What's the smokey backroom?

August 15, 2002

[Dog Gone]

Where did this forum come from? I've done a search on Smokey, and Backroom, and I'm puzzled. What's the purpose, and what stuff gets posted here?

[harrowup]

Oakey doakey, listen up. John created this site a long time ago as a place where old pirates and mellowed liberals could come and laugh at the plug ugly conservative red-pencil necked geeks who go from cuddly to clawing if'n anyone mentions trickle down as a synonym for a Depends advert.

Then too, since Yahoo made it nearly impossible to engage in rapid fire insults and the long suffering anti-anti freepers ignored the hamsters from afConistan it was important to have an outlet where we can get snarly...kinda, I guess.

The best thing is now John, Bob J, and people who really know something don't have to go to the libertine pothole to toy with the plug-uglies like A rat or similar rodent and other maggots complain about never getting no respect.

[Admin Moderator]

This might have made the moderators' jobs a little bit harder, at least at first.

Very possible. I would guess that what will happen at first will be some inconsistency in how things are handled, as each of us try various things to see what works best. And Lord knows, when there is a lot of inconsistency there will be howls. Such is life.

The way I am thinking of handling it at this point is that when I see a thread degenerating into a flame war, I am going to post on the thread a message saying to take it to the back room. I might even (if I am not busy), start a thread in the back room for those involved. Then, if the flame war continues in the main forum, a short one hour suspension would be in order to get the point across. And if that doesn't work, then getting longer. And if that doesn't work, then it would be time to cut the cord.

There will be growing pains with this, but hopefully it will work in the long term. Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

At the top of the page you get from that link, if you look over to the top right, you should see a section called "My Forums". That has a link to the News/Activism forum, the Smokey Back Room forum, and a few others. You can use those links to move back and forth between forums.

Thanks, AM

[Lazamataz]

SMOKY! Not Smokey! You suck so bad! Where's the twelve dollars you used for lunch... is it some plot to enrich yourself at the expense of Jim Robinson? You are a liar and a thief, and an illiterate one at that.</MojoManiaMode>

[Lazamataz]

I dont hate you. In fact I appreciate you. I look at your screen name every day and thank God I was not born with the same mental & emotional deformities that you were.

I love you. Kiss me.

[Dog Gone]

The way I am thinking of handling it at this point is that when I see a thread degenerating into a flame war, I am going to post on the thread a message saying to take it to the back room.

That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach. Moving the entire thread, especially if it didn't get heated during the first 50 posts or so, would be a mistake I think. Most people here don't want a serious post to be hijacked into a flame war and moved. They want the rascals on the thread moved so that the thread can continue without them.

That's not to say that those who are getting angry don't have a legitimate argument. But they need a place to argue their points without ruining the thread for the rest of us.

It will be interesting to see how this evolves, but I think you may have already come up with the preferred way to handle this. I guess that's why they made you a Moderator. ;-)

[Admin Moderator]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/backroom/t-heated/browse?subscribe=yes

That subscribes you to the Smokey Back Room.

By the way, you don't subscribe to forums. You subscribe to topics. Forums can have one or more topics. The Back Room only has one (for now).

And another tidbit- anything you subscribe to, you can turn into a sidebar.

Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

I am not sure if John has this planned, but I have always thought it would be nice to have two different types of subscriptions. One would put it on your overview page, and the other would put it on a sidebar.

In other words, right now a subscribe does both. It would be nice to be able to choose if a subscription results in a sidebar or not. If that was the case, I would subscribe to more topics and use the overview page a lot more than I do now.

Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

Can I flame back now? ;^)

According to Merriam-Webster, "smokey" is just fine:

Main Entry: smoky
Variant(s): also smok·ey /'smO-kE/
Function: adjective

[Dog Gone]

[Lazamataz]

If I was Mojo, I would spend the next two weeks researching why you were wrong.

And everything I found out would be in error.

Then I would switch the topic to how rotten Free Republic was.

;^)

[Lazamataz]

Well why do you think it is called "Wacky Wobbler", you moron! Because there are MISSPELLINGS on the box!!! You freaks are so incredibly pig-stupid. </MojoManiaMode>

[TLBSHOW]

I found this question from the dark side about this new forum.
,,

The real test will be whether FR allows open discussion of otherwise "forbidden" topics there.
,,

What is and isn't forbidden here?

Would a thread like this be alright?

Liberty Post owners have checked into a mental health clinic we think...

lol

[Admin Moderator]

If the moderators would get aggressive about pulling threads from News/Activism into the proper forum, then people would start following those threads and getting used to posting in the proper forum.

Some would, some wouldn't. Some people just plain refuse. Such is life though.

What would help with this is if you think something belongs in general interest, hit abuse on it and tell us. Most of my time moderating is when I am at the office, working. I am not monitoring the forum directly. I have a little pager window that tells me when an abuse report comes in. I have no qualms with moving a thread to General Interest if it belongs there. And if you think the time to move it is after it has a few comments, then wait until there are a few comments before hitting abuse.

Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

If you were Mojo, then I would really wonder about Technochick. Thanks, AM

[Lazamataz]

If you were Mojo, then I would really wonder about Technochick. Thanks, AM

LOL! I presently wonder about his RL wife, now.

As for me, all I can say is that I hit Love Lotto. :o)

[Scuttlebutt]

I always prefer to do my drinking in the stag bar. It allows the 'moist panties' group to continue with their Bingo games in the main hall without interrupting the old lies and sea stories being told. The only problem that arises is when they insist on coming in to redecorate the place and turn it into a 'fern bar'.

Give me a shot and a draft chaser…set up the bar and put it on Harrowup's tab, bartender moderator.

[CounterCounterCulture]

No sane person likes the Avocado dude.

[Dakmar]

I know. He pinged me to a thread about the psycho in Massilon and then started personal attacks when he realised I wasn't going to take the cop killers side. I thought I should return the favor and give everyone an invitation to express their feelings about him.

[Lazamataz]

No sane person likes the Avocado dude.

Incorrect. I love him. I want to make him my wife.