Regarding the Future of the Bullion Section

I voted A to cut down on the "crackpot" deadend discussions that degrade the forum into conspiracy theorems and secret knowledge arguments.

That said, I am a supporter of freedom of assembly.

 

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A. ...and if it's possible, to clarify the use of the bullion and numismatic forums underscoring what discussions should/should not occur in the bullion forum. There are threads that discuss numismatic gold in the bullion section and occasionally bullion threads that get into the coin chat forums. While this tends to happen by accident now and then, it merely needs some monitoring to clean up. I understand how topics in the wrong forum can irk some people who don't want to see it on CT at all. This is also not as prevalent a problem as political discourse, which is the 'crack down' aspect of choice A that I agree with. Everyone can probably learn a little something from each other by keeping an open mind while discussing economics as it's a tricky subject, so I hope that is permitted.


Peter, Would you seriously consider adding a widget with real time PM prices in the side bar of the Bullion Section? There have been a couple of requests in Support & Feedback for some time now, and I for one, who post frequently on intraday prices (and I'm not trying to be obnoxious with the numerous posts I make, as post counts do nothing for me), would love to have this feature present. It would be similar to T$'s request for an Arcade, something that keeps members on CT and spending less time looking up prices and visiting bullion sites elsewhere for the info to bring back to CT.

This could be something as easy as inserting a pre-made Kitco or BullionDesk widget on the site. I'm not sure how it works but this is also a form of advertising so CT could possibly generate ad revenue from a link in the widget to the given bullion site providing the PM price info for us.

Precious Metals: Daily Prices

A Precious Metals (PM) live market ticker for CT

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I love the idea of having the widget, BUT I think at the same time it makes the site look tacky. I would like to have on around here, but I think it would be interesting to have it in the bullion section and only the bullion section.
Maybe you could make the bullion section visible, (basically the opposite of the GD, which is not visible) but the second you click on it, it makes you opt-in if you haven't already, then if you want to, it redirects you to a page with the rules of the bullion section. Just a suggestion.

 

An 'opt in' Bullion forum is interesting, wouldn't want to be segregated like PRWE and I also didn't mean to imply that the widget for PM prices would also show in Coin chat. Thanks for making the consideration. :smile

 

I believe the thread that was recently locked down is the reason for the discussion we are having now. I read that entire thread and even posted to it once. I am not suprised that several complaints were filed as that discussion progressed. But honestly I think politics is a scapegoat. Good manners and a little tolerance for the other person's point of view would have changed the tone of that thread dramatically.

 

I just saw this thread and am having trouble deciding between A and D. I really like the Bullion Investing section and do not want to see it moved or altered dramatically. It would be very hard to remove politics, economics, etc. from the discussion. Perhaps the moderators can refer the more contentious discussions to the PRWE forum. TC

 

I'm saying that the section is on Bullion Investing. There are hundreds of sites for political discussion. As a market participant for a number of decades, I can state with confidence that government influence on market prices is way overstated and not predictable. The discussion with ALWAYS degenerate into a disagreement, and we'll end up with threads like this one. The fastest way to destroy any internet forum is to interject politics.

 

I agree. The thread failed due to intolerance, not content.

 

I agree with Cloudsweeper, and not to offend anyone, I view his comments on the Bullion pages as being the most analytical, knowledgeable, and factual poster. He trys to maintain a balance between all of the political extremes and SHTF advocates. The bullion section should be like that~ factual as can be. Yes, the economy does play an very important part, in many different ways, but that shouldn't include fantasy scenarios or unbacked statements from biased reporters and newsletters. I myself could care less, as I feel I can separate the crud in the analysis, but when newbies come on wanting to know how to invest in bullion, they very often receive an unreferenced recommendation. When some, who obviously have so little to invest and no knowledge of real price action, manipulated or not, are willing to throw everything in the gold pot because of suggestions of futures in anarchy, it does not serve well.
I would try A for a while.

 

Political extremes and SHTF advocates are one of the many players in the bullion market.

 

I believe the individual that caused the problem with the thread in question is of the mindset to attack folks and then post, post, and post some more to drown out the conversation. Honestly, I don't think the guy really cares about bullion, so maybe just lock him out of this section.

I've been reading posts here since November and this was the first problem thread I've noticed. Every now and then I think you'll have to expect an "unpleasant" guy to show up. Just show him the door and I think this section will be fine. I enjoy the bullion section as it has been.

 

For me, the thread was a good-spirited give and take for several pages, right up to the point I was called a liar in a public forum and personally insulted several times. I won't let that stand without response, regardless of outcome. I realize you have to do what you have to do, and I'm okay with that also, whatever happens to me. The forum is more important than my presence.

