There is nothing that wrecks a good swimming related thread faster than getting into a discussion about message board etiquette. So here is a thread that people can use discuss topics related to what should and should not be posted on the message boards while allowing the other threads to stay on topic.
It seems to me that there is a spectrum of opinion on off-topic posting. On one end of the spectrum people think that threads are a mechanism specifically designed to allow people to carry on discussions on different topics and that we would all be well served if changes in topic were just done in new threads. On the other end of the spectrum people think that people should be able to post anything they want anywhere they want and that any suggestion to the contrary is censorship, a personal attack, or simply control freakish.
Pretty much everyone falls somewhere between these two extremes. Very few people object to a humorous quip inserted here and there in an otherwise serious discussion. Very few people would actually advocate that people be able to liberally sprinkle potentially offensive posts randomly through all the threads.
Have you ever been at a party where someone has decided that this is the right time and place to have a big argument or screaming match with someone? Has it ever contributed to the general enjoyment of the rest of the people there?
I would argue that posts that are essentially expressions of anger and/or are essentially personal attacks have no place on the board. They don't contribute anything positive and generally turn off 99% of the people reading the boards. Even if it seems that someone else has attacked you, does it really help anything to post an angry response?
I personally don't see the problem with starting a new thread when one wants to make an off-topic comment, a little cut and paste and/or a link makes it easy enough to carry the context into the new thread. Why is it essential to be able to carry on an unrelated discussion in a thread where some people are trying to carry on a discussion on a particular topic?
Parents
Former Member
I have never posted here, but have been reading for awhile. I have yet to find a thread offensive. I think some have gotten way off topic, but I simply stop reading those. Trying to act all high and mighty and tell people what is appropriate and what isn't is somewhat riddiculous. We are not children. We are all adults and if here should be at least 18.
Well said. I didn't think I was a child. And nothing has bothered me except the personal attacks.
I said I wouldn't post here again, but I'm curious about the marketing question. I think someone posted in another thread that numerous new people have joined the discussion forum and that posts were way up. I would assume that some of these new joiners are also new to USMS? Maybe some have now registered. From reading the posts, it appears that there are a lot of people new to swimming seeking advice. So to the extent they have been recently reading and recently joined, it seems that the forum as a marketing tool is working. Even Rich just swam in his first meet and is planning more. Rich himself has probably inspired people who might not want to compete to compete. So I'm not convinced that the forum is not serving the marketing purpose just fine. But I'd be interested to know if I was wrong.
As for the swimming camp thread, I think the lunch thing started as a way to diffuse another brewing NSR argument with scyfreestyler. So to the extent an argument was nipped in the bud over lunch talk, that seems like a good thing. As for the subsequent banter, that looked like forum friends kidding around with each other. It was completely inoffensive, and couldn't possibly be harmful. Anyone could easily have ignored it. I also wouldn't put that much blame on the original poster. He tried to bring it back to topic. He also seemed to be making an anti-censorship statement and since no one wants to be Big Brother, even scyfreestyler anymore, that is fine. Besides, he seemed to get the information he was looking for and we are all invited to the Race Club.
I have never posted here, but have been reading for awhile. I have yet to find a thread offensive. I think some have gotten way off topic, but I simply stop reading those. Trying to act all high and mighty and tell people what is appropriate and what isn't is somewhat riddiculous. We are not children. We are all adults and if here should be at least 18.
Well said. I didn't think I was a child. And nothing has bothered me except the personal attacks.
I said I wouldn't post here again, but I'm curious about the marketing question. I think someone posted in another thread that numerous new people have joined the discussion forum and that posts were way up. I would assume that some of these new joiners are also new to USMS? Maybe some have now registered. From reading the posts, it appears that there are a lot of people new to swimming seeking advice. So to the extent they have been recently reading and recently joined, it seems that the forum as a marketing tool is working. Even Rich just swam in his first meet and is planning more. Rich himself has probably inspired people who might not want to compete to compete. So I'm not convinced that the forum is not serving the marketing purpose just fine. But I'd be interested to know if I was wrong.
As for the swimming camp thread, I think the lunch thing started as a way to diffuse another brewing NSR argument with scyfreestyler. So to the extent an argument was nipped in the bud over lunch talk, that seems like a good thing. As for the subsequent banter, that looked like forum friends kidding around with each other. It was completely inoffensive, and couldn't possibly be harmful. Anyone could easily have ignored it. I also wouldn't put that much blame on the original poster. He tried to bring it back to topic. He also seemed to be making an anti-censorship statement and since no one wants to be Big Brother, even scyfreestyler anymore, that is fine. Besides, he seemed to get the information he was looking for and we are all invited to the Race Club.
