How to avoid clickbaiting threads?

[thomaso]

Is there a way to prevent a certain thread or posts / threads of a certain user from being shown in the forum's list view? Although I did set the OP to the "Ignore" list and did neither post nor follow this current "hot" thread it still gets displayed to me and nudged to top.

[NotMyFault]

Just ignore them. Unfortunately there is no blocking of threads opens by users on the ignore list.

i think there are alternative browsers for forums like this who offer additional functionality. It can be done on client side with some scripting (I’m unable to do this myself).

[William Overington]

22 hours ago, thomaso said:

Is there a way to prevent a certain thread or posts / threads of a certain user from being shown in the forum's list view? Although I did neither post nor follow this current "hot" thread it still gets displayed to me and nudged to top.

Actually the thread was moved from the Resources forum to this forum and given its present name by the moderator.

It is an interesting thread as although the issue arose over a post that I made in the Resources forum about some frames (as in hardware frames sold as photo frames by a major UK supermarket business that has many stores) that got deleted, the issue is far wider.

Essentially the issue is whether Resources mentionable in the Resources forum should only be Resources used in the Affinity software itself and thus only Resources for use before an electronic file is exported to an electronic file folder on the end users computer, or should Resources mentionable in the Resources forum include Resources that may be useful to know about for at least some end users of the software, such as an online virtual print house that enables one to upload a PDF document and have, for a fee, have prints sent by Royal Mail or courier, such as a web site that will make a custom greetings card using a jpg file and send it to oneself or to someone else as one chooses, or the frames about which the issue arose when a post that I made about them got deleted and I asked why.

The frames that I mentioned are, I consider, of particular interest as they take an A4 document yet include a mount that may be used or not used as desired. So much more computer-output-compatible than many frames sold in United Kingdom supermarkets, for historical reasons as many photographs in the UK continue to be sized using inch measurements.

A related issue that I have added into the discussion is whether Resources should include Resources that can inspire creativity in the use of Affinity products, such as when I posted a video about an exhibition of art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

So the thread is discussing issues quite fundamental as to whether Resources that can be posted about are only to be Resources used before an electronic file is exported from an Affinity software program or can Resources that are used to apply that electronic file in some way, such as obtaining a framed print or a custom greetings card be mentioned. An interesting aspect is that the size and aspect ratio needed for the exported file may depend upon values from the frame or greetings card or whatever being used within the Affinity software program.

A fundamental issue is whether these forums are about just the software itself or about also supporting end users to be inspired to use the software to produce creative content and applying exported files to such things as art prints, framed prints, and so on, whether that is as a professional artist having a business or an elderly hobbyist producing a few framed prints around the home or sending custom greetings cards to relatives and friends.

So it is all very fundamental to these forums so perhaps you might like to reconsider and read the thread and post in it please.

William

 

[PaulEC]

1 hour ago, William Overington said:

The frames that I mentioned are, I consider, of particular interest as they take an A4 document yet include a mount that may be used or not used as desired.

Sorry, but there is nothing special about these frames! There are thousands of picture/photo frames available, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with and without mounts. (But, not necessarily from supermarkets!) 

At the end of the day these are Affinity forums, so it seems perfectly reasonable to me that a Resources section should be for specifically Affinity Resources, not for general "useful" products. For example, I bought a packet of printable sticky labels recently but I wouldn't post about them in the Affinity Resources just because I designed the labels in Affinity Publisher!

[William Overington]

Well, in my opinion there is something special about these frames because they will accept an A4 size document yet they also include a mount advertised as for a 9 inch by 7 inch photograph.

With these frames if one produces an A4 document, which is a size to which many home and office printers and printer paper are based around, then by setting out an Affinity document appropriately one can get the effect of a mounted document without needing scissors and sticky tape and having to align the print. Just take the print from the output tray of the printer and place it into the frame, add the mount and close up the frame assembly and its there, all nicely aligned, by using the devolved precision of the paper size, the printer, the frame and the mount.

I accept that opinions vary, and that is fine, but for me there is something special about these frames, including their ready availability, delivered with the grocery.

Various users of Affinity software are in various situations and for me these frames are a great development.

William

 

[William Overington]

In fairness, after posting the above, I asked Bing Chat AI if A4 frames with mounts are available in the United Kingdom and the AI system responded and showed a number of images.

