Suggestion for MS Old Style ...

Queenie

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I like the idea of keep the chat and info separate but I'm not sure that they need to be on 2 sub boards (if I'm wrong on this then please correct me -there would be 2 'lists' of subjects? ?

I was looking at the topics of this weekend and I think they fall into two clear groups.

For example:-

Factual Threads:

• Tomato Plants
• Cleaning a Hip Flask
• Slow cooker parts - Morphy Richards
• Help about fresh eggs and the codes please
• Help with left over chicken
• Help - Sun Tan Oil on HIS best golfing trousers

"Chatty" (for want of a better word) type threads

• Confession Time
• A Day in the Life of an Old Styler
• How do you keep a record
• Double Duty
• Now and Then (month)
• Living Below Your Means

The factual type are clear question and answer type threads, yet the chattier one's there are no definitive answers - yet both types of threads contain valuable tips, information relevant to the person making the query and are indeed OS ways of saving time/money.

By separating the two clearly different yet both equally pertinent threads to OS, it would become more user friendly in that, those with less time and less inclination to view "chattier" threads would be able to access them faster.

Likewise with the "sticky's". We currently have 7 stickies. So approximately 1/3 of the first page is taken up on those alone. They are stickies because they are important - yet even these could be broken down to make reading/surfing information on OS over the two different aspects facts vs discussion types on OS matters.

squeaky

A point well made Queenie.

The tough thing is that the BG's will have two sections to look after. If a factual post wanders "a little" but gets back on track... what's a little? Now that it's back on track... how small a little should get deleted? Should it get deleted at all but split to a new thread in "the other" forum?

Your point on the ready ability to see which threads are meant to be informative and which a little more chatty is one which surely our readers can see for themselves?

With an area to move "chat" to we BG's can be a bit firmer in keeping informational posts as just that - informational.

Chat posts will still be chat posts whether they're in Main Forum Old Style or some Sub Forum Old Style won't they? So they might as well stay where they are because as we've seen, people can easily tell the two apart.

djohn2002uk

I follow what goes on in here regularly but don't contribute as often simply because I see others doing a better job than I could. I fail to see any problem here myself and from the above posts it doesn't seem that many others do either.

It seems to me that the people having or appearing to have the biggest problem are the board guides. If others are still reading the thread and/or contributing then that is ok. Those who are not enjoying it will move on.

Why tell the ones contributing to "Stay on topic"? They are enjoying themselves, which is why we are all here. Well almost all. One unhappy person is not and that to me is a far bigger problem than wandering off topic and chatting.

Galtizz

djohn2002uk wrote:

Why tell the ones contributing to "Stay on topic"? They are enjoying themselves, which is why we are all here. Well almost all. One unhappy person is not and that to me is a far bigger problem than wandering off topic and chatting.

In answer to everyone who has been querying this:

The Money Savers Arms board and the disscussions board was set up by Martin for chatting in. The problem with chatting in informative posts is that when the posts start to run to lots of pages it gets very difficult for people wanting information to find it in amongst the chat. Examples are the slow cooker thread and the cleaning thread. They have run to so many pages people are asking questions which have been answered many times before because (and we are all the same, me included) people can't be bothered to read through 70 pages to find the tip they need. Squeeky has worked very hard to index these threads but every thread can't be indexed - it would be a full time job.

We have had to keep on topic in threads since the old style board was set up Different board guides do thing different ways so you possibly didn't notice in hte past. Rather than deleting chatty posts Me (for the last 1/2 a week ) and Squeaky like to try to nudge the post back on topic and, if necessary give a gentle reminder to stay on topic.

I hope this answers everyones queries, if we can just give it a day or 2 to settle down I'm sure things will get back to normal.