What has happened to these forums??!!?

[oddfellow]

I used to come here alot. I used a different alias then. I've also been to a couple of the i series events and decided to come back here to get to know a few people as I'm thinking of going to i10/i11. Back then it was a good laugh. But now it's like the the whole concept of "freedom of speech/expression" has been removed. I'm a veteran of loads of forums, and the best thing about them IMHO is the fun atmosphere. I mean if I've had a crappy day I can come to a forum to have a laugh. The reason I post this is because I put a post in the general chat board containing some funny little Unreal Tournament smileys. I was instantly branded as stupid and immature!! WHY!!?? It was not "spam" and was intended to make people smile or even LOL. However it seems that having a "fun" post is now forbidden. Now "general chat" means exactly that to me, and in 95% of the forums I've been to "general chat/off topic" is where all the "fun/funny" posts happen. But it seems unless you are a brain surgeon who has something profound to say you are instantly branded as a "spammer" and your thread is either locked or, as was the case with my thread, deleted. I know loads of other people feel the same having read some other posts.
I don't expect this thread to be open or indeed here for long but I just had to say what I think about the subject (or is that forbidden now too!!!???)

Thanks guys

Mike

[GeeDee]

With a couple of exceptions imho, the only threads that have been locked / deleted are ones that are just stupid.

No offence, but posting a load of smilies / emoticons is only funny to the person that posts it - and not anyone else.

General chat is fine - as long as it is that - chat, rather than crap.

I reckon a couple of the locked threads should have been left - but the majority of the now locked postings were just pointless ****.

-GeeDee-

[oddfellow]

But surely alot of the pointless crap is where the fun is (well in my experience anyway). Stupid threads can be quite amusing, if you let them evovle instead of just killing them in their tracks.
Just my opinion but I think it's got a bit strict around here. In one of my old favorite boards new smileys were a big thing, especially if they had a theme like the UT ones I posted. And with most of us being gamers I thought they'd go down a treat, I certainly didn't expect to be branded as a "spammer/stupid/immature". My intentions were good, like I said I was trying to make people laugh but never mind.
It looks like it's not worth the effort.

[Catachan]

That's what this place is for.

[TelexStar]

no its not catachan!

What the hell is the 'General Chat' forum for if not for general chat? FFS plz get off your admin power trip and quite deleting locking posts!!

i agree that blatent spam should be moved, but if people are chatting in a thread, having a laugh and generally getting to know each other then it should just be left imho. I tried posting a serious thread to aid in the cut down of spam but you obviously didn't see fit to read it. - it's here in case you decide to . .

http://forums.multiplay.co.uk/showthread.php?threadid=7107

seriously though i would like to know what your definition of a 'General Chat' forum should be? and what your definition of 'Spam' is?

Cheers
Telex

[KermitTheFrag]

can someone just revise the descriptions on the main forum list page and then announce it. It'd stop all this poxy arguing.

[Angelus]

I agree with oddfellow, General chat should be for just that, general chatting, getting to know people, posting jokes to make people laugh etc.

The forums are just here for a bit of fun after all i think it should be left that way not as a place where u can only discuss super serious things like the economic situation in argentinia.

[D2M]

i agree 150% with telex! :p: