106 replies to this topic

[Miss Alli]

Just a couple of things. Thanks for your boundless enthusiasm and energy, which I'm now going to squish just very slightly for the temporary sake of a clean section. Please don't create threads for everyone just on the theory that everyone needs a thread. Once we have the forums all set up with a section for past seasons, which I'll try to get going in the next little bit here, that will be easier, but until then, please don't create lots and lots of contestant threads just for the sake of having them, because it makes the section really crowded. Thanks.

Edited by Miss Alli, Jun 14, 2006 @ 6:21 PM.

[Miss Alli]

Reminder: Sars recently clarified the YouTube policy, which is that YouTube clips are not authorized, are potentially copyright infringing, and we ask you not to link to them. This general issue is covered in the FAQ, but was recently re-covered in the ABF threads. Thanks.

Hi, y'all. We have the new forum structure set up, and contestant threads are in Past Seasons for now. When we know who will be a current houseguest, those people will be moved into the Houseguests thread, where they'll reside for this season. Until then, the Houseguests section will sit empty till it's needed. Thanks!

[Miss Alli]

I just wanted to post a reminder that when we say live-feed stuff stays in the live-feed thread, that includes the fact that you need to make sure you don't use tagged spoilers outside that thread in a way that gives things away.

Example: If you know who's in the house and you tag a spoiler in a contestant thread or an episode thread that relates to a particular person, you make it fairly obvious that the person is in the house.

There's very little reason, really, to put live-feed-driven spoilers in other threads at all, even if you tag them. But if you decide to do it, you're responsible for making sure that what you post doesn't give anything away. This means things like: (1) If you have been vocal about hating a particular contestant, it's pretty obvious if you go to their thread and say, "I'm so glad that she was nominated!" (2) "I don't think Jeff Probst will be HoH, because on the feeds, he said he wouldn't be playing hard." (3) "OH MY GOD, I can't believe he nominated So-and-So instead of So-and-So!"

All those things are going to tell people things they don't want to know. It's better to just keep your spoiled stuff to the live-feed thread, but as I said, if you use tagged spoilers elsewhere, please be careful how you use them. Thanks!

[Miss Alli]

A few reminders:

These people ALL SUCK. The reason I'm posting this as a reminder is that there's not a person playing this game who's worth getting angry at other posters about. Feel PRETEND hate for the people on the show (like I do!), but don't actually get to the point where you're angry at other people posting on the site. Because? These people ALL SUCK.

That said, a few specifics: I've been smacking down a few classic FAQ violations this morning, so I want to remind you of a few things. "I don't get the hate" and "I don't get the love" are off-topic. That's a discussion of the boards ("Why oh why don't other people see what I see?") rather than a discussion of the show.

Similarly, please don't try to call out other people with demands that they explain how they can possibly feel a way that you don't feel. Just say how you feel; it's good enough.

Finally, don't start your posts with goofy and obvious things like "I don't see how anyone can say [blah blah]." If you do this job long enough, you learn that no matter what the thing is, there's somebody out there who thinks it, so it should never shock you. You don't have to learn to understand what motivates every opinion other than your own; you just have to acknowledge that some things, you will never get. And rather than explaining that you don't get them, you just have to coexist with them.

Oh, and one more thing: these people ALL SUCK.

[Miss Alli]

A few reminders about things that do nothing but start fights and cause problems:

Calling women hookers, sluts, tramps, prostitutes, "practically" prostitutes, and so forth.

Suggesting that real people who really exist should be strangled, shot, etc.

Talking about how sick you are of hearing people on the show say something in a way that makes it entirely clear you are actually addressing your comments to people on the boards. I was not born yesterday, y'all. I've been here five years. You're not fooling anyone.

Positioning yourself above other people based on what contestants you like. "But I don't do that!" Good. Don't.

Other reminders:

Live feed stuff in live feed threads only. We've had some issues with this in the last few days after people were really careful about it for a long time.

Tag any and all spoilers if you absolutely must mention them.

Most of the posters in the section are following rules and not having problems. Please don't make it harder for everyone because you can't keep your powder dry. Thanks.