----

Are frames of A4 size that have a mount included available in the United Kingdom?

Yes, A4 size frames with a mount are available in the United Kingdom. You can find them on various online platforms such as Etsy UK and Amazon UK. The prices and designs vary, so you can choose one that suits your needs. Some of the options include black, white, oak, and walnut frames¹². They also come with different mount colors and are available for home delivery¹². Please note that the actual frame size may be larger than A4 to allow for the mount and margins³. Always check the product details before purchasing.

----

William

 

[lphilpot]

3 hours ago, William Overington said:

I accept that opinions vary, and that is fine, but for me there is something special about these frames, including their ready availability, delivered with the grocery.

So you're saying that I, as a US resident, can get these frames in a grocery order? If not, they're even less relevant. These forums are global.

[NotMyFault]

4 hours ago, William Overington said:

… shortened …

So it is all very fundamental to these forums so perhaps you might like to reconsider and read the thread and post in it please.

William

 

It is rude from William to post such unwanted content again in this exact place where another forum member asked explicitly for an option to filter out spam like this. Can you please consider stopping this behavior? You are straining the nerves of many people by ignoring essential rules.

 

 

 

[HCl]

.

[William Overington]

46 minutes ago, lphilpot said:

So you're saying that I, as a US resident, can get these frames in a grocery order? If not, they're even less relevant. These forums are global.

No. In the text that you quoted I wrote "..., but for me there is something special about these frames, including their ready availability, delivered with the grocery." so I was writing about the situation for me not for anybody else as I am aware that these forums are global.

William

 

[William Overington]

41 minutes ago, NotMyFault said:

It is rude from William to post such unwanted content again in this exact place where another forum member asked explicitly for an option to filter out spam like this. Can you please consider stopping this behavior? You are straining the nerves of many people by ignoring essential rules.

 

 

 

The fact of the matter is that yesterday the original poster had PUBLISHED in this thread a graphic, not there today, that had my name in it.

A matter that has been PUBLISHED is in English Law a MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST and is open for public discussion.

Allegations were being made about me and I had and have every right to respond.

I am in fact acting in accordance with the rules, the poster published a graphic with my name in it and so I was and am entitled to correct the record. The original poster had stated about not having read the thread.

So not rude by me.

William

 

 

[William Overington]

25 minutes ago, Return said:

And if no rules are broken, sure the common decency is being violated by these unsolicited posts.

No, my name was mentioned and allegations made. I have responded, as is my right, and that right is common decency in England.

William

 

[William Overington]

@R C-R Yes, I know.

In fairness I might have got part of it wrong, when he wrote he did not follow the thread I thought he meant that he had not read it, but I am wondering if he meant he had not used the Follow facility. So perhaps he had read it.

But the graphic with my name on it is there now and so I thought it fair to put my point of view.

From my point of view when I posted the original thread about the A4 frames with mounts in the Resources forum I thought that it might well be helpful to some users of the Serif Affinity software packages in being able to display their output from the software in a nice manner and that the size of the mounts could be taken into account when designing an image to be displayed in the frame.

Alas, it has gone pear-shaped, I have been criticised, etc..

Maybe the posts, which got over a hundred views, have helped some people, and resulted in them getting greater satisfaction from using Serif software.

I thought the Resources forum was inclusive of every stage from inspiration through to displaying what had been produced.

But, c'est la vie.

So next time I will not post, then I won't be criticised. All sound of silence stuff.

William

 

 

[R C-R]

29 minutes ago, William Overington said:

Maybe the posts, which got over a hundred views...

As has been mentioned before, the number of views a topic gets does not mean anything one way or another about how useful or helpful anybody considers its content to be. What is a much better gauge of that is the number of 'likes' and/or 'thanks' posts in the topic receive from those viewing it, & what those posts say that generate those accolades.

Make of that what you will.

[William Overington]

Thank you for replying.

I wrote:

> Maybe the posts, which got over a hundred views, have helped some people, and resulted in them getting greater satisfaction from using Serif software.

I am quite prepared to accept that possibly nobody at all found my post to be of interest or help. That might possibly be the case.

William

 

[William Overington]

Oh please don't be sad, I write things and put forward ideas, some work out, some don't.

