Case study : http://www.gog.com/forum/general/giveaway_12

A thread is named "Giveaway". Its OP states : "make me laugh". The following posts are jokes, some of which are, in fact, surprisingly, funny.

a) People don't click it, they roll eyes, and pass they way. They miss some fun jokes, and, more importantly, lose an opportunity to contribute. They also yell "BEEH, THERE'S ONLY GIVEAWAYS ON THE FORUM IT IS SO DULL".

b) Author should have named the thread : "Make me laugh [giveaway]". People would have been more curious and interested, would have had a laugh or two, would have contributed with some "not in" posts/jokes of their own. Except the script people who filter this thread out because it has the word giveaway in it, and who go "BEEH THANK GOD I HAVE MY SCRIPT BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY GIVEAWAYS IN THE FORUM IT'S SO DULL".

c) Author should have named the thread : "Make me laugh", and just mention the giveaway inside. Maybe some would have complained about him not tagging his thread, or would have designed scripts to block threads based on post content, I don't know.

My point : Filtering threads because they've got "giveaway" in their titles is a dumb solution. Having "giveaway" in the title doesn't say much about the content or the thread's actual interest and contribution to the forum. The script just splits the forum in half, and makes thread naming a complicated issue (be careful about what range of forumers you want to reach, or think would be interested, or not). Scripts are overreactions that do not benefit the forum at all. People should endure thread titles that don't thrill them, just like I stomach steam-related or kickstarter-related subjects, even though they don't interest me, and without requiring a script to protect me from them (cause I am badass like that).

I think people who are complaining against hiding giveaway threads haven't actually used the script which does this. If they had used said script, they would observe that giveaways are not permanently removed, but just optionally hidden, and that there's a button which allows one to view them at will.

So, people are still free to read the content of giveaway threads and contribute to them, they just do it of their own volition, and at their leisure. Like I said, the script is really easy and convenient to use :)

The problem with ignoring giveaway threads is they have the very real possibility of totally taking over the main page at some random point not too long from now. There may be a steam thread or two in the mix on a frequent basis, but nothing on the scale of the giveaway threads(KS has more potential for takeover.) Of course if we do reach a point where the main page is 100% giveaways then a hide script becomes useless, because it will just hide everything. For now while it just "feels" like everything is a giveaway it's probably about as good a solution as one is going to find.

There are probably worse things in the world then having a website where games are being handed out like candy, but it really wouldn't be much fun to socialize on.

Indeed.

Well, I understand, but I bet that if the giveaways had been done in a single thread, you wouldn't have to wait long until people start to complain because it would be too complicated to follow every giveaway done in that thread.

Actually no, it will just push up any non-GA content from previous pages.

What I am attempting to point out is that "giveaway threads" is not a valid category. "Giveaway threads" are seldom "just giveaways". They are often the regular, social, forum threads (questions, contests, puzzles), with an added gift. The "aargh too many givearays" crisis just occults that point, the giveaway/non-giveaway dichotomy obliterates it, the anti-giveaway scrpts throw out many normal threads, that make the flesh of forum exchanges and socialisation, just because they are accompanied by a game gifting bonus. This is my point.

I boldly contest the very way the question is framed, because it leads to a very wrong divide, with inadequate solutions, that have the consequences of empoverishing the forum more (by hiding content-full threads "polluted" by a gift) than actual "pure giveaways" do (by adding threads that are content-less gifts).

Are you saying if GOG were to implement a filter? Because the greasemonkey script certainly does not.

Yeah, but did you notice ? It's the same in the world: you never hear about happy people, just angry/stupid/on a crusade people...

And if you don't step up and challenge those people...then those people get what they want... So it's important that people don't just sit around...when there is some retarded or selfish or insane crusade going on.

Sorry, I was wrong, but I think that would be a neat thing to implement in either the script or by a GOG filter ^^

Well, that's precisely why I'm writing here ;) After all, that's not my crusade, I have seldom the occasion to do a giveaway... :(

Somebody should tell xyem, Ian and Homer Simpson to cancel those weekly giveaways. Who the fuck needs them?

I don't post here often and my opinion probably doesn't represent the silent majority but I'm always disappointed when checking the general forums to see nothing interesting but a sea of "giveaway" threads.
It's the main reason I simply don't bother coming here much any more.

And javascript injection is not a solution but a hacky workaround.

Just throwing my hat in for what it's worth; a small hope gog will see fit to creating a separate sub-forum as it's really the only sane solution (from a technical point of view).