[Miss Alli]

Hey, y'all. Sorry to be all over the place tonight, but the boards are getting that energy, like they're about to blow apart, so I just want to remind you to think twice and post once, and to keep in mind that it's the people on the show who suck, and not your fellow posters. Relax, and it will all be fine. There's only a week left, and the last few weeks on the boards have been pretty good until tonight, so I'm not too worried; just slow yourself down and don't get into unnecessary dust-ups.

Also: Mike Boogie sucks.

[Miss Alli]

Hi, y'all. Welcome to another season of OH MY GOD THIS SHOW IS ON AGAIN.

People did very well last season, for the most part, with the arrangement we had about discussing the feeds, so let me review what it was for you.

We have a Live Feed Highlights Information thread. The idea of this thread is to provide a newswire for people who are desperate to know what feedwatchers know that nonfeedwatchers don't know, as far as important, potentially game-changing information. This includes who got veto, who won challenges, who's talked whom into voting for someone...you get the idea. It's not for nose-picking, sandwich-making, ugly-clothes-wearing, repeating every gross thing that a gross person says, etc. The thread took pretty good care of itself last year, so I think you'll be fine.

We have a separate Discussion thread for Live Feed Highlights. Here is where you can discuss your reactions to the newswire over in Live Feed Highlights.

Aside from these two threads, please do not discuss feed info on the rest of the threads. This includes contestant threads, episode threads, general threads, and so forth. There's no perfect way to create the perfect experience for everyone, and I openly admit that this arrangement has a way of sometimes making feedwatchers -- kind of like spoiled people elsewhere -- feel like they can't fully say every single thing they think of, because they're a little cramped by the limitations. But the alternative is to have spoiler bars all over the place, which looks ugly, or to risk spoiling the show for people.

I don't know what the future holds, but for the moment, we're still really treating the default viewer as one who simply tunes in for the three shows per week (or, if they're lucky, less than that), and we're trying to preserve that as the status quo. To the degree feedwatchers feel a bit shuffled off to Buffalo, I'm sorry about that and I thank you for being flexible.

Have fun, remember it's the houseguests and not your fellow posters who suck, and have a good season. We're tag-teaming the weecapping this season, so you'll be sharing editorial space with a couple of other staffers, who I'm sure will introduce themselves as time permits.

P.S. It just occurred to me that some of you weren't here for the days when we had simple, post-everything-on-the-feeds threads, and you may not know why we don't do that. Basically, it creates ENORMOUS server drain, because people post and refresh the thread all...day...long. Seriously, it brought down the site one summer, no fooling. We simply aren't up to it, but there are sites where you can find that stuff, and a little Googling will bring them right to your door. Thanks.

Edited by Miss Alli, Jul 5, 2007 @ 1:59 PM.

[Joe R]

To the degree feedwatchers feel a bit shuffled off to Buffalo,

HEY!

So, yes, in keeping with this season's theme of houseguests locked in the house with their worst enemies, I have been brought on to assist with the weecapping duties. Because Miss Alli and I have a longstanding vendetta. She knows why.

[TWoP Bayliss]

This is Jacob, officially saying hello in my new form as Autobot Moderator Bayliss. Please direct all questions, comments and concerns regarding the BB forums my way. Thanks.

Edited by TWoP Bayliss, Jul 26, 2007 @ 1:19 PM.

[TWoP Bayliss]

To clarify the rules in threads outside the Feed threads:

It's okay to say the word "Feed" anywhere, or reference random feed shit on the feeds.

The Feed Threads Rule arises from two things:

1) Spoilers for events: Food comp, POV, HOH -- or other, similarly important moments like huge fights and game-changers.
2) Using Feed talk to push an agenda regarding a particular player or viewpoint:

GOOD: "Jessica was adorable playing Quarters last night on the Feeds and it made me like her more."
BAD: "You wouldn't say Dick was a great guy if you'd seen what he did on the Feeds! Don't like Dick! You're only allowed* to hate Dick!"

Which is to say, you won't get dinked for mentioning them outside those threads, or saying the word "feed," but you will get dinked for trying to manipulate the conversation, or for being a spoiler troll. We expect you to show discretion as far as drawing this line, and if you don't, that's why there are Moderators. It's not an assault against you as a person to get a Warn or Note, just a reminder of the rules. We realize there are grey areas. The problem is when those areas aren't particularly grey, and someone pushes it anyway.

