Hi,
Firstly, this is not a personal beef. If it's ever happened to me here I can't recall it. But I've seen it anger a lot of people on various forums when their posts get shifted around with no explanation.
The moderators here (and at most forums) do a great job that's usually sadly under-appreciated. Moving posts is well meant - but posters don't always see it that way. So all I'm suggesting is that when a post is moved, the moderator involved adds a short post saying why they moved it. When you do that it looks friendly and helpful, but if the post is just shifted anonymously it can come across like the mods enjoy treating the posters like naughty kids.
Even the Poetry Nazis at a forum I visited recently, who were utterly relentless about enforcing a whole raft of obsessively anal rules, at least sent you a PM to say why they'd just torched your wicked transgression. :twisted:
Often posters put a lot of thought into their posts, and deliberately select a forum that will get more traffic, even though it may not always look like exactly the right fit. Couldn't the posts at least get a few days where they were posted before they get tidied off to somewhere else? And would there be any problem with just adding that short explanatory PR post that can make all the difference between annoying members (especially new ones) rather than making them feel helped?
Just a thought anyway. Knowing the sense of humour of some of the mods here I'll probably find that all my own posts have been shifted to some dusty graveyard sub-forum next time I log in, just to see if they can see smoke rising from the direction of Australia....... :mrgreen:
Cheers,
Chris
Hi Chris
Any post in particular? The main reason I ask this is because we usually move posts it's usually relatively easy to see why. And when a post is first moved, there's usually a "shadow topic" on the original forum to direct traffic to that post, so the original author shouldn't simply lose track of the post and can then see "hey, this was about getting an opinion on buying something, so it's in the opinions page" or "my question on theory on the beginners' page got moved to theory."
Doesn't always work, obviously, but for the most part things seem fairly logical.
Then, too, there's always the times when a mod simply is in one of those moods :wink:
No beef taken, by the bye, and for the life of me I can't recall a time in the last four or five years when someone got upset about a post being moved (removed, now there's another matter...)
And since this is up for discussion, let's do so. Floor is open...
Peace
I've got no complaints.
It's the rock that gives the stream its music . . . and the stream that gives the rock its roll.
Hi Chris
Any post in particular? The main reason I ask this is because we usually move posts it's usually relatively easy to see why.
Peace
Hi David,
No, this wasn't prompted by any particular post here. It's definitely not been prompted by any recent incident on this site, it's just something that I've seen crop up fairly regularly on a number of forums.
As you say, the logic is usually pretty obvious when you look at it from a moderator's point of view, but apparently it's not always as clear from the poster's viewpoint. I seem to remember seeing a few people here get a bit miffed by things being moved, and it wasn't always the moving itself that caused ruffled feathers, it was the lack of any personal touch or message that seemed to niggle as much as anything. Made it seem a bit like 'Big Brother' to some.
As I say, I don't recall ever having anything that I've posted shifted in a way that seemed unnecessary (in fact I can't remember an occasion at all.... although that doesn't mean much these days... :wink:). The thought was prompted by seeing somebody elsewhere get cranky about it, and it seemed a fairly small thing to add a quick 'Hi and Why' when moving stuff, and I wondered why it wasn't done more often. This site seems known for it's friendly approach (and I have seen mods here occasionally add an "I moved this because......" post at times) so I just thought it might be a touch that would add to the helpful atmosphere. But if it's seen as a hassle, or unnecessary, then that's fine. Just a thought. :)
Cheers,
Chris
I've seen Moderators put a short post on the thread when they've moved things around; not every time, I guess, but then you can't catch everything.
The "Read New Posts" option is pretty good if you're looking to see if there's been a response to a post because it works on the thread itself rather than a particular part of the forum. There's also the option to be notified of a response on the topic which is near the bottom of the Options list under the window you use to type your post. So, it shouldn't be possible to lose a topic.
We tend not to move very much without cross reference (or at least, I don't) except for the spammers who get sent to the Sin Bin whilst Nick terminates their existence.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Hi Chris,
It isn't a bad idea at all. My only worry is that it will generate a, "but I put it here because..." and then we are off to the races. I guess we could put a "I moved this because..." and lock the thread.
Mine would generally read "I moved this because I'm arbitrary and capricious."
