Moving & Merging threads/topics.A Rant.

spike7451

In reply to having another of my posts moved to an even longer thread,do the 'board guides realise how annoying it is getting when all your posts get moved!?
It might keep them all together but it's bloody annoying wading thru threads to find replies to your own posts!!!!:mad:That's if you can find them at all!

I'm sure I'm not the only poster on this board that feels that way!Why cant you leave as is!?

Works on other forums on here,you dont see someone on the Digital TV board merging all the topics about cancelling Sky TV for example,do you?...or threads about BT?...Or parking tickets?...Or what TV to buy?...

jackieglasgow

Spike you do realise this will be moved to the feedback board, don't you?

Although I do sort of agree, I would like to see posts like yours merged if they must be after they fall off page one, but they BGs have a tough job, damned if they do or don't.

freakyogre

If you're referring to the meal plan post, surely it makes sense to merge that with an existing thread on the same subject to keep all the ideas together? If we all posted an individual thread for our meal plans, if would be a nightmare!

I think it's a bit different with 'what TV should I buy' for example, as new ones are always coming out so old posts probably wouldn't be relevant.

Why can't you find your posts? It shows when you've replied to a thread (whether it's been merged or not) and you can always look back on your previous posts if need be.

spike7451

No,it's not just that one but quite a few.For example,I posted a while ago about cauliflower I had overcooked.That was merged with another one & as I was IIRC away for a couple day's had a heck of a job finding my post,trawling thru page after page to find mine or a certain reply.
If it was left in one place it'd be so much easier.
I agree the TV one was a bad example,but the are tons of posts about cancelling Sky,using it as a freeview reciever ect on the digital tv board that are not merged.

carriebradshaw

it's really easy to find your own posts if you click on your user name at the top of the forum and go to your profile then click on stats and find all posts by spike7451 then you've only got your own posts to scroll through so it's much quicker and easier to find what you wanted

Bitsy_Beans

carriebradshaw wrote: »

it's really easy to find your own posts if you click on your user name at the top of the forum and go to your profile then click on stats and find all posts by spike7451 then you've only got your own posts to scroll through so it's much quicker and easier to find what you wanted

Just what I was going to say.
Whilst when I first started on MSE it was a minor irritation but given over time how much the same questions are asked I think it sensible to merge similar topics.
the BG's do a difficult job for very little thanks and a heaps of criticism - I wouldn't want to be one for love nor money given the moaning that's directed at them sometimes.

sazzy6

I am with Spike on this one. I find it hard work to keep up with this board. I don't come on all the time (once every 2 or 3 days) and threads are just so long I can't be bothered to read the them to find out what's new.

I do understand that ideas should be kept together but only after they have droppped a few pages. If you read some replies it states it will be merged on the second or third post.

It has really put me off posting as I feel like I'm being a pain and doing it wrong, because if I was doing it correctly it would have to be merged.

Anywho I don't suppose it will make any difference but that is my two penneth x

Norman_Bean

I agree x
And it tends to make the board very, very slow and the same posts on the first page for literally years.
Norman x

VenusFlytrap_2

I actually think merging threads is a good idea, here on Oldstyle anyway. As the guides say when they do it, it helps to keep ideas together so if you're asking for advice on something or recipes and your thread is merged, it gives you a whole load more posts to glean info from without you having to do any searching. I think it's helpful rather than annoying.

Pink.

spike7451 wrote: »

In reply to having another of my posts moved to an even longer thread,do the 'board guides realise how annoying it is getting when all your posts get moved!?
It might keep them all together but it's bloody annoying wading thru threads to find replies to your own posts!!!!:mad:That's if you can find them at all!

I'm sure I'm not the only poster on this board that feels that way!Why cant you leave as is!?

Works on other forums on here,you dont see someone on the Digital TV board merging all the topics about cancelling Sky TV for example,do you?...or threads about BT?...Or parking tickets?...Or what TV to buy?...

spike7451 wrote: »

No,it's not just that one but quite a few.For example,I posted a while ago about cauliflower I had overcooked.That was merged with another one & as I was IIRC away for a couple day's had a heck of a job finding my post,trawling thru page after page to find mine or a certain reply.
If it was left in one place it'd be so much easier.
I agree the TV one was a bad example,but the are tons of posts about cancelling Sky,using it as a freeview reciever ect on the digital tv board that are not merged.

Thanks so much to those who posted kind words about the board guides...I can't tell you how much it's appreciated.

Spike, 'all of your posts' haven't been moved. You started a mealplan thread and I added it to the existing weekly mealplan thread for this week which contains at the time of typing 13 posts. You only would have had to 'wade' through one page to read the replies to your post. However it is clear that you would prefer to have your own separate meal planning thread so I have split your posts off from the communal thread.

The second example you gave regarding your cauliflower..after many suggestions,you replied to say you were going to make soup. A day or so afterwards, once the thread had dropped down the board, it was merged with the main 'what to do with cauliflower' thread. Not quite sure what your problem is with that one??? Especially as others have now kindly explained how you can easily find your own posts.

The thing about the Old Style board is that unlike most other boards, the questions rarely go out of date.

For example, a question on the TV board along the lines of ''I want to buy a television'' or best sky offer etc could be out of date within a few days because the offers can change. However on the Old Style board, a question like ''can I freeze milk'' etc has already been answered many times previously, so it makes sense to link to a thread with all the previous answers.

Generally we (the board guides) link to threads that may help the op and once the new thread drops down the board we merge them together so that others asking the same or similar questions in the future can find the replies together.

Likewise, if a thread is not specific to Old Style and has dropped down the board with few replies we will move it to a more appropriate board to see if the OP can get a better response.

Please believe me that the BG's are only doing what we have been asked to do by Martin and we are always acting in the best interests of the board. However. as always, if you have a complaint about MSE or other posters (including board guides) the best thing to do is to contact the forum team. You can reach them by sending an email to [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Despite your complaint about moving threads, I will move this thread over to the Site Feedback: Questions & suggestions board where the team are more likely to see it.

Pink

Toonie

I think the board guides do a fine job of trying to keep what could be a very complicated board simple. Yes they merge threads and yes I've had threads merged, but there is always a redirect and quite often the merged thread is useful. It is quite easy to find your own posts or the posts of other people as has been demonstrated so the only time a merged thread can be a tad confusing is when the thread that has been merged gets lots in the the old thread if they are both active threads, but this is rarely a problem.

Thanks to the board guides across the whole of MSE, I think you do a fantastic job.