FirstPost

MeatballWiki | RecentChanges | Random Page | Indices | Categories

: fr1st p0st!

One TrollingTactic, if you could call it that, or at least an example of gaming the system that happens very frequently in popular discussion salons with heavy TemporalContext is the race to make the FirstPost. For those who care about such things, it's just a little game that shows you happen to be reading the site at the very moment the story is posted. It's more of a game for sites with incredibly heavy traffic. It's mildly ironic making a FirstPost comment demonstrates that you are so much of a loser that not only are you reading the site too often, and not only are you willing to declare this to the world, but you are willing to race to show that.

Often there are numerous messages that claim to be the first post, since many people try at the same time and only one person can win. It's occasionally humourous to declare a message several days later is the FirstPost, but this has to be done with skill and timing.

Naturally, FirstPost messages are OffTopic and useless, and thus lower the SignalToNoiseRatio. They usually require some form of moderation. Attempts to automatically filter for FirstPost messages lead to misspellings like the one at the top of the page.

Actually, to be honest, this seems to be a primarily SlashDot phenomenon since their moderation system is so weak it cannot remove these posts without wasting the limited moderator points. Sites like KuroShin designed their moderation systems in part to deal fluidly with junk like FirstPost messages. Needless to be said, wikis are immune to FirstPost messages since their WikiNowness and general lack of TemporalContext denies the concept of a first post, and even if you made one, it will be deleted.

CategorySlashdot CategoryTrolling

An application of LimitTemptation? If you change the system to make it difficult to first post, this means making a successful first post is more of a challenge, and thus more tempting. --MartinHarper

FirstPost

Discussion