Dead Horse Threads

[Cave Diver]

One of the drags to most of the forums are those threads that just turn into an exercise in beating a dead horse. You all know what I'm talking about, so no need to explain.

I want to encourage participation and want this forum to remain as democratic to the user's wishes as possible. To deal with this particular issue I'm suggesting the following:

SB has an "unwritten rule" that the Original Poster can request their thread be closed at any point. That will apply back here as well. In addition, once ya'll feel a thread has run its course, we can put it to a vote. Someone proposes the thread closure and if the motion gets a second, I'll add a poll to the thread. Consensus after say, 24hours, wins. If enough people find value in it, we let it run. If we agree it's done, we'll stick a fork in it. No spin-off threads on the same topic for X number of days.

Same concept can be applied to those threads that most of you don't want to see. We'll put it to a vote, then put it to rest, because I know how much ya'll love polls. But I'm sure you can struggle through a simple yes/no for 24 hours to avoid 5 more days of torture.

Thoughts?

 

[Blackwood]

On the one hand I agree that threads get tiresome, but sometimes interesting off topic tangents come 100, 200, 300 posts in. Closing the thread decreases the likelihood of those posts (as does "stay on topic" moderation).

Personally, I'm not sure I'd ever vote for closure. If I think a thread is over, I'll stop clicking on it.

 

[AndyNZ]

I tend to agree with Marc.... forums are by there very nature opt-in, if it's not engaging I don't even read it.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I agree. No one is going to get tortured by a dead horse thread as everyone has the option of just not clicking on it. If it is a dead horse that is still getting beaten, the issue is not the subject matter, but rather the people doing the beating.

As noted above, sometimes 200 posts in, it gets interesting or relavent again and I will drop back in for a look.

I do think we need some moderation to remove posts that are off topic and would be better accomplished in pms or in the pub. These would include posts such as sidebar discusisons between two people regarding the current conditions at a particular cave in the middle of a thread discussing something else, or breif posts throwing barbs at one another, even in fun, as that just adds lenght and in the context of a current topic just causes you to waste your time dropping in for what you think may be a new post on the topic.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

maybe we need to add a new emoticon.

 

[BabyDuck]

i have to slightly disagree with my sweetie -

i don't mind a bit of chatter about conditions, or jokes if you know someone. i think it keeps a group from seeming like robots.

 

[Cave Diver]

I do think we need some moderation to remove posts that are off topic and would be better accomplished in pms or in the pub. These would include posts such as sidebar discusisons between two people regarding the current conditions at a particular cave in the middle of a thread discussing something else, or breif posts throwing barbs at one another, even in fun, as that just adds lenght and in the context of a current topic just causes you to waste your time dropping in for what you think may be a new post on the topic.

i have to slightly disagree with my sweetie -

i don't mind a bit of chatter about conditions, or jokes if you know someone. i think it keeps a group from seeming like robots.

My current tendency is to post a reminder to return to topic after about 5-7 off topic posts in a row. If it continues after that or it's an important sidebar, I generally split it off into its own thread. It's difficult to have a hard and fast rule about when to split, but this seems to be a pretty good rule of thumb.

I'm opposed to doing much moderation of arguments in here. I'd rather that you as members moderate yourselves and each other to end a pissing match without one of us having to step in and do it because it's crossed a line or gone on ad nauseam

 

[BabyDuck]

well, i'd win the pissing contest. i'd pee where people might walk one day & he'd give up in disgust.

 

[JeffG]

well, i'd win the pissing contest. i'd pee where people might walk one day & he'd give up in disgust.

yea...but can you write your name in the snow?

 

[BabyDuck]

if we had any, you bet! or at least my initials.

love the she-p.