Force Commentator's to Filter Their Own Comments

bargrin on 05/10/2024 - 10:32
Last edited 05/10/2024 - 10:39

Long time member since 2006 when Ozbargain was in infancy.

The site has SIGNIFICANTLY changed for the better since then with an explosion in new users, which has been extraordinary and to be praised!

However, with an explosion in new users, comes an explosion in new voices, each with their own explosive personalities and their own explosive opinions (welcome to the internet, yes).

The problem

Now to get to the real discussion of a deal you need to navigate a huge MESS of comments that add nothing but personal opinion, personal humour or personal insults.

The solution

I suggest we create a new check box for every comment a user posts to a bargain.

Whereby the user takes responsibility for their post and informs the community that their comment is unhelpful either due to it being, a joke, a personal opinion, an insult, a trolling comment.

This can be administered by a check box that THEY need to unpick to confirm before the comment is posted. There by putting responsibility on them.

The intended outcome

We should not make readers (you and me) the first filter of a comment, we should put that responsibility on the commentor, the same way we do with new deal posts.

Their comment will still go through and be posted for the community BUT those like myself who don't have time to read all comments can go into our settings and choose to hide those comments as we just want to read genuine discussion.

Why this is needed

I believe 99% of users who post such unhelpful comments know their comments are useless to the bargain discussion at hand, but they just need to comment (again, yes, welcome to the internet).

However, now we give those 99% of users the chance to flag to the community that their comment can be ignored (once you update your settings) beacuse the comment is intented to be unhelpful to the discussion, being personal opinion, joke, insult or even just off topic.

For the 1% that untick because they don't care their comment is unhelpful, that then is when the readers step in and vote down & notify the moderators that this person is ignoring the tick box.

For those users that rack up significant notifications to the moderator for posting unhelpful comments that they ticked as being helpful, then the moderators can step in.

The future of OzBargan

With this proposal, the future of OzBargain can be a genuine and unique place to discuss bargains or it can be like any other site overun by personal opinonators, would-be comedians, haters, trollers and their mess of unhelpful comments.

Here is a random example, see comments in this deal

Site Discussion

Comments

  • Downvoter on 05/10/2024 - 10:38
    +19

    No thanks, welcome to the internet (as per post).

    N.B nil by tick

      • SBOB on 06/10/2024 - 09:01
        +21

        Way too many unhelpful garbage comments being posted

        I looked up irony in the dictionary. It was just a link to this post of yours.

        From the 'reply to the top comment and add nothing' poster child, this is indeed next level art imitating life :)

          • ihfree on 06/10/2024 - 10:09
            +14

            @HeWhoKnows: Most consistently wrong or off the mark and thanks to your habit of a replying to the first comment, most visibly wrong.

            Hey, remember when you randomly told off a user off 5 years after their comment?

            • 2025 on 06/10/2024 - 11:05
              +2

              @ihfree: lol the joke of it is, 5 years before, in the exact same thread, hewhoknows knows what it’s like to have issues porting

              Mind you - had the same problem recently porting from Optus to Amaysim and all details were checked to be identical so dont think its just Boost.

          • rumblytangara on 06/10/2024 - 22:21
            +8

            @HeWhoKnows:

            At least I am consistent.

            Agreed.

            Your replies, consistently wedged in as a reply to the first comment for some sad lookettmeee reason, are consistently irrelevant, obvious, or flat out incorrect.

            Try mixing it up for a change.

            Edit: I just realised that I've parrotted ihfree. So it's not just me noticing this pattern.

            • MS Paint on 06/10/2024 - 22:49
              +8

              @rumblytangara: I've personally challenged hewhoknows (and previously known as amazingone) many times on why he does this day in day out. He simply deflects and has never answered the question. Bloody weird.

              • rumblytangara on 06/10/2024 - 22:57
                +3

                @MS Paint: Is this (or previous pseudonym) the guy that always, always gloms on to the first comment?

                I noticed this when it was called out just after I joined this forum a year or so back but haven't kept track.

                It is that some other username?

