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by Mirage V2.0 AWOL on January 4th, 2007

Mirage V2.0 AWOL

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In the last month, several "superbaggers" have left AB. They seem to be predominantly adults. That may be irrelevant. They have found the discourse "disappointing."
Any theories on why the exodus? Has AB become "insensitive or hurful" to you?

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Answers. 30 helpful answers below.

  • by Anonymous on January 4th, 2007

    Anonymous

    Lately, I have found that I am not enjoying AB as much as I did initially. We all joke about AB being addictive, but it really is and how funny that it appears to be running it's course (for some) like any other addiction.
    Recently, I've realized that I am snapping at people in certain posts - sometimes in delayed reaction to a different topic entirely.
    I've also noticed more folks around here intentionally provoking others. Even people that I have/had a lot of respect for.
    It's tiring; the trolls, the fanatics, the people who discount every opinion that doesn't match their own.
    I have only been here about 2 months, or less, but it seems spoiled almost. For now, I'm not leaving. I am interested in contributing to positive changes if it's even possible.

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  • by Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony on January 10th, 2007

    Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony

    I'm just about fed up myself actually. The quality versus quantity (see Stableboy's post) is a big problem. Then there is the rating system that panders to quantity abusers and does little to recognize those who have a high positive percentage (Jodie44 for example). I think the ratings should be an average of points and positive percentage as a happy medium to gauge who is really contributing anything worthwhile rather than snappy one liners that people think are cute "answers".

    The ratings buddy system is ridiculous. AB used to be less personal, so one rated answers based on content. It seems AB has gone to rating personalities instead answers. Look at the comments on some of the answers and you will see the same names over and over again. I enjoy learning more about fellow users, but there should be a better balance in terms of ratings. I think Mirage RF nailed it in his answer here:

    http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/112889

    The questions. . .this has been touched on many times over. The homepage looks more like a chat room these days. Questions with no question marks, abbreviated to the point of looking more like a text message, spelling is lousy, and it's just sloppy.

    In the old days, there were no "superbaggers" just other AB users. . . .nobody was labeled the best, most interesting, etc. Questions about which AB'er is the best, nicest, blah, blah, blah, add little value.

    Jodie44 said it best when she stated that AB is starting to look like a crowded mall. It's less navigable and one has to trudge through a lot of crap to get to one good Q or A. The search feature isn't so hot and the individual categories are getting crowded. Information oveload in short.

    Trolls are annoying, but there are other things that are higher on my list for reasons to leave AB. I have been around since March 2004, so I have seen the old AB and AB-New (like New Coke, both are bad).

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  • by AntigoneRising on January 4th, 2007

    AntigoneRising

    Well, it certainly has become immature.

    http://www.answerbag.com/profile?id=45955

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  • by Stableboy on January 10th, 2007

    Stableboy

    I think the main issue is that the change in the rating system encourages volume over quality, and that tends to produce a lot of points-acquisition competition that adds little actual value to the conversation.

    So, those who aren't primarily here to compete for levels are annoyed by the "fluffy" nature of much of the dialog.

    Personally, I just turn up my "ignore" filter. Sometimes I find that I have a hard time locating ANY interesting questions in the day's activity, so I'll pick one of my smart friend's accounts and just follow them around, seeing what they're talking about and joining in.

    I think there is still plenty of intelligent conversation going on if you learn how to filter well and don't get upset by the noise level.

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  • by lightfly on January 4th, 2007

    lightfly

    Well we know that Painful Ginsu left.

    I know that Some.random.person http://www.answerbag.com/profile.php?id=77498 (one of my other favorites) left.

    It is because of trolls for all of them. A troll can either rate you down on a good answer, or post a bunch of, yes, SHIT.

    Painful left because of the bad posts; while SRP left because of the downratings.

    I don't want to leave, because if smart people keep leaving, AB will just turn into another "JUST ANY" Q&A site. Answerbag is my favorite website, and definitely not just any Q&A site. It is a place for people to communicate, as well as ask and answer questions.

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  • by munchkin_kids_downunder on January 10th, 2007

    munchkin_kids_downunder

    yes, i'm finding alot of young teenagers new to the site, writing questions that are badly written and may be just asked for fun. when i answer them with helpful advise you get attacked by them with stupid and offensive names, i almost left because i thought they were going to overtake with this silly stuff.
    check out this profile- http://www.answerbag.com/profile?id=29822

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  • by yoho05 reminds you to DYOH on January 10th, 2007

    yoho05 reminds you to DYOH

    The majority of questions these days seem to be of the 'chat' or 'trivial opinion' type, which is not what the superbaggers signed on for. The front page has hardly any room for providing factual answers or expert opinions that could really help someone. It may be due to so many young folks having time on their hands because of school being out for the holidays, but whatever the reason, it has made AB a very different place.

