Block certain threads from showing up in recent posts?

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Would it be possible for users to block specific threads from showing up under the "recent posts" tab on their end?

This has been an issue that's been brought forth by other users previously (essence and dizzyfingers have both mentioned it in the past month-ish) because not all of us want to see the recent posts tab clogged up by conversations that we neither are nor want to be a part of.


Liszt

[dizzyfingers]

Yes!

And perhaps the preliminary question is - - how do users get requests in front of the site's ADMINS?

[liszt-and-the-galops]

And perhaps the preliminary question is - - how do users get requests in front of the site's ADMINS?

Posting on this board gives the highest chance of an admin response.

[dizzyfingers]

Posting on this board gives the highest chance of an admin response.

I kinda doubt it  - - they seem very hands-off.

[essence]

Maybe the two of three people who are sometimes very active on those threads might be encouraged to restrain themselves a bit?

It seems to have calmed down today. Thank you liszt-and-the-galops.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I kinda doubt it  - - they seem very hands-off.

It might take a while to implement any changes or even decide whether or not to implement them in the first place. If you look through the threads on this subforum, you'll find that a lot of the threads got at least one response from nils (forum admin). It's not a guarantee, but it gives the best chance.

[essence]

Given that this site depends on the SMF platform, I would very much doubt it can be done unless the capability was in SMF.

Actually, it may be simple, if it is implemented similar to the way described in this link.

https://forums.modx.com/thread/20175/how-to-add-smf-forum-and-most-recent-posts-to-modx-evo-website-tutorial

Simply have an 'if' for a topic. This would be global for all users.

Giving the users to choose which threads to block would be a whole new ball game which I do not suggest as it would be so much work.

I did see

Ability to disregard/ignore a topic and no longer have it show up in the unread lists

was an item on the upgrade list https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Differences_between_SMF_2.1_and_SMF_2.0

But maybe just everybody calm down?

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Given that this site depends on the SMF platform, I would very much doubt it can be done unless the capability was in SMF.

Actually, it may be simple, if it is implemented similar to the way described in this link.

https://forums.modx.com/thread/20175/how-to-add-smf-forum-and-most-recent-posts-to-modx-evo-website-tutorial

Simply have an 'if' for a topic. This would be global for all users.

Giving the users to choose which threads to block would be a whole new ball game which I do not suggest as it would be so much work.

I did see

Ability to disregard/ignore a topic and no longer have it show up in the unread lists

was an item on the upgrade list https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Differences_between_SMF_2.1_and_SMF_2.0

But maybe just everybody calm down?

I think I found a thread similar to the first link when I was looking through SMF, but I don't remember the link...

[essence]

Recent posts is today entirely made up of last post and second to last posts, plus a spam post.

[dizzyfingers]

Recent posts is today entirely made up of last post and second to last posts, plus a spam post.

I guess the only counter measure at your disposal is to create more quality posts than there are lasts posts so they get pushed out of the 12 recent list. 
Could be a team effort I suppose.

[essence]

i do have a day job!

But there are certainly some posts which are genuine requests for comment or help where i do what i can, albeit I suffer from imposter syndrome. Trouble is, I really am an imposter, so appreciate it when what I say is supported by those with more experience and knowledge.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Self-explanatory *bump*.
(The entirety of the last 13 posts are a pointless argument on LPW.)

Edit: it actually happened. Thank you so much, nils!

[nilsjohan]

We have now changed the list of most recent topics to exclude the Anything but Piano board.
Enjoy the weekend and keep posting! 

[liszt-and-the-galops]

We have now changed the list of most recent topics to exclude the Anything but Piano board.
Enjoy the weekend and keep posting! 

Thank you for this. Have a good weekend as well.

[frodo10]

Thank you. I have a thread in the "Anything but Piano" board called "Diary of progress in relearning to play music" that I was going to update each month for my guitar playing.  I was going to relate some of the posts to the piano in addition to the guitar.  For example: the importance of finger independence for both piano and guitar.  Some of the practice methods would be relatable to the piano and I would specify relation to piano in each post.  My next post there is September 1. Could I move this thread?  If no, not a problem. I don't anticipate much interest in this thread anyway.

