I don't think it'll be of much value OT does have some topics that we want to see (birthdays, RIP's, etc.) and it'll be really horrible not to be able to post a birthday greeting because someone else has used up the board's allotment with an FML thread.

As discussed previously, more important would be to exclude OT threads from the newsletter "Hot" or "recent" topics - we don't want to promote them and rather those spots are taken up by threads from other on topic boards.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I don't think it'll be of much value OT does have some topics that we want to see (birthdays, RIP's, etc.) and it'll be really horrible not to be able to post a birthday greeting because someone else has used up the board's allotment with an FML thread.

As discussed previously, more important would be to exclude OT threads from the newsletter "Hot" or "recent" topics - we don't want to promote them and rather those spots are taken up by threads from other on topic boards.

I agree.

Alan, I was thinking more a per-user + per-board limit. Say 3. That way, EACH member can be OT up to 3 times a day. I think it's lovely and purdy and shiny and stuff ?

As for newsletter - I can make that happen!

Norio wrote: I was thinking more a per-user + per-board limit. Say 3. That way, EACH member can be OT up to 3 times a day. I think it's lovely and purdy and shiny and stuff ?

As for newsletter - I can make that happen!

That could be cool (as guilty as I am of posting too much in the OT section :-[, )I agree it generally doesn't add much value other than the birthdays and one or two odd things.

+1 on the newsletter and Hot Topics as well.

I've always felt that the operative word here is guitar.
Every single post has to be traceable back to that.
Even if it is a guitarists birthday or the death of a guitarist, or the birth of a guitarist for that matter!

Hammeron wrote: I've always felt that the operative word here is guitar.
Every single post has to be traceable back to that.
Even if it is a guitarists birthday or the death of a guitarist, or the birth of a guitarist for that matter!

Yeah, or music related at least. I reckon the beer and football and all that can go...

Hammeron wrote: I've always felt that the operative word here is guitar.

The point has been made before (and well-made) that we are a diverse group of people with one thing in common. We know each other and often we may want to share other things that mean something to us. Not even I am totally focused on music-related (let alone just guitar-related) things - if there is a physics, book or film thread, I'm just as likely to join in.

Yip. That's why I like Norio's idea of a per-member limit. It allows us to talk about those other things we may have in common, but limits the amount of traffic in those threads and keeps guitar the priority here. If they do need to be cut though, it wouldn't be a train-smash from my point of view.

Norio wrote: Alan, I was thinking more a per-user + per-board limit. Say 3. That way, EACH member can be OT up to 3 times a day.

We have some people like Squonk and now Norman, who have taken it upon themselves to become birthday greeters. Others make a point of greeting new members in the introductions board. I really like and appreciate that (although I may not have said it before folks). That kind of action would be inhibited by a post limit.

As for newsletter - I can make that happen!

Then please do. ? Also exclude introductions and maybe site stuff (with the latter, if it's important enough - like our current brouhahas - I'll mention it in the editorial).

Yeah, I'm thinking: All good things in moderation. The birthdays and all are cool and I posted about becoming a dad a few years ago, so I'm as guilty as the next guy.

This is REALLY about stopping football, beer, army, can't-get-a-girlfriend, etc topics. Even those aren't bad IF they don't suddenly take over the forum.

Maybe...

We don't put in a limit but I modify all the "Recent Posts" type things to not show anything OT. THAT could work! That, for me, is where the annoyance lies. I wanna see guitar-stuff when I'm catching up, not OT stuff. If I'm bored, I can always open the OT bored separately and pick something to talk crap about.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: We have some people like Squonk and now Norman, who have taken it upon themselves to become birthday greeters. Others make a point of greeting new members in the introductions board. I really like and appreciate that (although I may not have said it before folks). That kind of action would be inhibited by a post limit.

Good point. I quite like that myself.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

As for newsletter - I can make that happen!

Then please do. ? Also exclude introductions and maybe site stuff (with the latter, if it's important enough - like our current brouhahas - I'll mention it in the editorial).

Added to the TODO list ?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

Hammeron wrote: I've always felt that the operative word here is guitar.

The point has been made before (and well-made) that we are a diverse group of people with one thing in common. We know each other and often we may want to share other things that mean something to us. Not even I am totally focused on music-related (let alone just guitar-related) things - if there is a physics, book or film thread, I'm just as likely to join in.

We are a diverse group of people that have access to a diverse world of cyber possibilities.
Yes, we are human, but beyond that we are guitarists.
Physics and film have their place, on other fora....as do aliens and footballers! ?

No....leave it there...wth !!!

WE may have a common interest but we also have many diverse interests ...this is like a pub for general banter about football,,,beer lovely beer, motobikes, and anything else that takes the fancy....

I like chatting to the football fans here, as I do with the cricket fans , beer fans etc etc

we may play guitar , but we are human..

my vote = emphatic NO. keep it

I am almost 100% sure that as guitarists those who do not want to see the threads can actually ...ignore them ...

Maybe what I should also do is moderate to cut down the (what I percieve as) attention-seeking "Oh, woe is me" threads. Cut them out before they get started. Then again, we all have a need to vent on occasion...

Norio wrote: Maybe...
We don't put in a limit but I modify all the "Recent Posts" type things to not show anything OT. THAT could work!

Would work, but maybe a little drastic...
...or how about limiting the total number of posts in a thread in off-topic? SO they die before they reach 20 pages long?

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Maybe what I should also do is moderate to cut down the (what I percieve as) attention-seeking "Oh, woe is me" threads. Cut them out before they get started. Then again, we all have a need to vent on occasion...

Norio wrote: Maybe...
We don't put in a limit but I modify all the "Recent Posts" type things to not show anything OT. THAT could work!

Would work, but maybe a little drastic...
...or how about limiting the total number of posts in a thread in off-topic? SO they die before they reach 20 pages long?

I lead a boring life, I live vicariously with 7th sons threads...is he in the army yet?

IceCreamMan wrote: I lead a boring life, I live vicariously with 7th sons threads...is he in the army yet?

? ? ? ?

and I was just about to agree with Norio!

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Maybe what I should also do is moderate to cut down the (what I percieve as) attention-seeking "Oh, woe is me" threads. Cut them out before they get started.

I like that!

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:...or how about limiting the total number of posts in a thread in off-topic? SO they die before they reach 20 pages long?

That sounds like the most reasonable so far. I think it'd work.

Norio wrote:

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Maybe what I should also do is moderate to cut down the (what I percieve as) attention-seeking "Oh, woe is me" threads. Cut them out before they get started.

I like that!

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:...or how about limiting the total number of posts in a thread in off-topic? SO they die before they reach 20 pages long?

That sounds like the most reasonable so far. I think it'd work.

+1 I think that will be a great way to go about it.

Folks are complaining about the OT lounge, but it has it's place. It strengthens the "Community" part of this forum and helps to make the members human and not just names with an opinion you might or might not agree with. Without it, the site will purely be just another resource - and as far as resources go...well, the internet is full of them.

Now it's a great resource, don't get me wrong. (Without it I would have known nothing about how the price you see in music stores is NOT the price you pay and all that, ?) It really is great to be able to PM somebody for advice when you're stuck or need some help and I can also attest to the generosity and calibre of some of the members. (Stuff you can't put a price on here in the platteland) But I would probably not have had the candidness to make use of these members as a resource if I didn't feel part of the community. So it's a bit of a two edged sword.

Norio wrote: We don't put in a limit but I modify all the "Recent Posts" type things to not show anything OT. THAT could work! That, for me, is where the annoyance lies. I wanna see guitar-stuff when I'm catching up, not OT stuff. If I'm bored, I can always open the OT bored separately and pick something to talk crap about.

I like... What could maybe also work on the member post count "status?!", is to exclude the counting on off topic topics?!