Analysis: comment abuse : Melbourne Indymedia

Example:
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/06/146114.php

This is a fantastic original story. Someone has posted their thoughts on whats going down at the G8 in Germany.

The first comment, however, is where shit starts to get fucked up. Some moron has copied a story from somewhere and posted it.

The only relationship in content between the story and the first comment is that they are both about the G8. It's quite sad to see this. The comment is actually longer than the original story, and is unoriginal content.

Why is it that some people fail to understand the the comment functionality on a story is to discuss the story, and closely related topics. I would have thought that a good discussion around protest tactics might have come from this story (and still might).

It's just such a bloody shame to see thoughtless cross-posting everywhere. I don't want to have to sift through tonnes of mindless cross posts to get to peoples comments. I would go so far as to say that this activity is akin to spamming.

If you want to post a story, post it as a story, at very least, don't fuck up the comment threads.

Yes i realise both the story and the comment in this case are about the G8. Yes i still consider the comment to be off topic and annoying. Annoying as hell. It really has very little to do with the points the author of the original story was making.

I also acknowledge that the comment poster actually put a decent original comment at the bottom of his comment, after the lengthy crosspost. I'm wondering why this person didn't just post their original comment, and perhaps a link to the bill gates story after. it would have been much more readable. Why shove that sort of thing at people? Just get to the discussion. Stop cluttering up the place with junk.

Get with the program if the bloke wanted to make a comment so what?

What about the space you just wasted by posting this crap?

You call that an article for main newswire? Why don't you send your crap to the complaint section instead of screwing up the Newswire? I can't believe the loony bins who run this site!

Is anyone else seeing a pattern in the responses to this post and all the other crap that is appearing under the pretense of "adding to the content" at MIM? A none too subtle white noise campaign by agent provocateurs? As PR noted, the noise to signal ratio is increasing exponentially.

Houston, we have a problem.

We give out tin hats over in the states since when do complaints make the news?

Well it seems the melbourne mod agree with me and have removed the comment in question.

Unfortunately some pea-brained moron has given us a prime example in the comment above mine about the middle east.

is it so hard to use your brains people? actually think a bit about what your posting? I guess it is. Idiots.

That you moved the comments to suit yourself call yourself a moderator? You just wanted it to go your way!

The comment was moved to article status on the crosspost wire, because a site editor judged the comment was not sufficiently relevant for discussion of the article, while still being of interest as a crosspost, as is the right of the site editors to determine as specifically stated in the comment guidelines. If anything, this is actually a promotion of the comment.

It seems you also just gave us the real truth about spaminator ID!

Bummer!

spaminator is not a moderator. The only mods commenting in these threads have signed themselves Vera (MIMC) and Indykid. No other contributors are MIM site editors, they are just regular users like you subject to the same editorial policy.

Seems like your big secret is out. What did I tell you IndyKid about contol? Get with the truth!

Parody Press
by spaminator Sunday June 10, 2007 at 12:37 AM
"We want a full apology on the front page for your slander and verbal abuse! "
The drugs don't work.
You know sammy, if you don't get enough sleep, you will go MAD!!!!
oops! too late!
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/06/146060_comment.php

Are mental illness and irony mutually exclusive?
by s-paminator
2007-06-09 9:25 PM +0800
Questions for spammy sammy/smelly melly/kinky kevin/giddy garry:
What is parody?
parrot parrot spam spam
spam parrot parrot spam
Why do people use parody?
This public announcement courtesy of Parody Press

Parrot Press - New Directions in Activism
by spaminator
2007-06-09 10:00 PM +0800
So Gaz, you must feel like a real hero?
Only hardcore activists spend days on end attacking community organisations and spamming them with infantile tirades and cut and pastes.
Parody Press