*PS: You're only allowed to hate Dick. He is awful.

Edited by TWoP Bayliss, Jul 28, 2007 @ 5:20 PM.

[TWoP Bayliss]

YOUTUBE

Per counsel, you can post anything but full episodes or episodes chunk-by-chunk. The broadcasters police it and if they don't want it up there, it will come down. Thanks for your attention.

[TWoP Bayliss]

One more time: random points of interest from the Feeds with no bearing on the game, such as Nick's mohawk or Amber's meds, are not "spoilers." They are uninteresting facts about uninteresting people. If you try to use your Feed knowledge to win an argument, we'll have some trouble, but these kinds of things are not in and of themselves a problem. Please step away from the drama.

[TWoP Bayliss]

If you're wondering why the Highlights Discussion thread is closed, check out my posting history -- I asked three times in the last 24 hours that the conversation be restricted to the Highlights, and each time it got worse.

I kind of have to follow through with the consequences I set. I told you I was going to start banning people and lock the thread, and that's what I had to do. I do apologize as I know it's a very popular thread, but maybe a couple of days will chill everybody out.

In the same way, turning the Highlights thread into a de facto discussion thread will result in bannings and a lockdown, so think twice.

[nightfever]

Hi there. I was just wondering about the fact that the Live Feed Discussion thread was closed, rather than the Live Feed Highlight thread. According to Miss Alli:

We have a separate Discussion thread for Live Feed Highlights. Here is where you can discuss your reactions to the newswire over in Live Feed Highlights.

Doesn't that mean that personal comments should be allowed in that thread? I am just looking for clarification.

[TWoP Bayliss]

Doesn't that mean that personal comments should be allowed in that thread? I am just looking for clarification.

I think you mean "general discussion," is that right? In the "Discussion" thread?

Well, I've tried to err on the side of leniency with that, and will continue to do so when the thread re-opens, but I'm sorry: the topic is things happening on the live feeds, not everything under the sun.

Don't see Nick on the Live Feeds because he went home days ago? Then don't talk about him. Are all the seasons of the show happening simultaneously on the Live Feeds? Then by all means discuss your overarching theories for how the game's mechanics work in the past, present and future.

The Highlights Discussion thread was becoming a Meet Market, because people didn't want to take their speculation to the Spec thread, their theories about the HG's to their HG threads, etc. Which is fine -- the moderator's job is to correct the flow of that kind of thing, and everybody gets off-track once and a while. There certainly weren't beatings.

What there were, were repeated polite requests from the moderator to get back on topic, which were ignored. Which puts me in a shitty position, because then I have to do things like follow through on the consequences I promised. This is one of them.

[Arsy80]

I have two questions. First, is it possible to have a grassy knoll thread in this forum? It seems like every year there are a lot of accusations about various agendas, rigging, etc. of the producers. Would it be possible to confine that sort of thing to one place?

Also, in the episode or contestant threads there are sometimes a lot of comments or questions about the episode that can be clarified by information from the feeds pre-episode. How is that handled exactly? I know the word "feeds" isn't a bad word in non-feeds threads when it comes to non-game changing moments, but how does that work with things that do have an impact on the game as it has been played thus far, but not shown on tv?

[TWoP Bayliss]

Please open a Grassy Knoll thread in the Whimsy section. Good idea.

Also, in the episode or contestant threads there are sometimes a lot of comments or questions about the episode that can be clarified by information from the feeds pre-episode. How is that handled exactly? I know the word "feeds" isn't a bad word in non-feeds threads when it comes to non-game changing moments, but how does that work with things that do have an impact on the game as it has been played thus far, but not shown on tv?

The Feed Threads Rule arises from two things:

1) Spoilers for events: Food comp, POV, HOH -- or other, similarly important moments like huge fights and game-changers.
2) Using Feed talk to push an agenda regarding a particular player or viewpoint

Those are the only issues -- the only caution I would offer is about staying on topic. Getting into an extended discussion about a Feed issue or subject that never happened on CBS, for example, would be something I'd have to remind the thread about. The point is about creating less work and complications for us all, not more. Don't overthink it.

[Miss Alli]

Also please be aware that I'm not the mod anymore, so Bayliss isn't bound by anything I said anyway. All mods make slightly different decisions, informed by their own experience, about what to allow, and sometimes about what to experiment with to see if it works. So that's the other thing to keep in mind -- the rules are a bit different now than they were then anyway.

[TWoP Bayliss]

Frankly, I'm less concerned about the across-the-board feed mention issue, which hasn't been a problem for the last month, than I am about the inability of the Live Feed thread to stay on topic over the last 24 hours. Whether or not this particular "experiment" somehow goes haywire is kind of back-burner at the moment.

[CoolKel]

Would it be possible to have a thread to discuss the strategic aspects of the game (floating, throwing competitions, backdooring, etc)? There a lot of talk about various nomination tactics and whatnot, so I figure it would be easier to have all that talk in one place.

[LosinIt]

I understand the frustration when people drift off topic for too long, but it is nice to have a thread where one can just feel free to express thoughts and specs without having to wonder if they are a spoiler or not. Sometimes when I watch feeds, I forget what was on the show and what was not. I've gotten into trouble for inadvertently spoiling upcoming events before, so I'm not going on the generic thread. Maybe there's no good solution, but I do enjoy the speculation threads tremendously, so I hope they don't disappear. The TWoP folks are generally so smart and funny.

[Saeward]

If nothing else, this might help with another problem with the Live Feeds Discussion thread: it's very difficult to keep up with. More than once I've gone to work or on an errand and when I return, the thread is advanced by 50 or 60 pages.

[Pretty Flowers]

Could we maybe have a speculation with spoilers thread, as there is in the "Lost" Forum. One of the most interesting aspects of BB for me is the discussion of strategy and the evolving game...

[TWoP Bayliss]

CoolKel: A strategery thread is a good idea. Go for it.

Pretty Flowers: That kind of thing is fine in the Discussion thread, in moderation. Again, I've tried to give that thread a lot of latitude for that kind of thing, and will continue to do so. I don't really think there's a current need for an extra thread, but I'll keep it in mind moving forward.

Edited by TWoP Bayliss, Aug 10, 2007 @ 2:29 PM.

[TWoP Bayliss]

If you've made your opinions clear on the religion/hypocrisy/organ music/prayer/Amber/Jameka issue clear, please don't get repetitive. I realize it's a personal thing and everybody has their stance, but once you've said your piece, that's sufficient. More and you run the risk of going off-topic, and/or being a jerk about it, both of which we're all better than.

[Spy Idol]

This might be too redundant, but is there any chance of starting a thread to discuss the editing on BB, or comparing Feeds vs. Episodes? I know this sounds like it overlaps the Feed discussion threads, but I'm not talking about simply finding out what happened on the feeds- I'm talking about discussing what actually happened vs. what was shown, both to highlight strange CBS agendas and also to inform people who don't watch the feeds how they may or may not have been duped. Sometimes this discussion occurs in the episode threads but a place to combine all these thoughts might be helpful, especially since this season in particular sounds like it has a lot of disconnect between what's shown and what's occurred. Just an idea!

[MarchingOcelot]

I think it's probably covered under The Grassy Knoll thread down in Flotsam and Jetsam, as most of the comments about the editing of BB tend to be of the "This contestant is getting a really good/really bad edit". People just haven't stumbled upon yet.

[Spy Idol]

I checked that out earlier but to me it seemed that that was more of a place for "BB producers tried to get so and so evicted, they told so and so to do this," etc. Although conspiracy theories might result from the thread I mentioned, I imagine there would also be good conversations that would simply enlighten non-feed watchers ("They made it look like Eric didn't try on the silent treatment task but he really didn't talk to Jessica for 10 hours", "I can't believe they didn't show Amber's anti-semetic rant," etc.) that don't exactly belong in a Grassy Knoll but don't really fit into the episode threads either. I can understand being vetoed on this idea though since similar threads like you mention do exist.

[TWoP Bayliss]

I don't really see a reason to create a new thread for it. If you're confused about what Feed talk is acceptable in the episode threads, check out the pinned post in the Feed thread.

[izlude]

.

Edited by izlude, Aug 16, 2008 @ 4:16 PM.