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What are thoughts on image-only groups similar to subreddits like quityourbullshit, me_irl, inceltears etc
Personally, I really don't think this is the real scope of Tildes. Open to seeing what you guys say
Personally, I really don't think this is the real scope of Tildes. Open to seeing what you guys say
Image boards and reddit are already a thing. I don't think Tildes would gain anything by having them, and would probably lose quite a bit.
Not only Reddit, but imgur, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, SnapChat, etc are all very heavily image-based. Honestly if this site remains text-only that could be part of its unique charm.
Absolutely. Most communities tend to favor image-sharing heavily.
I think a text-only site would also filter out certain types of users (like the karma farmers on reddit who post the same image to 20 different subreddits at once), simply because typing out a comment or a post requires more time and effort than pasting a link.
I think regardless of how you feel about this issue, most people will agree that adding it right now would be a bad idea. It might be worth coming back to when the site is larger.
I mean, I think it would gain something, but it would also be that much closer to being a clone of reddit. And I think those kinds of posts are associated too much with low-effort posting that if we're thinking in terms of the health of the community, I would rather do without them.
So I think there's potential value there, but it's too tangled up with potential low quality participation and it's probably for the best if we don't have them.
What do you think it would gain? Honestly, the only things I can imagine Tildes "gaining" from image-based communities is a larger user base, but as many have said already in this thread (and as reddit itself has shown), that's hardly conducive to high-quality content or discussion.
When tackling the question of what we gain by having a visual medium, my answer to that question is kind of similar to how I would answer what does somebody gain by being able to see. It's a richer way to experience the world and that clearly has some benefits, in a worth-one-thousand-words kind of way.
But, as I said above, considering the way internet communities typically work, I don't have much faith that the type of community that would pop up around image posts would be a better one than a text-oriented community, so at the end of the day I agree with you.
I see where you're coming from, but I'd argue the net is already an overwhelmingly visual experience. As @Axelia said above, being text-only and discussion-focused could be part of this site's charm :)
Is there anything wrong with the old school "link to an external image host in your post" method that's been used since the dawn of time?
I don't think image-only posts would add anything - you can still link images if you feel like your post needs them, they just can't be the only content.
I do not think it is the purpose of ~ either. ~ wants discussion, and subreddits like me_irl and inceltears do not encourage discussion.
Me too, thanks.
But in all honesty, those subreddits can be cool, but when you get into quityourbullshit and inceltears it's such a specific subsection of a subsection of a subsection of humor that I certainly don't think tilde should or even could take it on at this stage. I'd take good discussion over a quick funny image any day and I think when you have a good thread going a good joke there is funnier than an hour of blank-faced reddit speed-scrolling. That's why greentext stories are some of the most popular humor images on reddit.
I agree that the best niche for ~ is quality discussion, and so that's where the focus should be, but....
I'd personally love a ~memes containment group, because I'm đź—‘.
Yup, I think it should be an option, but should stay more contained than the rest of ~
@Deimos has said several times already that this is very unlikely to happen
Here is a link to a comment he made about the subject of fluff in another thread with a similar question. Tildes will never support the type of environment that an image board needs in order to work.
I came to ~ because I'm tired of all the memes and all the circlejerk over on Reddit.
I'm hoping for really nice conversations on here, maybe similar to and better than r/casualconversation which I've been browsing a lot lately. Reddit can have the memes, I just want to discuss things.
Should we rule out the functionality altogether is the question. I don't see why we can't have image boards, but how they would fit into the scope of Tildes is the question.
I mean, there's no reason why we can't, but why would you want them in a place that's supposed to be focused on discussion?
I don't think image-only boards is the solution. But image functionality built into the system may be useful. I'm also just playing devils advocate a bit here to inspire discussion of both ends, but I do thing images altogether shouldn't be tossed out.
I think we are fine with people linking to an imgur album if it is really relevant. Having to open a link slows content down slightly, which is useful for not letting fluff posts overwhelm the site.
I agree with this. I think there are instances in which you may want to reference an image or set of images (example: a thread about identifying a peculiar insect they saw or how to repair a malfunctioning machine w/ images of the broken parts), but you don't necessarily need to have to have these images displayed in the post.
On the one hand, that kind of content grows communities faster. But the users that are brought in don't contribute the best content.
People have expressed disinterest in groups like that as they are considered by many to be “low effort.” If this site wants to reach any mainstream success, I would think there would have to be an inclusion of groups that will allow image groups. I personally am not a fan of these sorts of groups because 1. As mentioned, they are considered low effort. 2. There are absolutely plenty of places on the internet for that sort of thing.
I don’t necessarily see image only groups as inherently a bad thing but I do think they promote a race for popular content rather than thought provoking content. I think enforcing an accompanying text section to image posts would help but I also know nothing about moderation and/or internet content enforcement.
https://blog.tildes.net/announcing-tildes
Also: https://docs.tildes.net/overall-goals#in-depth-content-primarily-text-based-is-the-most-important
Yeah sorry, I meant to mention the docs and why I’m a fan of their mission statement here. I really appreciate the fact these aren’t things they are actively pursuing.
Here's an idea, have a separate tilde that is just titled memes, that is completely separate from the rest of the site and does not spill into the main front pages. Don't bother to have subtildes, and just let it be a wild west of unorganized mess so that people that insist on being able post low effort stuff can get pointed in that direction.
Here's an idea, have a separate website that is not ~ to do all that.
So instead of imitating reddit, imitate 4chan?
Exactly, except without the categories. And if you post there, you are banned from posting in the main tilde :)
So... basically the lovechild of /pol/ and /b/. That's a fairly horrifying prospect, honestly.
With the intent behind ~, the one place I see for image-only groups are when they're dedicated to photography, painting and other static image art. Screenshot groups tend to breed toxicity and low-effort outrage content.
I have absolutely zero problem with image submissions.
I do not think that image-only groups should be a thing though. There is significant value in forcing all groups to be a combination of text and image.
The first and foremost part of this is that it sets Tildes apart as a place for high value discussion. Some groups may be mostly image submissions, that's a given, there are topics where images are clearly going to be the majority of discussion. But the fact that text is allowed in them will be a part of what keeps the culture of those groups in line with the rest of the website.