[nilsjohan]

Thanks for your feedback. It makes perhaps more sense to only exclude the LPW topic and not the entire board. Trying that instead...

[frodo10]

Thanks for your feedback. It makes perhaps more sense to only exclude the LPW topic and not the entire board. Trying that instead...

Thank you!    However it's impossible to please everyone.  If my thread gets semi-axed - that's okay!

Also, I'm sure the LPW thread will continue to be visited by many.  It's by far the most viewed thread.

[frodo10]

The changes made recently seem to be working well for everyone!  At least no complaints so far.  I posted on the "Anything but piano" board in a thread called "What are you listening to right now".  This post appears on the "Recent Posts" list but it is missing from the "View the most recent posts on the forum" link.  Just a tiny detail.  Even as is, I feel it's working out great - at least from my perspective.  Thank you!

[frodo10]

The changes made recently seem to be working well for everyone!  At least no complaints so far.  I posted on the "Anything but piano" board in a thread called "What are you listening to right now".  This post appears on the "Recent Posts" list but it is missing from the "View the most recent posts on the forum" link.  Just a tiny detail.  Even as is, I feel it's working out great - at least from my perspective.  Thank you!

Seems to be fixed!  Thank you Nils!!!  Love the Bach WTC and having fun!

[dizzyfingers]

Thanks for your feedback. It makes perhaps more sense to only exclude the LPW topic and not the entire board. Trying that instead...

Thank you VERY MUCH!
I'm really pleased to see that an admin is actually paying attention to the posts and considering them.
FYI:   There are 2 threads like this:  Last Post, Second to Last Post.
Hopefully you excluded both.

Also, now that we have this improvement, if you listed the last 20 threads I don't think anyone would mind.

[nilsjohan]

Please keep on topic. The discussion about LPW has been moved to the LPW-thread.

[dizzyfingers]

Thank you!
And I think activity in the last 24 hours demonstrates that "Second to Last Post Wins" can be as much of a take-over as LPW.

I changed the focus of this paragraph:

Also:  I think the P.S. Forum Admins need to consider whether these kinds of threads should be present here.  They primarily consist of mental sword play, executed by a small group of old buddies who have been doing this for years, yet as someone mentioned, the content is often toxic, if that kind of activity - personal attack, personal derision, vitriol - appeared in facebook groups, it wouldn't be tolerated, the members would be kicked out immediately.  Why is Piano Street so far behind the times in maintaining quality interaction in posts?  I see a bunch of old men physically scrapping - slapping faces, pulling hair, kicking, cuffing their fists, yelling insults - - rather comedic sometimes, but this becomes their default mode of communicating, personal attack style spills over to other posts.  Don't you think it's time Piano Street raised the bar a bit?   Those swordsmen can always move over to reddit.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Thank you!
And I think activity in the last 24 hours demonstrates that "Second to Last Post Wins" can be as much of a take-over as LPW.

If a certain user follows through on his threat to "post a lot in [t]here to get it blocked too" (or continues to make threats like that) then I'd absolutely agree. Sooooo I absolutely agree.

Also:  I think the P.S. Forum Admins need to consider whether these kinds of threads should be present here.  They primarily consist of mental sword play, executed by a small group of old buddies who have been doing this for years, yet as someone mentioned, the content is toxic (and vitriolic, mean, ridiculous, and yes - even funny sometimes).  I can see a bunch of old men physically scrapping - slapping faces, pulling hair, kicking, cuffing their fists, yelling insults - - it really is comedic from a high level, but these posts have nothing to do with music, piano or otherwise.  Yes,  I think you should consider banning the Anything But Piano board altogether, at least for a while.

The ending of those threads has frankly been a long time coming, at the very least for LPW. The only reason that it's endured is that its users have formed a cult around protecting it at all costs whenever someone challenges the thread's existence or even states that they personally dislike it or don't want to see it (as was seen in this thread), often using their "experience" as a crutch in their arguments (despite even the forum rules calling this argument out). If someone calls them out on their bullsh_t then you get what this thread just went through. The only way it's going to stop is if admin ends LPW (ideally also taking the final post), and STLPW as well if any discussion migrates there (or just outright end it now with a neutral user winning the thread on their only post). Nothing of value would be lost.

