What happened to the Trivial Things That Annoy You thread

bodhrandude

I miss this thread already and I understand why it is locked but how can you stop banter and empathy its part of the TA idea. Otherwise can I request a link to the Ranting and Raving forum as I like an oul rant, why bottle it up, let it out.

Actually could someone pm me the R a R forum link, thanks.

OldGoat

What's the TA idea?

Edit: Is it "That Annoy"?

El Weirdo

OldGoat wrote: »

What's the TA idea?

Edit: Is it "That Annoy"?

Trivial annoyance.

Robsweezie

it apparently got too chatty and Facebookish, and got closed. I assume there were complaints about it as it is a popular thread, and my favorite. Shame. But when you have people just having pages of back and forth banter, nothing wrong with that, it takes away from what the threads about.

I do want it reopened though!

KERSPLAT!

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

My apologies, with a few other threads keeping us busy I completely forgot about this.

Anyway, to the point. This thread won't be reopened and threads like it will likely be closed soon or when they hit 10k posts.

The reason for this is, generally we don't allow chat threads in AH. A lot of the content from these threads, previous to the creation of the threads, were the main content for AH but now instead of creating what could be a fun/hilarious/interesting thread, it is just a post lost to a chat thread.

On chat threads we generally see cliques forming that dominate a conversation which deters others from joining in the discussion. We want to do our best to make sure everyone feels welcome in AH.

This along with the multiple warnings regarding chat in the threads has lead us to close TTTAY and the probable closure of other like-minded threads

Hi all,

Please see above which I have added to the closed TTTAY thread.

Cheers

osarusan

It should have been called Trivial Incidental Things That Annoy You, purely so the acronym could have been TITTAY.

Hi,

I'm starting this feedback thread in response to the closure of Trivial Things That Annoy You. I would just like to give my reasons why it and others like it should remain.

When I first started to post in AH I was a bit overwhelmed. I had an interest in many of the threads but I felt a bit shy joining in. The fun threads helped me with that. In fact it was on one that I made a good friend. One night I was having a really crap time of it and a poster reached out to me. That wouldn't have happened on the gangland crimes or equality threads.

So I see these lighter places to have a real purpose in bringing the community here closer together and making it a more welcoming place for new people and those who are more nervous or hesitant about the other threads. If anything they are inclusive of all posters rather than having the opposite affect of alienating some due to cliques.

I welcome all input on this.

Persepoly.

The Hill Billy

Threads merged.

tHB

maudgonner

I feel the same Persepoly. While I post on the more serious threads on AH, it's the lighthearted ones that I prefer (I've even tried to start a couple myself). The serious ones tend to leave me frustrated and I find that they end up with endless back and forth on the same points and I have to withdraw for the sake of sanity

I do understand that TTTAY got a bit chatty, but I find now that I'm paranoid about posting anything slightly off-topic at all for fear of infraction/thread closure.


The AH Charter says:

What is After Hours?
After hours is the place to come on boards where general discussion can be light-hearted. The aim here is to have a bit of a laugh, a bit of a chat and not to piss anybody off while doing so.


It's a shame to feel that chat is off limits. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious? Is there a case for a chat thread? I know the mods are against it, but I'd be interested to know why they feel it can't work on AH, when it does on other forums.


ETA: I don't miss the endless questions about what a TA is though!

The Hill Billy

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Threads merged.

tHB

The threads are merged but they don't appear that way. I wonder could you change the heading so it is the same as the other threads here? Also new posts don't appear. You have to go in to the thread to see that someone has posted.

maudgonner

maudgonner wrote: »

It's a shame to feel that chat is off limits. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious? Is there a case for a chat thread? I know the mods are against it, but I'd be interested to know why they feel it can't work on AH, when it does on other forums.

AH is a different type of forum to the rest of them. It has the potential to be the whole site if you know what I mean. A one stop Boards if you like. So I do understand the pitfalls of having chat threads. However I think a bit of banter in the Trivial Things and threads like it is no harm. It was fun and I really do believe it's those threads that help connect users.

The Hill Billy

The thread that was closed was a chat thread. There was little discussion in it. As per the quoted charter above - AH is for general discussion. Other forums cater well enough for chat, such as the Cuckoo's Nest. There's no need for multiple forums just to have banter threads for members.

Also, AH is not meant to be a one stop forum for Boards. If that were the case it would kill the discussion in other better-suited topic-specific forums, thus killing the site.

The Hill Billy

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Also, AH is not meant to be a one stop forum for Boards. If that were the case it would kill the discussion in other better-suited topic-specific forums, thus killing the site.

I'm only seeing your post now tHB.

I agree that AH is not meant to be a one stop forum. The point I was making was that it's important to avoid this and therefore I could understand the tricky nature of including chat threads.

However I still feel the threads in question serve a purpose. If you believe The Cuckoo's Nest to be the best place then should the likes of "Rate my hangover" go there also?

The Hill Billy

Deleted User wrote: »

...If you believe The Cuckoo's Nest to be the best place then should the likes of "Rate my hangover" go there also?

I used tCN as an example of one forum better suited to chat threads. As for where the "Rate my hangover" thread should go - I'll leave that up to the mods who may be more familiar with it than myself.

Cookie_Monster

maudgonner wrote: »

The AH Charter says:

What is After Hours?
After hours is the place to come on boards where general discussion can be light-hearted. The aim here is to have a bit of a laugh, a bit of a chat and not to piss anybody off while doing so.

so chat is encouraged but also not allowed?
The above decision is one of the strangest I've seen here on boards and it makes zero sense to me.

mynameis905

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

so chat is encouraged but also not allowed?
The above decision is one of the strangest I've seen here on boards and it makes zero sense to me.

+1

I literally cannot see any downside to just letting the thread run on. It's obviously massively popular having been through three or four 10,000 post threads already.

It just seems like someone far back in the mists of time decided that 'chat threads' aren't allowed and Boards is just closing the thread on a prissy technicality.

maudgonner

I wonder if Kersplat or the other mods could clarify things a little? In the closure post it was mentioned that like-minded threads would also be closed soon, or once they reach 10k posts.

I'm just wondering what threads they have in mind? Long-running threads, light-hearted threads? Or whether it's just a general warning that threads have to stay on-topic. How much chat is too much chat?

aaronjumper

maudgonner wrote: »

I wonder if Kersplat or the other mods could clarify things a little? In the closure post it was mentioned that like-minded threads would also be closed soon, or once they reach 10k posts.

I'm just wondering what threads they have in mind? Long-running threads, light-hearted threads? Or whether it's just a general warning that threads have to stay on-topic. How much chat is too much chat?

I assume it to mean Trivial Things That Make You Happy and possibly Dumb/Smart Facebook Status.
Any deemed too chatty or too high a risk of becoming chatty.

maudgonner

aaronjumper wrote: »

I assume it to mean Trivial Things That Make You Happy and possibly Dumb/Smart Facebook Status.
Any deemed too chatty or too high a risk of becoming chatty.

That's kind of what I thought alright. But then I imagine you'd have to include 'Interview the Person Below You', and 'Do You Recognise the Poster Above You' as well.

I don't personally post in those, but they seem to be among the most popular on AH, and an easy way for new posters to get involved, I would have thought? The opposite of cliquey.

aaronjumper

maudgonner wrote: »

That's kind of what I thought alright. But then I imagine you'd have to include 'Interview the Person Below You', and 'Do You Recognise the Poster Above You' as well.

I don't personally post in those, but they seem to be among the most popular on AH, and an easy way for new posters to get involved, I would have thought? The opposite of cliquey.

Yeah I forgot about those but they will probably go too which is a shame.
They've all been going ages.

Anyway my feedback is I think it's a bad idea but unless more people involve themselves in this thread that will be that.

maudgonner

aaronjumper wrote: »

Yeah I forgot about those but they will probably go too which is a shame.
They've all been going ages.

Anyway my feedback is I think it's a bad idea but unless more people involve themselves in this thread that will be that.

If a cull is in the works (and again, maybe the mods could clarify whether that's the case), it would be good to have the existence of this thread flagged on the AH forum. I'm sure lots of posters don't venture into Feedback unless they have a specific reason to.

Poochie05

I'm too intimidated to post in most threads on AH but felt able to participate in the TA thread, that to me is the opposite of cliquey!
If it's more appropriate in another forum, keep me posted and I will follow!

Eeden

Speaking as a long-time boards member who has a very, very hard time with AH in general, I always thought that TTTAY was one of the more accessible threads. I thought it was closed because it was getting close to the magic 10,000. Obviously not, though.

thesandeman

If the Dumb/Great Facebook thread gets closed I'm going to join Facebook and shave my leg so Jesus will reinstate it if I get enough likes!!!

