Source
r/asoiaf•
a-liquid-sky

** BOARD DISCUSSION ** - Should we limit r/asoiaf to self posts only?

"The last time this topic came up for discussion the majority of the community decided to allow all posts types and police themselves rather than go self-post only because of an occasional meme (which usually gets downvoted anyway). Perhaps as the community has changed as it has gotten bigger, more meme lovers and fewer vigilant downvoters." (rabble-rouser)

No one wants to see this subreddit descend into a meme-circlejerk-fest.You'd still be able to post images and videos by putting the links into the text of a post, but it would hopefully cut down on the karma-whoring "look at this funny captioned picture ahahahaa" sort of posts.

So, Redditors, I want your opinion: would you prefer it if this subreddit was limited to self-posts only?

Posted Mar 24, 2012, 7:19 PM UTC · edited

142141
ShaqsquatchSmalljon•

Keep the memes and image macros out, but linking to blogs/GRRMs site/other materials like that is useful.

246
CranberryBogMonsterCrow of the Year•

Yeah, and despite the concerns people raise, I really do feel like the community is great at doing this already.

I visit this subreddit every day, and I could swear I see memes/macros upvoted to the top maybe once every couple weeks. I'm not saying I'm not missing them here and there, but I really can't take the claims that the subreddit is being "overrun" or "bogged down" by them seriously at all.

69
corduroyblackAfternoon Delight•

To be honest, this is what I felt about r/gameofthrones before the TV show got huge. Then it turned to shit.

35
fusems•

It used to be cool, now every post is like "This is a photo of my grandma, she said 'Winter is coming' today".

19
[deleted]•

Yeah I agree. I think that being able put images into in the post is ok. This thread seems pretty good about weeding out the annoying memes and keeping it mostly discussion, which I like. I worry about it getting overrun as GOT gets more popular. I say make it self posts but alow images and links. If I feel like a circle jerk or looking at another jicture of Jon/Ygrette/Renly pic I will head over the /r/gameofthrones

5
UnDireFirst Carbuncle•

/r/gameofthrones has become an abomination.

5
[deleted]•

*Step 1: Go to winteriscoming.net. *Step 2: Post whatever you find there to r/gameofthrones. *Step 3: ??? *Step 4: Profit.

1
catsassUnbowed, Unbent, Unbroken•

i honestly dont understand why people on this subreddit hate r/gameofthrones so much. i frequent both this one and that one because one is serious discussion and speculation and the other has humor and news about the show. both have good things to be offered, even though r/gameofthrones is full of sweet summer children.

3
corduroyblackAfternoon Delight•

Personal preference I guess. I love this board for what it is. I dislike that board for what it is, and for what it used to be. I should probably just temper the value judgments I make about it.

3
JWrundle•

I got very tired of everyone bitching about the red wedding. or saying how their friends know nothing. Blah blah blah it part fo the damn book if you read it and need people to jerk you off to start reading it again don't have the internet jerk you off...

0
[deleted]•

[deleted]

-1
Balrog_of_MorgothPuppet of R'hllor•

Going to self-post only would keep the memes and macros out (since they are generally posted to gain karma). Also, people could still link to informative articles/interviews in self-posts.

25
robototo•

You can always post links in self posts though.

22
nitrousconsumedWinterfell's Dragon•

Those should be moderated and removed if this rule were to be implemented.

-6
videsh•

But, but, but the link karma! D:

-13
juliusqueezer•

It's never been a problem, but it can't hurt to actively keep the riffraff out.

3
IseeyouseemeseeyouAll Hail Lord Hypnotoad•

This. Except keep this ASOIAF Book-Related. Keep the show related stuff in r/gameofthrones.

2
underlingFire and Blood.•

/signed

-2
[deleted]•

Give the mods authority to delete memes and picture posts. Links to blogs, westeros.org, and things of that nature should never be banned, however.

163
yanivlibShigadon•

I think this is the best solution.

