Someone has alerted a Pets thread. I need the help of this group's regulars.

[Stinky The Clown]

Here is the thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/116117314

Here is the text of the alert:

Cat threads make DU suck. I thought it was going to be about comic books. Tricked into opening it. So don't do the bull: "All you have to do is not open it" excuse

Personally, I see nothing wrong with the thread. I do see people having fun with it. Since someone alerted, I'd like to get a sense of how the group regulars feel about this. After all, this is YOUR group and YOU can do whatever you wish with it.

Thanks!

[hlthe2b]

1. Are you kidding? Someone alerted on a cat thread in the pets group?

I don't know why this alert should be taken seriously. Someone obviously needs some prune juice with their morning coffee, I would guess.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I think the alerter should be given an IQ test if they couldn't figure out the

subject of a thread in the PETS FORUM!

[awoke_in_2003]

20. I am never in the Pet group...

I saw it on the Greatest page, and thought it was about comics, too. That being said, the alerter is a thin skinned jackass.

[alsame]

3. I don't know what's happening to

this place. The alert and jury system is being abused, IMO.

That thread was posted in the PETS group, nothing at all inappropriate. If people are so offended by animal threads, they should pay more attention to the Groups they visit.

[Inkfreak]

4. Ya know who else hated cat pictures?

Hitler.

[Curmudgeoness]

26. +1 nt

[yellerpup]

5. Marvel makes an excellent model.

And it is for fun and it is in the Pets Forum, ffs. Possibly from a comics fan who takes the Marvel trademark too seriously? All over a cat in the bag... The problem is not with the post; the problem is the poster.

[Phentex]

6. Please block that person from this group...

stumbling into a pet forum and complaining about a CAT post is what makes DU suck!

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Not a regular, but I'll share the outrage...

I'll just guess they couldn't find a sex thread to alert on.

[Ineeda]

8. Poor, poor alerter.

His/her whole day (or life) was ruined -- ruined, I say -- by that millisecond of wasted time it took to view that kitty. And then to be forced to waste even more of his/her precious time to alert. Just think. He/she could have used that valuable time to, I don't know, scratch his/her butt?

[Downwinder]

9. Leave Marvel in the bag.

[shenmue]

10. Marvel rules!

Leave our kitteh friend alone!

[TorchTheWitch]

35. One of the best Marvel photos yet

For me it's a toss up between Marvel in the bag and Marvel's back end sticking out from a piece of furniture as the Best Marvel to Date Photo.

[kdmorris]

11. Is this for real?

IF so - that is the stupidest alert ever... especially since it must have come to you as an SOP alert...and the SOP of the PETS group includes CATS... last I looked anyway!

[Granny M]

12. How utterly ridiculous.

I love that pic, and I love cat and dog threads. That's why I go to PETS group every day. I don't know if there is a comic book thread for this person, but maybe there should be.

[BrotherIvan]

13. Not a regular, an admirer

But I regularly click on any thread with a pet in it. Why? Because the world feels like it's on fire and I want to remember what it's worth once in a while.

Anyone who would alert on this because they were cheated out of a comic book thread and forced to look at an adorable cat should be sent to bed without pudding.

[tridim]

14. Good gawd, who the f cares?

Why do we need another thread about that cat thread? Answer, we don't.

Maybe you can make another thread about me, complaining about you complaining about something that isn't worthy of complaining about at all.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. I'll count you as against cats and for a tighter reign on all those pet threads in the Pets group.

Thanks for your vote.

[tridim]

17. I'm against complaing about things that don't matter at all. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

18. I am too. But that alert matters to this group.

As to the alert, I won't identify the member who made it, so it isn't personal. This thread is about the alert and to get a general consensus of the group regulars.

Are you a group regular?

[NaturalHigh]

31. Cool story. Thanks for coming.

[Mosby]

19. I think it's appropriate for the Pets group. nt

[fizzgig]

21. i don't think the alerter knew they were in the pets group

doesn't violate the sop here. leave it.

[TorchTheWitch]

33. that's what I think

They probably got to the thread through the Latest or Greatest pages and thought they were in GD. That's happened many times before in other groups.

[TygrBright]

22. SERIOUSLY?!?!? Someone ALERTED on this??

In the PETS forum, they thought it would be about comics?

WTF??!

OK, so here are my three thoughts on this:

a) someone has serious reading comprehension and/or logical thinking skills deficits;

b) someone is doing an unsuccessful attempt at humor; or

c) someone is DPing and has slipped over into Alert Abuse

If you think it's a), I'd ignore the alert unless a pattern of annoying alert abuse based on bad reading comprehension, etc. emerges, in which case a little PM sitdown might be helpful.

