For debate........ Contains a new propasal while we are waiting

Right you are guys......You have it seems posted between you quite a few moans and growns but none of you have actually come up with a reasoned solution. The moderators of this Forum are not you enemies.......there is a right way and a wrong way to do things.
Some time ago we had requests for a sub Forum which we passed to the administration team. At that time we were told it was not possible as there were issues with what was then the new server.
Since then the topic has been raised by numerous Mods on our own board a number of times. Once again it has been raised and is being debated by the mods although to-date we still have not had a response from the admin team.
There is a proposal about an alternative way of doing things in the short term. Although I think you would agree it is not entirely satisfactory.

That thread was put up to give you guys a chance to debate an alternative but to date no one has made a serious suggestion as an alternative.

We are always prepared to listen to idea's and if necessary debate them. What is happening though is that the Forum is being divided by opinion but not about whether we should allow more off topic threads which is what started the disagreement by a few......I stress this........ by a few. The majority actually backed our stance.
However that is not the point of this post.
We have to find a way forward......... we have members dropping away like flies at the moment because they do not like all this bickering and squabbling. They do not like the fact that if post an opinion it is jumped upon by one faction or the other.
This is not a way to solve problems.
At the last count that I was made aware of Saints followers on this board numbered in excess of around 1500.
Now not all still post some only post spasmodically others if and when some just prefer to read what is going on. Then of course there is the ones that post daily on a regular basis. The one thing in common is that they all have a say as to how they want to see their Forum run.
We as mods have no choice but to take every-one's wishes into consideration. That includes the dissenters as well as the others.
We do not ban people for having a different opinion....we never have and never will. It is how you present that disagreement and difference of opinion. Nothing more......
Now instead of moaning and groaning lets us debate what we can do about the problem......let us see if we can debate it properly.
The proposals are that we have one off topic thread stickied
then a maximum of two OT thread allowed clearly marked, on the open Forum for a period of time and then merged into the stickied thread.

I have had another proposal this morning from some one that doesn't post that often but has contributed to the debate.
The proposal is that we allow the off topic posts to continue as we have done preseason to a maximum of two per board and then close them after 24hours so that others that want to start one can. Although if there is less than two then of course a new one can be started.
Now let us debate these proposals and lets get this whole saga put to bed.

Edit..... another proposal not a bad idea

Lots of football forums I'm on have just a 'chat thread' stickied where we can talk about any old bollocks.
Any further ideas what about this one........

Another idea submitted by Beefy.............How about we have one stickyed O/T for general chit chat that is kept and one more O/T thread that is based on a subject that lasts 24 hours?.

Another suggestion similar to above from Frankimus

Maybe have a stickied ot chat thread and also a not stickied ot thread which will be closed after 24 hours assuming it doesn't reach a certain number of posts in that 24 hours. If it exceeds that number of posts then it earns another 24 hours. That way the popular threads that deserve to be there longer are kept for longer?

Nothing wrong with the principle of what you say....however if you get something like the word association thread thats popular presumably you would not be able to start another ot thread because you are at your OT limit.

Perhaps a maximum number of extra 24 hours its allowed to earn before it must be closed?

 

I don't think there's much to debate - general answer will be "it's better than nothing but there are still better options" with a few people chiming in "there should be nothing off topic at all" with disparaging comments towards the "dissenters" which will cause yet more arguments.

 

Hi Beddy,

I support the idea of a single off topic forum post that is stickied and that off-topic discussion takes place there. From experience with other forums this tends to work pretty well and keeps the off-topic discussions off legitimate threads.

 

Sounds a good idea but what happens say a O/T thread has loads of comments and is basically a massive hit?.(like the Word association thread is with some people)

 

I like the idea and I'm in support of it!

 

How about we have one stickyed O/T for general chit chat that is kept and one more O/T thread that is based on a subject that lasts 24 hours?.

 

I think one of the things that is annoying (some) people, more than off topic threads, is on topic threads going off topic for pages on end. I have no problem with this, because I like the anarchic, stream of conciousness nature of threads. Obviously it does get a bit more annoying if threads get used as basically a form of instant messaging by a few people, but i've actually only seen this happening once. I can, however, see how this would become annoying for those who see this website as a source of news rather than a pub full of football fans (which is how I see it). Until this issue gets addressed, you will not solve the current 'problem'.

 

So my idea would work better

 

This gets my vote. Lots of football forums I'm on have just a 'chat thread' stickied where we can talk about any old bollocks.

 

That is a good point....perhaps now people will see the difficulties we are having in trying to please every one.....have you any ideas how to over come that type of problem?

 

This is a sensible suggestion.

The good thing about the "stickied" OT thread is that if a particular topic or debate carries on while other stuff goes on around it in the same place, people can use the "quote reply" button to link it to the previous comment on that topic.

 

This is the thing Beddytare, you can't please everyone, so maybe things like the word association don't survive. If that happens, then so be it; afterall it is a football forum and it's tough to criticise the other non-football threads while that exists.

 

Word association might not survive in its own thread, but if people want to to introduce it to the off topic thread then they can.

 

To be honest Beddy, I'm quite happy with the forum rules as they are. I became a member of Not606 because of the way it used to be when it was only 6 months old [I'd stayed with BBC606 until the end]. I suspect that I might have to go off and find another forum with the same values and respect that this one used to have. It inevitably happens with any forum. Saints Forever was a great forum in the early 2000 era, until people started to abuse the rules. Out of SF came The Saints Web, which tried to have similar values as SF, but which would appeal to more people by having multiple forums. It worked for a while, and I became a moderator on it, for a few seasons, until I decided to leave because all of the people who I'd started out with had been hounded out of the forum. The same thing is happening here. People don't have an agenda to force posters out, it's just that the demographic changes, and the values inevitably change, which don't appeal to the people who started out with the forum.

In my opinion, you moderators and administrators would do well to look at the core values you decided upon when setting up Not606. Go back to them and stick with them. Those that can work with them will stay. Those that can't will eventually go. Don't even try to appeal to everybody, or even most, because it will be the forum's undoing.

By the way, I have a suggestion for a permanent instructional thread, on how to properly use the editor when submitting posts. So many posters don't know how to use it properly. I think they'd appreciate a guide.

 

It's my understanding that those were "**** 606 and its anonymous Nazi moderators, this is stupid, let's go elsewhere to do what we like without having everything closed down". So yeah, going back to those core principles works pretty well for those who want off-topic postings.

 

The original proposal of merging off-topic threads into the stickied thread sounds more feasible to me.

As for the word association thread, I suggest it is "grandfathered" into the new system and allowed to remain until such a time as it ceases to be used. Everyone knows that new threads will be subject to the new rules however.

 

This is the kind of changes in respect and responses I'm talking about. I really don't know what has happened to the Dan‽ who used to post on here, but I'm beginning to think Mr Nice kidnapped him and tied him up in a corner. Continue with this line of response and I shall be off like a shot, and I won't be coming back.

 

I don't understand what point you're trying to make? I answered a part of your post without insulting you or disrespecting you but you assume I did because...?

 

I hear what you are saying......sometimes though you have to bend with the wind. There is a line though and in my opinion we reached it. I still listen to anyone that has an idea.......We as mods do not always have the tools to change things. We know we cannot please everyone but this back biting has to stop. In the end it will ruin the Forum. Until that happens a few posters will not believe us, they will suddenly find they are the only ones left it will soon get boring. Somehow we have a duty and resolve to stop it.

 

If you are going onto a football forum for the purpose of off-topic discussion you need to find some friends or a hobby.