However, certain videos do contain good comments. But these are rare.
Reddit - Too many whiny children wanting everything in the world without working for it or whine about their lives when they thought being an art major would allow them to have a good living.
Reddit - Too many whiny children wanting everything in the world without working for it or whine about their lives when they thought being an art major would allow them to have a good living.
I think that a more apt question might be: "What Internet sites have the best (in the sense of respectful, nuanced comments) discussions?" I don't know of any, at least among the ones that deal in politics. Discussions so often devolve into back-and-forth posts that make sweeping generalizations about those with differing opinions or that have little or nothing to do with the story being commented upon. Some of this relates to the anonymity of Internet forums, where it's uncommon to know much about other members.
But it also happens with other forms of electronic communication, such as email, where it's more likely that the sender and recipient know each other. At work, I'm occasionally dismayed by terse, rude messages that I receive from co-workers.
Forums like MacRumors that focus on technical topics tend to be better, especially when they're well-moderated. But even here I'm sometimes shocked by the lack of tolerance for opposing opinions.
But it also happens with other forms of electronic communication, such as email, where it's more likely that the sender and recipient know each other. At work, I'm occasionally dismayed by terse, rude messages that I receive from co-workers.
Forums like MacRumors that focus on technical topics tend to be better, especially when they're well-moderated. But even here I'm sometimes shocked by the lack of tolerance for opposing opinions.
I used to think it was TechCrunch.com – but there are so many sites that attract such ignorance that it's hard to narrow it down.
Tech sites in general have come to meet the level of jackassery previously only attained by news sites (specifically political discussions).
I have the solution to keep your blood pressure down, though:
So basically, if you just avoid the comments of political and tech-related sites, you're golden.
Tech sites in general have come to meet the level of jackassery previously only attained by news sites (specifically political discussions).
I have the solution to keep your blood pressure down, though:
- When you see someone say something like "Do you research" or "check your facts"—Just run. No matter what anyone says, no matter what they can provide links to, these people have made it their goal for the day to say whatever is necessary to continue driving what was an intelligent conversation to a sidebar of stupid.
- Whenever you see a comment that starts with either "Ummm..." or "Actually"—Just run. Run away fast. Because nothing that follows will be of any value.
- If the headline contains the word iOS, iPhone, Apple, Steve Jobs, Android or Google. Just don't read the comments. There likely won't be single intelligent or well thought out comment—and if there is, you'll have to scroll too long to find it.
- If you actually read the comments on ANY politics-based article or site, you're either just a glutton for punishment, or you've never gotten laid in your life. Honestly, why waste your time?!
So basically, if you just avoid the comments of political and tech-related sites, you're golden.
Any site with a large, unfocused community will have terrible commenters. The more focused and united a community is, the less they tolerate unproductive members. With Reddit, the quality varies based on the sub, with the larger ones having more bad comments. Moderators make all the difference too.
I love YouTube comments so much. So much humanity. Cleanses the palette.
Daily Mail are also great, though not as colourful.
The other three, I haven't used.
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You tend to get extremes in PRSI.
Happily, the voice of reason usually prevails.
If you think macrumors prsi is bad, then you haven't been to the city-data.com "politics and other controversies" forum. I was active on it for a little while, like I am on prsi, but just couldn't take the sheer nastiness any more. It's a really terrible insight into humanity.