    I don't think it has become insensitive or hurtful - there were trolls and idiots before now and there will be again, they are just different trolls and idiots.

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  • by HappyJeans on January 10th, 2007

    HappyJeans

    i havn't really been here that long but even in the short time I have, there's been a huge change.

    It used to be fun where people asked and answered REAL questions. Now we have a huge amount of annoying young teens who go out of their way to insult others. At the same time though, for every petty teenager is an immature adult, who in many cases behave no better than the kids on here,and who seam to think that their opinion is more valid, or correct than others, becasue they are 'older', and are happy to escalate an argument just for the sake of 'gaining respect from a teenager' even though it just makes them look stupid, and turns the whole thing ito a game. There are also quite a few people who go out of their way to prove that there view is 'right' (i'm talking the christianity/non christianity debates here).

    There are also people on here who are too easily offended, perhaps just for the fun of creating a scene. It's starting to get stupid, and becoming one big bitch fight. it's not nearly as much fun as it used to be.

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  • by Ullyses on March 29th, 2007

    Ullyses

    I'm taking the opposite stance to stableboy, and his dog. I have periods when my workload is too great, and I can't get time to read through all the questions to find those that appeal to me. Very subjectively, I have found less good questions lately, and it appears that the apocryphal "I found a pill that..." has been replaced with "I sawd on TV...". This prompts me to avoid that question, in general, as the literacy is low and the subject matter is not to my interest.

    I think, though, that (and I'm paraphrasing) an answer that stableboy gave to a previous question sums up the malais we see. "A good question will tend to illicit a good answer". Badly worded questions, or statements, will lay the foundation for bad answers, and trolling and downrating become more prevalent. In a perfect world I could wish that posters took a little more time to improve their grammar.

    As for the insensitive and hurtful part, I often feel disgruntled when my intent is misunderstood or ignored, but that alone will not stop me from posting. Finding nothing worth posting about is more likely to make me move on, and that is presently coming closer. I only hope that this is a seasonal shift and that AB will return to a more mature climate of intriguing questions.

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  • by chaos99 on January 10th, 2007

    chaos99

    I think that we will always find that people will come and go. Sometimes I think, people use an interest, addiction whatever during a certain time in their lives and then something changes and they move on.

    I wouldn't say AB has been insensitive or hurtful to me. One person kind of hurt my feelings because they seemed to keep misunderstanding my posts for a bit. I chalked that up to a bad day on their part or me not being clear enough. It never crossed my mind to leave AB over it.

    The trolls can be a bit disheartening but as yohoho05 said, they are always going to be around.

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  • by TheKnife V2.1 - Grandiose and Obnoxious on January 10th, 2007

    TheKnife V2.1 - Grandiose and Obnoxious

    I am still fairly new here but am already finding that the nature of the questions has shifted... there seem to be more discussion-oriented and opinion-based questions than before, giving the whole site more of a chat-room feel. At any given time, only about 10% of the questions listed on the frontpage are fact-finding questions of the "I want to know X, does anyone know what the answer is?" type... the remainder seem to start "what is your favorite..." or "would you do X if..." - those questions are ok, in fact even good in small doses as they help Baggers get to know a little more about each other and encourage a sense of community. However it does result in the dumbing down of the site somewhat.

    In short, I don't pretend to know the reasons for any individual departures... however, if they are senior members then I'm sure they are well used to trolls and arguments and would not be easily driven away by them. I suspect it is more that they are finding that AB isn't fulfilling their intellectual needs as well as it used to and are struggling to find questions on here where they can flex their mental muscles a bit and feel as if they are helping and informing people about something more important than their favorite color or whatever... at least if I were to disappear then that is why I would be leaving, although I have no plans to do that yet.