Generally I move posts because there's another forum that's been designed to house that sort of topic. I think it's right that sometimes posters put their posts in forums where the traffic's heavier, but often the theme doesn't match. There's a great variety of forums here and I think posters don't always take that into account when posting -- and that's understandable. People tend to post in the forum they visit most frequently. I think we just help out by sorting things out. And, for what it's worth, I tend to find that posts begin to get more responses once they are moved to the appropriate forum.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I guess I'm missing all the crankiness. For the life of me I can't find a post where someone griped about a post being moved. Removed, yes. But not moved. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough...
Peace
I guess I'm missing all the crankiness. For the life of me I can't find a post where someone griped about a post being moved.
I'm sorry if I've stirred something up unnecessarily. :( This really ISN'T a thinly veiled moan about something that I've seen here recently, nor am trying to make a backdoor point about something. Honestly!
Unfortunately, I can't recall any useful details about a specific incident. I'll try and remember to get the licence plate number next time... :wink:
I've posted at quite a few forums over the years, and have seen it happen a number of times (again, recently at another site) and wondered why it wasn't usual to add a small note. In the cases where it was done it seemed pretty effective although, as Nick says, you'll probably get the odd one who then wants to argue the toss about it, which could be a pain...
Again, this is only a perception, and I have nothing specific to quote, but since coming back to GN after a spell concentrating on piano, I got the feeling that numbers were dwindling a bit. Many forums looked a bit short on turnover and new faces, and it seemed that there might be a bit of a push to try and attract more traffic, and thereby more revenue to keep it going. I thought this might be just another small way of making it look more appealing and user friendly. Not a criticism, and not a complaint, just an idea. Sorry if the perceptions were inaccurate.
Cheers,
Chris
Again, this is only a perception, and I have nothing specific to quote, but since coming back to GN after a spell concentrating on piano
You been hanging out at Pianonoise.com again, you bad man.
We've got some gazillion and a half registered forum members, but only a couple of hundred or so look in regularly. Nick came here and never went home, so did David. I came here and Paul gave me his prettiest daughter for a concubine (actually that's not even close to being remotely true, I just made it up). But amongst the couple of hundred regulars there's always some turnover; people decide they want to go do something else or go to another forum or stop playing guitar, and new people come and find us. So, I'm not sure numbers have dwindled that much; just what people are focussing on is different.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
The bit about the concubine is true. But I never had a daughter.
One reason we don't post notes is that the forum has a shadow topic feature -- a link to the new place remains in the original forum. Lately we've taken to removing the shadows after a few days because everyone knows where they went. In our old format, the shadow topic feature didn't exist. Back then, I'd pm the poster. But I think adding a note to every post is a bit redundant because of the shadow feature (and it adds an extra task for a bunch of hard-working and overpaid moderators anyway).
What's all this about concubines? Aren't those the big tractors farmers use to harvest corn and wheat?
Tim
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I'm very much a lurker here, but a very regular lurker, and I use a few forums on the internet. I stop into a few guitar forums, and this is easily at the top of my list. The main reason I like this forum, and really any forum, is the presence of mature, intelligent, interesting, helpful posters, the kind of posters who would almost always (unless they're having a really bad day) be courteous enough to simply ask a mod why their post was moved if they thought the move wasn't entirely necessary and cared about the change. It kind of becomes self-regulating - the posters who would get into a royal snit at the simple act of moving a post, without even bothering to try to learn about or discuss why the post would be moved, leave in a huff, weeding out the problem people early on, while the courteous ones either learn about appropriate placement or intelligently convince the moderators why the post was appropriate in the first place. Everyone wins.
Especially those of us lurking to watch the thoughtful, helpful, courteous posters give great tips on playing the guitar. Thanks, all!
Some of my posts had been moved and usually I agreed with the action. Mods know the rules better than me. They are like 'editors' of this site and must keep the info in the right section. When I select a forum, I consider the forum that I'd visit looking for that info. Finally, I think I learned the rules.
And always try to avoid the general forums like Opinions and Polls although they have many traffic and even some of my posts finish there. I practically never visit that forum (at least the topic is very descriptive).
...
The "Read New Posts" option is pretty good if you're looking to see if there's been a response to a post because it works on the thread itself rather than a particular part of the forum...
This is good advice so as not to miss anything on the forum. I actually have the following as my forum link in my favourites/bookmarks/toolbar:
