There have been complaints about most of the threads in the Lounge going off-topic and getting filled up with unrelated posts making it very difficult for anyone to get any serious suggestions.

People who have some good suggestions to make also tend to stay away when there are 10's of pages of unrelated posts that they will have to skim thru before making a suggestion else run the risk of being yelled "Repost at.

One brute-force approach would be to add a "New Rule" and prohibit unrelated, off-topic posts, thereby making the Lounge dry, boring, empty and virtually no-fun. So, before the Admin and Mods decide to take a similiar brute-force approach, it might be better to ask for suggestions how we can reduce the rampant threadjacking.

One suggestion I have is to add a new category to the Lounge threads. Along the lines of "cool", "travel", "photo", "chat" etc. may be we can have one that says "On-topic" (or something like that) with an image of threadjack banner and a cross against it. This would mean that the OP who created the thread has requested that the thread stay on topic and has requested that no one attempt to threadjack the thread or postwhore in the thread. If people do start going off-topic, OP may at his/her discretion mod-alert the corresponding posts thus trying to steer his/her thread back on topic. Since the onus would be on the OP to mod-alert and not the mods to go and check to ensure that the thread is on-topic, it might not be too much of a burden on the mods either.

It seems to be a simple solution but may need to be thought through. It can be refined further or people can come up with better suggestions.

Thank you for listening.
Pig

Great idea Pig!

Where all the women? I heard there would be women here! Anyway, anybody catch the Braves today?

Where all the women? I heard there would be women here! Anyway, anybody catch the Braves today?

No, but the Giants game was awesome!

Pig, I think that's a very good idea. And maybe since some of us "old timers here" are bothered by the regulars leaving (yes, I know we are also guilty of hijacking threads) we could help monitor a bit when the OP isn't there to do the alerts...just a thought.
Hey, don't smack me just because I had an idea and semi-volunteered us to babysit :P

Isn't this what the categories were for anyway? I thought the intent was only "chat" threads were allowed to be PWd in or taken off topic. Perhaps we just need to start enforcing that more efficiently.

Isn't this what the categories were for anyway? I thought the intent was only "chat" threads were allowed to be PWd in or taken off topic. Perhaps we just need to start enforcing that more efficiently.
my understanding was the categories where a good faith effort. but if the point is pw/ or it comes to be pw/goes off topic we chat the post. then its left for the vultures to do with as they please.

Can someone explain why you try to keep down the post count of people? I never understood that.

Isn't this what the categories were for anyway? I thought the intent was only "chat" threads were allowed to be PWd in or taken off topic. Perhaps we just need to start enforcing that more efficiently.
Is more enforcement necessarily a good thing? I think what we are looking for here is some way to have serious on-topic discussions in the lounge. Not more government, more warnings and more ruffled feathers.

Wouldn't it be wise for the OP to decide whether he is OK with off-topic posts (which can be fun at times) or he only wants serious on-topic discussions in his thread instead of mods making that judgement call?

Can someone explain why you try to keep down the post count of people? I never understood that.
its not that we care people like schbusdrvr has 21k or whatever posts. its poeple who spam to create that number. schbusdrvr is there to add ot the community, chat with others and so forth. those are the posters we want. she hasnt' started threads just for the sake of having another non chat thread to post away in. we can live without the others who just make it their priority to make #1 and spam to get there.

for more reading... look at the storm thread for a lot more.

its not that we care people like schbusdrvr has 21k or whatever posts. its poeple who spam to create that number. schbusdrvr is there to add ot the community, chat with others and so forth. those are the posters we want. she hasnt' started threads just for the sake of having another non chat thread to post away in. we can live without the others who just make it their priority to make #1 and spam to get there.

for more reading... look at the storm thread for a lot more.
But, lots of times threads have gone off-topic, in a completely different direction, and that's been fun and interesting, too. That's part of why I like the Lounge so much. :iagree: with Pig, more enforcement is going to (a) be more difficult for the mods; (b) make people less likely to want to post in the Lounge for fear of getting "yelled at," and (c) simply make the Lounge less fun.

the going off topic isn't all that big deal to the mods. in the one or two serious threads the mods makes about the site... we make sure to keep those ontopic.

we haven't even come close to even talking about making things stay ontopic.. we agree with you guys.. the off topic thread jacks are most of the fun of the lounge.

