[Serious] Hello there! Fellow atheist here!

[ThinkingIsThinking]

The thing is--ALL my threads are gonna be serious.

So I find the tag redundant! Shouldn't there be a 'non-serious' tag instead?

It's a discussion forum so--basically--why isn't 'serious' considered the default mode of threading?

Some humour can be brought up, and that seems to be a challenge to many people. That is why the tag exists. If you have trouble with that simple notion, go pester the mods in the suggestion subforum *runs off*

It's not a big deal. I'm just saying that I find it odd that I have to turn serious-mode on if I want a serious thread when in a discussion forum I'd expect serious-mode to already be on by default.

It's--again--not a big deal. But it would make more sense to me to not need the tag and to just have seriousness be default on a discussion site like this ... and then maybe have the off-topic subforum be the exception to the rule.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Some humour can be brought up, and that seems to be a challenge to many people. That is why the tag exists. If you have trouble with that simple notion, go pester the mods in the suggestion subforum *runs off*

It's not a big deal. I'm just saying that I find it odd that I have to turn serious-mode on if I want a serious thread when in a discussion forum I'd expect serious-mode to already be on by default.

It's--again--not a big deal. But it would make more sense to me to not need the tag and to just have seriousness be default on a discussion site like this ... and then maybe have the off-topic subforum be the exception to the rule.

The reason the rule was instituted is that a lot of threads were 1) going wildly off track, and 2) devolving into little more than an exchange of insults.  The rule hasn't been 100% effective, but it has helped.

Boru

[LastPoet]

It's not a big deal. I'm just saying that I find it odd that I have to turn serious-mode on if I want a serious thread when in a discussion forum I'd expect serious-mode to already be on by default.

It's--again--not a big deal. But it would make more sense to me to not need the tag and to just have seriousness be default on a discussion site like this ... and then maybe have the off-topic subforum be the exception to the rule.

I suppose you are a young fella, full of youngness et al. Welcome to the internet.

[ThinkingIsThinking]

It's not a big deal. I'm just saying that I find it odd that I have to turn serious-mode on if I want a serious thread when in a discussion forum I'd expect serious-mode to already be on by default.

It's--again--not a big deal. But it would make more sense to me to not need the tag and to just have seriousness be default on a discussion site like this ... and then maybe have the off-topic subforum be the exception to the rule.

I suppose you are a young fella, full of youngness et al. Welcome to the internet.

I know that people struggle to be serious online. I'm merely offered an alternative way to regulate that.

If it's a discussion forum ... it would make more sense to have non-serious tags instead of serious tags.

Or, even better, and simpler, as I suggested: Just leave non-seriousness to the off-topic forum where it belongs.

If people still want serious off-topic threads ... it would make sense to have a subforum just for being non-serious. Call it 'the lounge' or the 'playground' perhaps.

---

It's not a big deal. I'm just saying that I find it odd that I have to turn serious-mode on if I want a serious thread when in a discussion forum I'd expect serious-mode to already be on by default.

It's--again--not a big deal. But it would make more sense to me to not need the tag and to just have seriousness be default on a discussion site like this ... and then maybe have the off-topic subforum be the exception to the rule.

The reason the rule was instituted is that a lot of threads were 1) going wildly off track, and 2) devolving into little more than an exchange of insults.  The rule hasn't been 100% effective, but it has helped.

Boru

Hey, I'm the one saying that the seriousness is a good thing ... I'm just saying that it's such a good thing that it should be the default rather than something that one is supposed to switch on on a forum that is designed for serious discussions. Why would you have to turn on the serious switch on a website designed for serious discussions? Doesn't make any sense.

[Rhizomorph13]

Welcome to the forum.

We've been around for a bit and, as others have said in different ways, we found that we needed a way to try to stave off people's need to joke about.

Back in the day it worked as you imagine but as the population has changed so too has the general feel of the forum. It is also a way to ask a seemingly silly question indicating that you would like a serious discussion.

Rhizo

[Gwaithmir]

Hello from Middle Earth!

[ThinkingIsThinking]

We've been around for a bit and, as others have said in different ways, we found that we needed a way to try to stave off people's need to joke about.

Yeah, I get that. I'm not asking "Why the serious tag?" because I think there's some sort of problem in being serious. I've made it clear that I think seriousness is the default mode.

If you need to stave off people's need to joke about on SERIOUS DISCUSSION WEBSITE .... then wouldn't it make more sense to just create a subforum where joking as allowed and then put it in the rules that's the only place for that? Like I said, you could call it "The Playground".

[Mister Agenda]

Welcome, ThinkingIsThinking. I hope you like it here.

[Rhizomorph13]

We've been around for a bit and, as others have said in different ways, we found that we needed a way to try to stave off people's need to joke about.

Yeah, I get that. I'm not asking "Why the serious tag?" because I think there's some sort of problem in being serious. I've made it clear that I think seriousness is the default mode.

If you need to stave off people's need to joke about on SERIOUS DISCUSSION WEBSITE .... then wouldn't it make more sense to just create a subforum where joking as allowed and then put it in the rules that's the only place for that? Like I said, you could call it "The Playground".

That was a thing we did back when I was a moderator those places are R'lyeh, The Adult Lounge, and Area 69. Off Topic was always around for, well, off topic conversations. Our moderators have always been pretty lax but I did spend time cutting out unrelated things and moving them to new posts when needed, but that rarely happens now. It never feels heavily policed and I think that is part of why I like this forum. Anyway, welcome and bring on the seriousness! I leave it to you to experiment with the serious tag to assess whether it is needed or even does anything at all.

[Little lunch]

I will be serious over my dead body.

But usually I avoid serious threads because I know they're going to be dead fucking boring.