If you think it's b) I'd ignore the alert, period. Unsuccessful humor attempts are best not reinforced by attention.

If you think it's c), again, look for a pattern. One or two instances of DPing and/or alert abuse go with the territory, but an emerging pattern should be nipped in the bud, doncha think?

Thanks for taking on the community service, Stinky. Hope my thoughts are helpful.

amusedly,
Bright

[Journeyman]

23. If you don't want to look at cat pictures, stay off the internet . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

24. Then person who sent the alert sent me a PM. The alert was a mistake and an apology was made.

The alert was made when the thread hit the greatest page. The alerter missed the source group.

As pet owners, we all know how very true is the statement "poop happens".

I think we can move on.

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. If nothing else we all have a better sense of the sensibilities of the group!

[Mr.Bill]

25. It's still a stupid alert, even if the alerter didn't know it was in the pet section.

I mean how butthurt can you be if you didn't get to see a thread about comic books?

[NaturalHigh]

30. Well put.

I wanted to see comic books, not these damn cats!

[Phentex]

32. i agree!

I hope that person doesn't go to the lounge. You never know what you are gonna open up in there!

[onecent]

38. Yes but people in the lounge don't get as angry about stuff as people in GD. Whoa!!

[TorchTheWitch]

36. I just hope they aren't embarrassed about it

Yup, poop happens, and this seemed to be an innocent mistake when I got the alert. I don't even think an apology was really necessary, but it's nice that they did.

I really believed that the alerter thought they were alerting on a thread in GD. Actually, I'm like minded with them about cute animal threads in GD... they should be in the Lounge or in here. I've never liked GD being a dumping ground for all imaginable threads.

As I said in another post, I understand that if one arrives in a thread via the Latest or Greatest pages it's pretty easy to not realize what forum or group it's in, and I'm guessing that if one clicks in and out of GD threads a lot that way they'd just have it in their head that the next one they click on will be, too, especially if the majority of threads listed on those pages ARE GD threads.

And on that note, let the Marvel doing silly things photos commence!

[Rhiannon12866]

27. If someone is offended by a cat thread, they won't be happy on DU

Let alone in the Pets Group.

[williesgirl]

28. Talk about being petty and ridiculous! There's nothing wrong with your post.

Members obviously had fun with it.

[NaturalHigh]

29. The alerter needs to remove the stick.

[TorchTheWitch]

34. I got the alert yesterday and sent the alerter a PM

I said in the PM that I assumed they didn't realize that they were alerting on a thread in the Pets Group and thought they were in GD (likely having arrived in the thread via the Lastest or Greatest pages - which happens quite a bit), and if that was the case that it would be a good idea that before alerting for SOP one checks what forum or group the thread is in. I didn't say anything about whether the thread would be left or what since that's what I expected would be up for discussion (I figured you'd bring it up once you got it, too, so waited on that).

I wanted to let them know they may have made this mistake since in other cases when this has happened the alerter felt really embarrassed, so I wanted to let them know right away before they alerted on other threads mistakenly thinking they were in GD and weren't... sometimes when this happened to people making alerts or replies in threads they thought were in GD others were, let's say, less than kind.

From what I understand this is an easy mistake to make if one goes through the Lastest or Greatest pages to read threads... I don't know myself since I don't use either or those pages. But I've seen this happen rather frequently to other people. So much so that in another group I used to be in a lot the head host was able to set up the group somehow so that threads from the group didn't appear on the Latest or Greastest pages (the mistaken replies and alerts from people thinking the threads were in GD were so frequent they were becoming annoying to not only the hosts but the members of the group as well).

I didn't get any reply from the alerter, so they could have just read it and ignored it, haven't been on DU since I sent it, or have me on Ignore. But at least now they know that they likely mistakenly alerted on a Pets thread thinking they were in GD.

[onecent]

37. I LOVE pets and did not know there was a pets group here.....dear me I

have been missing out.

The person who alerted this is very lonely indeed. Even if some things ruffle my feathers, I let it go....this dude has serious problems.

Keep up the good work of great posts. I will be in here more often.

[47of74]

39. Facepalm.

And also;



And finally;



I suppose someone with a Facepalm stick up their hind parts will alert on this now.

Anyways if you don't want to see pictures of my fur niece or nephew the option is always there to ignore me...