How has the technical (threading, statscock, lack of avatars, etc., etc.,) setup of ILE influenced the form and shape of the discourse?

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― Remy (x Jeremy), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

OMG the statscock is back!

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

I think the placement of username after each post--and the freedom to mess with usernames and even falsify them--tends to focus the attention on content first, personality second. I think this is a good thing.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)

(when you search google for "statscock" your name comes up, jaymc)

― Remy (x Jeremy), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:22 (twenty years ago)

Jaymc and I use ILX too much. That's what I just learned from the statscock.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

I'm only #115? FUCK THAT. I'm going to post 24/7 so I can become NUMERO UNO baby! Seriously, I think Avatars are horrid. I also tend to look at the avatars too much so when someone changes it, I get confused and think it's a newbie or something. I prefer to have it like it is here: only the username and email address. I love the layout, I like to think my colleagues don't realize i'm frequenting a board when I should be working. (Yes, I'm delusional.)

― nathalie starts to cry each time we meet (stevie nixed), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:29 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I'm amazed that I'm actually *on* the 30-day statscock.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

Why does the statscock show someone else's email after my name?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:43 (twenty years ago)

OMG I'm #1 AND #2 on the ILcomics statscock, and if you add those together, I HAVE MADE MORE POSTS THERE THAN EVERYBODY ELSE PUT TOGETHER!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I think the cock is still a bit fuxored.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 August 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

The bare-bones simplicity of the interface is one of the things that first attracted me to this site. It's a triumph of substance over style. How rare is that these days?

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

I think Ned should still be #1 despite the Eurotrip

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

It's clearly completely buggered - I have not been making over 30 posts a day for the last month. My guess would be a quarter of that.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:04 (twenty years ago)

"the other thing too is look at their pathetic looking message board. Who would actually read through that Windows 3.1 looking mess of words?!?"
from a dmb fansite.

― Fetchboy (Felcher), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

I think Ned should still be #1 despite the Eurotrip

If only my internet connection wasn't down at the time he was here... ;-)

― nathalie starts to cry each time we meet (stevie nixed), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

how do i find the statscock?

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

Users at the bottom of the page - but it is completely wrong.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Hey, if we looked like Windows 3.1, everything would be in Arial Bold.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

I think Ned should still be #1 despite the Eurotrip

Check the 'all posts' option and be amazed/horrified.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

"the other thing too is look at their pathetic looking message board. Who would actually read through that Windows 3.1 looking mess of words?!?"

http://www.uv.tietgen.dk/staff/mlha/PC/Soft/WIN/App/icon/moricons-dll.gif

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Monday, 15 August 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

The fact that recent search don't work has forced me to read posts by more than five people! I don't pay my taxes etc..

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 10:28 (twenty years ago)

I cannot believe I am back at number 3 on the statscock! And here I was trying to cut back on my ILX addiction...

― Mrs. Cranky (From Crankytown) (kate), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

I have never shown up on any of the ILX stats, even on ILC, where I post more frequently and there's less competition. I love ILX but ILX does not love me back. :(

― J (Jay), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

This comes up every time: The statscock doesn't work. It is a Cock of Lies.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

I'm 51 AND 280. No fucking way.

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

Haha Charlton Lido and NRQ exposed as twin halves of the same brain!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

#57 ? there's definitely something wrong with it, i haven't been posting much at all the past couple of months. i should be well down in the 100's

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

I've seen the suggestion a couple times that there's something inherently conservative and uncreative about the ILX interface - both on other message boards actually.

It does affect the discourse but not in any uniform way - Noize board and (say) I Love Films have the same interface and completely different ways of dealing with it.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

But I like the plainness of the ILX interface! Because it is not cluttered up with those other signifiers and shorthand like avatars, emoticons, over-enthusiastic use of HTML, etc. it actually appears to stimulate creativity in expression, rather than people being lazy and relying on shortcuts.

I especially like the way that it threads, it keeps things ordered and seeming to have a narrative. I get too confused by BBS style threading where things branch - I never know which to follow first.

― Mrs. Cranky (From Crankytown) (kate), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

I get too confused by BBS style threading where things branch

eurgh i hate this too, boggles my mind so it does.

ilx is just lovely the way it is. ah.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)

reading ILX, at its best, is like reading a book. Rather than trying to follow a million simultaneous shouted pub conversations. (Though sometimes very quick threads with lots of x-posts can get like that.)

― Mrs. Cranky (From Crankytown) (kate), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

I've seen the suggestion a couple times that there's something inherently conservative and uncreative about the ILX interface - both on other message boards actually.

