Threadjacking Policy

[jaylach]

I really don't know why the moderators allow you to keep doing this sort of thing, it is completely beyond me.

If I remember right it was recently stated that GIF images should not be used outside of general conversation.....

 

[Essjay]

I left that gif in post #17 so that I could edit it to make a comment.

 

[jaylach]

I left that gif in post #17 so that I could edit it to make a comment.

I'm sorry for my ignorance but that seems to make zero sense. Make a comment or don't but don't use a GIF as a place holder. Especially when site staff has just requested that this not be done.

All the GIF images currently being thrown up have caused me to quit some threads as there is just too much garbage being put up in images that really have no relation to the supposed content of the thread.

 

[GaryE]

There are a whole lot of ways a posting can get sidetracked, and a lot of ways mods can respond. It's work for the mods though. So if you're a bored homeschooled teenager like some members here, well, you're bored. You might be tempted to pummel everyone with GIFs, or to drive your post count up because you're bored and you see the posts as positive things. I get that.

Stop before your post, and consider its impact. Is it going to make a mod, I believe a person volunteering time, have to fix the thread? If maybe, don't do it. It's no harder than deciding not to call that poster who annoys you a #$#@ %^%$%^&ing *&^%$#@. We generally self filter things like that out, and we just have to extend our ways.

Life is a test and it works best with complete, full sentence questions and answers.

As well, as someone who has worked closely with people from all over the world, and from all age groups - I've learned that what I find funny doesn't always fly with other cultures, even age group cultures. I think a lot of members would be shocked at how far out of their lifestyle, belief or culture bubbles they are when they go online - you chat happily with people you might run from if you met them in the real world. Our common meeting zone is curiosity about aquariums, so if where we're going has no connection to aquariums, we're off track. GIF culture? I know it, but avoid it. It isn't a shared 'value' to make GIF based comments outside of your own social group. So all you have to do is prioritize communication. If I posted in French here, it would be a legitimate communication among French speakers, but not welcome on the general, English forum. It's just an adjustment to be made...

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Oh the irony...

A thread to stop Wanderingthreaditis....and its wandered off into the bushes (quite literally in the case of Homer Simpson)

 

[Essjay]

Re the gif in post #17
The Announcements forum is not a fish related forum, and it provides an example of the what the thread is about so there can be no doubt in anyone's mind what is acceptable and what isn't. In a fish related forum the gif in post #17 is not acceptable.

Members have now been made aware that the use of gifs in fish related threads is not acceptable. Neither are in-jokes between members.
Such posts will deleted from now on.

 

[Colin_T]

Another aspect of this, and one I tend to be guilty of, is posting a question and then adding another question in the same thread. This tends to cause confusion and lessens the chance of getting a good answer for either.

Another is the dreaded "I have a similar issue" posts where your issues seems to be like another but, in fact, it probably is not. It is always best to start a new thread.

There is nothing wrong with posting another question in the same thread, if it relates to the same aquarium. In my opinion, there is no point starting another thread if you have one already running with all the information supplied and simply want to ask another question about the fish in the tank. It's easier than me asking the same questions about water quality, tank set up and photos, over and over again.

If the second question is about something completely unrelated (another tank or different animal), then start another thread, but if it's happening in the same tank, just ask the question in the original thread.

 

[jaylach]

There is nothing wrong with posting another question in the same thread, if it relates to the same aquarium. In my opinion, there is no point starting another thread if you have one already running with all the information supplied and simply want to ask another question about the fish in the tank. It's easier than me asking the same questions about water quality, tank set up and photos, over and over again.

If the second question is about something completely unrelated (another tank or different animal), then start another thread, but if it's happening in the same tank, just ask the question in the original thread.

Grrr... I agree and yet don't.

Take some of my recent topics. One deals with a contaminated plant killing all my fish and another deals with going with a different substrate while re-doing the same tank. While both are related as to being involved with the same tank and initiated by the same cause they are still totally different aspects. If I combine both in a single thread it would breed confusion even though both relate to each other.

