De-rails

An example IMO of natural progession in a thread.....

Originally Posted by lylej

no not at all, but most of us are guilty when someone we know gives an opinion for example :

Topic - sv engines

thread starter - my engine is clicking whats going on..

Mike replys.. it will be fine dont worry

bill replys.. dont listen to mike his engine blew up on last fridays ride out..

Mike replys.. it didnt blow up it stopped..

bill replys.. didnt look that way where i was riding..

and so on and so on and so on and so on...

Who can honestly put there hand up and say that they have never.. not on one occasion done something similar from the "well known" or regular org users??

i rest my case.. it happens people should just deal with it, regular spammers should be told to keep it to the MT or IB as appropriate.. but it will still happen and everyone is guilty and ya know it

And example IMO of a blatent derail.....

Originally Posted by simesb

See, I don't think that's a derail, I think that is banter if it gets back on topic (which it doesn't always) and I think it's important that newbs feel a sense of community and that it's not just a hundred strangers. A derail is

Topic - sv engines

thread starter - my engine is clicking whats going on..

Mike replys.. it will be fine dont worry

bill replys.. dont listen to mike his engine blew up on last fridays ride out..

Mike replys.. Hi Bill, how's the wife?

bill replys.. Not so bad - you got that new car yet

What I've said on the topic in the past....

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

I've never really understood the off topic argument in a casual discussion thread. I understand it when there is something specific to be communicated or organised, in a business meeting you need to stick to the agenda and you need a chairperson/facilitator/moderator to help achieve that, but if a casual discussion in the pub goes off on a tangent, you don't tell the person changing the subject to pi$$ off to a different table do you? If we rigidly stuck on one topic in casual conversation we'd soon have no friends (or only those with a sleep disorder)!

So I can understand if if theres a specific goal to the thread, i.e someone asking advice. But if someone has posted a general bit of discussion, or an anecdote about something, etc, etc, and the thread "evolves" into something else, does that matter?

I'm interested to hear other peoples opinions on it.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

But if someone has posted a general bit of discussion, or an anecdote about something, etc, etc, and the thread "evolves" into something else, does that matter?

I'm interested to hear other peoples opinions on it.

In Idle Banter no I dont think it matters as long as it doesnt evolve into chat, flirting, posting for effect or to gain attention.

Bike Talk I think it depends on the subject. i.e. if somebodys posted asking information on buying a about buying a GSXR, being told that buying a completely differnet bike thats not a GSXR is IMHO annoying and takes the thread off its original topic thus possibly rendering it useless to the original poster.

In SV Talk then I think it needs to stay on topic, as often those threads are used for reference later on when searching and if a post on rough running has evolved into one talking about suspension tuning then I tihnk its lost its intial purpose.

Tough call. I'm glad I'm not a mod.. oh b*gger

I personally find the 'What size spanner fits a M10 nut?' type of thread quite boring.
Threads that develope into interesting discussions are what make logging on worthwhile. I do agree though that mates chatting will kill a thread.

Would I be right in thinking that the problem the mods have is the fact they HAVE to read it all? Everyone else can ignore the cr@p if they so choose but as a moderator they have to check every post.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume this is why they get fed up with it all.

Originally Posted by Woz

Would I be right in thinking that the problem the mods have is the fact they HAVE to read it all? Everyone else can ignore the cr@p if they so choose but as a moderator they have to check every post.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume this is why they get fed up with it all.

Now, is that an evolution or a derail?

I agree though Woz, I think the site operates much in the same manner that it has since I've been a member. The problem, IMO, stems not from a change of behaviour, but from an increase of that behaviour.

I think a good example of a thread that evolved, but managed to stay on topic (including a large amount of banter) is the "plane on a treadmill" one. Sorry, I had to bring that one up, I'd love for the debate to spark again, but sadly doubt it will.

Originally Posted by Baph

Now, is that an evolution or a derail?

Now this thread does have a specific goal, to find out poeples thoughts on de-rails. But even so, as the thread originator, it doesn't particularly bother me if it does "evolve", because all that tells me is that folk lost interest in talking about the orginial topic. No point in flogging a dead horse after all.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

In Idle Banter no I dont think it matters as long as it doesnt evolve into chat, flirting, posting for effect or to gain attention.

Bike Talk I think it depends on the subject. i.e. if somebodys posted asking information on buying a about buying a GSXR, being told that buying a completely differnet bike thats not a GSXR is IMHO annoying and takes the thread off its original topic thus possibly rendering it useless to the original poster.

In SV Talk then I think it needs to stay on topic, as often those threads are used for reference later on when searching and if a post on rough running has evolved into one talking about suspension tuning then I tihnk its lost its intial purpose.

I think that is a fairly balanced view, but the bike talk part may be a little proscriptive.

Originally Posted by Woz

Would I be right in thinking that the problem the mods have is the fact they HAVE to read it all? Everyone else can ignore the cr@p if they so choose but as a moderator they have to check every post.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I assume this is why they get fed up with it all.

Is reading all the posts less or more effective than relying on the "report post" button?

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Now this thread does have a specific goal, to find out poeples thoughts on de-rails.

My thoughts on de rails are that a bit of conversation is fine, i dont see the problem. A number of my threads have been derailed, but it is not hard to just look over the posts you dont care about.
Heres a thread of mine derailed http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=130801&page=3

I do not care, and im quite happy for two members (one of them not a 'new' member) to have the brief conversation because i can easily pick out what i need to know in the thread.

I think a bit of tolerance is needed from a lot of members, because conversation is what a forum is for.

My opinion^ .

[Richie]

Originally Posted by madness

What size spanner fits a M10 nut?' .

17mm,
sorry had too.

I've been using many forums for many many years, and although new to this one, I've tried to intergrate and I've been fairly "sit back and watch".. I can't quite see the "huge problem" that people are talking about here.

Threads, as said, evolve.. what's called a "spin off" occurs. Topic changes slighty, while on the same general area..

Example...

Person wants to fit a gixer front end.

"yes you need this this and that"


Gixer owner comes in and said owner and 2 or 3 posters start exchanging comments about the gixer as a bike etc, mods they'd do blah blah blah.


That's a spinoff.


You may call that off topic, I'd call it having a more talkative community., besides as Magnum says, it's not like you read each post in 100% detail unless you're looking for a needle, you just skim read and pull out what you need and skip posts you don't..

If you start sticking completely to one topic in a given thread, it'll become stale, boring and unimaginative.

Just my 2c.