So, What Sort of Free Republic Should This Be?

[Lead Moderator]

"Pantless driver charged over kiddie porn"

Dr Who fans to mark anniversary (40 years!)

DRUDGE "THE 'LOVE' LETTERS TO 'RUBBA' THAT MAY DESTROY JACKSON"

Seeking Help for a Computer Problem (Vanity)

'Can YOU Be A Porn Star?'

Oklahoma U. Qualifies for College Football Title Game

Man tries to smuggle bologna in shape of car seat over border

Posner is a fraud........

Screenless TV's Picture Floats In Thin Air

Syphilis Cases Rising In Idaho - many of the victims are pregnant

Michael Jackson: Take me to South America! (Midair meltdown as he returned to CA)

Teenager narrowly escapes crocodile attack

Dixie Chicks Singer Still Speaking Mind

All of the above were originally posted to news. That means that for a person having their settings for 50 threads at a time, their latest posts page would have had all of these.

All have been moved to chat.

[Quix]

AGREE.

I think anyone who doesn't love this place ought to have the decency to avoid posting, at least.

But I can be parochial and possessive in my affinities, at times.

[glock rocks]

the little freeper beeper java window seems to only alert you when someone else posts to you... but it takes up some desktop real estate.

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/notify?detach=1

[Jim Robinson]

I think John prefers working alone.

[Stop Legal Plunder]

The latest posts pages being full of crap is what the complaints were about.

I do understand that much. I'm amazed at your patience and that of your fellow laborers behind the scenes. In suggesting changes, I've tried to think about options that: (1) Will reduce the burden on moderators (because fewer complaints and fewer threads to move/zot), (2) Are relatively easy to do (I understand you're already moderating almost full time; so you don't have time for extra programming), (3) will make FR more effective by increasing the signal to noise ratio, (4) address the current strong incentive to post improperly on News/Activism in order to get a response.

My suggestion does all these things, although perhaps not as much as you need. Self-policing doesn't seem to work, given human nature. And more vigorous enforcement does increase the moderators' workload.

More punative measures might help, but perhaps at the cost of increasing discontent.

Am I missing something?

[Nam Vet]

I've noticed quite an onslaught of B.S. type posts and responses of late. Many seem to be from new members, so it seems we have an orchestrated attack. Just my opinion.

Nam Vet

[Jim Robinson]

Sigh. It may be humble, but it's home.

[Quix]

Don't blame him for that.

IS THERE ANY TOOL or any other kind of support we could give him and/or his family

A) because we love and appreciate all his labors of love

B) which might make his tasks easier, more efficient?

This is not a minor issue to me. I doubt I'm alone in such sentiments.

I figure we need to do all we can while we still have light to work in, so to speak. And helping you and John and FR is among my higher priorities in spite of my low capacity to do so.

[Jim Robinson]

Yeah. Just enjoy what we have and all will be fine. Clicking on "General" to get general topics is no big deal. Almost every big major news site has a place to click on National News, World News, Local News, Politics, Editorial, Weather, Sports, Business, Letters, Opinion, Fluff, etc, etc. I think it's a fairly common practice.

[HairOfTheDog]

IS THERE ANY TOOL or any other kind of support we could give him and/or his family

I think he would like for you to click the links for each forum that interests you to see what is happening there. (I do it all the time) :~D

[Jim Robinson]

I don't know. I've offered to get him some help, but he really doesn't want any.

[Quix]

CONCUR.

If I get the drift well or at all, it sounds like your suggestions are well taken and considered.

But John is human and limited in hours and energy.

I would also suspect that just the average daily maintenance, oversight of such things is no small task.

But I think your comment on human nature is also fitting.

On the other side of the coin of that, though, is part of what makes this place such a robust place. It is also part of what delivers that ROBUST ENERGY so repeatedly and so effectively for ACTIVISM IN BEHALF OF OUR CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL CAUSES AND GOALS . . .

THAT IS, THE DIVERSITY OF THE HUMAN CRITTERS WHICH CONGREGATE HERE IN AMAZINGLY ROBUST AFFINITY AND CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER AND FOR OUR SHARED CONSERVATIVE GOALS. It's amazing. Sometimes I think it's miraculous. At least the robust diversity is more of a strength, it seems to me, than it is a liability. But it certainly has it's downsides. And tidy little box order and constipated sanity are not likely to co-exist with such robustness well or at all.

[jellybean]

The latest posts pages being full of crap is what the complaints were about.

Anyone opting in to the "ALL latest posts" would/should be aware that that's what they're gonna get. Therefore, they have nothing to complain about.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Genius types are like that!!

He certainly qualifies as one for the system he has put together.

[Quix]

I would like to think it's humble in the best senses of the word.

But in my book, it will always be SOLID GOLD in a LONG LIST of ways.

. . . and HOME is among the chiefest of those ways.

[Jim Robinson]

Sorry, we do not have such a feature at this time. Do not know if we ever will.

[Quix]

Now that my ancient ignorance is removed, I expect to be doing so a lot.

I'd been under the delusion that "LATEST POSTS" included such from more or less all the major fora.

[Quix]

QUITE UNDERSTANDABLE.

I have a LOGITECH cordless TRACKBALL with the ball about 3/4 the size of a billiard ball. Great comfort for the hand and avoiding carpel tunnel with it down at lap level and normal arm angles.

It doesn't seem to be available at Logitech site. But it might be still in Taiwan, I could check.

Anyway--ANY small or larger tool any of us or all of us could get John would be more than worth it, to my notion of things.

[Quix]

Agree. Maybe some slaps upside the head would create more clear headed thinking? No guarantee of that.

[Apogee]

I would buy that, but unless one is able to spend all day watching the latest articles roll in, there is not enough time to sort.
If I check in only once a day, I can't hit "Click to show more threads ... " but so many times, especially as I check several topics.
If people labeled such stuff appropriately, others could see it in their subscription sidebar, if they wanted the variety or break, and those who didn't, wouldn't.
I might even put it over there myself, if enough people adherred to the notion.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I really liked the bump register, to help sort posts into areas of interest!

But the load on the computer got out of hand .