Talking with the Siftbot

I wish communications with the siftbot wouldn't show up in the comments section, they could be hidden or optional somehow. I really think invocations, "x user is not privileged, sorry", "ignoring requests from y user", "adding video to channels", etc are not as relevant to a sift's comments section as the actual comments from human beings. We can all see the current state on channels, related videos, and etc elsewhere if we want to. I don't see the need for general users to be exposed to a timeline of when or who requested what, and what the siftbot responded or denied.

I think siftbot denials are specially useless, they provide no information other than to stand as a permanent record of someone's mistake for all to see.

I mean, imagine if wikipedia displayed its articles exposing their history and discussion interspersed with the actual content. That would make no sense, and the added information would only be relevant for an editor or researcher, not for the usual reader.

I suggest hiding by default (maybe with javascript if we're lazy) any comments from the siftbot, and any user comment that only contains invocations, like a "* promote", but not if the comment contains text in addition to invocations (like, "Oooh I loved this cat video's * quality so much, I'm gonna * promote the hell out of it!").

An inconspicuous link somewhere would reveal those comments for anyone interested.

Thoughts?
xxovercastxx says...

@campionidelmondo used to have a greasemonkey script that didn't hide siftbot replies, but it made them less intrusive. They were narrow lines that appeared just below (or was it inside?) the invocation comment.

I think that was in VS3, though, and they were gone with the next site upgrade. I wish that would have been adopted as default behavior.

gwiz665 says...

I agree. Siftbot takes up too much space in the comments section, when he's considered a "full member". Why not incorporate his responses into the invoker's posts, when it's something that is invoked, and let the automated stuff stay like it is now?

cason says...

"(...)to stand as a permanent record of someone's mistake for all to see."
Why I shake in terror at the dreaded asterisk, for fear of public humiliation and an angry mob led by a tin can with torch and pitchfork.

But seriously, knowing he's lurking just behind the corner, waiting to pounce and proclaim your mistake for all to see can be intimidating.

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