            • SlickMick on 07/10/2024 - 00:29
              +2

              @rumblytangara: He's the only poster that I've blocked, but I just can't help having a look at what nonsense he's posting. Invariably, the comments are already negged.

  • bdl on 05/10/2024 - 10:39
    +10

    Needs mspaint diagram

  • MS Paint on 05/10/2024 - 10:39
    +10

    What you talkin' about Willis?

    Long time member since 2006

    Member Since
    18/09/2007

    The future of OzBargan

    It's Ozbargain - with an i

  • Ocker on 05/10/2024 - 10:46
    +8

    Get a life and get out of mine

    • GnarlyKnuckles on 06/10/2024 - 01:22
      +8

      Yeah, that all sounds like a load of overly complicated unnecessary tripe.

      Anyways OP, what is it with hedgehogs … I mean, why can't they all just share the hedge?

  • JIMB0 on 05/10/2024 - 10:47
    +10

    You know there's an option to hide a user's comments.

    • pegaxs on 05/10/2024 - 11:15
      +2

      Or report them if it's say… off topic/trolling/offensive/spam/personal insults/illegal/inappropriate… etc.

      • craagz on 07/10/2024 - 15:26
        +1

        and if the + and - marks do their jobs well, negative and unhelpful comments get hidden too

  • scotty on 05/10/2024 - 10:47
    +18

    What I would like to implement is Slashdot's comment meta-moderation feature where the community can classify a comment as Funny, Informative, Troll, etc. That's on top of existing comment votes.

    Don't know when I will ever get to implement that though.

    • whyisave on 07/10/2024 - 10:02
      +1

      scotty is the CmdrTaco of Ozbargain.

      Slashdot was the gold standard in user-moderation, which Digg copied and then, flowed on to Reddit.

    • jv on 08/10/2024 - 13:09
      +1

      where the community can classify a comment as Funny, Informative, Troll

      and will the community also be able to classify whether particular classifications are done just to troll?

      I can see people just tagging stuff as trolling, just because they have an issue with the person commenting and have an axe to grind.

      • ihfree on 08/10/2024 - 13:18

        Add another checkbox so users can classify their votes. Problem solved.

        • jv on 08/10/2024 - 13:38

          and then a checkbox for that checkbox…

      • Clear on 08/10/2024 - 14:18
        +4

        Seeing jv's self awareness is a rare sight.

      • scotty on 08/10/2024 - 16:48
        +1

        I think with Slashdot's comment meta-moderation, the moderation points are earned by users and can only moderate/classify a fixed number of comments per day.

        However it is still assuming that the majority of users will classify comments correctly. For example someone might label a comment as Troll, but 3 others are marking it as Informative. Then it's more likely to be informative (than trolling).

        Again, the assumption is that those who classify/moderate/flag comments have community's benefits in mind. Doesn't really work when majority of people are just abusing the system.

  • Aureus on 05/10/2024 - 10:59
    +8

    Yeah, nah

  • pegaxs on 05/10/2024 - 11:11
    +10

    Lol… And the trolls gonna troll and just click the box. It's just an extra step between them typing and then publishing… May as well put in a Re-Capture where we have to spend 45 mins clicking on fire hydrants and motorcycles… Trolls are just going to select "serious answer" and click post. Trolls are not going to mark their own replies as anything other than "serious, I'm not joking…"

    We already have a button that works pretty well… it's under the person's comment and it is labeled as "report"

    like myself… can go into our settings and choose to hide those comments

    You can already do this. Go to the offending users name, under their comment there will be a box called "hide", you click on that and then it will give you the option to "hide all these users comments" and refresh the page… voila, all their comments are hidden…

    Edit:
    LOL @ stalker going around and negging just my comments. Hope it makes you feel better, champ :D

  • ozbargainsam on 05/10/2024 - 11:12
    +3

    I've shared this opinion as well, and predictably, you're going to get all the regulars coming in and posting against it.