26
corduroyblackAfternoon Delight•

This is only effective if the mods are extremely active. Will that work here? It seems like a lot of work to police the subreddit that actively.

16
OrysBaratheonMine is the Fury•

This is only effective if the mods are extremely active.

That doesn't really apply to this subreddit. Memes and the like are pretty rare, even if only one mod a day checked the boards we'd be able to keep it in clean. If the board expands to a point where the mods are swamped with work then we can try a different solution. But given the current state of the board I think deletion is the way to go.

17
corduroyblackAfternoon Delight•

It doesn't apply now. That's the concern. Do you want to be pro-active or have it end up like r/GOT? I think that's the real discussion to have.

I think all self-posts is the way to go. It deters karma whoring. If there is good content, it'll be posted as a link. No need to invite non-regular users of the subreddit to come in, post a link for stupid internet points, then leave.

6
Ahuri3•

And maybe have more mods. I can't be the only one spending more than 10h ours a day on reddit, I bet we can thing people who would be willing to help out

2
rabble-rouserMODthe Laughing Mod•

I assure you we mods are quite active. We deal with spammers, trolls and pirates on a daily basis. If we don't appear active that is (hopefully) just because we are doing our job. However, every day our user base grows, and we mods must deal with much and more, if we find ourselves in need of additional help we will not hesitate to recruit from the community. The quality of this board is of the utmost importance to all of us.

7
retrogreqStallion who mounts the world•

"When you've done everything right, they won't be sure you've done anything at all..."

EDIT: Where did my flair go?!?

7
corduroyblackAfternoon Delight•

I know you all do a great job. I didn't mean to imply you don't. I really care about this place. I just don't want to see it go the way of r/thewalkingdead. I used to frequent it for comic discussion. Now, it's a huge mess of memes and imgur links to garbage. It's completely dead for actual discussion.

1
yanivlibShigadon•

If this creates to much pressure on the mods, I'm sure a few more could be recruited. But the community is doing a great job moderating itself, and I don't think there's need for much more intervention.

6
JTShultzyAlpine Knight•

I feel people here can downvote regularly enough. We can help the mods.

3
rabble-rouserthe Laughing Mod•

And we mods appreciate the help of our users! ;)

2
officemonkeyHouse of Payne•

This is a great solution until the mods remove a post which some of the group feels has merit.

Then there's accusations of censorship and fracturing of communities.

Frankly, if you want a mod-curated collection of links, go back to Slashdot from 2001-2006.

I think the best solution would be to update the policy to say "take memeshit to r/asomar" and let the community do what it does.

2
GodspeakerVortka•

Don't forget Tower of the Hand!

6
[deleted]•

I agree. We should do what r/games did. They allow links when they are useful, but remove memes and image macros through strict moderation. And despite having over 72,000 subscribers, the board is still of really good quality.

4
emmsterRawr•

I agree. Mod discretion should keep the dumbest stuff out of the way.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

43
Arthur_DayneSword of the Morning ☄•

I support removing imgur - the odds that a screenshot from the show is useful in and of itself (without an accompanying self-post) is low to zero.

20
DeTrueSnyder•

I disagree. What about posts of maps, painting, and the like. There have been some really great content from this community that isn't meme's, but still comes from Imgur.

18
Bulod•

Hence the self post.

14
DeTrueSnyder•

If you remove Imgur can you still use it when you self post. I could be missing something here and if I am, I apologize.

Is Sir Arthur_Dayne saying to remove Imgur from normal posts, and leave it in self posts? If that's what he means then I take back my disagreement.

4
GrammarBeImportant•

I think we should keep imgur, and just delete the meme posts. Since I can be useful for taking screen shots off the show. Which can help/confirm some of the speculation from the books. (such as that it was Illyrio in that Arya overheard, or if the Hound was the gravedigger in the future.)

8
a-liquid-skyOPCat among the Crows•

But you don't need to post a screenshot as an image post, you can just as easily put it in a self post where you can explain what point it proves, etc.

11
roxya•

Does the same not apply to memes? I don't understand what result you are aiming for.