Also, thank you nils for removing the previous argument in its entirety.

[thorn]

I don't know if admin will notice this thread anymore, or if I should have created a new one, but could we also block the recent music theory troll threads from the recent post feed?

Why the Dominant chord is called dominant?
Why the note A is where it is on the piano keys?
why does the most natural scale start on 'C', instead of 'A'?

I've reported the culprits to moderators twice now, and looking at other posts in the thread begging the person to stop and wishing admin would lock the thread I'm assuming others have reported this too. I'm not questioning the decision to allow this person/these people (though I'm confident they're all one person) to continue posting on this forum as I'm not the resident police or whatever. However I don't think it's right that this person/these people should continue holding our recent post feed to ransom in this way.

Blocking the posts/threads from appearing in the recent post feed seems a reasonable compromise to ask for. I hope others who have expressed exasperation in the above threads will back me up here.

[essence]

i agree. It brings down the tone of the site considerably.

However, I fear blocking or moving these threads will simply mean they start another.

[ghost_of_potato]

Potato12 is gone now.  Potato was attempting to convince Balabolka with humor that his questions and subsequent posts are not of interest to the vast majority of forum participants and his posts are very often illogical and based on a misunderstanding of music theory and history.  It did not work and potato apologizes to all from his grave.

Who is Potato12?  Potato12 is the same as Newbie2, who is also now deceased.   Newbie2 did his best to convince Balabolka using conventional reasoning and logic.  This also did not work.

Potato12 and Newbie2 will now watch from the sidelines to see how this is handled going forward.  This may be difficult for the moderator if Balabolka insists on continuing.  The moderator will need to balance Balbolka’s right to express himself and the right of forum users to use the forum in a spam free environment.

The fact that Balabolka appears to have been removed from a few forums in the past may give clue to how this will ultimately end.  Good luck to all! 

[ghost_of_potato]

I suspect potato12 to be the same user as Balabolka... but that's just a guess; an educated one given how nonsensical and similar their posts are to each other.

"given how nonsensical and similar their posts are to each other"

Haha!  I was hoping Balabolka would see the same!  But it didn't work.  Oh well.

Let's not forget: "Fish 4th best animal. Great pet and you can eat them/  Potato thinks."  BTW, I do not condone the eating of one's pets. 

Again, Potato apologizes to all. 

[ghost_of_potato]

I don't know if admin will notice this thread anymore, or if I should have created a new one, but could we also block the recent music theory troll threads from the recent post feed?

Why the Dominant chord is called dominant?
Why the note A is where it is on the piano keys?
why does the most natural scale start on 'C', instead of 'A'?

I've reported the culprits to moderators twice now, and looking at other posts in the thread begging the person to stop and wishing admin would lock the thread I'm assuming others have reported this too. I'm not questioning the decision to allow this person/these people (though I'm confident they're all one person) to continue posting on this forum as I'm not the resident police or whatever. However I don't think it's right that this person/these people should continue holding our recent post feed to ransom in this way.

Blocking the posts/threads from appearing in the recent post feed seems a reasonable compromise to ask for. I hope others who have expressed exasperation in the above threads will back me up here.

Agree with all here. 

"though I'm confident they're all one person" - Still confident? 

[thorn]

The moderator will need to balance Balbolka’s right to express himself and the right of forum users to use the forum in a spam free environment.

Yes, balabolka has a right to express himself- as do all forum users. And of course not all posts have to be serious, look at the 'last post wins' threads.

What they do not have a right to do is create multiple accounts to spam this forum. There is concrete evidence that:
1. pashkuli and balabolka are the same person. See the link/QR code they posted under both names (I've saved both so don't bother deleting them)
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=80101.0
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=80139.50 (page 2, post 9).

2. newbie2, potato12, and ghost_of_potato are the same person. Quote from this thread:

Who is Potato12?  Potato12 is the same as Newbie2, who is also now deceased. 

