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adorshki
Reverential Member
For me, and 20+ years of being a top poster of a very well managed and basically self moderated forum, I think forums are better when content is streamlined, and older threads regularly get bumped to add fresh content. It makes for a more engaging forum, and readers will still see the lastest posts first, but then will have additional pages of related content to dive into. On this other forum of mine, one of the big things the creator/admin stresses is...1. before ever starting a new thread, do a search for related content first and add your post to existing threads when applicable. 2. consider new threads of importance...20x moreso than a single post. Ask yourself if it is "thread worthy". (Do you think it will be engaging enough to warrant several pages of replies?) General musings are not threadworthy, and that's why most forums have a thread similar to our "mundane thoughts" thread. In the past year, there have been at least 4-5 threads for articles about big fish being caught. They could have easily all been in one single thread w/ a simple search, then adding to the existing thread. It also makes for better (deep dive) reading when you have everything all in one place...and typically becomes more engaging and gets more replies. A splintered forum full of repedative threads just buries content! Same w/ Jag's countless threads for vintage instrument ads. If they were all in one single thread titled "Vintage instrument ads", then you'd have an entire index of them at your fingertips. What starting a new thread every time does is bury other content onto page 2,3,4,5 of that section of the forum...hardly allowing for the casual member to ever see it if they missed it the first go round. What you should strive for is having threads that last for pages and pages. Let Facebook be Facebook. That's not what information seeking/ information giving/conversational type forums are for. A fish thread is fine. 5 similar ones is not. The site's search function is your friend, and should be exhausted before EVER starting a new thread. That's how forums are kept neat, easier (and much more informative ) to browse...and it makes the job of the mods 100x easier.
Just my 2¢
Wow that was pretty dense but I think I got it all down in one swallow.
WIth sincere respect for your behind-the-scenes experience
I can see a couple of counter-points to the idea of merging similar threads, one being that we'd get impossibly long threads to sort through, which IIRC is irksome for folks scrolling on phones and even desktops too, for that matter.
Having contributed to a few multi-pages in my time I do enjoy some of the more lengthy threads, but a lot of that is due to the tradition of "the Veer".. Yes, the Veer, Dmitri. We're pretty tolerant of drifting off-course and even make an art of finding our way back to the original train of wreckage. But it's possible one of our generals went, well, you know, a little funny in the head, Dmitri.
I do see the merit in sticking to the topic on specific tech/model spec questions, also the mods' policy of no veers in FS posts.
One last thought occurs to me, that in past at least, the Forum "Search" function has proven less helpful than desired, with things like limitations on terms that are too short or too frequent, like "D25". Then there's the issue of some history having been lost during forum migrations.
Otherwise, well said, thanks for sharing. And now I know why GAD loves those double-return paragraph breaks.
fronobulax
Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods
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I was trying to find the Keene guitar and couldn't. So I was searching on variations of "Collings guitar fish headstock" (with perhaps other keywords). Looking at images in the results was more helpful than scanning text and so the trout? fretboard inlay popped up.
West R Lee
Venerated Member
By the way, the Pete Huttlinger that Fro posted has special meaning to me this week, as I've just read about the model, and that proceeds were used to help Pete with some cardiac issues he'd had.
I haven't mentioned this, but will now. Last Friday, suspecting I had a blockage in a major artery, I went in for a heart cath. During the cath, my arteries didn't respond well to the dye, and I went into what is referred to as Vfib. I'd never heard of it, but it ain't good. Essentially a spasm in which both lower chambers beat independently as much as 400 beats per minute. I thank God that skilled people armed with the paddles were able to swiftly restore my natural rhythm. Arteries were clear. But when I now read this about Pete, it gives a whole new meaning to heart health.
West
I haven't mentioned this, but will now. Last Friday, suspecting I had a blockage in a major artery, I went in for a heart cath. During the cath, my arteries didn't respond well to the dye, and I went into what is referred to as Vfib. I'd never heard of it, but it ain't good. Essentially a spasm in which both lower chambers beat independently as much as 400 beats per minute. I thank God that skilled people armed with the paddles were able to swiftly restore my natural rhythm. Arteries were clear. But when I now read this about Pete, it gives a whole new meaning to heart health.
West
The Guilds of Grot
Enlightened Member
Holy crap! Glad to hear you're OK!
West R Lee
Venerated Member
Me too Grot, and thank you much sir. Obviously, I'd been out like a light and had no idea, but the cardiologist came in and told Mrs. West what had happened. Well I'd heard of Afib........usually not too big a deal, but had never heard of Vfib. When I read about it, it kind of freaked me out. VERY lucky to have had it where they were well prepared. Though had I not had the dye, it wouldn't have happened. I guess there are potential risks with almost all medical procedures.
West
Whoa! Also glad to hear you are OK. That's the bottom line.
Scary stuff, West! Stay healthy!
Quite a veer! From a controversial fish post to West in the hospital!
I have to say that I just got a chance to read this all the way through for the first time - I had ignored it based on my lack of interest in fishing - and I never laughed so much reading a thread as I did just now!
walrus
Quite a veer! From a controversial fish post to West in the hospital!
I have to say that I just got a chance to read this all the way through for the first time - I had ignored it based on my lack of interest in fishing - and I never laughed so much reading a thread as I did just now!
walrus
West R Lee
Venerated Member
West R Lee
Venerated Member
You just never know where a thread is headed around here, do you Walrus. And it really wasn't a hospital stay, it was just supposed to be a fairly routine heart cath. Ended up being about 10 hours in there. Still have a bit of chest pain and not sure why. Arteries are good. Go figure? I had it done because a CT scan showed the left descending anterior artery to be up to 75% closed.......they actually call that one "The Widowmaker". That along with some unexplained chest pain.
Then when he injected the dye........BAM! Guess it just wasn't my time.West
Best movie of all times. George C. Scott is hilarious. He has a penchant for overstating the obvious. "Well, Mr. President...I hate to judge before all the facts are in....but it does appear that the General overstepped his boundaries!" (When he ordered an all-points nuclear strike on Russia.)
adorshki
Reverential Member
"If it wasn't a friendly call Dmitri, you probably wouldn't be getting it"Best movie of all times. George C. Scott is hilarious. He has a penchant for overstating the obvious. "Well, Mr. President...I hate to judge before all the facts are in....but it does appear that the General overstepped his boundaries!" (When he ordered an all-points nuclear strike on Russia.)
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And what a great name: "Buck Turgidson." LOL