Even if related multiple questions in a single thread tends to decrease usable responses in relation to if each question was put out in its own thread. I've been running forums for over 20 years. What I'm saying is just proven fact.

Yet I understand your concern about asking the same thing over and over as to water prams as it MUST become tiresome. Mayhaps make a text file with the pram questions that you can then just copy/paste without having to type it all out.....

 

[DoubleDutch]

I like to add that I noticed that some specific threads seem to derail quite easy.

The "statements hidden as question threads"

Often a question is asked in the title and when members give there answers, opinions or thoughts an exhausting debate follows to proof them wrong.

I think this is soooo weird.

 

[jaylach]

I like to add that I noticed that some specific threads seem to derail quite easy.

The "statements hidden as question threads"

Often a question is asked in the title and when members give there answers, opinions or thoughts an exhausting debate follows to proof them wrong.

I think this is soooo weird.

If I understand what you are saying correctly this is often a form of spam. A spammer will register under two accounts and post a question through one account. Once a discussion is established the second account member will post a link to a solution that will cost money.

 

[Wills]

Personally I think this is a brilliant rule.

I'm new here so I don't want to offend or ruffle feathers but as a newbie, it is indeed very difficult to use the forum wih all the sillyness happening.

It makes the search function in particular incredibly difficult to use because you find a thread that is relevant, but then you have to trawl through pages and pages of silly posts before finding anything that's actually useful.

I do post sometimes, but often decide not to because posts just get lost in amongst all the other stuff, so it seems pointless posting anything.

Like I said, it's just my opinion and I am new, so I accept that I'm not 'part of the group' so to speak, but it has been off-putting for me and I am sure it has been for other visitors too.

Prime example of why we have implemented this now, I'm really sorry the behaviour has effected you like this. Please feel free to share more on the forum, post some pics, start a journal etc but if you encounter any issues please feel free to PM me straight away to get things resolved.

Yah... Yikes... That was a lot of pages. I didn't know it was that much

As Essjay mentioned, over 100 posts that were moved by Essjay, in her own time, one my one through a manual process...

Ok back to the thread on hand which is about not doing what we just did

Exactly, as pointed out pretty directly in this thread by multiple people it is not appreciated or required.

What if you side tack your own thread ? What if the answer to the question has already been answered and the valuable information is already there to read ? This is going to be a lot more moderating for the mod squad also

If your own question develops into something else thats fine, eg "can fish A go with fish B and then the question morphs into specifics about fish b (could be broader than that)" but not "can fish A go with fish B and then the question changes into what do you think about a tv show?", probably start the second question in general chat.

Another aspect of this, and one I tend to be guilty of, is posting a question and then adding another question in the same thread. This tends to cause confusion and lessens the chance of getting a good answer for either.

Another is the dreaded "I have a similar issue" posts where your issues seems to be like another but, in fact, it probably is not. It is always best to start a new thread.

As long as the original poster is asking the questions and its all fish and tank related its relevant, sometimes it is better to start a new thread with a new question as people don't often read a few pages of a thread to get the background, but if you are in a thread and a few people are regularly replying then its all relevant but if an other member comes in and takes it all over with their own questions thats when it gets shut down.

I really don't know why the moderators allow you to keep doing this sort of thing, it is completely beyond me.

We no longer will, please report posts you think we need to see.

If I understand what you are saying correctly this is often a form of spam. A spammer will register under two accounts and post a question through one account. Once a discussion is established the second account member will post a link to a solution that will cost money.

I believe DD meant a title might be "What do you think about doing X?" "Then the post is all about "You must never do X, only do Y" The everyone that disagrees with 'Y' argues for 'X' and so on. Its not spam, its just provoking unnecessarily.


I have to admit I'm disappointed with how this thread has gone, members saying exactly what I feared about finding the content littering our forum and being off put by it. Then to see the exact behaviour being told to stop happening straight away is just unacceptable.

This thread has run its course and locked from here, the forum team has made its point, please abide by the rules and those members that continue in the ways outlined in this thread should expect to receive warnings, points, suspensions and even bans.

Wills