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
sorry if I called you a he Morgan and you are a she....I guess Morgan is one of those names like Chris or Tony that can go either way....LOL!! I understand that NSR threads may push other SR threads down the list and that may be upsetting to some....BUT I still believe in giving posters the freedom to pick and choose which threads they wat to post in.....For example, Kyra's NSR thread was labeled as such and she also welcomed hijacking....this may have pushed an SR thread down the list....BUT if Kyra has many friends here and she wants to talk about the Oscars with them (which is NSR), then doesn't she have an equal right to do so? There are far more SR threads posted here than NSR threads. But occaissionally some posters want to discuss other topics with thier forum friends. Even Ande who is considered by most to be one of the most serious SR posters likes to discuss his song writing, American Idol, The Grammy awards, and many other NSR topics.....If you don't believe me, just go check his posting history. I am sorry if you feel some of the more serious SR threads get pushed down the list from time to time in favor of NSR threads.....but that is the nature of the beast sometimes....There is a "significant Minority" here that prefer SR threads as the predominant type of thread....(according to the topic poll I mentioned earlier)....and a clear majority that like some of the NSR stuff as well.....its like any other tyoe of Democracy....You can't make everybody happy all of the time....I think if we agree to make a conscious effort (as Rich and others including myself have already stated) to stay more on topic within our threads....and make a conscious effort to resist casting insults back and forth, then this should be enough to satisfy the majority of the posters and still meet the desires of the administrators in being able to attract enough newbies to USMS in general....but that is ONLY my opinion....others like Geek and Karlene (and many others I am guessing) have thier own opinions and they may be completely different than mine. I am glad that we have an opportunity here to discuss these issues...because it is important to the forum to have this kind of discussion IMO.
Newmastersswimmer
sorry if I called you a he Morgan and you are a she....I guess Morgan is one of those names like Chris or Tony that can go either way....LOL!! I understand that NSR threads may push other SR threads down the list and that may be upsetting to some....BUT I still believe in giving posters the freedom to pick and choose which threads they wat to post in.....For example, Kyra's NSR thread was labeled as such and she also welcomed hijacking....this may have pushed an SR thread down the list....BUT if Kyra has many friends here and she wants to talk about the Oscars with them (which is NSR), then doesn't she have an equal right to do so? There are far more SR threads posted here than NSR threads. But occaissionally some posters want to discuss other topics with thier forum friends. Even Ande who is considered by most to be one of the most serious SR posters likes to discuss his song writing, American Idol, The Grammy awards, and many other NSR topics.....If you don't believe me, just go check his posting history. I am sorry if you feel some of the more serious SR threads get pushed down the list from time to time in favor of NSR threads.....but that is the nature of the beast sometimes....There is a "significant Minority" here that prefer SR threads as the predominant type of thread....(according to the topic poll I mentioned earlier)....and a clear majority that like some of the NSR stuff as well.....its like any other tyoe of Democracy....You can't make everybody happy all of the time....I think if we agree to make a conscious effort (as Rich and others including myself have already stated) to stay more on topic within our threads....and make a conscious effort to resist casting insults back and forth, then this should be enough to satisfy the majority of the posters and still meet the desires of the administrators in being able to attract enough newbies to USMS in general....but that is ONLY my opinion....others like Geek and Karlene (and many others I am guessing) have thier own opinions and they may be completely different than mine. I am glad that we have an opportunity here to discuss these issues...because it is important to the forum to have this kind of discussion IMO.
Newmastersswimmer
