Me too!!!

[Ijz]

From the moment this forum was conceived it has become a social gathering place where people can meet and share their experiences and ideas.

However, as more and more people joined up, the number of "me too" posts have increased. In my experience this has not contributed to the quality of the threads. Of course, everyone should be able to share their experiences, but he or she should also consider the "reader" and therefore contribute something to the thread.

How do you feel about this? Did this just gave you a "me too" experience?

I encourage everyone to post a "me too" reply + a contribution to this thread. If the post does not contribute anything, it will be deleted by this moderator.

[BlackHawk]

If you have noticed, there is a growing number of non-INTJ members present on this forum. I'm not intending to be discriminatory, but non-INTJs probably don't have good responses to posts regarding "INTJ Phenomena," as they have no experience with what it's like to be an INTJ. Also, less secure, more recent members of any type may make "me too" posts so they can think they're participating in the discussion.

[Ijz]

Yes I agree. However there have been non-INTJ's on the forum from the start. "Word" of this forum has definitely been spreading and has lured more non-INTJ's and perhaps also INTJ's with different reasons for being here. I do value the inputs of the non-INTJ's, although it shouldn't become a type vs type conversation. The forum is about "INTJ"-ness and therefore the posts should have some relation to that.

As for INTJ's making "me too"-only posts, I consider them as lazy. I'm sure if they spend some thought on it, they can come up with an interesting anecdote of some sort. And if they can't, well add something witty to it or don't post at all. Also, its ok to confirm someone's post, but there's no point in doing it again and again...

[Jezebel]

Ijz is right. This goes beyond the "me too!!!" posts to also include any one-liner type of post that does not contribute to a thread. Keep in mind people don't care what you think because you think it, they care because of why you think it. One line posts aren't inherently bad. If they provide wit, humor, a piece of information, or some other insight there is no need to make them unnecessarily wordy. However, if after reading a post the only thing the other members are left knowing is that member2923 agrees with member3129 for some unspecified reason, this is not adding quality to the forum.

We are not trying to be tyrannical in enforcing this, we simply want a forum with quality content.

If you have noticed, there is a growing number of non-INTJ members present on this forum. I'm not intending to be discriminatory, but non-INTJs probably don't have good responses to posts regarding "INTJ Phenomena," as they have no experience with what it's like to be an INTJ.
The problem with having a forum for a specific type is that there is no good way to enforce this. Stripping posting privileges from certain members based on their type may lead to:
Members lying about their type to be treated like a full member, and a feeling that if they question their true type they will no longer be treated the same. The moderation team cannot police members over their true type. It is simply unrealistic to assess this for each member on an internet forum.
A feeling of inequality and type elitism between members. This is simply distasteful on a forum, in my opinion.The fact that this is an INTJ forum should be enough to attract a group that is predominantly INTJs, and topics should revolve around subjects that INTJs and those most similar to them will be interested in. My opinion is that allowing other types to post freely also adds quality to the forum. We get to see how their views compare to our own and their observations of us. If we want to know if a viewpoint is coming from an INTJ or another type, we only need to look under their avatar.

[rwyatt365]

I agree that "me too" posts tend to clog the "arterial flow" of threads, I just would like to add this cautionary voice. There needs to be a definition for "me too" posts that we can agree to (as a community?), so that deletion is not left to personal opinion and individual bias. Otherwise, we might be accused of favoritism, or arbitrariness by our less vociferous posters.

[Max T]

"Me too" may not contribute to the quality of the thread, but I feel (yes F :-) that they are the opening two words that most newcomers to the forum write in their early posts. The annoyance of a "me too" from a newcomer could start the ball rolling for their endless insights.

Also, given the lack of INTJs in the population and the high concentration here, this forum is likely significantly predisposed to "me too" statements. It is a huge relief to find like minds. In fact "me too" is normally my initial response to writing any post. Lacking small talk in the wider world, should we then deprive ourselves of small talk here, however seemingly mindless it appears?

Also, although I'm sure you don't need reminding, heavy forum users such as moderators may notice and become irritated by things such as "me too" that less heavy users would consider trivial or not even notice.

Based on these three thoughts, re. implementation, I suggest 1. keeping it very simple as rwyatt mentions, and
2. tactfully done- no immediate post afterwards bluntly demanding the "me too'er" to desist.

... if anything actually needs implementing. You see, "me too" comments are nearly always single lines taking milliseconds to read. So I ask you to consider- does the effort to enforce (and potentially spiralling effects) really outweigh the hassle of glancing another "me too"?

[Jezebel]

The issue that Ijz brings up is nothing new. This has been in our guidelines for a long time:

2. Do not post excessive fluff posts and pointless one-liners. . ."Me too!!!" falls under the pointless one-liner category. I realize that it is not a major problem at the moment. However, I do not want it to become a habit that is ignored. I have visited many forums where this is completely unmoderated and it becomes the norm. I believe it turns away members who are looking for insight and serious discussion because they are unlikely to get thought out responses in return.

This is not a black and white rule. Determining quality is subjective and context matters. For example, such posts are more likely to be tolerated in the lounge and member areas. In serious discussions where elaboration is called for, they will be less tolerated.

New members who make nothing but one line posts are more likely to have their posts deleted immediately. This has been on the main page and enforced before Ijz created this thread:


The images and links are purposefully disabled to conserve resources for our contributing members. If you make a post just to see them, be sure to make it worthwhile. Members with only one post that consists of a one-liner or other unsubstantial contribution will have their posts deleted.While this is a casual/social forum, it is one meant for mature, intelligent people who like to discuss their ideas. The members who put thought into making contributing posts will likely never even notice that such rules exist here.

[Ijz]

Max, I agree completely, they are often my opening words as well. :)
Its really nice to finally meet people that you can share things with and who actually understand it because of their own experiences.

As for small-talk, well I'm not entirely sure that all threads are suited for that. I think its better to keep informative threads on topic and not stray off into all kinds of directions. I say this mainly from an information overload perspective. The more users, the more ideas/concepts and thus replies. Hence it seems better to focus on the topic and to not be bothered with recurring or unrelated information. I personally prefer less and more concentrated information and find that it gives me a better reading experience.

Honestly, the last thing I would want for this, is serious moderator intervention. I didn't start this thread from a moderators perspective but rather from a "readers" perspective.

Perhaps its just because I'm fairly new to forums and still need to get a "Feel" (oops did I just say the F word? :) )for it.

[Max T]

Sure, Jezebel and Ijz.
Please don't think I was posting some daft "devil's advocate" perspective- just a different angle.

Ironically, a poster stating "me too" is perhaps the last to see the sheer irrelevance of it, instead temporarily basking in the warmth of "me too"-ism!!

I imagine it's a tricky moderating the forum. "Imagine" since I only notice the smooth running of it all, which is testimony of your good work.
Cheers.

[HackerX]

If you have noticed, there is a growing number of non-INTJ members present on this forum. I'm not intending to be discriminatory, but non-INTJs probably don't have good responses to posts regarding "INTJ Phenomena," as they have no experience with what it's like to be an INTJ.

Actually, they probably do, if you wish to have any semblance of an external point of view.

There is a tendancy for types (all types) to (naturally) judge other types negatively. Sometimes you need somebody who isn't your type to slap you round a bit and tell you you're wrong.

However, Jezzie is welcome to uninvite me if she wants :)

That being said, I'm a me too'er. I'll admit it.
I tend to be a:
Me too (or, I agree with you), and here's my addition to what you just said.

Sorry :D