Topic Abuse, Particularly Activism

[Admin Moderator]

Hi all.

When posting articles, please limit the topics to those which are apparent for the article. Do not go out of your way to put in more topics just to try to get more views for your thread. Doing so makes the topics less usable for everyone.

Possibly the worst examples can be found in the "Activism" topic. I think just showing some examples here will make the point:

Gov:(Mitt Romney of MA) Budget will change, taxes promise will not was posted to Activism. It is understandable that the poster wanted to see some activism result from the article, but this is not in and of itself activism. This article did not belong in the activism topic.

Transcript: Sen. Pat Roberts on Fox News Sunday (Are Republicans prepared to fight for Estrada) was posted to activism. Again, it is understandable that the poster wanted to see some activism result from the article, but this is not in and of itself activism. This article did not belong in the activism topic.

FReep this poll is an example of a type of thread posted frequently to the activism topic. While a very loose interpretation of activism might lead one to put these here, they really don't accomplish much and should probably be put in vanity.

How the Laci Peterson story has any relevance to activism is beyond me.

The Spoils of Glory (France) is not activism.

I am just giving some examples there from the most recent dozen posts. I would estimate that about 75% of what is being posted to the activism topic has nothing to do with activism of any sort.

Only you can prevent topic abuse.

Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

I am not sure what the problem is- I check the technical topic and I see your post. Granted, there have been a lot of posts to that topic since so it would not be in the sidebar now (it would have scrolled off) but it looks to me like it was there for a short while after you posted it: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/t-tech/browse?more=1605702

[Go Gordon]

And how about making an 'Activism' sidebar, so the 'Breaking News' doesn't get clogged up with: 'FREEP Schumer at Noon Today!' 'Rally to Support the Confederate Flag' 'Patriot March For Justice in Minot, S. Dakota'

Amen to that.

[Admin Moderator]

As I mentioned above, there is such a thing- you just have to click a link to add it to your setup.

That said, Jim does want to assist in helping foster conservative activism, so announcements for rallies will probably still find a home in the BN sidebar from time to time.

Thanks, AM

[Fractal Trader]

I just changed the following article New Economy Recedes in Pacific Northwest to technical, and it is not showing up in the Technical forum on my computer.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Woodstock II"
(To be sung to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Woodstock")

Well, I came upon a dude named Rush...
He was talkin' about Left's 'Ho-oh-oh...
And I asked him, "Tell me where we are goin'?!"
Limbaugh told me...

Said, "We're goin' to the DeeCee Mall...
Gonna join in The Patriots' Stand...
Rebuild Reagan's Shinin' City on the Hill...yeah!!"

We are starvin'...fer some Boldness...
RE-IMPEACH...Senate shall CONVICT!!
Folks, we must now DETHRONE Slick the Evil Tyrant!!!

Folks, show the Left what Right is...
Lib'rals shall recoil in FRight!!
Yes, they'll cower from Lord's Justice...
Waco's burnin'...
Democrats're the Party of Fear...
FReepers, ain't it time we Make Our Stand?!
Just IGNORE the Med'yuh Spin...
Them Leftist Whores ain't winnin'!!!

We're God's Warriors...Right's emboldened!!
Just INDICT...Sheeple Shall CONVICT!!
Patriots shall now DETHRONE Left's Chi-Com Whore...yeah!!!

(Guitar Jammin')

We're the Right-Wing...we're emboldened...
We'll git Slick...you know it, too, Rush!!
We shall then INDICT Clinton...CONVICT! IMPRISON!!

By the time we got to Abe's spot...
We were o'er One Million Strong...
Poker Face cranked righteous songs...Whatta Celebration!!!
Yes, we FReep because we love this Great Land...
Takin' MY guns?! That won't fly...
Demand Justice fer Slick's lies[SPIES?]...
Lord, Save Our Nation!!

Git Out, Lib'rals!! Yer time's OVER!!
Yer payin' up fer yer Devil's Bargain!!
'Cuz we got to get ourselves back to the Gah-ah-ah-arden!!

Mudboy Slim
20 September 2000

FReepers, we've got one great chance to rile up the Sheeple before ThanksGiving 2001...please join us in DeeCee on the 17th of November at the Lincoln Monument for a wonderful day of patriotic speeches and music!!

RE-IMPEACH. CONVICT. DETHRONE. DISBAR. DE-PENSION. INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DISCARD KEY.

FReegards...MUD

1 Posted on 09/20/2000 06:54:03 PDT by Mudboy Slim (Justice Shall Be Ours!!!)

Vuja De (all over again)...MUD


274 posted on 09/26/2001 5:04 PM EDT by Mudboy Slim (17 November 2001...Washington DeeCee...March Fer Justice III...Be There!!!)

[Admin Moderator]

When I look at this URL, it is the very first article I see.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/t-tech/browse

Same when I look at this URL.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/@tech/browse

Is your browser showing you something it previously cached rather than the latest copy?

[FreeTheHostages]

"FReep this poll is an example of a type of thread posted frequently to the activism topic. While a very loose interpretation of activism might lead one to put these here, they really don't accomplish much and should probably be put in vanity."

YESS!! I hate it when one of my Freeper Friends ping me to Freep a newspoll. We just make the mainstream media seem accurate by participating in their unscientific polls. Far from accomplishing much good, I think they do harm by Freeping polls.

[Fractal Trader]

I see the article posted at both URLs that you provided, and they indicate that I have subscribed to the forum. However, it does not show up on the "Technical" sidebar after multiple refreshes.

[tomkat]

it's there - i just logged back on after being gone all morning and yours is at the top of the tech list...

[tomkat]

nope, take that back !

that article's there, but it was posted by 'sarcasm'.

[Fractal Trader]

The article was indeed posted by "sarcasm." I moved it to "technical" using the "Add Topics" feature to test the new functionality. As I said, the article show up in the forum itself, but not the sidebar.

[BOBTHENAILER]

On this subject I wish an explanation for the following. I posted this about twenty minutes ago, fresh from CBSmarketwatch. I posted it in breaking news because it is, as we speak. Turkey is being POUNDED in the financial markets due to their decision to not allow our troops access.

Now I know war is a small matter here on FR and in the US, not worthy of breaking news status, particularly when its initiation will conceivably be put off by two weeks or more because of Turkey's idiotic decision. But just for grins, can you tell me why this little tidbit is not breaking news?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/855908/posts

[tomkat]

i'm seeing it in my tech sidebar :-( if you're running a flavor of windows, you might wanna try checking the following option:
(under 'tools' on the IE menu bar)

[Fractal Trader]

I made the change, restarted IE, turned off my firweall (Norton Internet Security) and STILL can't see it : - (.

I even launched Opera, and still cannot see article in sidebar.

I'm sorry that such a neat feature seems so susceptible to browser settings. If we can get this feature to work (and add lots of custom topics to replace the dreaded "ping lists") FR will really rock!!!

[Admin Moderator]

I do not know what to tell you. I added tech as a sidebar to my account and then loaded the latest posts page, and here is the top of the sidebar I get:

News / Activism Technical
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Economy Recedes in Pacific Northwest

In other words, it works for me. Strange.

[tomkat]

there seems to be something i'm forgetting, but damned if i can think what it is.
in the meantime, click your username on the main page, go to 'my subscriptions',
and see if yours looks something like the following:

---

Subscriptions are useful links to threads and other assorted data. Use this page to manage your subscriptions... change the order, number of entries shown, and unsubscribe.

Order is a numerical value between 0 and 255. Smaller values sort topics higher on the sidebar. Two or more topics with the same value are further sorted by the time the last thread was added to the topic (new news on top.)

Max is a numerical value between 0 and 50. It is the maximum number of entries to list. For various reasons the actual number of entries displayed may be less than this value.

Your subscriptions are listed with a checkmark. Uncheck to unsubscribe.

To save your changes, click Update.

Subscription	Order	Max
News/Activism Breaking News			Subscribed
News/Activism Technical			Subscribed
News/Activism US: Pennsylvania			Subscribed

[Fractal Trader]

My subscriptions are fine, and sidebars show up in order specified. I get the "Technical" sidebar, but can't see new posts.

[Admin Moderator]

It looks to me like one of the other moderators restored it, but the reason I had removed it was that hours earlier, there had been a thread in the breaking news sidebar about it here.

In general, if something had already been in breaking but had scrolled off the page, we consider it to no longer be breaking. I suppose this one would be a good example of a counter argument, because the beating the Turkish market is taking is still evolving.

Thanks, AM

[tomkat]

sorry dude/ette, don't mean to abuse your topic abuse topic by changing same ...

[Admin Moderator]

John,

Maybe you can help figure out what the issue is here?

Thanks, AM