At present I am looking at Bing Chat AI generating original content.

https://punster.me/serif/viewtopic.php?id=516

and some years ago now I wrote a novel

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/novel_plus.htm

Best regards,

William

 

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, William Overington said:

Oh please don't be sad....

I think it is safe to say that the reason many of us are sad that you will not quit posting more replies to this topic for the reasons given several times now. 

In short, please respect the theme of this topic.

[William Overington]

8 hours ago, R C-R said:

In short, please respect the theme of this topic.

The theme of this topic includes a graphic with my name in it.

8 hours ago, R C-R said:

... replies ...

Yes, I am replying to posts and responses that others have made. That is perfectly reasonable for me to do.

William

 

 

[Pšenda]

18 hours ago, Return said:

And if no rules are broken

The forum rules are quite clear "Please keep conversations on topic", so those repeated Out of Topic posts about some uninteresting frames should have been deleted a long time ago. I assume that this will be done after the Christmas holidays, and that the moderator will provide information on the original topic, that is, how to block topics with uninteresting/clickbaiting content.

Edited January 2, 2024 by Pšenda

[Bit Disappointed]

It's a sad deficiency in this forum (which probably stems from the forum software) that one cannot ignore an entire thread. That would probably be the most valuable feature the forum could be expanded with.

It's endlessly exhausting when threads are expanded by the notorious giga-mega-posters here, with thousands of posts to their name, but amount to nothing more than bickering or endless assertions without anyone changing their mind or becoming wiser. It just results in a lot of valuable life being wasted. And, of course, when one has no stakes in Linux, those threads are also annoying to see popping up time and again.

I still have yet to see someone here post something as delicious and attractive as click-bait; what I'm after is more relevance and noise-free content.

[walt.farrell]

12 hours ago, William Overington said:

At present I am looking at Bing Chat AI generating original content.

https://punster.me/serif/viewtopic.php?id=516

and some years ago now I wrote a novel

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/novel_plus.htm

 

Another topic, and questionable contribution to this forum, as it has absolutely nothing to do with the Affinity products.

If the owner of punster.me wants to allow it, that's fine. It does not belong here, nor do any references to it, in my opinion.

[William Overington]

The fact of the matter is that the first post of this thread contains publication of a graphic with my name in it.

So I am posting in the thread.

If the moderator chooses to allow a graphic naming me in that manner, then I consider that I can write about what I produce so as to provide information from my perspective to readers who viewed the graphic.

Sauce for pasta is sauce for rice. 

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/localizable_sentences_the_second_novel_chapter_023.pdf

The first post by being published has made it a Matter of Public Interest.

William

 

[thomaso]

On 12/31/2023 at 2:11 PM, NotMyFault said:

Unfortunately there is no blocking of threads opens by users on the ignore list.

Apparently the forum's "Ignore" feature is quite ineffective, it displays and nudges "ignored" users even in threads that were not opened/started by them …

… but simply causes some grayed out content within a thread:

59 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

it has absolutely nothing to do with the Affinity products.

Same for this recent thread, still existing in the Resources Forum:

Obviously this user understands not only the whole internet but the entire universe as possible inspiration resource for Affinity products that needs to be published by them within the Affinity forums, and keep insisting to discuss this kind of broad minded attitude or using the Affinity forum as a personal, extended online diary.

[William Overington]

The original thread is a good discussion.

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/196494-discussion-on-whether-frames-are-resources/

I am thinking that two additional forums with names such as

Resources for inspiring creativity in using Affinity software programs

and

Resources for applying the output of Affinity software programs

would be a good solution, as then people who wanted to contribute to those forums and read those forums could do so.

That would mean three Resources forums and would support end users in using the software and applying its output.

I make this suggestion knowing that people who use Affinity software have various situations, some in business, some elderly hobbyists, at home. Maybe some are living in a care home and using and applying Affinity software is helpful to them.

William

 

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, William Overington said:

The theme of this topic includes a graphic with my name in it.

The theme of this topic is clickbait & many of us consider your continuing replies to it that just repeat what you have already said over & over to be a particularly rude & offensive form of that.

You have created another topic you could continue to post these comments to. Please stop posting them here as they are completely off topic.