Dumski:
While I have had an account since 2004 I was a PS thread lurker for a few years before that. Back in the days of Barrel-Boy, and the nude protestor guy. (Yes, a nude butt was a Fark PS meme for awhile.) So while the era you mention may have not been as high quality as it is now, and while it is safe to say that quality goes up and down, I hold that as a general trend it has been on the wane. It is also possible that what you and I would call a really high quality 'shop is different. So there is that as well.

I like your take on what Fark is all about, but you have to recognize that what Fark is all about for you may or may not be what it is like for someone else. It's owner, in particular. What Fark is about for you or me is really irrelevant to the conversation. (I will get to that in just a second, hang on.)

dave1y: Balchinian: What is wrong with the idea of having no comments in the entry thread? It is a simple way to eliminate the entire issue by using the Hide nonvoting comments button which was already invented.

That was a good rant. Kudos.

Yes, there is the button. The button that shouldn't need to be because there are existing rules in place that, if consistently enforced, would render the button redundant. I don't give a wrenched tit about the button, what I am talking about here is the rules, what they say, and why they are there. Which brings me back to what I was just saying to Dumski.

This is Drew's site, and he makes the rules. One would assume that he makes them with a purpose in mind regarding how he wants things to be. I like Drew. I want to behave in such a way as to fall within the boundaries of what he wants for the site. (I don't want to be a UFIA.) So I read the rules, and try to follow them. But as I said, they are very broad and allow for a lot of different interpretations and wiggle room, and so what ends up happening is that they get enforced inconsistently. Maybe they simply aren't well written. Whatever. But the end result is that nobody knows when they post something (PS or text) whether it will strike a mod the wrong way and result in a ban. I have actually had an entry OK'd by one mod in advance, and then gotten a ban for it later by a different mod. The point is that until and unless the rules are both clear and consistently enforced, the purpose of the rules, that is to say Drew's desire for the way things are, can not be achieved. The way the rules are now it is all but impossible to even determine by them what Drew's intent is.

So this is not about buttons, it is not about me seeing something I don't want to see, or "Let's make PS threads like this", or anything like that. It is really just about having everyone on the same page. If both the mods and participants started out with a clear understanding of what is allowed and what is not, it would be a lot more enjoyable for everyone, mods included. See, I don't even care what the rules are...as long as they can be consistently and clearly communicated well enough so that people can be confident in knowing what side of the line they are on.

As it is, it is difficult to make a mod call on an off-topic comment. There is a comment in the current thread that is a great example. The first sentence of the comment is an on topic comment addressing an entry. The second sentence is only tangentially related to the entry, and the third sentence is completely unrelated to the thread at all. The rule is that off-topic comments not about an entry get deleted. So what is a mod to do with that if the rule is to be enforced? Again, it is going to be different for every mod and with every comment. But that is what muddles up peoples' conception of what is acceptable and what is not. That is why I can not tell you what Drew's intentions are regarding user behavior in PS threads. The rules are supposed to reflect his wishes. But they currently don't reflect anything consistently.

#2: I barely keep up with the pace of current contests, looks like my next entry won't be until "Restore this rundown urban block", but rest assured, I have 50 years of TV jingles to heap upon those poor wretched souls who dare use that grinning fool when there are billions, billions of images available with a single GIS.

I never thought of him as grinning; more out of breath from wading through all that water carrying all that beer.

Create a Fark doodle is morphing in to Create a Fark trainwreck. I love that kind of thread.

You know what the biggest problem with your anti-lootie TV jingles is #2? It's the ones you haven't posted.

Yeah, I'll be reading along and I'll think 'Hey #2 hasn't posted ________ yet'. Then that one will be stuck in my head all day until I visit the forum again. Another one inevitably takes over then.

It's like a mutating-replicating virus. The lootie cure is becoming an infectious plague itself. It's worse than yawning at a party.

Dumski: Paging #2.....Paging #2....
Your "anti-lootie" entry in the "Lincoln" contest did not seem to pan out. Thoughts?

Also, you better prepare some songs for Balchinian. He's been a bad boy.

FTFY ;)

Gwinny, I accidentally disabled voting on my entry in http://www.fark.com/comments/7109521/Theme-Create-a-Fark-doodle. It's late and probably won't get many votes, but I worked hard on it. Could you please enable voting for me?