Everyone loves a great build thread, but unfortunately they can become cluttered with nonsense and this sometimes discourages members from keeping them up-to-date.
So we’re going to try something new
If you’re in the process of or starting a high-profile, high-end build thread shoot me a PM and I’ll give you the ability to moderate your own thread.
For example, Newman would be able to clean out the 1,000 “Are you keeping it AWD” posts that appear every page in his E30 thread. And you’ll be able to update your thread title whenever you want.
This will be on a case-by-case basis only.
I general idea of a build thread is that someone is sharing their hard work with the rest of the site, and the point of this extra control is to make it less of a chore to update and maintain. So you’ll be able to cut out off-topic conversations, irrelevant comments and yes, even haters who have nothing nice to say.
consider this though…if it’s justified and constructive critisism, chances are the O.P. will most likely leave it there and use that critisism as he see’s fit. If it’s simply bashing something which the O.P. knows is done correctly/safely/how he wants… then he can delete it and go about his build.
Thats totally understood…but at the end of the day it’s their car and if they choose to ignore something that someone notices that can be justified as a hackjob that’s their own fault. Also, Josh said this pertains mostly to the really in-depth high-end builds…not someone putting a B-series in their civic. Chances are, they are going to somewhat review what the build will entail and use their judgment based on that and the member’s track record to decide whether or not they are going to give them this priveledge
Some people don’t know how to give criticism without being a jerk. And some people don’t know how to take criticism, warranted or not.
But that’s the reality of the internet and of a large automotive forum. Neither should discourage someone from sharing their work with this community though.
Not everyone is building these types of threads anyway. The majority of build threads being posted have zero issues, but some of the large & popular threads tend to become chat rooms which dilutes the focus of the thread.
And if you see someone doing something idiotic in their build thread and care enough to want to call them out on it, nothing is preventing you from creating your own thread to discuss the topic like I did with the Final GTS / brilliantyellowg60 stuff: http://www.nyspeed.com/showthread.php?223817-Wiring-Drama
It’s not like the owner of a thread will be able to go all around the forum censoring criticism, only in their own thread.
I’m a fan of this however it needs to be kept under control. As much as I hate sifting through pages of posts just for the next update from the OP, often times it’s necessary banter/criticism/questions.
With the exception of Final GTS getting his panties in a bunch over on off the cuff comment, I have never seen a build thread issue. Hell, even in Newmans thread, all the AWD comments were met with laughs.
It’s the quality build threads from select members here (newman, cougar, juiced, final, 95dime, even the bike guys like motox and focus), along with the OT drama that keep me coming back. I’d hate to see the build section take a shit due to an overzealous OP, but as long as it is kept in check I am all for it.
I also think it’s stupid to put “high-end builds” on a pedestal…As if those people are better than other people who build shit. I’ve got a lot of respect for the people here putting in hard work on their cars, but I think your creating a huge grey area that is going to piss people off.
If you’re going to do this, I would prefer that you do it for ALL threads in the ‘build’ forum.
What you’re not seeing are those who are contemplating sharing their work, but who see little value in having to justify every step they take to random strangers. So they simply don’t share their builds at all.
Honestly, if someone has a thread that qualifies for this extra control, if they want to make their thread read like a book and remove every single comment that others make, that’s fine with me. The result of this will be a potentially boring thread or members will stop caring about the scope and scale of the build simply because the OP is being a jerk. If you want to abuse it you run the risk of giving yourself a shitty reputation and in that sense, it’s self-regulating.
In regards to keeping things in check, like I said;
I just don’t understand why it’s such a big issue for the moderators to do their jobs? I’d rather you bring on a new moderator who can keep things civil while at the same time, keeping a thread informative. It’s way better than giving carte-blanc access to just delete on-topic posts that may or may not be a valid concern.
I should define this more clearly. I’m talking about builds where someone is putting a lot of their personal time, effort & skill into a project, not necessarily the dollar amount they’re trowing at it. And not the builds where people are looking for what wheels look best or are just assembling a small list of bolt-on parts.
“High-Quality” would likely be better terminology.
I would just like to point out that Josh said soft delete. This means that as moderators or admins we can see what was deleted and also make a determination if the OP is being crazy and reinstate the posts.
I can see this turning into a pissing match for people building up a bike or automobile. What constitutes high quality? Someone with deep pockets and some mechanical skill, or the guy chopping an old CB he picked up for $100 and turning it into an amazing cafe/bobber/brat.
you mean you dont want 45 different people that prolly havent touched a wrench in over 2yrs tell you how you should have built your car because they read on the internet somewhere…
