Help What's with the "You Must React to this post to read it" posts all of a sudden?

[Dejected 55]

I've started in the last week or so seeing a lot of threads or posts within threads that have "You must react to this or respond to this to see" content... so you can't see what someone has posted without commenting in the thread OR reacting to the post that you can't read.

Why would anyone respond or "like" a post that they can't read? Whenever I see that, I just close the thread and move on. I'm not going to "like" a post only to find out the content is something I completely disagree with... feels like people trying to trick you into commenting or reacting. Why is this even a feature?

Spoiler text is one thing to give anyone the option of reading or skipping... and outright ignoring specific users or threads makes sense too... but having text that isn't technically restricted BUT requires you to blindly interact with it before you can read it to know if you want to interact with it seems like a really weird feature for a site to have.

What am I missing?

 

[ConfusedClouds]

I agree and also just move on, no matter how interesting or relatable I think the content might be.

I get the idea of privacy from lurkers. But the pre-reading interactions feels like some sort of con.

I guess in some threads, once a conversation has developed between a few people, it makes sense for the discussion to be switched to becoming a bit more 'between friends', but its the entry posts/starting threads that require it that confuse me and maybe even make me a bit uneasy. Or posts into generic venting threads ('how are you today') that need reactions that seem oddly intentioned.

 

[OnceTheHappiestMan]

For example in the games section, by its own nature, the flow of it may turn to casual, or not so casual, completely offtopic chat between members, and then they turn to reaction mode. I think that is understandable.


For discussion topics, my feeling is that it may have to do with a raise of paranoia after YT videos that show screenshots of real users posts, name and content included, and increasing reports of police knocking at people's door.

If it is for wanting to keep info out of outsiders reach, I think a much better option is

You need -1 more posts to view this content

 

[Pluto]

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm guessing- to limit it to only members being able to see it. I doubt you can 'like' a post as a lurker or bot. I'm not sure it's about trying to boost their reaction score although, maybe.

I'm not sure how effective that even is. I imagine many people who attack the forum have snuck in under false pretences anyway. In a way, I find that the most hurtful. If people have joined and interacted with members here- only to expose them for personal gain. That feels like such a stab in the back.

I suppose they believe they are justified because they see themselves as the saviour against members of a 'death cult'. I don't tend to view it that way.

I suppose at least with Tantacrul- even though I believe he was ultimately irresponsible and I (obviously) don't share his views, he was at least honest about who he was and why he was here from the start.

I'm really enjoying the TV show 'The Traitors' at the moment. It's probably almost like that for a small minority of members. There likely will be some bad and some very good actors here presumably lying to gain trust or entrap people. Maybe that's paranoia though!

Still, I don't really blame people for wanting to try to shield themselves from that. Even though it does also feel like a social media type stunt to fish for likes.

 

[Arvayn]

I think there's an element of desire for at least some partial form of privacy to it. Some people don't want things to be available to be seen by just anyone, so they hide it behind BB Codes (that's what they're called, by the way).

After all, it's pretty awkward and creepy if you react to old messages from someone you don't know just to read what they have to say, and most people are deterred by that. Even if they're not, at least you'll know exactly who read your message, instead of having the uncertainty of it potentially being seen and spread around by many strangers.

 

[Alpacachino]

I was thinking the same thing lol . I felt like it was just another silly gimmick .I'm sure they have their reasons but I usually skip by those posts.

I'm really enjoying the TV show 'The Traitors' at the moment. It's probably almost like that for a small minority of members. There likely will be some bad and some very good actors here presumably lying to gain trust or entrap people. Maybe that's paranoia though!

Damn,one of my favorite shows.I started off with both the US and UK versions.Now I'm just watching the US version.

The back stabbing,cover ups,intrigue .It's pretty good.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I was thinking the same thing lol . I felt like it was just another silly gimmick .I'm sure they have their reasons but I usually skip by those posts.






Damn,one of my favorite shows.I started off with both the US and UK versions.Now I'm just watching the US version.

The back stabbing,cover ups,intrigue .It's pretty good.

Yayee- anothet fan! I've just made a thread about it actually. It is really fascinating. So cleverly put together too I think.

 

[FadingSnowFake]

I agree with OP, and don't know if I'm missing something either. It almost feels like I'm being trapped into reading something I may not want to see or agree with but then I already responded by saying I like it? Spoilers make sense.

