The Minimum Character Limit is dead*

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

I can't say I'm thrilled about this one. The 100-character limit was always challenged, and it was always staunchly defended by staff as a way of encouraging quality posts, discouraging spam, and preventing us from becoming a board of texters. For the record, I agreed with them. Often I realized that anything that took me less than 100 characters to say on a forum, didn't really need to be said anyway. I don't see why it has to change now.

 

I will continue to observe the old limit, thank you very much.

[Erza 581]

Gaush! I abandoned the site because of this character limit.
Now, I can officially rejoice for my return to the site!

[Discordian 6,015]

I don't know where anyone got the idea that larger posts would somehow mean better quality in the first place. It was pointed out several times before but padding a post to fit a character limit is just as detrimental to post quality as no required limit.

 

And if anyone wants to fool themselves into believing that MLPForums is any different from any other forum out there then go them because it's really not. MLPForums is not special and the character limit didn't make it any more or less so. All it did was add unnecessary restrictions. It's easy enough to spam 100 characters as it is 0 characters and you have to go through the same deal of preventing spammers.

 

There is also such a thing as a spammer who meets the character limit but continuously posts the same exactly thing everywhere he goes.

 

Encouraging larger posts is nice but when there isn't much more to say than "That's cool and this is my reason" and that doesn't hit 100 characters well...yeah. It's bad in grammar to drag sentences out with unnecessary exposition. I do it all the time and it makes my posts look horrible.

 

Another thing is that joke posts are a pretty big part of forum members getting along and a lot of joke posts don't work if they are required to be too long.

 

Meaningful conversation has it's place but there is just as much need for fun and games without needing a specific topic in a specific forum like Cloudsdale to have that fun. Too often has topicality been a fun killer when people keep jumping in saying "STAY ON TOPIC" like it's that big of a deal.

 

Too many restrictions makes for a bad forum. MLPForums has killed far too many forum posts by saying they needed to be blog posts or merging them with other topics that aren't even on the front page anymore.

[Emperor Posh 360]

I don't know where anyone got the idea that larger posts would somehow mean better quality in the first place. It was pointed out several times before but padding a post to fit a character limit is just as detrimental to post quality as no required limit.

 

And if anyone wants to fool themselves into believing that MLPForums is any different from any other forum out there then go them because it's really not. MLPForums is not special and the character limit didn't make it any more or less so. All it did was add unnecessary restrictions. It's easy enough to spam 100 characters as it is 0 characters and you have to go through the same deal of preventing spammers.

 

There is also such a thing as a spammer who meets the character limit but continuously posts the same exactly thing everywhere he goes.

 

Encouraging larger posts is nice but when there isn't much more to say than "That's cool and this is my reason" and that doesn't hit 100 characters well...yeah. It's bad in grammar to drag sentences out with unnecessary exposition. I do it all the time and it makes my posts look horrible.

 

Another thing is that joke posts are a pretty big part of forum members getting along and a lot of joke posts don't work if they are required to be too long.

 

Meaningful conversation has it's place but there is just as much need for fun and games without needing a specific topic in a specific forum like Cloudsdale to have that fun. Too often has topicality been a fun killer when people keep jumping in saying "STAY ON TOPIC" like it's that big of a deal.

 

Too many restrictions makes for a bad forum. MLPForums has killed far too many forum posts by saying they needed to be blog posts or merging them with other topics that aren't even on the front page anymore.

"Really is that so, because I see one now."

 

The sentence above could have been my reply, having the character limit at 20 allows for people to make replies that really don't need to be added to topics unless it is a simple yes and no. I hate having pointless replies on a topic that is asking for an explanation to something. Having a higher limit meant needing to put a little more thought into replies. So how exactly does it not make sense?

 

Also if you read some of the earlier replies we are saying that 50 would have been better.

 

Joke/random posts depending on the context usually go in the forum lounge which had a very small limit to begin with.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

"Really is that so, because I see one now."

 

The sentence above could have been my reply, having the character limit at 20 allows for people to make replies that really don't need to be added to topics unless it is a simple yes and no. I hate having pointless replies on a topic that is asking for an explanation to something. Having a higher limit meant needing to put a little more thought into replies. So how exactly does it not make sense?

 

Also if you read some of the earlier replies we are saying that 50 would have been better.

 

Joke/random posts depending on the context usually go in the forum lounge which had a very small limit to begin with.

It's easy enough to ignore small posts that may or may not be pointless. That's on you, not the poster. If you can't scroll past every little post that you don't care to read that is not the problem of the one who posted it.

 

And a joke that is left alone when it would have been relevant to a specific topic simply because it can't reach 100 characters. There is no need to make an entirely separate topic in an entirely different forum for the sake of one joke.

 

The character limit is a menace to forum posting. It's caused frustration when it's long, it's pointless when it's short and overall causes controversy on the site because some people seem to think that every post should be more than "I like this". Yes yes, we have brohoofs for that sort of thing, but we're talking about the difference between a nickel and a dime here. It's such a minute issue to have small posts but people made it bigger than it was and the character limit was created. I'm on a forum of 15 active members and at least 20 others who come in from time to time and we have far more meaningful conversation without a character limit and with joke posts filled with emoticons than I've ever seen on this forum with all it's fancy character limits and assgrabbing and cliques.

 

More users means more moderation needed, I get it, but a character limit? Pointless in the grand scheme of things.

[Emperor Posh 360]

I'm on a forum of 15 active members and at least 20 others who come in from time to time and we have far more meaningful conversation without a character limit and with joke posts filled with emoticons

 

 

That sounds like something we have the PM system for. The character limit should be left alone in some sections like "Show Discussion", as it is a discussion, a place to share opinions and exchange ideas, not have simple little statements sent back and forth. As for everything else aside from "Roleplaying" and "Debate Pit", I don't think it is necessary to have a high limit.

 

 

As it stands now in:

Show Discussion

Alicorn Twilight Sparkle: Discussion & Speculation

Equestria Girls

 

People mainly keep their posts over 100 characters, and I think it would be better kept that way for those sections. Someone posting a 20 character reply in a post asking if you like something why or why not is not going to benefit the post as you cannot explain much in 20 characters.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

At that point you're simply micromanaging. Telling people "this should be done here, this should be done there, under these very strict rules" is just adding unnecessary restriction to conversation. Anything, big or small, can lead to other conversation. Why would you need to go to PM when you can just talk to people regularly in the topic and let a conversation flow naturally? That's like pulling someone off to the side to talk with them when you could just sit there and talk with them without having to move.

 

Most topics don't usually have more than four or five people talking in it anyway. Why move it to PM? You're advocating the idea of taking freedom away from the posters "for their own good" instead of letting things be how they are. Do you honestly think there's a need to moderate a conversation for any reason beyond taking out offensive material or quelling a flame war?

 

You're also putting no trust in the average poster to make a good conversation on their own. Instead you feel the need to require a character limit so they have to talk more than they need to. Nothing says "We don't trust you" like "we're going to guide your conversation from the background and make sure you don't do anything bad"

Edited November 19, 2013 by Discordian

[Emperor Posh 360]

At that point you're simply micromanaging. Telling people "this should be done here, this should be done there, under these very strict rules" is just adding unnecessary restriction to conversation. Anything, big or small, can lead to other conversation. Why would you need to go to PM when you can just talk to people regularly in the topic and let a conversation flow naturally? That's like pulling someone off to the side to talk with them when you could just sit there and talk with them without having to move.

 

Most topics don't usually have more than four or five people talking in it anyway. Why move it to PM? You're advocating the idea of taking freedom away from the posters "for their own good" instead of letting things be how they are. Do you honestly think there's a need to moderate a conversation for any reason beyond taking out offensive material or quelling a flame war?

Well from my observation of what the Moderators do, they already micromanage where things should go. I have seen way to many posts get deleted when they randomly start going off topic in a post to start chatting with and individual or two. I am not advocating to take freedom away, I am stating that starting a random conversation with some one in a topic discussing something else is off topic. I am just think the discussions should stay discussion and chats should stay chats. Discussions and chats are two different things and I don't wish to see them merged. If you are going to share in a discussion then share don't make some statement like "Yeah that seems ok to me" or "I never really though about it like that", I and I am sure others would like to see your full opinion on what you are commenting on, not just the fact that you like it or not or what ever short statement you have made that explains or shares nothing. Don't bring trust into this, because it has nothing to do with trust. There are people who post short statements for the sake of boosting their post count and keeping the character limit in discussions stops those few and keep ideas and discussion structured and explanatory.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

Why does everyone need to include their reasons for liking or disliking something? Chats, discussions, whatever. The difference is a little pointless. You're trying to hold a conversation by the nose by controlling how much is required to post. That's bad for conversation period.

 

Let the few people who boost their post counts by posting small posts do their thing. You and everyone else can ignore these posts or even the people that make them. In the meantime you're making the many suffer for the mistakes and choices of the few.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Discordian

[Emperor Posh 360]

Why does everyone need to include their reasons for liking or disliking something? Chats, discussions, whatever. The difference is a little pointless. You're trying to hold a conversation by the nose by controlling how much is required to post. That's bad for conversation period.

 

Let the few people who boost their post counts by posting small posts do their thing. You and everyone else can ignore these posts or even the people that make them. In the meantime you're making the many suffer for the mistakes and choices of the few.

One, if your are going to reply to me please quote me.

 

Two, not only does the irrelevant post annoy people it also bogs down other posts, it gets in the way and forces post that actually participate in the discussion down more. This is what one of the Mods told me so... It does not punish anyone, if you actually put effort into a post and actually participate you can surpass 100 characters no problem.

 

If you are going to reply to a post asking you if you like something why or why not, then the OP is expecting the "why or why not" part. Simply stating you like it or not and not actually sharing why is not really participating in the discussion and makes your post somewhat irrelevant and pointless.

 

Now that is just one example, I can on to add about posts asking your opinions or thoughts on things.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

Why would I need to quote you if I'm the next one posting after you? You obviously know I'm talking to you.

 

More than a few times I've had posts that hit 80 and were absolutely sufficient for the topic. I didn't need more than that and yet the limit required I hit more so I had to find some way to pad my post. This happened to me 8/10 times no matter what topic I was posting in.

 

And I'll point out once again how so many people have had to put something like "I need more characters for character limit" just to finish a post because they didn't need to say more. Hell, you can have a post with a reason to support the post and still not hit 100. It happens. The character limit was incredibly annoying to those of us who didn't need to say more.

 

You say we can reach 100 easily by just putting more thought into our posts? Well I say it's just as easy for you to ignore the few people who make a post that doesn't have anything to respond to. You can scroll past them and view the next post. It takes a whopping ten seconds of your time to find a post worth reading.

 

It does not change the conversation or the quality of it. All it does is add a few people you may or may not care to read what they have to say about it. One, five or ten small posts in a 300 post topic does not affect the people who do make long posts.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Discordian

[Emperor Posh 360]

Why would I need to quote you if I'm the next one posting after you? You obviously know I'm talking to you.

 

More than a few times I've had posts that hit 80 and were absolutely sufficient for the topic. I didn't need more than that and yet the limit required I hit more so I had to find some way to pad my post. This happened to me 8/10 times no matter what topic I was posting in.

 

And I'll point out once again how so many people have had to put something like "I need more characters for character limit" just to finish a post because they didn't need to say more. Hell, you can have a post with a reason to support the post and still not hit 100. It happens. The character limit was incredibly annoying to those of us who didn't need to say more.

 

You say we can reach 100 easily by just putting more thought into our posts? Well I say it's just as easy for you to ignore the few people who make a post that doesn't have anything to respond to. You can scroll past them and view the next post. It takes a whopping ten seconds of your time to find a post worth reading.

 

It does not change the conversation or the quality of it. All it does is add a few people you may or may not care to read what they have to say about it. One, five or ten small posts in a 300 post topic does not affect the people who do make long posts.

My only complaint is that the limit should not be 20 in discussion threads or sections, it should be at least 50. I should not have to ignore a post, that's not what a forum is about. The main reason I stayed here on these forums was for the fact that they had a character limit. The character limit eliminated half the crap all the other major forum had. Not to mention once season 4 starts the forums will bump up in popularity and post counts, thus more work for mods to do quality control on the forums.

 

When I first joined the forums the character limit took some getting used to. I often found it hard to hit, but after a bit I learned how to make my posts longer and now I have no problem going way beyond 100 characters. You are never going to change my views on this, though I see where you come from and your points, and part of me agrees.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

When I signed up for the forum we didn't even have a character limit. We had a lot of fun. We had threads dedicated to music videos only and didn't need an explanation for every post we made.

 

Then the limit came. There were ten times more members. Things have changed vastly. One of the main reasons I'm not here as much as that I don't like most of the changes that have been made since I signed up and the character limit is one of those reasons.

 

Why should people stay when they can go to any other forum with a closer community and not as many restrictions on posts? The only reason I even come back once in awhile is that I'm a creature of habit and once every four or five months I find a conversation worth sticking around for. This place can burn for all I care.

[Emperor Posh 360]

When I signed up for the forum we didn't even have a character limit. We had a lot of fun. We had threads dedicated to music videos only and didn't need an explanation for every post we made.

 

Then the limit came. There were ten times more members. Things have changed vastly. One of the main reasons I'm not here as much as that I don't like most of the changes that have been made since I signed up and the character limit is one of those reasons.

 

Why should people stay when they can go to any other forum with a closer community and not as many restrictions on posts? The only reason I even come back once in awhile is that I'm a creature of habit and once every four or five months I find a conversation worth sticking around for. This place can burn for all I care.

Everything has been implemented on these forums for a reason. I haven't been here that long and I understand why most of it was implemented. We still have an area for you to chat about random crap and not get questioned, "Forum Lounge". 

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Discordian 6,015]

And yet restricting any and all tomfoolery to one place is only going to restrict things even more. You can't just pop a random joke post into a topic on forum lounge for fear of being moderated by posting it in a topic it's actually relevant in.

 

And understanding the reasons and agreeing with them are two different things. I will never accept that the character limit was anything but bad. It took away freedom and really only frustrated everyone else. You can live without it. If you really can't then that's really too bad for you. It was made for a reason and it was abolished for a reason. Instead of trying to make everyone accept the fact that it was there maybe you're the one who should accept the fact that it's gone now and there is a reason for it.

[Emperor Posh 360]

And yet restricting any and all tomfoolery to one place is only going to restrict things even more. You can't just pop a random joke post into a topic on forum lounge for fear of being moderated by posting it in a topic it's actually relevant in.

 

And understanding the reasons and agreeing with them are two different things. I will never accept that the character limit was anything but bad. It took away freedom and really only frustrated everyone else. You can live without it. If you really can't then that's really too bad for you. It was made for a reason and it was abolished for a reason. Instead of trying to make everyone accept the fact that it was there maybe you're the one who should accept the fact that it's gone now and there is a reason for it.

Fact is I am not the only one with this opinion, so you can calm that story down. It didn't frustrate everyone, it only frustrated a few. You cannot randomly post a random joke anywhere especially if it is completely off topic from the OP. You don't seem to be putting much logic into your thoughts of what posting should be. The forum has certain places for certain things, but the way you sound is that every post should be able to go anywhere. Where is the logic in that, because all I see is a mess. 

Edited December 3, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,986]

Thank you very much. The 100 characters minimum was rather annoying; it made many of my posts much longer than they could have been.

[Toon Richard 534]

FUCK YEAH! NO MORE FILLER!!!!

[ponyvangelist 732]

Brevity is the soul of wit.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Brevity in Shakespeare's time wasn't quite the same thing as brevity now.   Also the line was delivered by Polonius, who "though he has high opinions indeed of his "wit" (that is, acumen), is the least brief and one of the least "witty" characters in [Hamlet]."

[MorningFlash 214]

We hate it,  you hate it, everyone hates it. So today I'm announcing that the minimum character limit is practically dead. All forums with the exception of three now have a minimum of 20 characters, which should be pretty damn hard to not reach.

 

The three forums that are not exempt from this change and remain how they were are Roleplay (200), Advanced Roleplay (800), and Debate Pit (100).

 

Just remember if your post is off-topic, extremely low quality or needlessly shor we're still going to penalize it under off-topic this new change isn't a green signal to spam the forums.

 

Also something to note is that the Character Minimum Violation still exists and will be handed out when needed if you somehow manage to not hit it or hit the limit in a forum where it is more of a problem.

 

Now, if you don't mind. I'm going to go back and hide in my cave.

I hated that character limit, I'm so happy that it's gone :')

[-Nobody- 519]

The character limit is dead! Long live the character limit!

 

Oh wait, it's still alive on the mobile site. Any plans to change that?

[Twilight Circuits 603]

By the love of Celestia! I have not seen a finer day!

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

As one of the people who have ridiculed it from the start, I say...good call, staff.

[noodlepup3 31]

Thank you for the info Lavo!