Seriously though, the few AH threads I get involved in, such as the above, seem to be a lot less cliquish than most of the other ones I poke my nose into occasionally.

mud

Was it not because of all the cringey flirting that went on in the TA thread? I really liked that thread and posted in it a few times but it seemed to veer off into "ooh matron" style posts every day or so and that did come across as quite cliquey (to me).

I think I can see both sides of the argument but I think the thread should stay. It was light-hearted and very, very funny sometimes.

I am a member of R&R and I like that forum too but the TA thread was a bit more laid back.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The TA thread was marvellous and should have continued. If mods thought it was getting too chatty, and I agree it was, why not warn those who had started the stupid flirty chat to cease and let the rest of us continue. It was one of the rare threads in AH where you didn't get your head bitten off by other posters and where some civility remained.

After my initial view I have found myself on the fence.

I absolutely do believe that the light threads help make AH more accessible. The place can get a bit rough. However there is another side to that welcoming and comfortable place. Some posters may also feel excluded.

As much as I love the chatty threads I'm no longer sure that AH is the best place for them. It is essentially a discussion forum. Perhaps there can be some kind of balance found?

IvyTheTerrible

Aidan Thoughtless Seabed wrote: »

The TA thread was marvellous and should have continued. If mods thought it was getting too chatty, and I agree it was, why not warn those who had started the stupid flirty chat to cease and let the rest of us continue. It was one of the rare threads in AH where you didn't get your head bitten off by other posters and where some civility remained.

I seem to remember multiple warnings being given out.

dr.bollocko

Threads of that nature create a clique environment that encourages a closed group rather than an open one. Hate them.

Also "Interview the person below you" should be killed. With fire.

Dav

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Threads of that nature create a clique environment that encourages a closed group rather than an open one. Hate them.

^^^^ This.

mynameis905

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I seem to remember multiple warnings being given out.

It was a lighthearted thread. Over modding it to within an inch of it's life is never going to work. I absolutely despise the Boards mentality of locking stuff for no good reason. Just let the thread ramble on and allow it to drop off the front page and die by itself if people stop posting there.

dr.bollocko

mynameis905 wrote: »

It was a lighthearted thread. Over modding it to within an inch of it's life is never going to work. I absolutely despise the Boards mentality of locking stuff for no good reason. Just let the thread ramble on and allow it to drop off the front page and die by itself if people stop posting there.

Just because you don't approve of a reason does not make it not a good reason.

Something annoyed me earlier and was disappointed to see it was gone.

Now where will I air my petty grievances? Facebook? Pah.

:pac:

bodhrandude

mud wrote: »

Was it not because of all the cringey flirting that went on in the TA thread? I really liked that thread and posted in it a few times but it seemed to veer off into "ooh matron" style posts every day or so and that did come across as quite cliquey (to me).

I think I can see both sides of the argument but I think the thread should stay. It was light-hearted and very, very funny sometimes.

I am a member of R&R and I like that forum too but the TA thread was a bit more laid back.

Hi Mud who did you ask for the link to R&R, I've pmed a few of the R&R mods for a link but none of them have got back to me.

maudgonner

I get that it was a bit chatty. But it always seemed like there were plenty of on-topic posts too.

Would it not be possible even to ban users from the thread who were overly chatty? (I include myself in this btw - I've done a bit of back-and-forth banter in the thread. If it was over the top, then I've no problem with being excluded from it).


Closing it completely seems like the nuclear option. Especially if other threads will be closed too. The fact that they're so popular should mean something, I would have thought? (Having said that, I'm not a mod. So if they're just a monumental pain in the arse and not worth it, then grand. But are they really harder to mod than the endless bad tempered Shinner/Muslim/Irish Language/Dole threads?)

miezekatze

I really miss this thread too and felt that closing it was a bit OTT. Yes, I guess it did get a bit chatty at times, but there were still plenty of on-topic posts. The chattyness didn't bother me personally (just ignored it). I never felt the thread was too cliquey to post there myself, I think it was fairly inclusive.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I seem to remember multiple warnings being given out.

Yes indeed. But not specifically to those responsible. Nor where there any cards issued for ignoring the general warnings.

