Signal to Noise ratio

[Joey82]

	Quote:	Uncle Max
	There are some social events arranged - for the want of an example - where there is so much back-and-forth banter within the thread of a frankly "Hey, Woo, Nuts! " variety that people may also think "Jeez if it's gonna be like that, I'll stick with the TV and a takeaway". Fair enough, the old squares can go to bed early, right? But expand that out to the whole resource that is the Forum...

I've seen people there from 15 months up till mid 20's, mid 30's and higher.

Great event.. Even people who didn't join the friendly random banter went , just for the breakfast and Quizz, regarless of what was said on that thread.

	Quote:	Peg A
	No one said "none" - least of all me. Heck, I think the first thread / post I got greenies for was speculation about the existence of poltergeists affecting my bedroom blinds. What is being said it that there is too much AND that it (what is essentially a continuing conversation) carries over into too many other threads. You want to be social and converse, it's all good BUT really, there is a place for that - chat and events.

Why drag in the fact of one person walking in and turning around ? that had nothing to do with the banter online what so ever.

In fact, the conversations at the table and during the quizz were nice and fun..maybe join us the next time..then judge if we are so intimidating.

[Peg A]

	Quote:	Joey82
	Why drag in the fact of one person walking in and turning around ? that had nothing to do with the banter online what so ever. In fact, the conversations at the table and during the quizz were nice and fun..maybe join us the next time..

That one person not sticking around may not have been based upon the banter within the thread but (as UM points out), who is to say how many already mentally "walked out" before they even left their own house because of the banter?

How many people maybe decided not to go because they didn't see the question asked - or answered, as it was answered in PMs - regarding the actual event?


Meanwhile, I think you're "feeling" the wrong tone from what I'm saying.

I've met a few folks involved in the banter and I know that time spent with them is good (what they think of spending time with Cinderella "must be home by midnight" me may be another story ) BUT some folks who may be interested in going to these events, who may feel intimidated by a bunch of seemingly rowdy folks, may opt not to go because they (already) feel they won't fit in.

[summerrain]

	Quote:	Joey82
	The breakfast thread brought in over 25 people, not bad as the OP last time got..none..

	Quote:	Joey82
	But point taken, no more banter, all serious from now on. Fun sucking has commenced...

	Quote:	Joey82
	Without fun soon

Ah, so Joey - your point here if its not for chatter, the event wouldnt have gotten as much publicity as it should? If we want to go down that line - the weekend Zurich drinks by sygirl, slaphead, hashbrown as with the Pool nights organised by JLF and the unofficial drinks at the Viaduct every Thursday are all met with great turnouts. The reason why I am specifically mentioning these events are because their turnouts are about the same as one of the events you've brought up - 20ish.

(Social) Pool Night

Weekend Drinks Zurich: Sygirl101 Strikes Back

WEEKEND DRINKS ZURICH returneth

Lets now compare the number of pages of chatter on those threads/events: an average of 5-7 pages versus the breakfast quiz that you mentioned: 13. On to the KFC events: the upcoming KFC event - 5 pages and running - and the last KFC run? A whopping 56 pages. Can definitely give those anti-Swiss threads on SVP, minarets, abortion a run for their money.

Remember: no one is saying to stop all banter. There really isnt a need to make extreme statements like "sucking out the fun". The point that Peg, myself, economisto and UM have been trying to make is that the noise has been excessive in our opinion.

Now class...repeat after me: quantity is the topic of discussion here - or I'll start making everyone write lines!!!

[Joey82]

	Quote:	summerrain
	Ah, so Joey - your point here if its not for chatter, the event wouldnt have gotten as much publicity as it should? If we want to go down that line - the weekend Zurich drinks by sygirl, slaphead, hashbrown as with the Pool nights organised by JLF and the unofficial drinks at the Viaduct every Thursday are all met with great turnouts. The reason why I am specifically mentioning these events are because their turnouts are about the same as one of the events you've brought up - 20ish. (Social) Pool Night Weekend Drinks Zurich: Sygirl101 Strikes Back WEEKEND DRINKS ZURICH returneth Lets now compare the number of pages of chatter on those threads/events: an average of 5-7 pages versus the breakfast quiz that you mentioned: 13. On to the KFC events: the upcoming KFC event - 5 pages and running - and the last KFC run? A whopping 56 pages. Can definitely give those anti-Swiss threads on SVP, minarets, abortion a run for their money. Remember: no one is saying to stop all banter. There really isnt a need to make extreme statements like "sucking out the fun". The point that Peg, myself, economisto and UM have been trying to make is that the noise has been excessive in our opinion. Now class...repeat after me: quantity is the topic of discussion here - or I'll start making everyone write lines!!!

