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?
I subscribe to several other internet discussion forums for topics ranging from travel, cars, and music. This is the only forum where I have seen such a strong deviation from the focus topic: swimming. Some forums have moderators that are way too protective and close/move threads for the slightest variance. I think there should be some middle ground.
One of the other forums I read occasionally deals with Saturn cars. The goal of the forum is to help owners and potential owners find ways around problems, hopefully not deal with problems in the first place. The mods do an excellent job with either deleting posts or simply moving them to a more appropriate sub-forum. The last thing I want to see when I'm looking at the Saturn-->Models-->Vue forum is about how the vehicle changed someone's lovelife for the better (or worse). Does that make sense? I have found some excellent tidbits about defects and recalls that have saved me money. They do have forums that deal with the annual meetup, local events, etc.
Perhaps there is a place for the true non-swimming things on this forum somewhere, but it is really up to the administrator and mods to determine if and where. Of course it would be great to involve the entire USMS membership with these decisions, but that really isn't practical.
I've been a member of the USMS forums for over 5 years, and have seen them go through some huge changes. At first it didn't seem like anyone was even here, so almost any post was welcome. We've gone through some growing pains along the way. Some posters have been banned, people came and went, but there are still some excellent posts that I learn more about swimming from.
I subscribe to several other internet discussion forums for topics ranging from travel, cars, and music. This is the only forum where I have seen such a strong deviation from the focus topic: swimming. Some forums have moderators that are way too protective and close/move threads for the slightest variance. I think there should be some middle ground.
One of the other forums I read occasionally deals with Saturn cars. The goal of the forum is to help owners and potential owners find ways around problems, hopefully not deal with problems in the first place. The mods do an excellent job with either deleting posts or simply moving them to a more appropriate sub-forum. The last thing I want to see when I'm looking at the Saturn-->Models-->Vue forum is about how the vehicle changed someone's lovelife for the better (or worse). Does that make sense? I have found some excellent tidbits about defects and recalls that have saved me money. They do have forums that deal with the annual meetup, local events, etc.
Perhaps there is a place for the true non-swimming things on this forum somewhere, but it is really up to the administrator and mods to determine if and where. Of course it would be great to involve the entire USMS membership with these decisions, but that really isn't practical.
I've been a member of the USMS forums for over 5 years, and have seen them go through some huge changes. At first it didn't seem like anyone was even here, so almost any post was welcome. We've gone through some growing pains along the way. Some posters have been banned, people came and went, but there are still some excellent posts that I learn more about swimming from.
