How should the site be organised and run?

When making a post, please ensure it complies with this site's Main Rules at all times.
  • I've not had and still don't have much time to deal with forum stuff at the moment, but I have noticed a massive increase of new threads covering the same sort of subjects such as transgender issues and political correctness.

    I had accepted from one member who I spoke to privately, that each member should be allowed to create their own threads as they see fit and I agreed with his viewpoints, but it's become clear that the site is just getting messy.

    We've always had a unwritten policy, now written, of reusing threads where they cover the same or similar topics and I'm hereby asking members before they create new threads, just to spend a minute to see if an existing thread already exists which covers the topic they want to debate.

    I intend to do some merging of threads over the next week or so and I hope this will not discourage your enjoyment of using the site, I just believe in a tidy house, but before I do any major tasks, I'l like to have your views on the matter and this goes with how the site is run in general.

    I've always tried to have a middle ground between a fully moderated/controlled site and a total free for all, but you can never please all the people all of the time. What do you think?

  • I think I try to see if a thread exists before posting a new one, it's quite easy to "search"

    The only time I had trouble was when I searched to put a note on about the death of Davis Bellamy. I searched for obituary, death etc

  • I like to keep specific topics to one thread although they can go off on a tangent, at times. If merging threads is causing you a lot of additional work then maybe you need to think about moderator approval of new threads. This shouldn't be a problem if done regularly.

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • That's a interesting idea, thanks Fidget.

    Thanks Bryan too for your comments.

    I should add (I missed out before...:whistling:), that with myself being largely absent and more of a free for all on the site with multiple threads being created, there is much higher participation as a result. So perhaps being clean and tidy is not all it's cranked up to be??

  • I'm very easy going on a lot of forum stuff. I am not a tidy housekeeper type so I ramble all over the place in conversations and I often don't post in the right thread. I'm probably not a good person to ask. ^^ I'll go with whatever you decide as it's your forum and it has really nice software.

    From now on I will probably be mostly active on the garden and green issues and cooking threads. I love those. And they are unlikely to elicit baiting.8)

  • I prefer to keep threads to their topics although there's always some deviation for a few posts. If it went on too long the thread would lose it's point. I also feel that the thread creator should cite some reference link(s) to support discussion of the topic.

    We have "the endless thread" for chat stuff and short diversions that do not warrant a full thread of their own.

  • My query was not so much about keeping threads on topic, but having mulitple threads on the same topic. But it's tricky though because all the new threads which have been created by other members recently have generated a greater interest from members and I don't want to discourage people. So, not really sure on this.

  • I think it is highly credible you ask for opinions. Your site is the best i have seen for layout by a long way.

    I think a topic can include say.. A person by name but be a totally different topic by context. Jeremy Corbyn why did he lose?

    And.. Jeremy Corbyn alleged to be a tranz... Are two different topics and can be posted as such, in my opinion. I am more concerned with being told to "will you ALL stop bickering" when one person dishes out insults and is not warned but when you rightfully reply you are roped in and accused of bickering. This gives licence to the obnoxious instigator of insults to carry on in every thread..? Off topic i know but it seems strange there is time to manage duel topics but not to stop insults from the start. That said. You run a good site. With a brilliant ambience. In giving my opinion i am NOT disrespecting you or your site ethic.

  • Thanks Mali for feedback.

    Of course your point about Corbyn topics is valid, but the issue I am getting at is when members create threads on the same topic, which is not new by the way, it's always happened.


    On the stuff about insults, firstly that is not off topic. Problem is, this is a site for adults, am I to police every insulting post made? One's person's insult is another's jibe. The best forums I've been on are totally free for all, but you're abused (serious abuse, not insults) constantly, but then you're free to abuse back, so it all works out in the end. But the most complaints I get is when threads are going off topic not by discussing something different in the topic, but when a couple of people are taking bites out of each other.

    I was brought up that it takes two people to cause a argument, so as I see it, if two people engage with each other, there is no innocent, that said, I can read and we do have a rule about trying to provoke people, but I just wish that people weren't so easily wound up to begin with. By replying/defending against a insult, is in fact alerting the insulter that their post has worked, thus feeding the problem. If people don't reply, that cuts off the oxygen and the insulter will get bored and move on.

  • I accept ARGUMENTS that is the nature of debate and a good thing. If you can not see the constant personal insults from 2 on here then OK. But i am specifically talking about the INSTIGATOR with PERSONAL INSULT.. Not argument. Then... and this is my point... Instead of the shit stirring instigator of the personal insults.. Receiving a warning. The person responding, in defence, is roped in together with the shit stirrer and ALL are told to crank it in. That is not right. One has the right to reply. The one dishing it out in the first instance is breaching your forum rules. The person responding is simply responding to personal insult. I will take it on the chin if i amin the wrong but not for responding to personal snidey comments.

  • This all leads to people not bothering to post because they get fed up of being baited. I've tried to ignore the baiting, but when it happens with virtually every post I make on certain threads then I just quit posting or get annoyed (as intended by the baiter). LW said virtually the same thing.

    Still, there will always be new members coming along (they'll either join the baiting club, or stop posting).

    EDIT:

    The best forums I've been on are totally free for all, but you're abused (serious abuse, not insults) constantly,

    That may be your idea of the best forums, but it certainly isn't mine. It's your forum ... so is that the type of forum you want this one to be?

    Mark Twain — 'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'

  • This all leads to people not bothering to post because they get fed up of being baited. I've tried to ignore the baiting, but when it happens with virtually every post I make on certain threads then I just quit posting or get annoyed (as intended by the baiter). LW said virtually the same thing.

    Still, there will always be new members coming along (they'll either join the baiting club, or stop posting).

    I agree. I know my opinions are direct and blunt but that is NOT personal insult. Some can not take it so resort to insults. As an Irishman .. I was told if you dont like Britain go back home.. Just for expressing a view... I exercised my right to deal with such a comment.. I gave no reason for said comment. I am NOT a snowflake... My point is... Dont rope the responder in with the instigator. It is common sense and just for one to respond to an insult. Anyways... I have said my view on this and I dont expect the moderators to be perfect.. They do a good service in managing a very good forum. Give and take is the spirit. None of us are perfect.

  • You are doing a great job on this forum, its nice to have everything in order and keeping threads on topic is definitely the way to go.

    As I mentioned on another thread I do find myself currently drifting away from posting on forums, I have far too much going on in my life so find less and less time for forums, there's nothing to say that wont change in the future.

  • This all leads to people not bothering to post because they get fed up of being baited. I've tried to ignore the baiting, but when it happens with virtually every post I make on certain threads then I just quit posting or get annoyed (as intended by the baiter). LW said virtually the same thing.

    Still, there will always be new members coming along (they'll either join the baiting club, or stop posting).

    I know you've said a couple of times in recent weeks that you don't post much, but I don't think you ever said why. Unless staff are informed of a problem, how can we know? We don't read every post.

    This is not just to you, but all members, if there is a problem and it's NOT one abusive in nature or something illegal being posted, in which case the Report function should be used, then please post here: Help and Feedback.

    This is a private forum and only you and staff can see your posts. Please link to the post in question (right click on the number in the top right of each post) and state why you think this is baiting and if there have been past incidents, post links to those too. The reason it's private is to prevent other members coming along and shit stirring, thus aggravating the problem more.

    Heero and I will then discuss and we'll get back to you, but I'm not aware of any incidents of "continual" baiting, so you need to tell us!

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!