2
1point618There are no men like me.•

That is not among the options to mods though, banning specific websites, and if we just ban imgur we'll see shittier image hosting websites post instead. Asking the mods to police every submission is untenable—it takes way too much time and they have real lives. As a mod of other subreddits, you can do this culturally or you can do it by limiting posts to self posts, but there is no real middle ground.

3
MrDannyOceanA good act does not wash out the bad•

When you play the game of memes, you ban them or you die. There is no middle ground.

4
nitrousconsumedWinterfell's Dragon•

Mods can't really put a filter on submission domains, however they might be able to implement some sort of CSS that strikes it out, which would be rad. But as other users have pointed out what happens if there's OC in form of an image ex. maps n stuff?

3
waiv•

Create a self post, link it inside.

1
johnylaw•

Yes please. I see no reason to allow none self posts in a discussion forum. Any circumstance that requires a link can be posted within a self post.

27
1point618There are no men like me.•

This. Everyone who is chanting "get rid of the memes" doesn't realize that the only real barrier of entry that will stop them is by requiring self posts. Memes reproduce because they grant karma. Stop granting karma and they will mostly go away.

6
[deleted]•

I disagree. Go check out r/Games - that subreddit was created specifically to keep out memes and other useless content, but not ban all link posts. Despite having over 70,000 subscribers, it's very healthy and has very good content.

2
NierosCaptain of the Knights of Shining Cloth•

Nah, I like how we can do a bit of cross posting and linking. This is my only real source of ASOIAF information.

21
glaurung14•

Agreed, and leave it as is. I think the community is doing a pretty good job of policing itself already.

20
loltb•

The problem is that as a subreddit gets bigger, it becomes harder and harder to keep low effort content from dominating the subreddit. I've noticed that at the very least keeping a rule against them keeps the quality of a subreddit from dropping dramatically once the subreddit gets big.

1
Buy_the_TicketFreerider•

YES. I hate seeing rage comics and other bullshit karma-whoring posts on this /r. Keep that shit in r/GameofThrones. Yes there are great links out there that should be shared- why not in a self post? If you got such a hard on for karma post it in r/GameofThrones, if not, do a self post with a link- you'll still be sharing it. I'd expect people will post a whole lot less rage comics and repost links if they didn't get any precious karma points.

20
pintsofguinness•

YES. I hate seeing rage comics and other bullshit karma-whoring posts on this /r.

Then downvote those posts.

-8
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

That is like trying to watch a movie surrounded by a bunch of screaming children and saying "just ignore them".

23
Buy_the_TicketFreerider•

You put it way more simply than me, kudos. Exactly my sentiment. Look at the front page of r/GameOfThrones- its either discussions about the show (not the books), memes, cosplay, or puns. Overall, very little discussion.

6
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

Not to mention a lot of the actual discussion is riddled with partial spoilers. heh.

5
laja2Nobody •

Cosplay is relevant, I think, because it's a viable contribution of hours and dollars to the fandom. It shouldn't be in the same category as memes.

0
Buy_the_TicketFreerider•

I do. What's your point? My concern is that there are usually way more people who will happily upvote posts that don't contribute to the subreddit. "OOOH RAGE COMICS I LIKE THOSE UPVOTE". Meanwhile self posts with legitimate points of discussion are being drowned out. Soon people will see easy karma and this /r ceases to be a place to discuss, and turns into a circlejerk like r/GameofThrones can often be.

6
pintsofguinness•

Self posts are not being drowned out. Look at the front page: it's almost entirely self posts. Let the downvoting determine what should get attention.

edit: I just reread your post, and this sentence stuck out as particularly self righteous: "My concern is that there are usually way more people who will happily upvote posts that don't contribute to the subreddit." Who are you to judge what "contributes" or the myriad reasons people come to this subreddit?

