Random Photo thread discussion

keps

Just on the closing of 'the previous' Random thread and the opening of this new one.


On the last Random thread the 'last' photo post was from a very first time poster to the thread -Little Alex.

He had been referred on to the Random thread as he had stumbled upon the 'Slow Speed Photo' Challenge

Then the thread just shuts--what a welcome

There is no message to say that a new one will be re-opened & there is no link to the new thread.

I don't think there is any way of knowing when a Random thread will 'shut'.

I think there should be system whereby the last 10 posts to any Random thread are carried over to the next one.

And a message and link to the new thread??

CabanSail

Moved this into it's own thread, as the Random Photo thread is not the place for discussion.

We are now on the 24th incarnation of the Random Thread. The way these have operated, long before I was a Mod, is that when they get larger then they are closed and a new one is opened. This is normally sometime after about eighty pages. This is how it has been decreed in the Gospel of Exposure 12 vs12:19 in the Book of Blessed Light.

I closed the last thread and opened the new one. There seems to be a spate of posts late at night, so when I saw it was about that time I waited until it was the wee hours of the morning before changing. The last thread is being held in the Stickies for a short while so it is visible. This is noted in the OP of the new thread.

If people want things done differently then suggestions are welcome.

tl/dr This is the way the Random Thread has been managed for a long time now but can change.

AnCatDubh

If memory serves me correctly, there was some discussion around the random thread by the moderators a little while back and resulting from this, the last two random threads(?) were stickied for about 7-10 days after they were closed for this very reason - gave them prominance, and time for everyone who is regular to find the last entries.

I'm not aware that the last poster in question has had any ill feeling as a result of the thread being closed - i'm unaware of any query being raised but I can assure them there is nothing personal with the random thread being closed. This is normal and if they care to revert over the past 24 random threads they will bear it out.

There is probably a larger question to be considered whether here or elsewhere and that is should the random thread be closed after 1000 posts which is the marker - depending on whats happening on the forum, it can run for a while, but that's generally when you can normally expect it.

Technically, it doesn't need to but one reason for continuing to close the thread and advance to a new one is, it can help to draw attention to a rule change if there are any. If that could be gotten around then I don't see much point in closing them at all. It is only hassle for the moderators closing one and setting up a new one. The major reason as far as I am aware that it is closed and reopened is because it has always been done like that which is probably the worst reason in the world to continue to do something.

Thecageyone

That member may well have just left as soon as they came in, after the thread was closed abruptly [it might seem so to them] right after his post. It means his images might not get seen by near as many, as some members will not bother to look after a lock and move straight onto the new thread. I thought similar to keps, just didn't bother saying.

I had only dropped an image in that thread too and it was getting thumbs up, I'll never make that top 10 this way!!! :P

Promac

I've often wondered why it's closed at all and not just left as a sticky at the top. Is there a limit to the number of pages on this board?

humberklog

Having a "last 10" warning might lead to a slow up in posting though. A bit like the "top of trhe page" phenomenon where each page gets slow when it looks like it's getting to the last.

Would it be possible to simply cut and paste the last page of the ending thread to the first page of the starting thread?

AnCatDubh

Promac wrote: »

Is there a limit to the number of pages on this board?

None that i'm aware of.

Promac

In that case I reckon just leave a single Random thread stickied at the top of the page for ever more.

Thecageyone

I thought it was split because of a limit too. If there isn't one, above suggestion would get my vote. You can still narrow the thread down to certain user's posts within if you need to.

CabanSail

If we are just to keep it open as one big thread, there is no reason to have it as a Sticky as it's rarely off the front page anyway. The idea of a Sticky is to keep something prominent that will not get m/any replies.

If we are then to have one big thread, then maybe we should go back and merge all the old threads together so they are in the one place.

The main reason I can see for not doing this is that people change their settings on the hsting sites and links get broken. If we have one mega thread then the early pages will be a lot of empty posts.

Promac

I always thought stickies were for the convenience of finding popular or important threads.

And the earlier posts in the earlier threads will be just as empty - they're just harder to find.

AnimalRights

I'm against too many stickies and did the random thread not used to end after 1000 replies?

Promac

There's already a sticky for it now.

Borderfox

the system has worked grand, the fact that its still stickied for few days helps the changeover from one to the other

keps

What is a stickie?

keps

Just thinking of common courtesy.

Would it be possible at the closure of a Random Thread to say


'Sorry folks -this thread has now been closed due to ( 1000 posts or whatever)

A new thread has been opened and here is the link

The last 10 posts from this thread have been carried over to the new thread.

