Please don't spoil other peoples threads

if this argument actually stood up to any form of validity then i would be more than happy to comply... as it is, it doesnt... which doesnt mean that i wont comply, just that if i do so it will be in protest

the argument stands. its a forum rule.

polishforums.com/no_thread_hijacking_new_forum-23_6315_0.html

i understand that... but its not an arguement... its a diktat

just as in real life, threads/conversations come to a natural end when the topic is exhausted or the question answered... and just as in real life... threads/conversations spark new discussions and go off on a tangent , in many cases as equally valid, rewarding, interesting and entertaining as the OP... this is how natural conversation flows...

if somebody wants to bring the thread back to the original topic a simple act of conversational skill allows them to do that... and if other posters want to take the invite the thread will continue in its original direction...

much of what is deemed by admin etc as highjacking of an original thread is informative, entertaining and relevent... why delete it or hide it decreases from the value of the forum if anything, not add to it

just putting my thoughts across daff... rules are rules... :)

Look at this from a first-time visitor. He/she searches for a topic about Poland on Google that s/he finds interesting. The first two or three posts are relevant and topic.

Then two or three (not representative number of all forum users) start chatting about unrelated or hardly related things. Do you think such first-time visitor would really enjoy reading that? If you are interested in Polish soccer league and start reading an article about the latest Polish soccer games, you expect the whole article to talk about Polish soccer league, correct? Would you read the whole article if after the first two paragraphs the author starts bragging about cricket games? Most people wouldn't and would complain to the editor..

Admin

he reads them and enjoys them... the next 2 or 3 are off topic... so he reads them and thinks wow... i got some usefull information from this forum and it makes me laugh... the next 2 or 3 are boring... so he skips over them... it takes him less than a second to move his eye down a couple of posts untill he comes to the next 2 or 3 which tell him something he didnt know... and the next 2 or 3... which make him laugh again...

so he tell his mates... this polishforum is really good... loads of interesting stuff about poland and loads of people laughing and joking... so many interesting topics i can find what im looking for as well as smile to myself when im having a boring day at work...

But how do you know people come here to have fun?:) Especially that only a handful of members actually actively participate in such chit-chats?

Maybe most readers would think - "OK, I found the topic I like. But why do I have to go through 100 of posts and waste my time to find the relevant information ON THE ORIGINAL topic in post 101? Where are the moderators - why do they keep unrelated posts in this thread?"

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To go further - why all established forums have sometimes dozens of moderators? What, in your opinion, are they for and why do they keep them?

Admin

very interesting question - my master's is in marketing and e-commerce with an emphasis on how this can be applied in an education context - forums, moos etc played a large part of this...

long story short - people will repeat visit a forum for 2 broad reasons - firstly, that it provides them with information that is valuable to them and that this information is continuously updated; secondly, that there is a sense of community which they feel they can belong to... of these 2 factors, each is dependent on the individual visitor which is why you will get some posters who visit very occassionally for a translation only [type 1] and those of us who spend way too much time here for it to be healthy [type 2]

obviously the majority of repeat visitors will fall somewhere in between the two...

while both types are important, type 2 - those who visit the forum on a daily basis because they feel part of a community - is what holds a forum together, give it life so to speak...


there are many reasons for dozens of modorators... those of us who visit other forums with a different set up of moderators will know the pros and cons of different moderating styles... and how quickly a change in this style, as with just the graphical representation of a forum, can impact on its success or falior... which is a reason 1. i had reservations about daffy becoming a moderator and 2. why i didnt particularly want to know about it

blah blah blah... if you want to know more about forum dynamics and how they apply to the wonderful world of marketing i can send you some links :)

I agree. And that fits my point about first-time visitors that [providing valuable information - "the first broad reason"] is crucial for people to determine if they are actually going to experience the [sense of community - "the second broad reason"]. Without the relevant, on-topic information it is not possible for a prospective member to go to the next stage and become a part of the community. I'm not sure why you originally signed up as a member at Polish Forums, but most likely you found this site by chance when looking for information about Poland. Then you have probably found relevant information in topics about Poland and Polish people (not in Off-Topic discussions). As you may notice, the majority of guest users post messages related to Poland - they don't engage in off-topic discussions.

Would you become a member of this community if you had to go through dozens of posts to find an on-topic post and most other messages you saw in "Poland topics" discussions were private conversations between a few members about things not related to the topics? Even if the conversations were funny?

Again, the Off-Topic discussion has been created to talk about anything one could ever imagine. So if we move unrelated to the "Poland topics" messages to Off-Topic forum, you can still continue your conversations there.


The moderating style and the website's goal has always been the same - to bring people interested in Poland and Polish issues together and make sure they enjoy being here by posting messages that follow the social and technical rules. The rules have been there for over a year now. One moderator (like Daffy) takes his time to explain the rules even to long-term members by writing a note why a particular topic or message was edited or moved. Another moderator doesn't do that - both techniques have their pros and cons, but personally I prefer the first style (even though it is much more time-consuming). As you noted, you visit many different forums and each of them has a different "moderating styles" - it suggests there is no one, ideal style. Regarding your "reservations" - it is not possible that 100% of all users approve something.


Having had a degree in Information and Computer Systems + Economics, possibly some of the links point to my articles about online communities, but you may still PM them to me :).

The salient point:)

Not wanting to spoil someone else's thread, but please don't give a bad impression to those first timers by creating a new thread and not adhering to the rules of grammar. Rules are rules after all.

people's threads. They're very possessive so I hear.

At the end of the day I think bubbas point is a very valid one. In life conversations are started and they eventually drift into another topic. Admin recently you appear to have developed a fetish for policing and this seems to have been copied by Daffy. Why cant you just relax a little. Nobody asked for the policing, Idiom- If it aint broke dont fix it.

Just give it a go also please stop picking on Espana(I would insert a smily here but they have been blasted into space).

Some topics go so long and so far that its not on the original topic and its only right to create an appropriate topic for it. So that people who stumble on the thread can talk about it and not something way off.

There was always 'policing' it just became more apparant as more posts are being made the last 3 months than 2006.

This forum has more posts this month than any previous month in the forums history.

IT is not possible that 100% of all users approve something.

have you got a graduate degree daff...?

Why? does the fact I have or have not on bother you? Do you? Does it bother me either way? not in the slightest

dont get defensive daff... it was a perfectly above board and straight forward question... an appropriate emoticon would indicated this...

must make effort to be less subtle with facetiousness...

I think the strain of it all is getting to you daffy. Please dont burst a vessel and just take it as it was. A question. As a moderator you must learn to be more patient.

Good point with the emoticons bubba. This is a perfect example of how they reduced the chance of things being taken the wrong way and they were here to help people like daffy understand things more.

I dont know where you get this from! :) all i do is mod and participate. And thanks again to you too for helping on ID'ing off topic threads, it IS appreciated as admin and the other mods aren't around every minute of the day to keep this forums' rules.


I miss them too but I see what admin see's in this but i prefere them. It is up to admin at the end of the day. You can create a smiley orientated forum if you wish - id join :)

You see another problem this policing causes Admin is that when I reply to someone elses post that is off topic in the thread and reply with something that is on topic It looks like i was in fact having a go at someone else involved in that thread. Check out the american bear thread and see what Sledz thought about my replies

Stalinist Forum state

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Yes i agree with your view point here about the forum. It should be changed <<ON topic

Great picture very reminiscent of a certan someone