A couple of years ago there were far fewer people visiting the lounge. It has grown and evolved a lot and thus keeps quite busy. Others here know what other sites are like when people visit infrequently and they can go back after 2 days and see no new posts.
Now things move fast in the lounge and if you aren't there a lot you either have to read back through threads or just jump in wherever. I can see how some of the people who were used to it as it was before, wouldn't like the pace it keeps today so I've thought of a (tongue in cheek) solution.
How about a separate forum for only people that have been here...say a year or longer to have access to? That way while the new posters are getting used to the newness of the lounge and getting their feet wet, the old timers can do more specific chatting. I have even thought of a name for the new forum... Old Folks Home or The Retirement Center :lol:

A couple of years ago there were far fewer people visiting the lounge. It has grown and evolved a lot and thus keeps quite busy. Others here know what other sites are like when people visit infrequently and they can go back after 2 days and see no new posts.
Now things move fast in the lounge and if you aren't there a lot you either have to read back through threads or just jump in wherever. I can see how some of the people who were used to it as it was before, wouldn't like the pace it keeps today so I've thought of a (tongue in cheek) solution.
How about a separate forum for only people that have been here...say a year or longer to have access to? That way while the new posters are getting used to the newness of the lounge and getting their feet wet, the old timers can do more specific chatting. I have even thought of a name for the new forum... Old Folks Home or The Retirement Center :lol:

I haven't even been here a year :lol:

I haven't even been here a year :lol:
:lol: we'll hold a seat for you :evillaf:

:sadwalk:

It was just a suggestion for the old fuddy-duddies who can't keep up with the fast lane of the lounge...
I'd still be in the lounge. I think it's fun in there...massive understatement of course :P

A couple of years ago there were far fewer people visiting the lounge. It has grown and evolved a lot and thus keeps quite busy. Others here know what other sites are like when people visit infrequently and they can go back after 2 days and see no new posts.
Now things move fast in the lounge and if you aren't there a lot you either have to read back through threads or just jump in wherever. I can see how some of the people who were used to it as it was before, wouldn't like the pace it keeps today so I've thought of a (tongue in cheek) solution.
How about a separate forum for only people that have been here...say a year or longer to have access to? That way while the new posters are getting used to the newness of the lounge and getting their feet wet, the old timers can do more specific chatting. I have even thought of a name for the new forum... Old Folks Home or The Retirement Center :lol:

I LOVE it!!!!

I LOVE it!!!!
:evillaf: Like my name for it too?

I haven't even been here a year :lol:


Neither have I. :sadwalk:

I do like Pig's suggestion. I see a topic of interest and have an opnion but when I click the topic there are a few on topic posts. Then there seems to be pages of off topic chat and I either change my mind and do not post what I wanted to say to the OP or go ahead and post but feel like I am stupid for doing so as no one is even talking about the topic that interested me in the first place. A lot of the off topic chat is fun but it seems there has to be a good way to combine both. :idontknow

Most of us who LIKE the way the lounge is...would still be there...
like I said..it was just a suggestion. A place to keep the old farts so to speak. :sadwalk:


Sorry I mentioned it, I wasn't trying to be exclusionary.

:evillaf: Like my name for it too?

:ermm: no.

Most of us who LIKE the way the lounge is...would still be there...
like I said..it was just a suggestion. A place to keep the old farts so to speak. :sadwalk:


Sorry I mentioned it, I wasn't trying to be exclusionary.

I know, I think it is a good idea. I would just be sad because I would want to go there too. I would only have about 5 months to go. ~lol

I am not in favor of restricting people based on their SD age/post count/rep point etc. It would only end up creating silos.

However, I like schooby's idea. May be have a sub-forum under the Lounge called "Free for all" where all the posts can in fact be free-for-all (provided other rules are followed)

Or the other way around is to have a sub-form under the Lounge that is called "On topic only" where going off-topic is restricted.

Just like this sites issues and suggestions forum. One would not threadjack here because one knows it is not allowed.

does ANYONE find it ironic that PIG of all people is complaining about PWing?

does ANYONE find it ironic that PIG of all people is complaining about PWing?
Got any good suggestions?

For the record, I also like Pig's idea of adding an icon.

Another idea (if the mods don't want to do it) would be to start a convention ourselves...just put

<thread title here>: NO OT

as the thread title.


[I was asked to copy this here...out of another thread...as a suggestion]

The lounge has gotten to be this private members only kind of place... lots of flirting, innuendos that no one (unless you are "in") could understand. Very very junior highish. I was very turned off by the threadjacking and sexual innuendos. I think this "revamping" of the lounge is a positive thing.

:bump: good idea Pig

I am not in favor of restricting people based on their SD age/post count/rep point etc. It would only end up creating silos.

However, I like schooby's idea. May be have a sub-forum under the Lounge called "Free for all" where all the posts can in fact be free-for-all (provided other rules are followed)

Or the other way around is to have a sub-form under the Lounge that is called "On topic only" where going off-topic is restricted.

Just like this sites issues and suggestions forum. One would not threadjack here because one knows it is not allowed.
Can we make a subforum titled "Pig's random crap?" :hug: