'Off-topic' thread for AH - good or bad idea?

OutlawPete

I realise that not many After Hours regulars ever venture into Feedback too often, so I thought it best to set this Poll up here, rather than there.

Yesterday I started a thread in Feedback to see if Admin would grant us an 'Off-topic' thread along the lines of the below forums:

The Gentlemen's Club: 'Brandy & Cigars'
Ladies Lounge: Nanger's Bar
UCC: 'Off-Topic Thread'
Fitness: Squats The Story
Sports: 'A/R/T' Off-Topic Thread
Soccer: 'Off-Topic Thread'
Fashion: The Chatwalk
Photography: Out Of Focus
Beer Guts & RH: The Bar
Nocturnal Forum: The Lair
After Hours: (The Lock-Inn)

It's just an idea and I don't think the thread (if granted for a trial period) would make or break AH as the forum is way too good for that.

My reasoning for such a thread is as follows:

Of all the other 'off-topic' threads that I have frequented all across Boards, they have always made me feel welcome when venturing in for the first time and I never once got a sense of a impenetrable clique, quite the contrary actually.

The Nocturnal Forum even have a thread to welcome Newbies.

Telling people to go chat elsewhere really just ignores the fact they users would rather not go elsewhere.

The AH users that support such a thread, do so as they want somewhere to have the craic with other After Hour's regulars, going elsewhere would mean losing the After Hours atmosphere, they whole point of such a thread is reveal in that, not abandon it.

Of course you will also get a few who totally miss the point and will say:

"AH is not for flirting, chatting.."

This is not something that anyone is disputing but threads do get locked for this reason. Especially at weekends when people want to come onto AH and have a little banter.

As there is no 'off-topic' thread, they will just jump on the most active thread and then it turns to chatter and gets locked.

We all understand the threads meander occasionally and that's fine, but an 'Off-topic' thread would make sure that meandering only went so far.

I'm just putting it out there, so that anyone that wants to can have their say, here in Feedback where it matters and not on some AH thread where you will just get drowned out by those who are strongly opposed.

We love AH and just feel that this thread would make a great forum even better.

An 'off-topic' banter thread would be a positive step for AH imo as it would give the regulars a place to chat and in so doing, keep the needless flirting and chat off the threads.

I feel this would have the effect so that in future the unnecessary locking of threads night after night for going 'Off-topic' could at long last, become a thing of the past.

If you don't want such a thread, all you would have to do is ignore it and don't subscribe.

So, what do you think?

Would you support a trial run for an 'Off-topic' thread?

Don't bite me, tis just a suggestion

4zn76tysfajdxp

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

Woah, deja vu...

Kasabian

No

Good idea Pete , on another forum I visit we have a thread where basically you just say whats on your mind , within reason , and it is the thread that the craic really happens.

Dravokivich

when is after hours ever on topic? we'd usually be discussing something completely irrelevent from an OP at the first response...

Max Power1

surely AH is one giant off topic thread anyway?

Ponster

Isn't the AH forum just one big off-topic thread?

> I realise that not many After Hours regulars ever venture into Feedback too often,

Well that's their loss. There's no problem in pointing out to the AH crowd that the feedback thread exists but it get's a little messy if there are two threads running simultaneously on the same topic.

Trying to avoiding back-seat modding but maybe this thread should be stickied and closed?

WindSock

Actually, I am in two minds about this. I welcome getting the mind numbing inane flirting chatter off the regular threads. I still afear it would spill over though. If enough people want it then I guess there is no reason why it can't be given a trial run. I still don't see why those who really really want it don't just request a private forum for themselves though. And I don't see how that it patronising.
One thing that would worry me though is if it would be used as a platform for a mod to step in to any AH thread that is going on a natural course to direct the banter to the sticky.

OutlawPete

No

Ponster wrote: »

Well that's their loss.

No, it is everyone's loss.

There is no Poll in Feedback, it would be pointless there.

More people will get to have their say here, both for and against.

Sykk

No

I thought everything was offtopic in this forum? Things immediately get derailed by stupid pictures and snarky responses.

In turn, here's a picture of a goat.

stovelid

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

I'm not wholly bothered (as in not prepared to argue the toss until the cows come home :pac:) one way or another, but I think that off-topic threads are more for specialized or stricter forums where people need a thread to 'chat' whereas AH has the off-topic vibe anyway.

I doubt it would harm AH in any way, but my gut feeling is that an off-topic forum here would just look like (even more of) a clique/flirt-fest to non-involved (especially newer) users.

That said, I'm the wrong person to ask as I was never really sold on the concept of public threads where people basically conduct long-running (as opposed to inevitable, shorter, personal exchanges of course) personal conversations with each other as opposed to contributing posts.

ScumLord

The weathers lovely todays isn't it?

OutlawPete

No

ScumLord wrote: »

The weathers lovely todays isn't it?

Can you not do that on the ..

Oh wait.

phasers

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

No.

My name is URL

I still think a thread being bumped the whole time or stickied would be damaging to the forum. If there was a sub-forum for chat / blog-like / where to go out / etc threads then I think it would keep the two separate and have little impact on what AH is about

dr.bollocko

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

I think the flirting should be crushed with an iron fist rather than planted into a single thread. Same as I have always thought. It would be bad for after hours. Yer general off topic or bar threads work in some smaller forums. In others they don't work at all however. Like FCL and in ranting and raving. Just don't take. After Hours is a big forum, first place a lot of people find on boards. I just don't want to see threadworthy topics in their own right raised in a huuuuge multi thread.
For some smaller of private forums where a community isn't so transient it works. In larger places with a general remit like AH it is unnecessary IMO.
In fact I would wager that it would be another nail in the coffin because you'd take quick-witted replies out of it and replace a structure of a number of thread start points with one huuuuuuuuuge thread which is difficult to search through, would move too quickly, be difficult to moderate and be full of that horrible flirty flirtacious off topic crap that everyone who isn't a goddamned flirtwhore hates!
HATES!
Raaaaaarrr.
TL;DR: Stamp out the flirting. Ban anyone who posts in the off topic mega thread. Lock all the other threads. Women and children will not be prioritised on the life boats.

Kiera

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

-1. I've already stated why i do not agree with this on the other 2/3 threads relating to an AH OTT.

OutlawPete

No

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I think the flirting should be crushed with an iron fist rather than planted into a single thread. Same as I have always thought. It would be bad for after hours. Yer general off topic or bar threads work in some smaller forums. In others they don't work at all however. Like FCL and in ranting and raving. Just don't take. After Hours is a big forum, first place a lot of people find on boards. I just don't want to see threadworthy topics in their own right raised in a huuuuge multi thread.
For some smaller of private forums where a community isn't so transient it works. In larger places with a general remit like AH it is unnecessary IMO.
In fact I would wager that it would be another nail in the coffin because you'd take quick-witted replies out of it and replace a structure of a number of thread start points with one huuuuuuuuuge thread which is difficult to search through, would move too quickly, be difficult to moderate and be full of that horrible flirty flirtacious off topic crap that everyone who isn't a goddamned flirtwhore hates!
HATES!
Raaaaaarrr.
TL;DR: Stamp out the flirting. Ban anyone who posts in the off topic mega thread. Lock all the other threads. Women and children will not be prioritised on the life boats.

That's all very well and good Doc but it won't happen.

You Modded AH, you know that many threads got derailed and locked by flirting and chatting, sometimes by the very people who criticize it which I find laughable.

I know you one of the most vocal against the sometimes needless locking but sometimes I can understand it if a thread has been drowned with chat.

I try not to get involved in but would be a liar and a hypocrite to say I didn't and just blame others.

I hate seeing good threads go to shreads because there was so many chatting on it which is why I feel if people had one thread for banter, it would help.

Mods could then delete 'off-topic' chatter posts on sight and just say: "Keep the chat for the 'off-topic' thread.

Respect your opinion though as it's an informed one.

Jay P

Saying "Well these other forums have one, so why can't we?" isn't really an argument imo.

