Politics: Is it possible to limit the number of posts per topic?

Just an idea, assuming this is even technically possible.

On so many threads, we run into the same issue: the same few usernames end up dominating everything. They basically hijack the conversation, turning the thread into their own private playground. It ends up driving away anyone who doesn't have the patience to wade through endless walls of text from people who aren't even really talking about the topic anymore.

If you capped daily posts on a specific thread at, say, 10, the whole vibe would change instantly. People would actually think twice before trolling or posting total garbage if they actually care about having a real conversation.

It’s a one-stop solution to cut down on trolling and personal attacks, which means less work for the mods and way better quality discussions overall.

I am genuinely unsure if the technical infrastructure even exists to support something like this. Even if it did, one has to wonder if such a restriction would actually be beneficial. We would inevitably run into scenarios where, during major breaking news events—think Election Night or high-profile arrests—users wouldn't be able to post, causing the discussion to lose its momentum exactly when it's needed most.
I have taken note of the other perspectives and the owner's stance, but personally, I am not inclined toward any of these proposals.

If it’s doable, I think you should test out that new concept on one of the threads.
Just posting for the sake of posting really lowers the bar. It doesn't even increase engagement; it just creates a mountain of nonsense from basically the same group of people.
I honestly don't get how arguing about whether Joe Biden is an American—or claiming Americans are the biggest threat to America back in 2014—can be considered an actual "debate." Quantity has absolutely killed quality here.

Honestly, it’s just not technically feasible, but even if we could pull it off, I wouldn’t be in favor of it. We have moderators on this site whose whole job is to keep the quality of the discussion high, so you should definitely reach out to them if you notice a thread starting to go off the rails. Putting a cap on the number of posts could end up cutting us off from plenty of great contributions, and that would be such a shame.

rustydrifter10 said:It’s not technically feasible, but honestly, I wouldn't want it even if it were. We have moderators whose job is to monitor the quality of the discussion, so you should just reach out to them if you notice a thread being trashed. Putting a cap on the number of posts would end up cutting off plenty of great contributions, and that would be a real shame.

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=270797

Anything is technically possible; the real question is whether it's actually smart. 🙂

Anyone who follows American Politics knows the truth: the people posting the most aren't actually saying anything worth reading. As long as they aren't breaking the rules by being directly offensive, the mods just let them run wild. It’s honestly ruined so many threads. Even looking back at the Presidential election archives feels like scrolling through the comment section of some sketchy right-wing tabloid.

Can we please get some kind of rate limit on how many posts someone can drop in a single thread? If there are limits for signing up, why isn't there one for posting?

I’d take any technical fix if it meant stopping this constant spamming. The moderators clearly can't handle it themselves.

Christian Cook85 said:http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=270797

I mean, sure, anything is technically possible if you have the tools, but the real question is whether it's actually a smart move. 🙂

It’s just not an option for us right now because we don't have that specific setup installed. It might become a possibility down the road, but for the time being, it's just not on the table.

northerntiger said:Could we at least set a time limit on how many posts someone can dump into a single thread all at once? If we have limits for reporting, why wouldn't we have them for posting too?

I'm pretty sure there's some kind of limit in place already, but honestly, it's way too short to be effective. Personally, I'd much rather just report someone for wrecking a thread and let the mods or supermods handle it—it feels like a much faster way to get a reaction.

I'm reporting this, but let me say it again: you can tell how bad the moderation is just by looking at the trash discussions happening right now, especially regarding the Presidential election. It’s because "anything goes" until you actually call someone an idiot—which, let's be real, they clearly are. Then suddenly, you’re the one getting a warning, even if you were just sharing something useful, like a link to an official government document or explaining a legal term.

It honestly breaks my heart when someone, say a lawyer, tries to explain something from a professional standpoint, only to get hit with a mountain of nonsense from people who don't have a clue, and then they get kicked out just because they lost their cool.

In the thread about conscientious objection, there are already pages upon pages of people fighting about how abortion is murder. It has nothing to do with the actual topic, but since nobody is directly insulting anyone, they get away with it. The whole discussion has gone completely off the rails.

You can't have a quality debate if basic facts aren't accepted as common ground. If that's not the case, we aren't having a discussion; we're just dealing with trolling. The Earth is round, and there's no debate about that, so I don't get why, in a thread about conscientious objection, people are allowed to stubbornly insist that abortion is murder. It isn't. If you can't accept that, don't post there. Same goes for the President; if I were a moderator, the moment someone called him a traitor, they'd get a permanent ban. They can go scream it somewhere else. And it doesn't matter who the current President is—none of them have been traitors. 🙂

EDIT: Or should we just make this a topic?

Hey, I just reported this post. I’m really curious to hear what rustydrifter10 thinks—is this actually okay, or did it cross a line?

Honestly, you can find this kind of rhetoric all over Reddit these days. It really shows people's true colors. It's honestly pretty gross. I'd love to believe that stuff like this isn't actually allowed on here.