While I have no concrete evidence, I strongly suspect all five accounts are the same person (as does perfect_pitch above). It's heavily implied through the multiple accounts I already just provided evidence for.  My hunch also comes from the facts that a) every time the offending threads stop getting responses from forum users, a new account magically appears to chat to balabolka- with posts appearing in very quick succession and spamming the recent thread stream (which I believe is the intention), and b) they keep bringing up their bans from other forums which strongly suggests they're just seeing how far they can push it- and we're all bored now. Example:

The fact that Balabolka appears to have been removed from a few forums in the past may give clue to how this will ultimately end.  Good luck to all! 

So to reiterate: express yourself however you please. But through a single account like the rest of us, and respect our right to ignore you.

[ghost_of_potato]

2. newbie2, potato12, and ghost_of_potato are the same person. Quote from this thread:
While I have no concrete evidence, I strongly suspect all five accounts are the same person (as does perfect_pitch above). It's heavily implied through the multiple accounts I already just provided evidence for.  My own original hunch was a) every time the offending threads stop getting responses from forum users, a new account magically appears to chat to balabolka- with posts appearing in very quick succession and spamming the recent thread stream (which I believe is the intention), and b) they keep bringing up their bans from other forums which strongly suggests they're just seeing how far they can push it- and we're all bored now. Example:

So to reiterate: express yourself however you please. But through a single account like the rest of us, and respect our right to ignore you.

Balabolka is different from Newbie2 = Potato12 = Ghost_of_Potato. I am located in easter Pennsylvania, USA. Let's let Nils confirm all of this.  But I will understand if he chooses not to comment on this.

But you raise a good point about multiple accounts.  This can be very confusing to members.  Perhaps this should be banned.

I am trying to be a "troll slayer" of Balabolka and not succeeding.  In the process, I have become a Troll myself.  And again I apologize to ALL.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I don't know if admin will notice this thread anymore, or if I should have created a new one, but could we also block the recent music theory troll threads from the recent post feed?

Why the Dominant chord is called dominant?
Why the note A is where it is on the piano keys?
why does the most natural scale start on 'C', instead of 'A'?

I've reported the culprits to moderators twice now, and looking at other posts in the thread begging the person to stop and wishing admin would lock the thread I'm assuming others have reported this too. I'm not questioning the decision to allow this person/these people (though I'm confident they're all one person) to continue posting on this forum as I'm not the resident police or whatever. However I don't think it's right that this person/these people should continue holding our recent post feed to ransom in this way.

Blocking the posts/threads from appearing in the recent post feed seems a reasonable compromise to ask for. I hope others who have expressed exasperation in the above threads will back me up here.

Definitely agree. I've been staying out of those threads to avoid feeding the troll(s), but from what I've read on them they should be removed.

And of course not all posts have to be serious, look at the 'last post wins' threads.

lol

I am located in easter Pennsylvania, USA. Let's let Nils confirm all of this.  But I will understand if he chooses not to comment on this.

You don't need to dox yourself...

But you raise a good point about multiple accounts.  This can be very confusing to members.  Perhaps this should be banned.

https://www.pianostreet.com/forumrules.php

"One account per person" has been the first rule on the forum for at least a few years, if not since the creation of the forum 25 years ago.

I am trying to be a "troll slayer" of Balabolka and not succeeding.

Trying to "slay" the troll just gives them attention, which is what they want. You can "slay" trolls far more effectively by reporting them so they get removed and not responding to their posts.

[perfect_pitch]

What they do not have a right to do is create multiple accounts to spam this forum. There is concrete evidence that:
1. pashkuli and balabolka are the same person. See the link/QR code they posted under both names (I've saved both so don't bother deleting them)
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=80101.0
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=80139.50 (page 2, post 9).

Damn... well spotted.

[keypeg]

Regarding the speculation about Pashkuli vs. Balaboika, my main observation at the time was that as soon Bal. showed up, Pash. disappeared.  My thought had been that Pash. was trying to actually showcase his animations together with the philosophy, and the Bal. had scared him away by pure verbosity.  The idea that the same person might have adopted a new voice and character had not occurred to me, and I won't speculate what might be true.

Something else concerns me.  Some important topics have come up indirectly that I'd want to write about.  But if I open a new thread, those topics will be used to go back to the same thoughts, interpreted into those paradigms.  Everything gets drowned out through the send-mode flood of words.