    The site is fairly civil for an online community, so the moderation must be working well, but the regulars who sit on the live feed and just post the first funny, unhelpful thing to come into their head on each new post is going to get tiring and make this community insular and scare away new people looking for helpful advice.

    Scotty's idea means the regulars can have their banter, and the casuals that don't need to weed through the 90% of in-jokes, can get the info they need.

    • HeWhoKnows on 06/10/2024 - 09:18

      Agree 100%

      Too many people posting time wasting, unhelpful, if not insulting comments and the poor poster or (useful) commenter feels embarrassed.

      Eventually all the 'serious" people trying to help will just back out of here leaving the place full of trolls

      • 2025 on 06/10/2024 - 09:33
        +3

        Agreed; like this recent thread including in the title “0% international transaction fees” then it turns out none of the cards that were suggested offer that, I’m convinced it was just click bait trolling.

        Wait, OP of that thread was you!?!

      • scotty on 06/10/2024 - 17:01
        +7

        I'm +1 your comment because that's exactly what I have observed over the years — not-informative / useless comments congregated at the top of request-for-help forum post. Some might be considered funny but I do not think that's what the OP of those forum posts are looking for.

        Unfortunately I do not think having a checkbox "this reply this serious" is going to help. I do not believe having moderation helps either — for a period of time the moderators are marking first few non-relevant comments as "Off-topics" (so collapsed by default) but no visible behaviour change. It's a community prioritising having fun at the expense of those being helpful & constructive. Funny and irrelevant comments get voted up because others aren't interested in resolving OP's problem either. No amount of filtering and comment classifications will help when it becomes community mindset.

        • randomusername2017 on 06/10/2024 - 17:39
          +3

          Add a "did you Google that first" check box to request -for-help posts 🤔

          • pegaxs on 08/10/2024 - 12:45
            +1

            @randomusername2017: This would literally go 90% of the way to solving the problem, as any post with inane questions will almost always result in inane responses.

            "We see this is a question is about a car accident/insurance. Have you consulted your insurer or used the search function/Google first?"

            The onus needs to be put on the shitposter, not the people who reply. Ask a stupid question that has been answered 20 times in the past and I can guarantee that the first 10 responses are going to be smart arse remarks.

        • rumblytangara on 06/10/2024 - 22:29
          +4

          Stackexchange has a system that pins the 'right' answer at the top of a thread. There's often more than one right answer, but it still might be better than having the top/first post be the usual smartass shitsngiggles response.

      • 2025 on 06/10/2024 - 22:54
        +8

        @HeWhoKnows yeah, there are a lot of unhelpful remarks, that is true.

        It reminds me, just as another example, recently we had someone asking for help identifying a type of grass and some of the remarks definitely were, as you put it, ‘time wasting, unhelpful’

        HeWhoKnows on 26/09/2024

        I think it’s Green grass

        Yesterday we had someone discover that their Pepsi Max has a bad taste, and decided to ask here about it, some people suggested heat has destroyed the sweetener, and others, well, let’s see:

        HeWhoKnows on 06/10/2024

        Next time could you just get to the relative facts instead of the story of your life.

        Someone was asking about earbuds for their kid,

        HeWhoKnows on 22/09/2024

        OP should ask Google…Obviously

        DidYouKnow that you can keep contributing to the problem in other threads, and complaining about it here, because it doesn’t look like we will be getting a new checkbox.

  • randomusername2017 on 05/10/2024 - 11:15
    +6

    How nice is the weather in Sydney today.

    ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

  • plmko on 05/10/2024 - 11:17
    +2

    Lol

  • djsweet on 05/10/2024 - 11:26
    +2

    lol is this a troll post?

  • JIMB0 on 05/10/2024 - 11:35
    +4

    I take it that you want to block jv but are worried you'll miss out on some useful comments.

    • HeWhoKnows on 06/10/2024 - 09:19

      Tis very true with jv.

      • JIMB0 on 08/10/2024 - 08:15
        +2

        Then there's those who post nothing of value.

        • jv on 08/10/2024 - 13:11

          touché

    • jv on 08/10/2024 - 13:10

      They can already do that with the 'hide' feature.