And this thread, just getting started? This is straight-up intel from the deep web, honestly. It should be treated with the same weight as anything else on the Politics sub
.

This thread was opened just an hour ago. Let’s be realistic: the moderators aren't prison guards tasked with patrolling this site twenty-four hours a day to jump on every single move the second it happens. If you encounter a comment that catches your eye, just hit the report button and give it at least a day. Give the mods some breathing room to actually log on, review the report, and decide how they want to handle things.

EDIT

rustywalker42, let's not drag this discussion over to private messages. We can keep the conversation strictly about moderation right here.

Look, I wasn't even trying to get into a whole debate here. That's not my goal. I just said that northerntiger's take isn't some absolute, objective truth—even if I basically agree with her.

Fair enough. 👍
That’s why the moderators—whether acting on their own initiative or consulting others when necessary—evaluate what should be allowed to stay and what needs to be cut.

I just don't see how this idea works; you can't exactly expect moderators to be on call 24/7 to babysit a forum. When we get into heated debates—like that recent blowout over Bloomberg's arrest—people are going to want to keep talking. If you start slapping limits on how many posts someone can make, what do you think is going to happen? They’ll just hop onto an alt account or spin up a brand-new thread to keep the momentum going. You'll end up with a dozen identical topics cluttering up the site, and it won't just stay in Politics; the night shift will just move the conversation over to the lifestyle or hobby sections anyway.

The other thing that bugs me about this proposal is how it handles the smaller, niche discussions. You know those threads where maybe five or six regulars are having a deep dive? Some days are more productive than others, and if you cap the number of replies, people aren't just going to stop talking—they're going to migrate to DMs, Discord, or Facebook. And once they leave the platform, the forum just ends up with these massive, awkward holes in the conversation.

William Bennett53 said:This thread was just opened an hour ago. Mods aren't prison guards; they don't need to be hovering over the site 24/7 ready to jump on every single little thing instantly. If you see something fresh that bothers you, just hit the report button and give them at least a day to log on, check the flag, and decide how to handle it.

It’s not about how fast things get shut down—I wasn't even criticizing that. I'm just saying this topic doesn't belong in Politics, just like the last one.

If you ask me, both threads are beneath the standards of a site like Reddit that tries so hard to be the best platform out there.

That first thread is honestly disgraceful because it's pure chauvinism. The author thinks it's totally fine to count blood cells when making or enforcing laws. That's unconstitutional and shouldn't even be up for debate—just like how we wouldn't debate whether or not to sterilize the Rom community. But since it's already gone on for several pages, I guess the mods are cool with it? Where do we draw the line? Someone gets banned for something minor, but this stays up.

@nimblewalker58/">@@nimblewalker58
That’s exactly why mods can’t be online 24/7—this suggestion actually makes their lives easier. Fewer posts means less cleanup work.
Until we actually try it, we're just sitting here complaining about how it might ruin discussions. Half the threads in the shitty Politics section aren't even worth a kilobyte of bandwidth. You’ve got a massive crowd of self-proclaimed "experts" weighing in on everything from Syria to how to monetize a blog. You can't even start a new thread without the same old crowd popping up with the exact same tired arguments. 😵.

The worst part is how people over there label anyone who disagrees with them as traitors, Mexicans, or worse. And nobody says a word. If someone actually snaps and sends one of those people a nasty DM, they're the ones who get banned. That's not right. We need much more serious moderation—forcing people to actually watch what they say and cutting down on all the mindless emotional venting and bitterness.

rustydrifter10 said:It’s just not doable, and honestly, I wouldn't want it even if it were. We have moderators to keep the discussion on track, so just reach out to them if you see a thread getting trashed. Limiting posts would just kill off good content, and that's a waste.

Moderators can't be online 24/7, and not all threads are the same. I know my own sections well enough to spot the useless spam that chokes a conversation, and I clear it out once or twice a day. But look at the Politics section—which is what the OP is actually talking about—those threads are a mess, and the mods can barely keep up with the blatant rule-breaking.

So, on that thread about Joe Biden’s dad—you know, the one where they're pushing those claims from that convicted killer Vukšić about how his father Ante was responsible for some girl's death—even the moderator decided to jump into the "debate." It's actually a legit topic if you think about it. 👎

Looks like the New York Post finally has some real competition. Love to see it.

I don't think the idea itself makes any sense, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few valid points buried in there. Especially regarding this specific topic.
I’m pretty sure Politics is the absolute hardest subject to moderate, but it’s true that we're seeing more and more threads that really should be categorized under "Alternative Medicine"—right alongside the folks posting about swallowing liquid silver or staring at the sun to cure everything known to man... so, yeah, I guess that holds water...

Alright, can someone explain why my posts keep getting nuked just because I pointed out that Alexis is hijacking the thread with their own opinions when we're talking about something else entirely?