Thass funny!

― J (Jay), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

when i read some of the more graphically advanced forums i get lost easily in the flurry of emoticons, banners, and signatures (which are usually just more banners or animated 600x400 cartoon characters), and i struggle to find any actual content of conversation.

also they look dodgy at work.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

yeah i get really annoyed on other message boards with seeing the same giant avatars and animated gifs and signatures every single time someone posts. i don't like how every time someone says something it comes accompanied with "see and here's who i am, and what i like, and what i find funny, look look."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

http://re2.mm-c1.yimg.com/image/1355292729 You guys, my grandmother died last night.

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

http://www.goodlaughter.com/funny/fun/fart.jpg
We mourn for this tragic loss. RIP.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

There are other message boards?

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

Hahahahaha Dave and Nick!

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Mister chairman, I call the question.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

http://re2.mm-a1.yimg.com/image/25242220 Thanks for laughing at my dead grandma. I swear you guys are all assholes! .... I'm serious! ... for realzor!

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

The biggest improvement ilx could have in terms of readability and so on is breaking up long threads into more pages. Just because sometimes (esp. in a picture thread) it can take a long ass time to load and slow down scrolling, too.

Large, ugly or nsfw avatars and sigs are annoying, too, but I know some boards with those features that are just fine. The issue is how the users treat them.

One other thing I don't care for here is how easy it is to post anonymously if you want to troll. And having to scramble my email address with every post to avoid spiders and bots.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

I also miss the ability to edit posts for typos (Pnealty?) although I am very much aware of how post-edits can be abused. This is the only forum I've ever seen that offers neither edits or previews, though, and consequently one of the typo-iest.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

I think the no-edits rule is one of the things that works most to give ILX its feel, as much as the no sigs or avatars.

Ajustments to settings can give a feel similar to 'paged' threads.

― Tom (Groke), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:23 (twenty years ago)

I should look into that, then.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:25 (twenty years ago)

you know, adding a simple post preview feature here (i.e. to see if a pic is going to appear or not) certainly isn't the WORST idea i've heard. esp. if it could be set as an option you choose at posting similar to the check box that looks for new messages before posting.

― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:29 (twenty years ago)

227th! Rock on! However, I can't believe I've posted nearly 1,800 messages in the past month. I haven't been on that frequently lately!

― Ian Riese-Moraine: a casualty of social estrangement. (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

And 85th on ilM? I thought I'd be higher than that.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: a casualty of social estrangement. (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

I'm slipping, I was in the top 5 last time I looked. Must be all that work getting in the way.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

The statscock is scaring me :( MUST. GO. OUTSIDE.

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

And having to scramble my email address with every post to avoid spiders and bots.

just edit your email address in your Settings so that's spam-proof yet still pretty obvious to anyone who actually reads your posts what the actual address is. this is what most people here do now.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

The biggest improvement ilx could have in terms of readability and so on is breaking up long threads into more pages.

No, no, no! That's one the best things about ILX is that each thread is on one page -- you don't have to click "next" every ten posts. Think about how horrible searching within a thread would be if there were multiple pages.

If it takes a long time to load, use your settings to show only the last 50 or 100 answers.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

The statscock is scaring me :( MUST. GO. OUTSIDE.

Fuck Kenan's busy week. I never thought I would ever be #1.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

guys seriously, it's still pretty fubar. it is not to be trusted.

― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 22:11 (twenty years ago)

Hahaha, my wife AND andrew m have made more posts on here than I have in the last month. Hahahhaha.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

But its not THAT fubar....

― I'm Hi, Jared Fogle (ex machina), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

adding a simple post preview feature here

yeah, i'd also like this

― kingfish completely hatstand (Kingfish), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

Also, anyone who keeps changing or despamming email addys? Just create a gmail account for your ILX use - they're a dime a dozen after all, and you only need to check em' now and then if you think someone might eail you from it. Mine doesnt even get spam, hilariously enough despite its name.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

According to the statscock, Marcello has my e-mail address.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 16 August 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

oh it's pretty fubar. for instance it claims that someone has posted a few hundred times in the past 30 days who most incontrovertably has not. (and don't ask me who if you can't figure that out)

― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

goddammit, i just fucked up my login trying to googleproof it

― kingfish fucked up his login (kingfish 2.0), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

Hahaha oh jesus.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

Can we make the email protection process more inscrutable please? It's become my favorite part of the board.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

"Cause when the stats begin to flow
When I shoot to the top of the thread
And I'm closing in on Ned

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:24 (twenty years ago)

"goddammit, i just fucked up my login trying to googleproof it"

I have done this. Maybe twice.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

I dont understand how regulars are STILL falling for the "whoops my duddded up address means I cant get my pwd now argh locked out!" thing. STILL!