 

Hello mods!

I don't converse with you guys very much but here are my 2 cents.

1) Although I am just a member here, I am a moderator on another forum, a pretty big one, so I know what it's like to moderate and the work involved. It is quite a balancing act indeed....

2) For me, my only existence here is because of the bullion forum as I have no interest in any other part of the site. So if the forum itself gets dealt away with, then it ends my existence here as well. We also have a member here from APMEX who I won't name, but I'd have to assume that would end his existence here as well since most of APMEX's business is bullion.

3) I'm not a believer in letting one member spoil the fun for everyone. That is why we have moderators. That is why they are either paid, or volunteers. More moderators could be the option if it is getting harder to control those who speak too much politics. I see that as a better route, than to remove the forum altogether.

4) Gold/silver modules. I don't see the harm in having this as a module option somewhere to the right side with everything else like who's on your buddy list. If you don't want to see it, you can simply choose not to have it. It could also provide to be a decent revenue stream to support the website if you are able to advertise where you are getting the data from.


To me, it seems like "A" is the best option. It is the most less intrusive and perhaps adding 1-2 moderators would help things out.

Actually, perhaps we should have option "E". Adding 1-2 more moderators specifically for the bullion forum and not the rest of the site.

It is human nature to push boundaries, and as a moderator on another site, I know no one ever reads the terms of use. The terms of use is there to protect the site, whether members read it or not, that's their problem. Adding more rules I don't believe will help.

From time to time, I like to post articles relating to why I think gold/silver may be going up or down. I don't necessarily think any of it is political, mostly economical. But at the same time, I'd hate to log in one day only to find out that a moderator deemed the article was too political from his POV and banned me...

Peter, this is your site and you can do with it anything you wish. I just don't want it to be a site where I'm afraid to post things due to fear of being banned. I also would hate to see fellow members here getting banned as well that I normally communicate with.....

 

Politics/PM Controversial? LOL

I vote for "C: We could spin it off like we did with the politics forum", as somehow these subjects seem to intertwine. Those who wrap these subjects will probably never vary, regardless of consequences, as both "stimulate" discussion. I believe there is "value" in the discussion, if it can remain somewhat objective, and without directed personal degradation. I personally enjoy the banter, when there's an application of the "Golden Rule" (i.e. a play on words). We might even post a warning that entering that section may be hazardous to your mental health. Thanks for generating open discussion of the matter.

 

I really enjoy the debates that transpire within certain threads especially when two or more intelligent members give their opposing viewpoints. Whether it is the discussion that was in the recently closed thread or battling it out over the grade or authenticity of a coin, it is educational and I and others gain more knowledge from it.

However, once it progresses to personal attacks and name calling, my interest begins to wane and I no longer care to continue to follow the thread.

So, in my opinion, I don't think it would be fair to ban someone who is passionate about their particular beliefs but deleting offensive posts should stay in place. No one should have to see those. They only degrade what would otherwise be a though-provoking thread.

I like this forum a lot. We have a wonderful cross-section of members here and for the majority of the time it works the way it should.

 

Im new, but dont see how you could really separate bullion talk as it goes hand in hand withcoins, seems to me. On the other hand I just spilled juice all over my key board. Forget what I said.


Steve, cleaning up

 

I read the threads sometimes. I don't have much interest in bullion as I prefer to collect old silver coins rather than bars or rounds. I'd vote for option A. I think the moderators do an excellent job and when things start getting too out of hand. Lock the thread and delete any new threads that follow the same pattern for a few days until it settles down.

 

What to avoid

Respectful debate attracts respectful debate, but politics attracts crazies, and crazies attract more crazies.

People I disagree with are learning opportunities. Crazies are something altogether different. They're like dirty dishes in the sink: if you ignore them they stink up the place, and somehow if you don't clean them up they multiply.

Look at the Kitco forums for examples, if you have the time and emotional energy to waste. You won't have to look very long for people who fail at basic reality testing or even show symptoms of medical problems.

How does this translate into action? I'm not sure. As many have pointed out, a blanket "no politics" rule would jam up discussion. A "cite your sources" rule sounds attractive but people can always find sources to cite that are even crazier than they are. A "be civil" rule will suck up moderator time constantly to enforce it. There's no way to enforce rules like "know what you're talking about" or "Dude. Refill. Your. Prescription."

The best I can offer, which hopefully someone can improve on, is some combination of "be civil" and "stay relevant".

Oh, and Peter, thank you for caring enough to invest the time to keep a forum useful.