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Post by Bedrockshetlands on Mar 19, 2010 10:21:16 GMT
I think Vicky's idea is good, what about a chat room instead though? Off topic chat was designed for that purpose, i think? That was my impression too. There is also a Scottish showing forum group on facebook which has a chat option. The forum has worked as it has for years I honestly think people just need to have more consideration for how they contribute to the forum
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Post by joannewalsh on Mar 19, 2010 10:32:04 GMT
so what exactly is off topic? please explain. as i think it is very confusing as to what you are allowed to write and what your not? i dont think gillian over reacted at all. everything she said is true.
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Post by rhummy on Mar 19, 2010 10:39:25 GMT
Off topic is exactly that - say a thread about a show is started. Then someone asks are you going and gets a reply yes - thats fine.
However, if it then leads on to 'Oh but I need to take the dogs to the vets that day' - 'oh really? What's wrong with him? - blah blah blah, on the same thread - THAT's off topic
I have no problem with people chatting about the topic on the thread - but when 2 or 3 of you are clogging up a post with chit chat back and forth - then we have a problem. That's what MSN is for.
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Post by Bedrockshetlands on Mar 19, 2010 10:39:41 GMT
so what exactly is off topic? please explain. as i think it is very confusing as to what you are allowed to write and what your not? i dont think gillian over reacted at all. everything she said is true. Off topic being when a member or members go off at a tangent and post stuff irrelevent to the original topic. To me its rude and in the spoken word it would be the equivilent of interrupting someones conversation and making it your own.
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Post by Vicky on Mar 19, 2010 10:47:29 GMT
I think there's a need for a bit of diplomacy here - we could end up offending a lot of our new members who have purely made a mistake because they don't realise they are moving away from the topic being discussed.
It's easy, as a newish member, to get excited about a show or topic, go a bit off tangent etc - a gentle reminder is all that's needed, I don't think it's very nice to be telling peeps that they need to be more considerate as to how they are contributing. A lot of our new members join because they want help, advice, guidance etc on their new showing prospects - so we don't want to seem to be unwelcoming if they make a few mistakes do we ?
Also, yes we have the off topic bit, but thats in the members section - which, of course, newcomers won't see until she have x posts, so perhaps that needs moving to General ?
I just don't like the thought of new members being made to feel unwelcome.
Also, there will be some of us who don't have MSN and aren't addicted to Facebook !! So what use are they to us ?!?
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Post by Bedrockshetlands on Mar 19, 2010 10:54:43 GMT
I think there's a need for a bit of diplomacy here - we could end up offending a lot of our new members who have purely made a mistake because they don't realise they are moving away from the topic being discussed. It's easy, as a newish member, to get excited about a show or topic, go a bit off tangent etc - a gentle reminder is all that's needed, I don't think it's very nice to be telling peeps that they need to be more considerate as to how they are contributing. A lot of our new members join because they want help, advice, guidance etc on their new showing prospects - so we don't want to seem to be unwelcoming if they make a few mistakes do we ? Also, yes we have the off topic bit, but thats in the members section - which, of course, newcomers won't see until she have x posts, so perhaps that needs moving to General ? I just don't like the thought of new members being made to feel unwelcome. Also, there will be some of us who don't have MSN and aren't addicted to Facebook !! So what use are they to us ?!? To be perfectly honest if I was a new member and wanting to talk and learn about showing and I skimmed over the last few threads in the available forums I wouldn't be jumping up and down to join up. The forum holds a good archive of information but it is buried in the depths of 'other' stuff. I wasn't suggesting we all go to MSN or Facebook, just stating they were options that perhaps newer members weren't aware of . I'm sure folk have the initiative to find alternative means of communication for personal chit chat that doesn't involve the entire forum
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Post by Vicky on Mar 19, 2010 10:57:05 GMT
Newer members LOL .... I didn't know there was a facebook section and I'm an older member LOL
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Post by puddledub on Mar 19, 2010 10:59:00 GMT
I think that Lavendar's meaning in her original post has been misunderstood - it is not so much the number of posts on a subject (or even the slight off-topic posts) it is the number of threads that recently seem to have developed into private chat conversations between 2 or 3 members. When making a reply, even if replying to a particular post/person (which is when the 'quotes' are very useful) any post should really be of interest to most if not all forum members. For example (and there are other threads too, I am just using this one as it is a recent incident), on the Cowboy Magic thread a lot of the posts could and would have been better done by PM as they were regarding an individual order. If in a PM Susank felt there was some information about the products that could be of use to everyone, then the original post could be edited to include that information. As has already been said this is not aimed at any particular individual, but is just something that seems to have developed recently and all the mods have had PMs from various members commenting/concerned and it was felt that something needed to be said to ensure the continued enjoyment of every member. As Rhummy pointed out, this is a forum rather than a chat room and all personal conversations should be conducted by PM or if between friends then on facebook, phone or some other medium. Yes, some threads will ramble on in a lightheartened, sometimes nonsensical (sp?) fashion, but they will probably have started that way. I am probably not really explaining myself very well, and is sometimes quite a fine line as to how far to allow a thread to either go off-topic or become trivial etc, and the last thing we want if for members to feel they cannot voice their opinions or for them to feel uncomfortable to post. ... a wee example: if there is a thread on a specific show, and the topic is flowing on quite nicely about who is going and doing what classes etc, if someone would like to know where to meet another member or get a lift, or borrow an item, or have someone to hold a pony etc etc that is going to be more than a single post, then a light hearted thread could be started on Showing Chat and free up the thread on the original show post ...... does this make sense? ETA - a lot of what I have just above has been said by others in the time it took me to type this, so apologies for repetition
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Post by Vicky on Mar 19, 2010 11:02:19 GMT
Yep PD, perfect sense !