      • ihfree on 08/10/2024 - 13:26

        Hide is too weak, IMO. The Just Vanish userscript works closer to how you'd expect blocking to work.

        • jv on 08/10/2024 - 13:37

          The script is obviously not working too well for you. 🤣

  • EightImmortals on 05/10/2024 - 12:08
    -3

    Kinda like this you mean?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_and_self-criticism_(Marxism%E2%80%93Leninism)

    Nah, it's been tried, didn't work out too well.

  • SBOB on 05/10/2024 - 12:09
    +8

    If the only comments under bargain posts were specifically about that bargain, I think the regular browsing of this site would become less interesting/engaging.

    • payton on 05/10/2024 - 12:43

      If the only comments under bargain posts were specifically about that bargain

      Member Since 15/02/2011
      Your account is over 20 months older than mine. I clearly remember when I joined the deal pages (not sure about the forums) were a lot more matter of fact, just as you described.
      The style of responses were similar to technical forums like stackexchange.

      One of the exceptions were price-error level of discount eg the Asus slate tablet from HN that didn't get honoured. JFC the number of ferals who said they would abuse retail staff, lodge frivilous complaints etc when they didn't get what they want.

  • mapax on 05/10/2024 - 12:14
    +3

    Neg

  • payton on 05/10/2024 - 12:27
    +6

    This has about as much chance of success as forcing drink drivers to tap 'I'm not drunk' on their phone.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KG_AMMz4PQ

  • bargaino on 05/10/2024 - 12:29
    +3

    Here is a random example, see comments in this deal

    joke post gets joke comments. I don't see the problem. You don't need to read it if humour is not your thing.

    ☑️ yes I read the terms and conditions. 🤞

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 05/10/2024 - 12:37
    +10

    those like myself who don't have time to read all comments

    How much commentary do you need from ozbargain experts to decide if a post about a basketball is for you?

  • poor_me on 05/10/2024 - 12:40

    This post is an opinion and non bargain-related - DELETE

  • Benoffie on 05/10/2024 - 13:34
    +4

    Honestly, I come here for the 💩 posts. If it weren't for them, I'd have to go back to enduring that Other Place or just telling my sister, who's an idiot, about my bargain finds.

    Just use the functions available to you and leave us, our $250k bikie lifestyles, and 🍿 in peace.

    . ATO👋

  • altomic on 05/10/2024 - 13:46

    Typically leftie post wanting to censor free speech /sarcasm tag

    • mskeggs on 05/10/2024 - 18:11
      -1

      So much for the tolerant left.

  • payton on 05/10/2024 - 13:52
    -1

    OP, the number of times you wrote explosives .. explosions, you'd make the Ayatollah blush.

    Now to get to the real discussion of a deal you need to navigate a huge MESS of comments that add nothing but personal opinion, personal humour or personal insults.

    Pretty much inevitable once a forum grows to a certain size, take a look at the larger subreddits. Have you tried the Show Most Voted Comments filter?

  • theHMASfriendship on 05/10/2024 - 14:31
    +2

    I’m just here for the bargains

    • THICKnSLOW on 07/10/2024 - 07:40

      Same, I dunno why some people think this is whirlpool or reddit and bring their trash here.

      • jv on 08/10/2024 - 14:31

        Why are you reading and posting in this thread then?

  • sumyungguy on 05/10/2024 - 14:45
    +2

    The root cause of the problem may be the prevelance of hopelessly inane forum posts which entice irrelevant comments

  • brendanm on 05/10/2024 - 15:42
    +3

    This is life. Harden up.

    • mapax on 05/10/2024 - 16:54
      +9

      Some harden up, others just want to be governed harder.

  • ihfree on 05/10/2024 - 16:48

    Sounda like awful UX.

    Can we do the thing where contents are read back to the user before they're allowed to post?

    • mapax on 05/10/2024 - 16:58

      Why? So that if someone is shitposting and they make a spelling mistake they can correct it?

      • ihfree on 05/10/2024 - 18:11

        Perfect example.

