Discussions going off topic?

[Aelia Jusa]

No not mailing list type things. The only threaded forum system I know is the discussion forums for my classes at uni so I can't show you them since you need a password. What it is, is like a list of titles that all refer to the one topic, that are links to the messages. So you can reply to the main topic or one of the offshoots, and they're not listed in order of when posted but what subtitle they're in reply to. So like it might look like this:

*Discussions going off topic?
|-*Re: Discussions going off topic?
|-*Re: Discussions going off topic?
.|-*Re: Re: Discussions going off topic?
|-*Threaded system yuck!
.|-*Re: Threaded system yuck!
.|--*What is threaded system?
|-*Peanut butter thingos

Where "What is threaded system?" was actually posted after peanut butter thingos but in response to threaded system yuck. It's all very nasty

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

Now that you have explained it here I realize that I had seen forums structured in such a way before - but also that I have also found them very confusing hence unappealing. Then again, maybe all it would take to appreciate that structure were some familiarization.

I feel deeply indebted to your Ladyship for the very illustrative description and will therefore reciprocate the favour by offering some - admittingly unsolicited - fashion advice: that overlarge axe you are wielding is not ladylike at all. Maybe you should give earnest consideration to replacing it with a smaller, pink-coloured model. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Aelia Jusa]

I am looking rather butch these days I know! I would've thought you of all people would appreciate it though, what with all your hefty German wenches!

[Barry the Sprout]

Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: Yes, there's a difference between serious conversation off-topic, like in that smoking thread where communism was brought up so naturally a little aside was made about communism. Often the stuff that is tangential isn't really worth making a separate thread over either so I think it belongs in the thread it started in. And serious conversation off-topic that is just spam where someone might make a little joke and it is carried on for lots of posts after with nothing to do with the topic or even tangential. I reckon it's worse even when people who weren't participating in the original discussion add to the off-topic bits then - it's like, I couldn't add anything serious to this discussion, but I can certainly add some spam! And then non-serious conversations that go off topic - not so bad. And it depends whether the originator of the thread is participating, or comes back after starting a serious thread and finds it all spammed up, or whether the off-topic stuff is coming in when the discussion was pretty much wound up anyway. I DON'T like the threaded system though! Ugh! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Thats the distinction to be made I think - posts that are just naturally off topic, and spam thats not really helpful to anyone. But I suppose light spam has its place in some threads... its all a matter of knowing the context of the thread. If someone started a serious thread on war and loads of people posted one line jokey responses then it'd be a bit discourteous. But by the same token if someone starts a nice friendly thread on the weather it would be out of order for me to wade in ranting about class struggle and the defeat of capitalism. Its all about courtesy, IMO.

And I agree about threaded boards - they just confuse the hell out of me.

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

It truly delights me to see that my diligent efforts at slandering the reputation of German womanhood finally seem to be starting to pay off. Soon I shall be en pair with the Wagnerian valkyries in that category. And yes, revenge tastes indeed sweet.

But I am afraid to off-topeeze(don't look, that word is my humble contribution to the great English language) this particular thread any further, otherwise Mrs. Willow might ... erm ... stick it to me.

[ 05-10-2003, 06:41 PM: Message edited by: Ramon de Ramon y Ramon ]