Off Topicness

ntlbell

I've noticed this alot, especially in comp.

This could be a number of things, laziness, posters just not technical enough to know which forum the question belongs but the whole thing is a mess, I can't recall too many mods moving threads eithier.

Questions on web dev, in computers and technology.

Networking questions not in nets/comms etc etc

It gets very messy at times, any chance this could be looked at?

GoneShootin

What you need is a mod that is so anal about moderating their forum that they need to go for regular colonoscopies just to log into boards.ie.

I just described myself o_0

ntlbell

GoneShootin wrote:

What you need is a mod that is so anal about moderating their forum that they need to go for regular colonoscopies just to log into boards.ie.

I just described myself o_0

Not exactly, it should be as easy as modding any other forum.

someone starts discussing BMW engines in the cycling forum...moved....

GoneShootin

ntlbell wrote:

Not exactly

Yes exactly. I can see why the mods of Comp/Tech may often just faulter at moving so many thread over and over again. The same threads, all the time. I'm sure it's easier just to leave em there.

Where I them I'd start to hand out bannings to blatent off-forum topics, especially for content where the correct forum is just a few rows down in the forums list/dhtml menu.

/me rubs Comp/Tech mods collective bellies. "There there, it's going to be ALL right

ntlbell

GoneShootin wrote:

Where I them I'd start to hand out bannings to blatent off-forum topics, especially for content where the correct forum is just a few rows down in the forums list/dhtml menu.

/me rubs Comp/Tech mods collective bellies. "There there, it's going to be ALL right

I thought that's what they were there for in the first place?

GuanYin

Sometimes, just sometimes, a short stint off-topic can make an important point in the discussion that on-topicness might not achieve.

Think of the mods in that case as acting like the judges on those TV crime shows, where a lawyer goes way off topic, the opposition objects and the judge says "I'll allow it, you better be going somewhere with this....."

...or something.

ntlbell

psi wrote:

Sometimes, just sometimes, a short stint off-topic can make an important point in the discussion that on-topicness might not achieve.

Think of the mods in that case as acting like the judges on those TV crime shows, where a lawyer goes way off topic, the opposition objects and the judge says "I'll allow it, you better be going somewhere with this....."

...or something.

Short stints/odd/rare off topic thread...no problems

when 50% of the threads started _every_ day are off topic it gets a tad annoying and wouldn't be allowed happen anywhere else.

irlrobins

As a regular comp section poster I can see where ntlbell is coming from. You do get some posts that are "off topic". But I think this is often because the OP is not all that techie minded and to them a computer problem is a computer problem. They don't have the know how to categorise it into a hardware, software, wireless or broadband problem.

I don't find it annoying as I go thru all the comp/nerdy forums so I'd come across the thread anyway. And it's not as blatant as posting a PI question in Fashion/Appearance. Also some forums (web dev for example) have lower traffic so people post in general Comp forum for a quicker response.

ntlbell

irlrobins wrote:

As a regular comp section poster I can see where ntlbell is coming from. You do get some posts that are "off topic". But I think this is often because the OP is not all that techie minded and to them a computer problem is a computer problem. They don't have the know how to categorise it into a hardware, software, wireless or broadband problem.

I don't find it annoying as I go thru all the comp/nerdy forums so I'd come across the thread anyway. And it's not as blatant as posting a PI question in Fashion/Appearance. Also some forums (web dev for example) have lower traffic so people post in general Comp forum for a quicker response.

Yeah, maybe I just need to go back to bed and get out the other side of it.

Gordon

Report the post if you think it doesn't belong there.

azezil

Don't worry ntlbell, I'll look into it for you!

Talliesin

Just report the posts.

Khannie

I'm slow to move threads only because the forum is a general one. Sometimes there are questions about broadband that belong in the bb forum (for example) but I leave them because I know it's already been answered and there's no point moving it just for the sake of moving it.

I suppose my policy is that if I think it'll get a better answer by moving it, then I'll move it. If it's already been answered, or the more heavily viewed forum will produce a better answer then I'll generally leave it. Also, I don't view every thread (though I do try), so horribly OT posts should probably be reported.

If people feel strongly about it I can start enforcing a more rigid policy, but I prefer the slightly more relaxed approach tbh. The only thing I'm anal about is warez monkey discussion.

irlrobins

Khannie wrote:

The only thing I'm anal about is warez monkey discussion.

You can get monkeys on warez sites???? COOL!!!:p

Khannie

irlrobins

Ah that card is showing its age with its dialup charges....

stevenmu

I think it works quite well the way it is. It's a tricky subject tbh, often people ask about a topic that is linked to one of the other more specialist boards without even knowing enough about the topic to realise it should belong there. Leaving it in the general forum allows them to get a general simplified answer without going into the highly technical aspects that they'd find on the specialised board, and the specialised board stays full of the usefull technical stuff without being overrun with generic basic questions.