Paddock Subforum - Index it or not?

[roaldin]

As no alternative to simply indexing or not is apparently workable then IMO the paddock should remain as is.

It seems to me that there is some abuse of the forum going on but hey it's not my forum.

Anyway, I'm off over to www.OpinionsSuppliedByFoxNews.com to discuss why a GT40 should have won the 1970 LeMans and how Porsche ruined racing forever with it's evil plans - under 30 different (obscure) headings...


Tim.

 

[Ron Earp]

It seems to me that there is some abuse of the forum going on but hey it's not my forum.

Where?

 

[roaldin]

Off topic discussion is welcomed by me but IMO what (I believe) is being discussed here could be defined as having become spam. What starts as venting or opinion sometimes ends up as a sustained campaign. The term "political soapbox" springs to mind.

One or two threads on a subject isn't a problem at all. New threads (many with obscure names) popping up constantly makes it harder to navigate and blurs the focus.
eg some people don't like "babe" threads but if there's one and it's called "babes" people don't care, it's not particularly invasive. Fourteen threads called variously "Curves on a GT", "Rear end shots", "quarter vents" etc, all containing "babe" content, might be seen differently even if the total number of "babe" pic's is similar.

Personally I think a forum should have reasonable gravity toward focus. Plenty of outlying discussion sure, but IMO the level of the political tirade over the last year has been skewing the focus. Signal to noise, which used to be fantastic here, is now average. If that doesn't constitute abuse then it is at least a shame.
There are places relevant to almost any subject all over the web, why does this forum have to be diluted without let up?
I don't believe freedom of speech and censorship are the issue here. I believe that freedom of choice is being limited - sure we can pick and choose threads but at a higher level we already pick and choose our forums:-
I wouldn't go to the opera and expect a fight to break out in the crowd, similarly I wouldn't go to a boxing match and expect the place to break out into a chorus from La Traviata. Both situations would be disruptive, and although certainly entertaining in the short term, if it continued to happen every time I visited it would make my choices difficult and unclear.

Defining reasonable and relevant will always be a headache - people have varied opinions. IMHO you've done well so far and anyway, it's your forum. I'm happy to go with whatever happens.
I voted to index. To some extent I guess I'm playing devils advocate but I do think there are valid points on both sides and that things are a bit unbalanced ATM.
Common sense can be argued from both sides IMO.

I commented here because I had PM'd you regarding a similar discussion happening in a thread at one point a while ago and you stated that you'd brought this up now because of PM's.

Mountains and molehills...

Tim.

 

[roaldin]

Or do you want the long answer?

Tim.

 

[Ron Earp]

The long answer is good. I'm a bit perplexed because yes, you're one of the folks who have written me about the paddock (and it is much appreciated) but in the end you chose to index it, so, a bit puzzling.

I'm going to check with my developer and see if he can develop a bit of code to allow a user to ignore a particular forum. Might cost a few bucks, but I'm sure the folks that are complaining about the paddock won't have any trouble putting a few dollars in for forum support, right?

I'll check on it and report back. Could be easy for all I know.

 

[Pat Buckley]

Ron,

Do opinions made by those who have actually contributed count more?

I am invariably disconcerted whenever wild anlogies are used to make fairly simple points.

Pat

 

[Ron Earp]

Ron,

Do opinions made by those who have actually contributed count more?

I really haven't ever really considered the question but I will now.

However, if the guys can put together a quick fix, and they might be able to, then I see no harm in adding it on. I have to admit, there are some days when I'd like to not see the paddock indexed on the New Posts. Those are generally the days when the tech is slow and the talk is high and the Paddock is 50% of the New Posts listing. Sort of like anything else, depends on my mood.

Ron

 

[roaldin]

Well, I own a bit of farm property and I'm used to stepping in the occasional, er, deposit while crossing a paddock. Doesn't mean I don't swear at a cow occasionally though.

I don't think I ever said I wanted the paddock dropped from the index.
My memory of my PM to you and the discussion that led up to it is that at some point in a heated thread you suggested dropping the indexing and I tried to find possible alternatives.
I haven't reread the thread concerned but my PM doesn't suggest it.
Basically it just says -

"Other forums have degenerated badly because of these sorts of "discussions". Weird that it doesn't seem to matter what the original focus is, most forums eventually get twisted into yet another political free-for-all. Perhaps it's an inevitable evolution that starts with a comfortable place."

Yours is the only web forum I ever contributed to monetarily. Most of them are a waste of time and bandwidth.
One of the reasons I didn't renew my support here was because I thought relevance had dropped. If it means I should refrain from comment I'll comply.

BTW, any comments made by me here are intended to be constructive and not taken as complaint. If it's ignored I really am not bothered, as I said before it's your forum to administer as you see fit.

Wild analogy (boxing/opera, cow poo) was just an attempt to keep it light-hearted.

One more post and I might leave it anyway. Devils advocate leaving on 666 posts would be kind of apt.

Tim.

 

[Kym Haines]

Ron,

Another technical option which might be simpler would be to have two options for New Posts:

... FAQ Community New Posts New Posts+Paddock

and users click on what they feel like at the time.

 

[Dimi Terleckyj]

Hi Kym

Far simpler solution is for members of the forum to use their adult discretion ability and only click on what they feel happy to read.

Saves the moderators a lot of headaches and the rest of us from having to put up with the gripes.
Dimi

 

[Russ Noble]

use their adult discretion ability
Dimi

And therein Dimi, lies the crux of the problem!

The Nanny State produces a tendency for some people to expect authorities, in this case moderators, to look after their well being and happiness. Let's see some individual responsibility and personal decision making here.....

I can't believe that Ron gets the volume of PMs etc that he says initiated this poll. Really, I think some of those guys can't have enough to do. Sad really.....

 

[David Morton]

Spot on.
Almost redolent of 'lefties' and 'socialists' if my mail box is to be believed.
Much ado about nothing.

IMHO.

 

[roaldin]

For my 666th post, here's a pic' of a Tassie Devil I found in a paddock not long ago.
An omen perhaps.
The FSM acts in mysterious ways...


In case anyone is interested - Eagle is a suspect (unusual though that would be), picked it clean at least. Sad, it had no sign of the facial tumour disease that is killing off their population here.

Tim.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

And therein Dimi, lies the crux of the problem!

The Nanny State produces a tendency for some people to expect authorities, in this case moderators, to look after their well being and happiness. Let's see some individual responsibility and personal decision making here.....

I can't believe that Ron gets the volume of PMs etc that he says initiated this poll. Really, I think some of those guys can't have enough to do. Sad really.....

+1 Russ, if you don't like something or someones post don't open it. Not exactly rocket science is it?

 

[Ron Earp]

End of argument and poll.

Go here to learn how to set up your own ignorance is bliss filter.

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/site-questions-suggestions-comments/30197-new-post-filter.html#post280288

You can't say we don't aim to please here at GT40s.com.

 

[Jack]

SUPER solution Ron, thanks...

 

[Kym Haines]

While some members have approached this subject from the point of view of don't-open-threads-that-may-offend, it is just as much about convenience and focus and not having to step over postings from a forum you are not interested in.

Ron's solution provides customisable content which is a win for everybody.

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

For my 666th post, here's a pic' of a Tassie Devil I found in a paddock not long ago.
An omen perhaps.
The FSM acts in mysterious ways...


In case anyone is interested - Eagle is a suspect (unusual though that would be), picked it clean at least. Sad, it had no sign of the facial tumour disease that is killing off their population here.

Tim.

The remains are a lot like a "hot dog", all "lips and assholes"!!!!!!