 

[Alpacachino]

feels like I'm being trapped

Yeah,it feels transactional.

Yayee- anothet fan! I've just made a thread about it actually. It is really fascinating. So cleverly put together too I think.

Pretty brilliant. I don't know how they come up with these things, but well done on their part.

 

[Dejected 55]

I mean... if private conversation is wanted... that's what the private messages are for, right? And you can have group chats/messaging on here between multiple users so if several people want to have a private conversation just among them, there's that option available.

In the real world, if there is a group of say 5 friends sitting together and then 2 of them starting talking in the group but only in a private coded language that only those 2 understand... that is usually considered rude, no? You'd wonder why those 2 are in the group just to talk privately to each other in a way the group couldn't understand... you'd start to think maybe they are talking about you or something that they specifically don't want you to know. It's weird. I feel like when you're in a public forum you talk to everyone who wanders by or at least they can hear you. Or, of course, you can ignore people with that feature.

Anyway... I just hadn't seen this feature until very recently and wondered why anyone would use it and what sparked it suddenly in use lately.

If it is about not wanting non-users to read things... there is a private section that doesn't get archived outside this forum. I thought that is what that section was for... and as noted, people are joining up all the time and it seems like it probably would be easy for someone to join up just to read what people post and circumvent most of this anyway.

I guess in the end I can just keep going as I have been, ignoring such threads and moving along and stop wondering if the topic was something I might have been able to contribute to or not.

 

[EmptyBottle]

I prefer [ HIDEPOSTS=1 ] [ /HIDEPOSTS ]
because users who joined but weren't yet approved can like... but not post (I liked a few posts before being approved).

For games threads where people like the nearby posts HIDEREPLY and HIDEREACT can be used, so that even members here have to actively participate to access the content.

Tho HIDEREPLY seems better because I don't have to speculate which reaction is best (eg hug, info, like).. only to read the post and changethe reaction.

 

[gottacheckout]

I was a part of some of the games threads when this started. It got to the point where I felt excluded since I obviously was not being included. I have no interest in being a part of making others feel left out.

I mean... if private conversation is wanted... that's what the private messages are for, right? And you can have group chats/messaging on here between multiple users so if several people want to have a private conversation just among them, there's that option available.

In the real world, if there is a group of say 5 friends sitting together and then 2 of them starting talking in the group but only in a private coded language that only those 2 understand... that is usually considered rude, no? You'd wonder why those 2 are in the group just to talk privately to each other in a way the group couldn't understand... you'd start to think maybe they are talking about you or something that they specifically don't want you to know. It's weird. I feel like when you're in a public forum you talk to everyone who wanders by or at least they can hear you. Or, of course, you can ignore people with that feature.

Your 2 of 5 comment is valid.


If I choose to have a private conversation I just end up messaging them. If it gets to where I want it to be more private I just move it off site

 

[Dejected 55]

I was a part of some of the games threads when this started. It got to the point where I felt excluded since I obviously was not being included. I have no interest in being a part of making others feel left out.

Your 2 of 5 comment is valid.

If I choose to have a private conversation I just end up messaging them. If it gets to where I want it to be more private I just move it off site

More specifically than my 2 of 5 example above in my previous post... one time three friends and I drove to a nearby city for an event. The drive there was fine... but once we got there two of the friends had their fill pretty early and spent a lot of time complaining and wanting to leave even though me and another guy wanted to stay the whole day, as that was always the plan before the other two wanted to join in on the trip.

So those other two were not happy basically and let us know it more or less. On the drive back, the two in the back seat would mumble at each other and I'd hear my name periodically and I would say "What?" to see what they were talking about and they would say they weren't talking to me... after a bit of this I was getting irritated and they eventually fell asleep in the backseat. My friend and I in the front were equally irritated with the guys in the back so I turned off the air conditioner.

At some point the guys in the back woke up and started complaining about the heat. I forgot what I said, but I definitely indicated I had done it since they were asleep anyway and I wanted to save on gas and we in the front weren't too hot.

Anyway... the kicker for me wasn't so much them trying to ruin the trip by wanting to leave when they had kind of begged their way into my other friend and I on our trip in the first place... but when they started talking about me int he backseat so I couldn't hear what they were saying it pissed me off. Needless to say they were not part of future trips again. Wasn't worth the aggravation to be made to feel like an outsider on my own trip!