Off-Topic Replies and Warnings

[john]

Hi

 

Recently there has been a growth in off-topic noise. It lowers the ability of members to navigate the forums and find specific topics, and it reduces the value of individual effected topics. Even staff have been guilty of this at points, myself included. For the good of the community it has to stop.

 

Please focus on answering the patient OP. 

 

We all want this forum to be as useful as possible, and the trend of the community to be improving. 

 

While some related topic wandering might be ok, to start discussing entirely different topics is rude, disrespectful to the OP, and it  has to come to a halt.  A brief mention within a post that relates to the OP is generally ok (unless it breaches another site rule), but if you find most or all of your post does not relate to the OP, and it otherwise meets our community rules, please start a new topic in an appropriate board and discuss it there.

 

Members who choose to ignore this basic netiquette will receive a friendly warning to get back to topic.

 

If a member persists, they may well find themselves earning some warning points.

 

More meandering topics should be permitted within the musician’s lounge (as it an informal chat board). Members should still try to stay on-topic, however it is a bit more relaxed. Elsewhere in the community, induldging off-topic conversation is largely counter-productive and it doesn’t promote a healthy community forum.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Richard Tracey]

I agree - although I was guilty of it last night as you probably saw.

[john]

On 19/02/2018 at 5:53 PM, fasstrack said:

Thread drift is inevitable. Topics shouldn't be etched in stone. Spoken conversations go in different directions, improvised music is SUPPOSED to, etc., etc. Why should this be different, as long as it doesn't get insane or someone ad hominem attacks another member?

 

How far is this gonna go? Already I'm worried every time I make a joke or comment that's even the least bit off-topic. I have a natural irreverence that's mostly a put-on, and my biggest target is me. Also, I tend to meander---it's just a fast, impatient mind, and I've always been that way. Should I be censored b/c of that? Afraid to speak my piece?

 

We're creative people. We don't stand on ceremony. We zig when others zag. And a conversation needs to go where it needs to go. Why straightjacket it?

 

I think, respectfully, you can lighten up a tad...

 

Respectfully, you don’t have to pick up the pieces when it goes wrong. It can make moderating more complicated.

 

For example: There was recently a massive argument in one of your critique topics. I spent significant time reading the whole topic, several times.

 

That topic spiralled out of control. Critique topics are about discussing the song. Sometimes songwriting philosophy or attitudes may be touched on, but generally critique topics are not a good place to discuss such things. Why? Because in discussing such things when attached to a song critique they can feel like personal criticism. Writers react defensively, and the topic can descend into an argument. It is far far better that general song writing discussion is kept to the song writing discussion board.

 

Looking back at your topic that is exactly what happened. Discussion stopped being about your song and it spun out into you all talking about songwriting philosophy and attitudes, values and more. You reacted a little defensively. Other members felt they had invested a lot in discussing your song, when they had largely been discussing general songwriting concepts. They started discussing you and your song, you blew up, they blew up. It was far from pretty.

 

That all started with a topic that wandered from its purpose of critique.

 

Critique is something that really requires focus, because people are attached to their songs and often take comments about songs as being comments about themselves as writers. Anything that encourage discussion of the writer, or the wholesale dismissal of opini8ns by those offering critique is likely to cause offence.

 

Other areas are less prone to that sensitivity, and yet original posters can get quite irrate when someone hijacks their topic. Not just on Songstuff, on any forums. It is considered poor netiquette to hijack a topic, precisely because it pisses people off... after all, if you want to discuss a topic, there is nothing stopping you from starting your own topic. It is not us that consider it rude to hijack a topic, it is internet users... and especially the original poster!

 

 

Where did I say you cannot voice your opinion? Where does it say you are censored? (Other than our rules about discussing politics, religion etc). Members are being asked to keep to topic, and if they find they are wandering too far, to please start a new topic. By all means link to the topic. That is a long way from censorship.

 

Threads help people find things. Mix it all up and the boards become much less useable. Forums are about threaded discussion. It’s a simple concept that allows new topics to spawn, it allows the original poster to have their topic discussed, and it stops people from getting pissed off, and at the same time it doesn’t absolutely stop you discussing a topic.

 

Above I say some drift is to be expected, but I ask members to try to stay to topic. I also said if you wander too much you will be give a friendly warning. Other posters often do this with BTT or .

 

If you want to talk on that other topic, by all means do so, but please start a new topic.

 

Only if you absolutely insist on hijacking/derailing a topic might you possibly earn a warning point.

 

We have rules for reasons Joel. They were not invented just to give mods something to do or because we are petty power mongers

 

Sometimes there are good reasons for things and that you are simply unaware of those reasons