        Honestly, I think the system works fine as is - there's moderation and downvoting which can both result in a comment being hidden.

    • SBOB on 05/10/2024 - 17:00

      Really?
      Your last post was the kind of thing the op is taking about :)

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/15773246/redir

      • ihfree on 06/10/2024 - 09:49

        That's a relevant reply to the above comment which is a off topic comment in response to a sarcastic reply to a hopefully obvious downvoted comment. The actual name of the referenced competition.

        The comment you're responding to is probably a better example - a xkcd reference which could have gone into more detail rather than simply stating bad UX. For example suggesting giving more detail as to why a unhelpful checkbox is awful UX or alternate solutions - it could be solved in different ways such as adding functionality to sort comments by score.

  • miwahni on 05/10/2024 - 23:14
    +1

    I'd support this if it included grammar / punctuation eg ban all use of the greengrocer's apostrophe… sorry OP you lost me with that.

    • 2025 on 06/10/2024 - 10:55
      +2

      Ye’s thi’s

      • jv on 08/10/2024 - 14:32
        +2

        🤣's

  • AngoraFish on 05/10/2024 - 23:42
    +1

    wtf?

  • 2025 on 06/10/2024 - 09:59
    +1

    How is this thread helpful? The first filter is already the commenter, when they decide to click “post comment”. If a comment isn’t relevant to you, it may be relevant to the next reader.

    Ozbargain has a vote system on comments, if there are enough negative votes, the comment is hidden.

    Personal opinion on a product or company goes a long way to assessing a purchase of the product, I’m over paid shills in the media “reviewing” a product, while their review is nothing more than another version of the product brochure.

  • randomusername2017 on 06/10/2024 - 10:48
    +1

    @bargrin

    Post and ghost?

  • elgrande on 06/10/2024 - 10:58
    +6

    Comment Type: Helpful
    Comment: You need to get out more.

    Apply Bikies (Yes/No): Yes
    MSPaint Diagram (Yes/No): No
    3rd Party Insurance Only (Yes/No): Probably

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 08/10/2024 - 21:11

      Ok but soup or salad?

      • spackbace on 10/10/2024 - 16:48
        +2

        RIP Sizzler

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 10/10/2024 - 16:57
          +1

          not sure if i miss sizzler, or just miss wagging school to go to have buffet lunch with mates.

  • gyrex on 06/10/2024 - 14:32
    +2

    Can we add the option for people to fix grammatical errors in posts such as *commentators? I wish people would learn how to use apostrophes.

  • munecito on 06/10/2024 - 14:44
    +2

    So like a self checkout but in ozbargain. I avoid those.

  • DiscoJango on 06/10/2024 - 22:00
    +4

    Today i had mcdonalds for dinner.

  • auna on 07/10/2024 - 06:00

    No. Not only can you block people, but hidden top comments get collapsed. People not logged in cannot select to see the hidden comments, and that would be the casual users of this site. Remember, this is a free site and the casual users that see ads and such support this site.

    Now, my email inbox however is a shamozzle. I easily get 500-2000 emails a day currently. I have filters etc to help divert and remove crap, but I only delete emails if actually needed or spam. The entirety of OzBargain’s comments etc are paltry in comparison.

  • Usernames on 07/10/2024 - 08:51

    Force Commentator's to Filter Their Own Comments

    Force Commenters to Filter Their Own titles to ensure correct grammar.

  • whyisave on 07/10/2024 - 10:05
    -1

    eBay has a system, when the person has an "infringement",
    the account is blocked and has to undergo some training and re-education,
    before getting their account reinstated.

    • payless69 on 07/10/2024 - 12:47

      Seriously, the more they spend the more they can bend the rules!

  • spaceflight on 07/10/2024 - 11:49
    +4

    @bargrin have you forgotten to tick the box yourself?

    The problem
    Now to get to the real discussion of a deal you need to navigate a huge MESS of comments that add nothing but personal opinion, personal humour or personal insults.

    Deal
    Register Interest & Receive Extra $100 off on Galaxy Tab S10 Series (First 3,000 Redemptions Only) @ Samsung AU

    Comment - Personal opinion, not related to deal.

    My s6 tab for $750 in 2019 is still going strong, with its super AMOLED screen.
    Series 6 didnt have all the various versions like plus and ultra so they pit all good stuff in one tablet and competitive price.
    Now days Samsung have too many variations trying to expand margin on incremental upgrades.
    I do like the Ultra vesion but over $2k is out of my price range
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/868811#comment-15754682

    Deal
    2x Small Quarter Pounder Meals $9 @ McDonald's via MyMacca's App

    Comment - Random video not related to deal, looking at ingredients in a country that is not Australia

    Just going to drop this here….1M views over last 4 days:
    https://youtu.be/lDQofCXuYik?feature=shared
    EDIT: I think he says the 1/4 pounder is the only thing worth eating (my bias view)
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/835337#comment-15047561

    Deal
    Samsonite Red Toiis C 75cm Spinner Suitcase Exp Slate Green $269.40 Delivered / in Limited Stores @ Myer

    Comment
    Alternate product that had nothing to do with deal

    I rate the following from kmart , its only 2.7kg.
    Granted its fabric soft so will get wet if left in rain on tarmack etc., but its very light weight and important for this website its super cheap at $79
    https://www.kmart.com.au/product/71cm-8-wheels-lightweight-s…
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/830272#comment-14933526

    Deal
    Samsung 9.1.4ch Soundbar HW-Q930B/XY $810, 11.1.4ch Q990B/XY $1290 + Delivery ($0 to Metro Areas) @ Appliance Central

    Comment
    Adding nothing to the deal, could have used google to find answer

    Can you add an extra subwoofer to these?
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/731803#comment-12832448

    Comment 2
    Added 3 weeks later, filling comments with the same question adding to mess of comments

    Does anyone know if you can add an extra subwoofer?
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/731803?page=1#comment-1294…

  • payless69 on 07/10/2024 - 12:46

    Do we get a new jv filter?

    • ihfree on 07/10/2024 - 15:03
      +1

      There's need for another jv filter?

    • pegaxs on 08/10/2024 - 12:53
      +1

      You cant filter jv. It's not a setting. jv is built into the base coding of the site (much like "system"). jv isnt a person so much as it is software coded into the site. jv is the shell account for all the OzBargain Premium™ members to log into to make comments they dont want reflected on negs on their own account, hence why the jv "account" gets over 1000 comments a month and 2000 negs… It's like a VPN, but for accounts.

      • SBOB on 08/10/2024 - 13:51
        +1

        jv is built into the base coding of the site (much like "system")

        And if you could see jv, it would look like when Neo 'sees' the code in the matrix

  • serpserpserp on 07/10/2024 - 13:12
    +1

    I'm sorry but my comments might be unhelpful to deals most of the time, but I either bring the lols or put extremists in their place. I'm kinda the funny sheriff of OZB…

  • jonkvh on 07/10/2024 - 14:53

    Actually agree with the whole premise of self-filter, especially tied to some sort of points system would be good, would help stymie single line posters who stay of the board, for hours a day.

    • brendanm on 08/10/2024 - 20:32
      +3

      -2 points for this nonsensical statement "single line posters who stay of the board".

      Please try better next time.

      I award myself +5 points for this post.

  • jonkvh on 08/10/2024 - 21:30

    It's actually evident that I meant to say 'on' the board. Figure it out on your own.

    • spaceflight on 08/10/2024 - 23:50
      +6

      That extra comments goes against the point of this thread, please self moderate and request an edit to your original comment to avoid extra comments

    • brendanm on 10/10/2024 - 14:55
      +3

      -3 points for posting a new comment instead of replying under the comment you wanted to reply to. -1 point for blaming others for your mistake.

      +4 points for me for having to deal with this shenanigans.

  • TrdiK89 on 10/10/2024 - 15:07
    +1

    thanks for wasting the internet including me with this comment and reading every single post.

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