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:31 (twenty years ago)

HAhahahahahahahahahahaha OMG

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

well, having your password automatically scrambled when you change anything doesn't help...

― kingfish fucked up his login (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:34 (twenty years ago)

Can we have the board automatically scramble your password every time you post a message?

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

Does it really scramble yr password when you change anything at all? I could swear when I changed to the spamspanker email I still had the same password. Maybe that was before this? I dunno.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

we should change the name from ILX to EBDx

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 11:18 (twenty years ago)

also guarding against spam harvesters really isn't that crucial--only logged-in users can see your email addy!

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

Dave255 OTM

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)

I'm thinking of starting a thread with the sole purpose of fucking with the statscock; like posting a thousand messages of one letter or something, just to see if if will notice me.

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

it's been done.

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)

This is the thread where I post 35,000 times and take the #1 spot from Ned.

pfft.

― Draw Tipsy, ya hack. (dave225.3), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 12:55 (twenty years ago)

anyhoo, to answer the question, due to the very stripped down nature of our board(text, email addr, horizontal line, then more text), the fact that you can view a lot of answers quickly raises the tempo of the responding, which favors quick one-liners(witty or not).

― kingfish fucked up his login (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

also, the lack of threading along with a lack of preview leads to delightful xposts all over the place.

― kingfish fucked up his login (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

which favors quick one-liners

I see one-liners on other boards quite a bit, too -- which is more aggrieving because it comes surrounded by all that avatar/signature shit, just to make one little comment. Especially when people use the "quote" function on other boards to insert a lengthy block quote of what someone just said, two posts up, and then respond only with a laughing smiley.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

There is one forum I would love to be able to spend more time on (this one fwiw) but the fact that you need to click a link/load a new page for EVERY message makes me want to tear my hair out.

I do like Invision's forum format (and the individual adaptability, like how you can turn off sigs and avatars), but I think it only really works well with smaller-scale fora.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

http://www.drod.net/forum/emoticons/laugh.gif

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:21 (twenty years ago)

ILM
be the death of me

Cause when that board is in in my head
And I'm posting on that thread
Then I'm better off then dead
And thank Ned that I'm not aware
Thank your Ned that I just don't care
And I guess that I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:37 (twenty years ago)

This is the thread where I post 35,000 times and take the #1 spot from Ned.

Well it hasn't *really* been done, now has it? At least, not on this evidence. Although Teeny's word is probably good enough evidence, so maybe I'll just shut up.

Except . . . hey, do you think that those threads are what screwed up the statscock in the first place?

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

COCK OF LIES! Andrew Farrell, I kees you.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

*bemused*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:49 (twenty years ago)

The linear ILX threads feel a lot like an extended conversation with a bunch of people, like you're in the same room.

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

Indeed. Have you been to the lunchroom thread, mei?

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

one of the things i hate about LJ is the branching conversation thing. a single thread = you can see all the new posts

― Britain's Jauntiest Shepherd (Alan), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

YES.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

LJ comments structure is what stops me from getting one.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

Not yet, but I'll check it out!

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

I hate to think how you all coped with Usenet.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 17 August 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

Hey, I still read Usenet. All I do now is lurk on a single group, though - the Scary Devil Monastery.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:04 (twenty years ago)

typos becoming part of the shared slang is pretty cool.

i don't have the faintest how google works but i wonder if other boards get any of the great random googler gold we get. get one life, in this bitch, bring on it fuckfaces, etc. luvvit!

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:52 (twenty years ago)

broadly tho i think the stripped down look and linear feel have made sure that ppl who stick around here actually like reading & writing at least a little more than average.

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:54 (twenty years ago)

HEY RETARDS

― Andrew (enneff), Thursday, 18 August 2005 08:01 (twenty years ago)

hey andrew - how's it going? did you get any of my notes about the mysql slave being out of sync?

― Britain's Jauntiest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 18 August 2005 08:20 (twenty years ago)

I hated Usenet. I far preferred mailing lists for years because it forced some kind of narrative in the order that the emails came in, even if things became unthreaded.

― Win A Lie-Down, Mrs. Davies (kate), Thursday, 18 August 2005 08:41 (twenty years ago)

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