Compulsory use of combination threads

koru

I would like to appeal for a bit more flexibility in relation to the use of huge combination "megathreads", such as the sticky thread called "Tesco Clubcard/Vouchers/Points/Deals - Post All Questions Here" in Shop but Don't Drop. Could board guides please consult with the original creator of a thread before merging it into a megathread?

I can understand that combination threads are generally a good idea, because this stops the forum being filled with lots of queries on the same or similar topics. I had what I thought was an interesting and unusual query about clubcards and before posting I considered whether to post it in the Clubcard megathread. However, I decided that this particular query did not fit with the general type of query in that megathread, so it would be more appropriate to post a separate thread.

I deliberately used a very informative title for my thread so that people scanning the list of threads in the forum could tell in a split second if the topic was of any interest to them, so that no-one would end up wasting time reading the thread if it was not of interest.

My thread suddenly disappeared, with no hint as to what had happened or why. After a while, I tried checking whether it had been moved to the megathread and found it had.

No doubt the board guide who moved it had the best of intentions, but they have effectively killed my thread. I originally posted my new thread at 3pm on 1st Sept. I believe it was moved to the Tesco megathread during the morning of Sept 3rd. In the one and a half days that it was a separate thread, it generated 21 replies. It has now been more than 2 days since my thread was moved and there have been 0 further replies. By moving my thread you killed it stone dead.

The problem with these megathreads is that they get so big. People are now only going to spot my query (which is now post 668 in the megathread) if they happen to wade through the whole thread. Before, my query stood out because of the clear title of the thread; now it is hidden in a thread that is so long many people are not going to bother reading it.

Another problem with megathreads is that they are confusing to read, because several other separate conversations are running at the same time. It is like having three TV sets side by side, each playing a different channel. Hard to follow any of them.

Another problem is that megathreads mean you may struggle to find queries that have been answered before. If I use the search function and one of the matches is a thread that is 700 posts long, there's no way I am going to slog through 700 posts to see if one of those posts happens to be relevant to my query.

Yet another problem is that if you subscribe to the megathread you get an e-mail alert every time someone posts, whether they are replying to the bit of the thread that interests you or not.