What happened to these forums?

[Alex Mercer]

Use to frequent scienceforums (on an old acc i Can't remember) in the past and it was much more lively from what i remember. seems like new members just get negged out to the ban list and the same old farts just pointlessly argue the same old stuff lol... maybe if the forums made some changes/improvements things would do well.

[StringJunky]

Can't please everybody. What's changed is that the mods BS detectors have got better and they act sooner.

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, Alex Mercer said:

seems like new members just get negged out to the ban list

Seems like a trend these days for some lower information types to assert their more bizarre ideas rather than sound them out and try to support them. You may not see this the way I have, but our members are ALWAYS willing to discuss almost anything if it's done in good faith. 

The trend is rampant in US politics as well. The new conservatives aren't content with compromise. All or nothing has become the norm. If they can't have their way, they want to knock the board over because the game must be rigged.

Discussion isn't possible when one side has no means of being persuaded. In science discussion, evidential support is what makes us nod and say, "Go on...." If a new member can't provide any, are we supposed to keep talking about their idea? If we point out their mistakes based on our best current explanations and they ignore us, is there anything to learn?

1 hour ago, Alex Mercer said:

and the same old farts just pointlessly argue the same old stuff lol...

The point is discussing science. It's often plodding and boring to those who don't collect knowledge. I'm not going to apologize for it.

We've lost some folks this last year, hopefully not to COVID-19, but because the virus made their expertise suddenly indispensable. We wish those folks the very best. We hope they can come back online and tell us about their experiences.

1 hour ago, Alex Mercer said:

maybe if the forums made some changes/improvements things would do well.

Do well, as in more traffic? We could allow more crap, and that would attract more crappers.

Do well, ala PhysicsForums membership size? They're even tougher on newbies, are huge because of advertisements, and don't allow speculation at all.

Do well, as in be more rigorous and strive for more accuracy? We choose this. If we could gain another couple hundred members who're serious about mainstream science, this is what we want. We'll keep striving on a volunteer basis.

 

[beecee]

3 hours ago, Alex Mercer said:

Use to frequent scienceforums (on an old acc i Can't remember) in the past and it was much more lively from what i remember. seems like new members just get negged out to the ban list and the same old farts just pointlessly argue the same old stuff lol... maybe if the forums made some changes/improvements things would do well.

Why would any science forum do that? You obviously miss the whole meaning of why science forums [most of them] exist. It's to discuss mainstream science obviously under the banner of the scientific methodology. That to many folk, [who lack the knowledge and vision as to how awesome and interesting science is] is geeky and boring. They are of course obviously wrong. What can be more exciting, awesome and invigorating, then discussing and learning about predictions made by GR 100 years ago, that have finally in recent times been verified.

The problem [as I see it] is with some who come up with what seems like brilliant ideas and theories [to themselves], without actually knowing the data that already exists on that particular area of science, and then get all uppity and upset when their ideas and hypothesis are shown to fail under scrutiny. Many of those people with those ideas, also have some agenda to push. 

All new ideas and hypotheticals need to run the gauntlet, just as current accepted scientific theories have previously run the gauntlet. In that way forums such as this can be generally assured of "quality over dubious quantity"...isn't that what science forums such as this should be striving for?