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Spicing Up Ab

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naomi24 | 10:27 Tue 12th Sep 2023 | Editor's Blog
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Complaints that AB, and in particular the News section is being commandeered by a few people obsessed with Brexit, Boris, and the perceived ills of the government, abound, so here's an idea. If enough of us post other, unrelated news, that which is either sending us to sleep or driving us to distraction will no longer dominate. If we don't make the effort to change it, it won't change, so how about it?
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Why Didn't you post this under News ???
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Because it's not News.
Sounds like a good idea.

As you were posting this, I was responding to the current in an endless tedious list, of Gulliver's shock/horror that Mr Sunak is not admitting that the Tories are going to lose the election.

He is now using the site as his own political platform, and the sooner his piffle is buried under something (anything!!!) else, the better.
I'm sure Ed would put restrictions on the words "spicing it up"!!!
I've long thought that the predominance of a few posters in 'News' isn't to be dealt with by banning them, suspending them or removing their posts but by bringing in more members to the site as a whole, so that their posts only make up a tiny percentages of what's on the site.

AB is run by a firm that makes its money from advertising but it's INCREDIBLY poor at advertising the site itself. We need the site owners to promote it by, for example, running a competition that's only open to members. Such publicity might only cost, say, £100 for a prize, with details of the competition being circulated to both print and online publications (together with those websites set up specifically for quiz fans to use). We'd obviously get many people joining the site solely to enter the competition but, hopefully, we'd also find that some people were staying to ask questions in 'Travel', 'Technology' etc.

If we can get back to the days when there were perhaps a dozen new questions in 'Technology' each day, along with two or three in 'Travel, one or two in 'Law' and a sprinkling of others elsewhere, the presence of a few point-scoring posts from Gulliver, TTT, Hymie, et al in 'News' will have far less impact on the site over all.
Question Author
Really Haz? Can't think why, but if you're seeing something I'm not and the editors see it too, doubtless they will amend my heading.
Herb, herb for you suggesting a solution, well done ;)
or here, here for the purists...
10.40 Oh Naomi.. was just joking! Got my coat, I'm off out. x
NAOMI, "Spice is the most commonly known synthetic cannabinoid drug available"
Question Author
Thanks choux.

Chris, I said here years ago that AB isn't advertised enough. For the time being though, there are enough regular posters around to seek out more interesting stories than those currently dominating the News section. Given a little effort, between them, they could rid it of the current tedium practically overnight and generate some interesting conversations into the bargain - which would hopefully encourage contributors to keep coming back for more.
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Ohhh. thanks Corby. I didn't know that.

Sorry, Haz, I'm an innocent with stuff (can I say that?) like that. ;o)
The innocent among wouldn't think that way.
Maybe "tarting up" would be better?
Ab is rather like so many news outlets that only print the worst gloom and doom stories they can find. Some more feel good news and positivity would distract from all that.
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Hmmm ... I know what a tart is - well, there are a couple of interpretations, one not so nice - but eyes left to see my excellent custard example. ;o)
Excellent plan, more nonsense to drown out the other nonsense?
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That'll help as well, Hazi.
Surely spice is only a drug on Arrakis ?
I'm going to try this new strategy! Clearly trolling is not only tolerated, but actively encouraged by AB, so this could be the way forward?
All you need, surely, is a new forum, perhaps under 'News', labelled 'Boring Shot' and simply move relevant threads there, and not add them to the 'latest posts' list.

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