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  • by scotty2006 on January 10th, 2007

    scotty2006

    No AB hasn't become hurtful to me, I have no problem with AB its staff or any of the adult members here. I have noticed however that there has been a ton of juvenile traffic here the past 3 weeks. Most likely do to the holidays and them not being in school. I have also noted that there seem to be several questions popping up here and there that are oviously part of some kids homework and he or she is just looking for an easy answer, not that it will mean anything to them as they didn't have to research the answer, they just simply copied what someone posted in response. That is why I just go through as many questions as I can and give answers to those that I feel comfortable with. I also will give points to other ABers answers that I feel answer the question in a post. I know that some have more time on their hands to spend on AB than others and that is ok. I personaly can only spend a half hour to maybe 1.5 hrs a day on AB. I am in no way a superbagger nor do i consider myself as such. I know that I certainly do not want to see anyone leave AB but I know it will happen. antigonerising, stableboy, superpanda2, mamma_bear,and the other people that have posted to this have all made very acurate statements, and I do agree with them. maybe it is up to us to screen these questions and start rating them for what they really are. I see so many questions being asked over and over again by different people. One would think that when you post a question that if it has already been asked by someone before that you would be directed to that post and could review those answers and if you were satisfied with those answers you could remove the question before it gets posted to be reanswered all over again. sorry so long winded, but don't give up people it will get better we all just need to work together.

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  • by Patti jo on March 29th, 2007

    Patti jo

    I find Questions like - Who all likes so and so - Who gives better answers (RANKS) uncalled for and not helpful at all - Or do you like when so and so comments --

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  • by singwell-is off researching a lot on March 29th, 2007

    singwell-is off researching a lot

    You will always lose some of the originals as the site undergoes changes. it is inevitable. As a pastor's wife, I can tell you how hard it is for the "originals" of any congregation to easily accept sudden growth, with all its challenges. I am not criticising anyone. It's just inevitable. But change is not always a bad thing, though it might be difficult. I have only been on here 2 months or so myself, and have already seen some big changes, and some of the same difficulties as I see in congregations. Not everyone wants the same thing from a site. Some are deathly serious, some are partly serious, with a lighter side, and some are social animals. We have to be accepting of all of them, not criticising them because their reasons for being on AB might differ from us.
    As for the fanatics: well, they exist everywhere. Dealing with them on AB successfully will help you deal with their kith and kin in the real world.
    The same with the trollers: there are always a few. I have a couple on my back tonight...Well, we have to stick together against them, that's all.
    And if any of us loses our cool once in a while, well, let us all be forgiving and willing to forget. There are a lot of really good hearts out there in AB land, and some damn fine minds.
    We just have to keep working hard to make this a great place both for information and for interaction.

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  • by Eagle2 on March 29th, 2007

    Eagle2

    Well now with this whole new change i must say i am hurt - i have been hit to the chest with a hard blow - every thing is large and confusing - and most of it looks like it could do with sorting out - they should have made sure it was all correct before releasing it - i feel like leaving myself now - its worse than i thought - i beleived it would be better - and where is this spell checker!!

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  • by anonymous on January 11th, 2007

    anonymous

    It feels like we lost a bit of spirit somewhere down the line. Things seem, at the moment, to be dragging a little bit. I don't know what it is, but it feels like there is a serious lack of thought provoking questions. And then there is all this pathetic trolling, and it is just not what it used to be. Also, politeness and actual debates seem to of gone out the window entirely, which is sad really. I don't really know why

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  • by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on January 10th, 2007

    8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009

    Some people are fed up by the recent surge of trolls and immature people. Note I did NOT say kids or teens; there are some "chronologically-challenged" people that ask decent questions and lack only in proper typing skills and/or grammar.

    However there are also quite a few trolls, hate-mongers, zealots, fundamentalists, and plain old rectal orifices that many of the more intelligent members have left in order to preserve their own sanity. It is frustrating dealing with certain people unless you are thick-skinned and patient... or thrive on conflict. Those of a more rational bent are just cutting their losses and walking away from the hate and ignorance that is pervading AB like a cancer. (If only it were that easy to do the same for our society!)

    Personally I am either patient or combative depending on my mood so I am likely to stick around for a while.

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  • by Ankhorite on April 13th, 2007

    Ankhorite

    It's become *irritating* to me. The level of religious hatred, insult, and misinformation is shocking to me.

    That the administrators won't delete answers containing direct religious slurs (even when sent to dictionary.com and other neutral sources for definitions) shocks me, and disappoints me more than I can say. That was the last straw for me (although creeps using this site to try to persuade children to ignore their parents' religious teachings and join their sect instead is almost as bad; and people who give answers that are just plain wrong, especially on medical questions!)

    Other than that, I was uncomfortable by the way many Baggers treat what should be (by the rules here) a "family-friendly" site as if it were a place to tell extremely filthy or gross jokes.

    The discourse is beyond disappointing. Despite the presence of the good Baggers, the bad Baggers render this venue disgusting, and the admins -- though they are nice guys -- either can't, or won't, take the action needed to clean it up.