Sure compare the number of expats in and around Zurich, compare the ones in or near Basel..

People even came from Neuchatel for the breakfast, not bad..

Frankly i don't care how many go where and thanks to who or not, point is that banter will always be part of it.

Not saying all the banter helped getting all the people there, but im sure part of it helps as it brings the topic back up for people to see, regardless of the content.

If you think sucking out the fun is an extreme statement, then keep winding me up

As for the banter on the Hellfire thread, no one stopped us..

Again its funny that no one else that loves the banter and joins in, is coming forward.. so ill try not to take it personal here.

Still love to meet you all at the next Kfc event, If i go, ill be the one sitting quietly in the corner trying hard not to offend anyone ..

[cmirsky]

[SoapBox on]

Come On Folks... We all have been, or are, members of various forums, including FB. The 80/20 rule still applies. 80% of the threads and posts come from 20% of the folks. Out of the 60808 members noted (see home page): (Numbers based on user lists)

About 21000 members have 0 posts
About 46000 of the "members" have less than 50 posts each.
About 14000 members have over 50 posts each (approx 23%)
... of those, about 1000 (approx 1.6%) members have over 100 posts each
... and of those, only about 140 (less than 1%) members have over 1000 posts

So in reality, only about 1% of registered members are "regular" posters.

It does not surprise me that many of the threads and posts contain "chatter". Nor should it surprise anyone else.

I think that most of the "real" posts, stay that way, in part, thanks to the mods, but I think mainly, the top 1% know when to "keep it real".

Personally, if newbies want to get involved, they need to participate. But from what I have seen in the past several months, most people register for an account, and either never post, or just use it for "selling" or "one and done" posts. Of course, there are the occasioanal "flouncers", but I do not beleive that the additional chatter on the off-topic posts, or others, for that matter, is of any concern, or consequence, whatsoever.

Just go to any other forum, and I think you will see the same patterns.
The only difference may be that some, contain, more "selective" forums/rooms only availalable to "select" members. But I think that if this forum goes that route, the things that keeps it alive, will be gone, and thus, will the forum.

[SoapBox Off ]

[Joey82]

	Quote:	cmirsky
	[SoapBox on] [SoapBox Off ]

Exactly..as i said on another thread, if people are "driven away " from the banter they see , even not against them ..then what is to become of those people in real life?

EF is like the office, i'm Kevin ( love cookies) , you will have banter everywhere, if you don't like it then choose to ignore it.

It hasn't spread like wildfire now, its not like every thread is full of offensive banter.

[summerrain]

	Quote:	Joey82
	My thing is that all of you who say the banter is excessive , should have Pm'd us or a mod, who could warn us or say " guys, its fun and all but keep it down a bit ".. No need to have a huge song and dance about it after it happened.

Well I believe most of us ignored what we've considered personally considered as noise till this thread was started and of course being the opinionated biatch that I am, I said my piece and some people started throwing toys out of their prams.

Definitely said my piece - class dismissed!

[Joey82]

	Quote:	Nil
	Excuse me?

What..have i said something wrong?

There are differernt places where people banter and have bit of fun, not always do our roads cross

Loads of members on the forum, its a rare thing to see the other half as we share different points and interests.

	Quote:	Begga
	...and it only took 6 hours Good grief, EF has reached 20% of total population of Iceland Soon we can make EF a country of it's own. Do we use the rep system to choose the EF government?

Oi, don't de-rail this to politics

[Joey82]

	Quote:	summerrain
	Woops! Did I just make some noise?

Ya did, how dare you ! I will not stand for it and shall open a thread saying so

[adrianlondon]

Let's take the KFC thread. It's totally full of noise. Loads of banter between people many of whom have never actually met in real life. Loads of stupid jokes and in-comments from previous KFC threads.

But ... so what? The type of person who reads that thread, rolls their eyes, and thinks "what a bunch of imnmature idiots" well ... that event isn't for you. Find a more serious one.

Not every event is for everyone. If the KFC events seem excusive because the information is buried in banter and other members just want factual event information, then they're not really the type of person who'd jump in a car with a stranger and travel to another country just for some fried chicken.

Same as people who aren't so fit aren't going to join a group who plan to climb the matterhorn.

Different events for different people. So long as the crap in the KFC threads stays in those it's fine.

What should be totally banned are people who trawl the internet for pictures of bloody cats and dogs with stupid crap writtten all over them.

*insert picture of a dog looking moody with "Don't groan my post you losers" written around it*