-1, though not because of that. It's just not necessary.

dr.bollocko

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

OutlawPete wrote: »

That's all very well and good Doc but it won't happen.

You Modded AH, you know that many threads got derailed and locked by flirting and chatting, sometimes by the very people who criticize it which I find laughable.

I know you one of the most vocal against the sometimes needless locking but sometimes I can understand it if a thread has been drowned with chat.

I try not to get involved in but would be a liar and a hypocrite to say I didn't and just blame others.

I hate seeing good threads go to shreads because there was so many chatting on it which is why I feel if people had one thread for banter, it would help.

Mods could then delete 'off-topic' chatter posts on sight and just say: "Keep the chat for the 'off-topic' thread.

Respect your opinion though as it's an informed one.

I see in some forums there is an off topic thread used in a more negative manner by the moderators.
The moderators use these off topic threads to take any epic slagging or fighting off to its own thread if it's detrimental to the existing threads and completely off topic. IE a sort of "don't look at this thread" type thread, it's for people what wage war on a small aspect of an unrelated thread to allow them to have their bloody long multi-quoting wars with each other without other folks having to read them. Could also, however, be mis-used by moderators or create trouble as flirting is difficult to define. As is the off topicness of some posters going doing some serious battling.
Just saying. It's another way of looking at it.

LD 50

I dunno. On one hand it could be good in that it'll keep most of the threads on topic, tangents are still going to occur in threads. But on the other hand, those off topic tangents are sort of what AH is about.
Pete; you seem to be over exagerating the amount of threads that get locked because of chatter and what not. But I don't think it's as bad as you make it out to be. Now, while I don't live in AH I'm here a fair bit and I don't see many threads get locked because of chatter. Just the ones that get locked for obvious reasons(trolling, ads...)
I'd support a trial of this to see where it goes. But I don't think it'll happen fully though.

Mint Sauce

a kinda flirting thread you mean, thats what usally happens when we go off topic here

Nichololas

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

Not only should there not be an off-topic thread, After Hours should be removed and everyone who ever posted in it should be banned. Also, the mods should call round to their houses and make salacious comments to their mothers.

Xavi6

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

There's enough wankery in the forum as it is without giving people a platform on which to do it.

Sure it might be ruled with an iron fist for the first few weeks but that'd soon stop and it'd just snowball.

And yes I know you don't have to read it etc, etc but enough threads on the forum have been ruined by the clique that does exist, whether people admit it or not. IT doesn't need encouraging.

Form a social group or request a private forum.

-1

OutlawPete

No

Xavi6 wrote: »

enough threads on the forum have been ruined by the clique that does exist, whether people admit it or not.

It's better kept off the threads.

Xavi6 wrote: »

Form a social group or request a private forum.

Have done, doesn't work and a private forum would take people away from AH and defeats the purpose of having somewhere that people can use for 'off-topic' chatter rather than derail good threads.

4zn76tysfajdxp

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

TBH.

rainbow kirby

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

AH is spammy enough without giving it what is basically a dedicated spam thread.

Nichololas

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

Xavi6 wrote: »

Form a social group or request a private forum.

-1

The social groups are pretty useless though.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

No

There are excellent arguments on both sides really.
But as the poll says, maybe a trial run will show which argument carries more weight.

Kiera

I'm a boring fence sitter by nature

OutlawPete wrote: »

It's better kept off the threads.



Have done, doesn't work and a private forum would take people away from AH and defeats the purpose of having somewhere that people can use for 'off-topic' chatter rather than derail good threads.

This is untrue. I requested a private forum for this very reason. The members of the private forum i mod are regulars in AH too so it wouldnt take away from it.

we'llallhavetea_old

No

no one knows what is goin to happen.

thats why the only way to know is to start the thread and see how it goes.

i don't see the big issue of trying it out?

if its no good just get rid of the feckin thing.

OutlawPete

No

Kiera wrote: »

This is untrue. I requested a private forum for this very reason. The members of the private forum i mod are regulars in AH too so it wouldnt take away from it.

How many posts on average per day?