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  • by Firebrand on April 10th, 2007

    Firebrand

    I have been a member almost four months now and took the whole of last month off.

    I must say in that time there are a lot of people no longer here who were very helpful and very clever people.

    I came to Answerbag when I was in desperate need of emotional help, and something to take my mind off my circumstances.
    The members here were warm and helpful as well as witty kind and intelligent. They helped drag me through a dark hole when things got worse,

    I felt it was a community that I was pleased to be a very small part of.

    Now I am afraid not only has it lost a lot of very good people in some cases hounded out by criticism and unkindness as well as the lowering of standards but that feeling of community has been severely dented and the heart that was beating loudly is now very faint indeed.

    Yes I have found AB is becoming insensitive and can be very hurtful.

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  • by Cowboy-Matter of Fact on April 5th, 2007

    Cowboy-Matter of Fact

    Reading all of these answers gives me alot of insight. I am fairly new and I like both serious Q&A's that invite thought AND off the wall Q&A's than invite humor. I have actually laughed more at something on this site more than any I recall. There are some very quick witted people here with wonderful senses of humor. Having read some of your comments I think will make me a better participant. Thank You.

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  • by staffie on April 5th, 2007

    staffie

    i havnt been on AB for a few months but it isnt because i am fed up with AB its because i just havnt had the time due to personal circumstances. i realise there are problems with trolls and arguments etc but thats always going to happen when so many people have opinions. i think AB is great and i hope nobody leaves because everyone on AB makes AB what it is :)

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  • by LuckyLefty on March 29th, 2007

    LuckyLefty

    *whispers in Mirage's ear*

    "The Revolution Has Begun!"

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  • by Sheriff Raff -Answerhag on March 29th, 2007

    Sheriff Raff -Answerhag

    First of all, I am very impressed with the new "look" of AB, it was a bit choppy looking... much sleeker now.

    As a bagger who left and returned, I now know how to play the game here. You won't get the full package anymore because I just don't need the grief and misery. I have learned to let a lot of things go and if someone wants to run rampant with a specific "agenda"... go right ahead. You won't get me twisted up in it anymore.

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  • by lizvelrene on March 29th, 2007

    lizvelrene

    Perhaps this new design will help.

    I like the way that social questions are separated out from the serious questions. If we could all police that, it will be a more satisfying system for everyone.

    Before the serious questions and answers were being drowned out by non-serious, often inane questions posted mostly for points. Maybe now this will be easier to sort through.

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  • by Tondoteottotote on February 2nd, 2010

    Tondoteottotote

    Huh, I thought you were talking about the exodus that started on December 11, 2009. What happened shortly before 1-4-2007 again?

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  • by Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger on April 10th, 2007

    Ed the Jetpacking Headbanger

    I have been an ABer for 1 month. I found that if you give an answer someone doesn't like, that person will 'troll' you. And it makes you cautious about what you answer or ask. Takes a lot of fun out of this site. I like many of the people and answers. I'm afraid I might leave in the future if all the fun ABer's also leave.

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  • by JUSTNORMAL on April 5th, 2007

    JUSTNORMAL

    Nothing here has ever been hurtful to me, or insensitive. However, the questions that bear any weight of merit or common sense seems to be in the past. I used to go right down the line and answer. Now I go through numerous pages, looking for a mature sincere question. I am not here as much as I used to be and it sure has lost the closeness, and personal touch

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  • by MG1942 Has a Life Penguin on March 29th, 2007

    MG1942 Has a Life Penguin

    God forbid, it might become like real life, where you don't like everyone and everyone doesn't necessarily like you, and you have to assert yourself in order to get your point across.

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  • by Anonymous on April 10th, 2007

    Anonymous

    A very good question Mirage. I do not know why others have chosen to leave. I can only speak for myself. My decision to step away had nothing to do with an attachment to AB or her members. It had to do with a sense of being loyal to one era while trying to be a part of a newer one. I suppose it is like someone waking up to find that what they believe or value is now obsolete in society. How can I objectively answer or comment on a question if I struggle to find "common ground"?

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  • by Will on May 20th, 2007

    Will

    When the spelling or grammar get's to bad I ignore it. But we do live in a free speech society. At least for now. That may also go away soon.

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More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading In the last month, several "superbaggers" have left AB. They seem to be predominantly adults. That may be irrelevant. They have found the discourse "disappointing." Any theories on why the exodus? Has AB become "insensitive or hurful" to you?

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