Threads have to have discussion value, or else they're spam, right?
But what is discussion value? If a thread is asking you which video game females you have a crush on, is that really promoting discussion - or at least, the kind of discussion you want to promote? It's not like moderators don't make the distinction elsewhere - after all, they ban people for trying to discuss politics or religion on the mains. So why not ban discussions about what your favourite colour is, or your favourite type of pizza topping? Are those really discussions worth having? Aren't they really just spam?
Basically, where do you think the line should be drawn? If an AMA doesn't promote discussion, can you really say a "how old are you?" thread does? And if a thread about accents does promote discussion, can you really say threads that ask other binary questions don't?
[Edited on 12.22.2012 7:22 PM PST by Old Papa Rich]
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Discussion value stems from the ability of a topic, singular in nature, to spur conversation between users on said topic. If a thread doesn't develop conversation between all users on a topic, where users can actively engage one another and converse, it doesn't have discussion value. Therefore, an AMA thread for example, doesn't promote discussion between all users in the thread as it instead promotes discussion between a question poser and the original poster (something more suitable for private messages or instead hold an AMA in groups). Moreover, it is inherently topic-less, relying on future users to give it a grounded topic. Obviously, these are just my opinions on the matter. And, I find that OPR is right. The man is Gandalf and wise beyond his years. Threads without established topics for discussion tread into grey areas and ultimately tend to devolve into conflicts, harassment disputes, and general ugliness. [Edited on 12.22.2012 7:59 PM PST]