-5
Buy_the_TicketFreerider•

I should have clarified, they risk being drowned out. And sorry if I sounded self-righteous to you. A repost of a rage comic doesn't contribute much to the way of discussion, which is kinda the point of this subreddit (look to your right). If you think a repost of a rage comic sparks discussion- tickle me pink.

3
ThePowerOfGeekMODLord Commander•

We have an announcement about this, which should provide a good, final answer!

One of my fellow Maesters, the superb Jmk4422, has created a new subreddit explicitly dedicated to Ice and Fire memes, rage face cartoons, and other such image-based one-liner posts. Those who like memes and such should check it out: r/aSongOfMemesAndRage

Now we have a good alternate place for these, what do you folks say to a new policy of no memes and cartoons?

EDIT: An additional note. The reason for creating the new subreddit is that while memes are fairly rare on r/asoiaf, they are becoming more popular. And there's a fairly large minority of readers here who don't like them and/or feel they detract from the really interesting discussion we have. The idea of "just downvote them" is a noble one. But it isn't working. Maybe that's a sign of their popularity with the majority, but it seems a change was needed. I think Jmk4422's solution is great myself.

20
jmk4422A small man can cast a large shadow.•

Highjacking your comment, TPOG, to say this:

All-- Let me be clear: r/asomar is, as of this moment, just an idea/experiment. As I noted in my post about this no official rule or policy has changed yet! I would not do such a drastic thing without first consulting my fellow mods and the community at large.

Right now it's looking like this is a popular compromise, though. Let's all hash it out and come to a consensus and then we can implement the new policy if the community is okay with it.

2
nitrousconsumedWinterfell's Dragon•

This is indeed a good solution.

1
fusems•

So any funny content on r/gameofthrones should be posted there instead? In that case, why don't we make another discussion (with r/got) in order to decide the name of the new subreddit? No offense but that name is kinda ugly.

1
jmk4422A small man can cast a large shadow.•

No offense but you're kinda ugly. >:(

I'm kidding! I was sort of proud of that name so I'm a bit defensive. But anyway, KJ seems fine with the name (he's been contributing over there already) and as you know, the acronym r/asomar will redirect you to r/asongofmemesandrage. Fair enough?

1
fusems•

Yeah, sorry. I didn't know it was going to be only about advice animals and rage comics, so it sounds OK.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
[deleted]•

The community seems to police itself well. I dont see the need for more rules and banning certain types of posts.

14
geistforceThe Mage•

I think it helps that almost all of us also subscribe to r/gameofthrones. I know I upvote image macros there and downvote them here.

7
MrDannyOceanA good act does not wash out the bad•

This is a good point which I would like to echo. I enjoy that there are two separate forums for separate types of material.

3
entw1neNo one.•

I wouldn't make it self-posts only, as some of the other things that pop up can be nice (artwork, maps, blog links as Shaqsquatch suggested, and even new trailers for the tv series).

But, I definitely agree with keeping memes away. Gods forbid I have to see another "Brace yourself" meme..

12
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

I really do like the artwork and maps, and I don't follow /r/gameofthrones enough to notice when they are posted there. Also, this is the first place I will see a new WoW sample chapter whenever one comes out.

5
horhitoI, for one, welcome our Bolton overlords•

I will throw in my lot with this guy, whatever thats worth.

2
HalakuA bloody cloak•

Self-posts-only, not so much, but I'd like to see some relevance and maturity, instead of a flood of memes, ragecomics, and other "Adds nothing to the community and is only there for the lulz and karma" posts.

10
ArgonWolfLord Commander of the Free Companies•

I vote self posts only. Blogs and articles and such can be linked in self posts and while that admittedly is a rather circular way of doing it it is preferable to meme circlejerks.

Plus the idea of drawing karma from someone elses article is a bit repulsive to me

7
Centy•

Self posts with any direct links being linked to within the self post would work for me. There would be no karma gathering posts at all and content would get to the top entirely because it was worth reading.

Let r/Gameofthrones do the memes and such.

7
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

Yes, I would love this. Someone pointed me to this subreddit after I posted my frustrations in /r/gameofthrones (on a different account, not that it matters), and I was very happy to see that a subreddit based on ASOIAF discussion actually existed.