Starokan

Aidan Thoughtless Seabed wrote: »

Yes indeed. But not specifically to those responsible. Nor where there any cards issued for ignoring the general warnings.

Surely this is the most relevant point - it was a good thread, light hearted, witty and seemed to offer something different to the other threads much of which descend into the same back and forth repetitive arguments

I get its more work and I get that general warnings were posted , I think what is unique to this case is that most people posting regularly in it seemed to me to be regular quality contributors to the site and thus may have responded positively to warnings etc


It seems counter productive to just end something that clearly a lot of people enjoyed posting in and reading in. Surely a better system is to warn ban repeat offenders and see if the message gets across.

I for one would appreciate it if moderators would look at the case for reopening it

dr.bollocko

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Threads of that nature create a clique environment that encourages a closed group rather than an open one. Hate them.

Also "Interview the person below you" should be killed. With fire.

I have come off the fence.

The above thread is actually one which I believe should absolutely remain. It doesn't stray in to chat territory and helps build connections. So it's keeping inclusivity and staying away from clique territory. I have yet to witness a poster on it being left out. Regarding the balance I mentioned I think that can be gotten by allowing "Interview the person below you to continue".

After Hours is unfairly criticised. I know posters who are afraid to go near it. The mods have a duty to make it an inclusive environment. I think holding on to a lighthearted thread which allows users to have a bit of fun is one way of doing that.

There is a deeper debate underneath this which has been brought up in Feedback before. That is what is the nature and purpose of after hours.

mud

bodhrandude wrote: »

Hi Mud who did you ask for the link to R&R, I've pmed a few of the R&R mods for a link but none of them have got back to me.

Try http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/member.php?u=236264 or http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/member.php?u=83089

I was on R&R before it became a members only forum but those two mods seem active enough. Happy ranting!

mynameis905

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Threads of that nature create a clique environment that encourages a closed group rather than an open one. Hate them.

Also "Interview the person below you" should be killed. With fire.

No one is forcing you to read them.

KERSPLAT!

This is currently being discussed further among mods but I'd just like to highlight the fact that even though the threads are closed or may be closed in AH, there are plenty of other forums where these threads either already exist or can exist.

Trivial things that annoy you - Ranting and raving
Trivial things that make you happy - Sunshine and lollipops
Interview the person below you - TCN
Dumb Facebook posts - Ranting and raving

Puzzles and quizzes has plenty of these types of threads too.

Being shut down in AH doesn't mean the end of them it means you have to click on a different thread... that's all.

As above, the threads tend to get cliquey, chatty, flirty, etc and even after multiple warnings there was absolutely no change.

Someone pointed out some inconsistencies in the charter, we'll have a look into that when possible.

Anyway, as I said, it is being discussed.

miezekatze

Kersplat, would you mind posting some information here how one can get access to the ranting and raving forum? I know you need to contact a mod of that forum, but I'm not sure how to find out who mods it since I don't have access to it? I'm probably not the only person here who wasn't really aware of this forum's existence.

KERSPLAT!

Sure

Ranting and Raving

Mods

Fluorescence
Overheal

PM either for access. I've no idea if there are any requirements.

Sunshine and Lollipops

TCN

Puzzles and Quizzes

KERSPLAT!

So, AH mods have decided that from 6pm today. That all TTTAY, etc threads will be locked. Any fun threads like that will be locked and users directed to the relevant forums.

Cheers,

K

I've asked this in the AH thread, but it should really be clarified as to what "fun" actually means in the context above. And what current threads are going to be impacted because of this decision.

Skylinehead

Deleted User wrote: »

I've asked this in the AH thread, but it should really be clarified as to what "fun" actually means in the context above. And what current threads are going to be impacted because of this decision.

Fun is anything that people find enjoyable.

Any current thread that is fun will be impacted because of this decision.

Insect Overlord

Check the date, lads.

I legitimately cannot tell if this is an April Fool's Day prank.

I'm just going to give up the Internet for today. Fuppin' silly day.

Here's a hamster eating a pancake, because fup today.

Skylinehead

Deleted User wrote: »

I legitimately cannot tell if this is an April Fool's Day prank.

I'm just going to give up the Internet for today. Fuppin' silly day.

Here's a hamster eating a pancake, because fup today.

Too much fun. Banned.

What I find amazing is the sheer amount of photos of cute animals and pancakes.