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Post by beryl on Mar 19, 2010 11:11:49 GMT
As a new member, does this mean we don't comment on things such as "how well we did at a show", we PM them??? To stop general chit chat? ? Can we still post photos of our ponies?? or is it all serious stuff????I can say I have really enjoyed this forum and I think everyone is doing a grate job ;D. But now a bit confused
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Post by rhummy on Mar 19, 2010 11:17:38 GMT
I'm sorry - I'm not feeling very well today but you guys aren't reading what we are saying!
Of course you can post threads about your show results and your photos - thats why we have the Show Results and Gallery Boards.
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Post by puddledub on Mar 19, 2010 11:19:25 GMT
As a new member, does this mean we don't comment on things such as "how well we did at a show", we PM them??? To stop general chit chat? ? Can we still post photos of our ponies?? or is it all serious stuff????I can say I have really enjoyed this forum and I think everyone is doing a grate job ;D. But now a bit confused no, no, no that is not what we mean at all - that is the whole point of the showing forum community ;D ...what we are trying to do is reduce (as we don't want to be dictatoral enough to stop it entirely) the amount of personal conversations between 2 or 3 people (and before anybody takes offence we don't mean it is 2 or 3 specific people or the same 2 or 3 people each time : I apologise that I have obviously not explained myself properly in the previous post - shall go and rethink my phrasiology while doing things outside!
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Post by rosebud on Mar 19, 2010 11:34:38 GMT
I didn't read what Lav wrote in the oringinal post as being offensive or aimed at anyone. Just a general obsevation by the mods. We are all guilty of going off topic at some point, i hold my hands up high to say that i am certainly guilty of it, off hand i immediately think of Avrose's thread about the Patey hats, but the mods did mention a few days ago about this getting out of hand. I know myself how annoying i find it when i or another member asks a question and pretty quickly the thread goes way off topic of what the thread is about in the first place when all you want is a simple to the point answer. I wrote about not wanting to go off topic the other day and the answers that i got were exactly what i was looking for and really helpful. Wouldn't have been helpful if it went way off in another direction. We are all guilty too of misreading a question or a statement, just like this thread has been misread
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Post by beryl on Mar 19, 2010 11:40:54 GMT
Ok ;D I understand all now. Sorry but its my first forum I have joined
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Post by oldmoss on Mar 19, 2010 12:07:49 GMT
so what exactly is off topic? please explain. as i think it is very confusing as to what you are allowed to write and what your not? i dont think gillian over reacted at all. everything she said is true. Not really going to get involved in this.......... however it seemed to take several pages of posts before a thread was locked when the initial person asked a very specific and simple question who then got a barrage of 'opinions' not even relating to her original question and even when she reiterated her initial question the thread still went off in that tangent and some comments made were really not relevant nor asked for. Seems to me this post was clearly off topic yet members were free to keep going off topic until some of us said something I understand about the general chit chat and agree anything not really relevant to all members should be sent via PM - I guess the odd one or two are fine but it's when a thread has pages of them - folk just perhaps need to think before they type stuff. I'm not pointing the finger at anyone but just totally fed up / stressed these last few weeks and probably should keep my mouth shut (or my fingers free from the keys lol)
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