Right now the memes and karma whoring pictures are not bad, but there have occurred more frequently in the last few months. I know that some people here enjoy them but A) there is already r/gameofthrones, and B) you can tell by the comments that the majority of posters are against them.

Edit: I'd also be fine with a no-meme/karma whoring posts policy.

6
CooterTStinkjawDragonstoned•

oust the memes. it leads to untagged spoiler discussions and those fucking thumbnails drive me bonkers. If my monitor display was larger I could read most of them without clicking.

if you want asoiaf meme's go make your own reddit.../r/memesmoot.

6
b00gerHouse Tinfoil: Hear Me Out...•

No. Over-policing seems pointless. That's what the downvote button is for. And the occasional bit of silliness is just fine. If we morph into to a heavily-moderated serious-discussion-only board, how long before we start limiting what type of ASOIAF discussions are allowed? How about no rehashing of well known theories (even though they're new to someone)? Shall we forbid Hodoring? We may not want a memefest, but over-moderating will probably drive people away, leaving behind a tiny cotiere of circle-jerking hipsters.

6
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

I see your point, but I think you're jumping to extremes. Well known theories are completely different than memes. A better example would be to ban "I just finished aSOS posts".

I'd support that ban too, fwiw.

5
Billionaire_BotCan we be lovers if we cant flay friends•

I agree...I made a meme earlier this week but posted it to r/gameofthrones instead knowing that this subreddit doesn't really want memes and there is nothing wrong with that. The best way to keep things out of here we don't want is to downvote them into oblivion.

4
Silly_CrotchLittle grandfather•

I think self-posts, or at least deleting memes and macro images would be great. I hear you guys saying we don't like this type of content anyway and could just downvote it. But "we" are the ones that contribute regularly to the discussion, have grown fond of the subreddit and read every damn speculation. I think that in a subreddit with about 16,000 members we have to accept we are not the majority anymore, and that people less involved than us will tend to upvote this kind of content.

Besides, while memes are not very interesting, I have to say they are still fun most of the time, and the best way to a redditor's upvote is probably laughter. I mean, even in discussion posts, look how upvoted the "X is actually Azor Ahai, who is a merling-Targaryen bastard" comments are. Difference is these comments are not disruptive while meme posts encourage other meme posts and make people less prone to post interesting discussion.

6
DesTeddy•

Please don't censor r/asoiaf. Let the community decide what stays and what doesn't. While I do enjoy reading most of the self-posts, an occasional picture or asoiaf-related links doesn't bother me too much.

6
FrankHash•

Yes! Downvoting is ineffective, regardless of what people seem to think. The next step is to get rid of karma completely.

5
[deleted]•

This might be a different discussion all together, but what about making this sureddit exclusive to the books and removing content related to the show? That would get rid of a large portion of the circle-jerkery.

4
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

It's basically like that already. Nearly every submission has a spoiler tag for all books.

6
[deleted]•

Except it's not like that. Currenly on the r/asoiaf front page are posts about a GoT board game, a Morpheus image macro karma whore post, a link to a special about the show, and a question about HBO Go.

4
SansaLovesLemonCakes•

I could go either way on show-related content. On one hand I agree with you that this subreddit should be specifically for book discussion only.

On the other hand (yes, I have two hands, unlike SOME people...), I believe and choosing your battles. If memes were banned, many of us would agree that it would be an improvement for the subreddit. If links to the new trailers and HBO specials were removed, I'd have to check /r/gameofthrones more often. I'm fine with that decision if that's what people want, but it wouldn't bother me to see them here.

Judging by comments that I've read on this subreddit, the majority of people here are fans of the HBO series, but not memes. So why not start there and see how that works?

1
BobRawrleyGreatBob•

Right now, there is 1 meme on the front page. I don't think memes are really a problem still, and if it manages to get upvoted enough on this subreddit, it's probably pretty funny.

4