Kind Regards'

Mod

CabanSail

keps wrote: »

What is a stickie?

A Sticky is a thread which is Stuck at the top of the forum. At present we have six in the main forum. These are Charter, FAQ, OOF, Services, Camera Purchases and Random XXIII.

I have done a bit of poking about. If we combined all the Random Threads there would be 27,297 posts up the the end of XXIII. That would be a thread with 1820 pages.

The longest thread so far was III which had 1686 posts.

Most of the links, even in the early threads, are still valid.

Interesting that in the early days the size limit was 700 pixels.

Tallon

Very easy solution here, when a Mod locks the previous thread, the Last post should always be a mod note stating it's closed and a link to the new one.

If someone posted their pic on the last page, there is absoulutely no reason they can't post it again on page one of the new thread.

There is no need to sticky the thread before or after it's closed.

There are already enough stickys

CabanSail

Looking back there used to be a Mod Note when it was closed in the past. This has just fallen out of use, but no reason why we can't do it again.

Simples.

Tallon

CabanSail wrote: »

Simples.

^ This ^

Promac

Still don't see any reason why you can't just leave the one thread at the top and save all the hassle - you'd only have to do it once and that's it done.

Meh, just rambling now - not my decision anyway.

Tallon

It was already answered, twice I believe

Promac

Tallon wrote: »

It was already answered, twice I believe

Not really, no and was that a bit of aggression there?

The mods seem to want a better solution than even more work involving the random thread.

In fact, AnCatDubh said:

It is only hassle for the moderators closing one and setting up a new one. The major reason as far as I am aware that it is closed and reopened is because it has always been done like that which is probably the worst reason in the world to continue to do something.

A "Very easy solution" is to just leave the one thread open.

Tallon

Promac wrote: »

Not really, no and was that a bit of aggression there?

Yes it was, and no, didn't mean anything by it

humberklog

Tallon wrote: »

Yes it was, and no, didn't mean anything by it

I remember you putting a pic up on a new thread after your pic was in near last in previous thread. I did laugh...but it was an easy and good idea.


Cheeky monkey.

I wonder did that new poster think that he broke the thread, that'd be funny. His pic broke the internet : )).

Thecageyone

He hasn't been back since. That might be saying something.

Kintarō Hattori

Or he was just a very random poster who didn't post very much here anyway and so it could be a while before he comes around again.

Edit: Oh and Frank, hehe, Tallon aggressive- that's hilarious!

magicbastarder

one big thread can just get unwieldy. there's a lot of talk about a relatively minor issue, if you ask me.

since it was my idea in the first place, my opinion wins.

result.

Thecageyone

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Or he was just a very random poster who didn't post very much here anyway and so it could be a while before he comes around again.

We can assume away, but it could be part of the reason.

magicbastarder

if that's enough to drive him away, he wouldn't have lasted long anyway.

Thecageyone

Early escape?

Kintarō Hattori

Thecageyone wrote: »

We can assume away, but it could be part of the reason.

I only had time to check back as far as June. Between then and his post in the last Random Thread he had no other posts in the photography forum so I'll stick with him being a very random visitor to this forum.

Thecageyone

Oh right, why do we even care then? I thought he'd introduced himself and said he was going to hang around?

Anyone with a wee bit of cop on would know to check see if there's a new thread, or some other reason why it was locked. I'm sure he didn't think his image was that bad!?

keps

But as suggested - wouldn't it be nice and polite just to
have the mod who is locking the thread to put a standard
'here's one I've prepared already'
type sentence to say

This Randon thread is closing because..... .

A New thread is now opened and here is the link____

simples:)

keps

Is this thread going to end like this or will a mod come back and say what the final view is?

keps

keps wrote: »

Is this thread going to end like this or will a mod come back and say what the final view is?

It's going to end like this.

keps

keps wrote: »

It's going to end like this.

That's fine then.

humberklog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYppAs6ZdI

keps

humberklog wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYppAs6ZdI

hahaaaa
brilliant:):)

Mjollnir

Given the rather undue amount of concern here shown over an non-issue, perhaps this should be the appropriate ending.....

http://www.sadtrombone.com/

Thecageyone

Or just get me to have a rant? ... no?

CabanSail

keps wrote: »

Is this thread going to end like this or will a mod come back and say what the final view is?

I think that we will keep the Random Thread going the way it has been, but will make sure to make a Mod Post when closing it.