Can we reduce number of topics discussing the same thing?

[Myril]

With more members forums always tend to erupt somewhat, but I have the impression that recently the number of topics discussing pretty much the same thing is growing exponentially. Maybe I am the only one having an issue with it, but I find it makes it tough to keep track of discussions if they spread over several topics and in several (sub-) forums.

I don’t know if it is a matter of headlines sometimes being not clear enough about what the topic is about or difficulties with finding topics.

Or maybe it’s a different understanding of what deserves a new topic. I just think that not every new revelation or thought, idea about for example a character needs a new topic, particular not if it is not at all spoiler but talk about what has been so far on the show and theories. I find it redundant to have a new character discussion topic in every episode subforum, and wonder what the character forum is for when we don’t use it. As well think it’s enough to have one sneak peek topic per episode to discuss and not a new topic for every sneak peek, and worst several topics for one episode discussing the same sneak peeks. Just for example.

Beyond that think that it is a bit unclear to many, what the forum general discussion is for, because there too are some character discussions going on.

I am not talking about that once in a while a discussion goes astray, although of course that is a matter of forums discipline as well.

Suggestions:
to take discussion about characters into the character forum again and best use one topic for each character

eventually have a new forum just for discussing theories, or to take theories about characters into the character forums and more general plot line discussions into general discussion

forums and subforums for episode strictly for just to the episode related things – like quotes, first impressions, favorite moments, and in the spoiler section sneak peeks and promos, synopsis, interviews with spoilers if they are not general season spoilers, picture, tweets published before an episode.

general discussions are general discussion – and discussion about characters are character discussion. we now have even a forum for the actors, making things easier for that.

Be more mindful about creating new topics: Does this aspect of the plot, a character, theory really need a new topic on it’s own? Is there maybe a topic already discussing it although with a bit of different headline?

These suggestions are something we all, all forum users can think about. It’s a question of discipline. Reducing the work for admins and moderators (have experience with that).

question to the admins:
Is it possible to pin topics? Not something everybody should be able to, but moderators and admins. Would be good if you could pin a topic like, where people are from in forum “Introduce yourself”, so one doesn’t have to search for it if people want to tell where they are from. Particular nice for forum newbies, who haven’t yet good orientation in the forums and might not know how to find things.

Dear admins and moderators, I know you do this job for free, so I don’t expect you to do all the work. Thanks for offering the forums and doing all what you already do.

[RumplesGirl]

I cannot second everything in the above enough. Seriously! The boards are looking a little cray-cray. If you have a theory about a character, don’t start a new thread! Put it in a thread that is already discussing that character! We make the thread titles pretty explicit so you know what’s going on. Don’t worry about having to read all the pages of conversation, just jump in.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[CrownedWithLaurels]

I always try to point people to a conversation already jn progress in the most polite way, but it looks like something else needs to happen or be done. What else can be done except reading the guidelines when they first arrive..? They’re pretty clear, if I remember correctly, about keeping things tidy. I guess people get so excited and caught up they head straight to posting and perhaps don’t catch the guidelines at first.

Keeper Nealfire's/Bae's scarf, Henry and Neal's bribery ice cream sundae, Baelfire's sword, the coconut map, and more.

[CrownedWithLaurels]

P.S. I do understand, like with Tamara, starting a new thread in a new ep because of the 20+ pages of old theories. Now we know who she is, so its a whole new ballgame. One new thread though, not like. 10 😆 😆

Keeper Nealfire's/Bae's scarf, Henry and Neal's bribery ice cream sundae, Baelfire's sword, the coconut map, and more.

[RumplesGirl]

Yeah, it’s a new ballgame so that’s understandable but we don’t need 10 threads. Right after the airing of the east coast show (seriously, like mins after) Slurpeez does a great job of getting up threads for the biggest points. So, if you have a theory about a character or about that episode, stick it where we’re already talking about it! I’m trying to redirect people too.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[nonnie]

I think you are ignoring why people post on these forums. They want the attention to their theories and ideas, they do not want it drowned in mega threads. I also think sometimes people post their theories and idea on the fly… at work on break, no time to look through everyone’s threads to find a post where their input will count… so they open their own threads…. that is the way this forum has kind of run since day one… I do not think it will change too much.

Nonnie
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[RumplesGirl]

I think that’s understandable but there are so many of us and these forums are so active that SOMEONE is going to read your post in the mega threads and chances are someone will respond and that is how it snowballs. I mean, many people are here all the time (points to self as example, I swear my “new post” page is open all the time ready to respond to people…) It just gets SO confusing when there are 10 threads on the same topic, sometimes with the same theory.

If your post does get lost, repost it!

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[Gaultheria]

I don’t mind the unconsolidated approach. I read the forum by way of the active topics list (just not on Sundays from about 4:00 to 10:00 PM Pacific), and stale threads quickly drop out of sight. I also like to be able to tell from a glance at the subject line whether a thread will interest me, and I think the multi-multi-page discussions are more likely to mutate away from that. So, looking at the first page of the active topics list — and skipping past threads that are long or that, by their subject lines, aren’t my cup of tea — is a very good filter for me.

As for posting, it depends on how much original content I’m putting forth, but also on how interested I am in being able to find responses to my postings. If responses are important to me, I’d rather contribute to a short-lived thread that has just a few pages, instead of to one of the perpetual threads.

Gaultheria's fanvids: http://youtube.com/sagethrasher

[Myril]

Okay, people are different, approaching things differently. But I for one get tired when seeing the third, fourth or more topic with the same name in the title looking like just another variation of the same thing. I start to ignore the new topics. Even more so when I nevertheless take a look and do find indeed much the same discussion that is already going on in another topic with a title coming very close. Concrete example at the moment is what is happening with Tamara: Frankly for the time being I have given up to follow that discussion. A negative examples was the discussion about Hook, that at some point got even out of hand because with the umpteenth new topic it was a tad too much obvious attention (seeking) and it annoyed people.

The more topics about the same thing, person the more likely you will lose my attention.

Interesting aspects, ideas, thoughts about character or theories get after short time buried as well the more topics are created, particular when there are plenty of only short discussions going on in every episode forum.

Of course it is as well a matter of knowing how to use options like to look for active topics or the newest (prefer that one because includes all spoiler topics different from active topics) or unread, but I think threads get lost easier this way than in longer discussions and topics. I for one when coming new to a forum or when catching up after a time of absence find it more comfortable to scroll through one topic then to go via reading all unread posts, or even more cumbersome, to click through all forums and then all topics eventually being pretty much about the same subject. When particular interested in a certain character find it even more comfortable to keep track via multi-page discussion in one single topic than having to look all through the forums and a bigger number of topics spread all over the place. Not everyone comes every day to the forum. And not everyone is just interested in what is the buzz right now, but might be in general more interested in certain characters or just now wants to read up about certain characters or theories.

Practical thing : Of course one can quote from another topic but it’s easier, particular for less computer geeky and BBcode experienced people and in a rush, to quote inside one topic.

¯\_(?????? ?)_/¯

[CrownedWithLaurels]

As for posting, it depends on how much original content I’m putting forth, but also on how interested I am in being able to find responses to my postings. If responses are important to me, I’d rather contribute to a short-lived thread that has just a few pages, instead of to one of the perpetual threads.

That’s a good point, Gaultheria. I would definitely want to know ASAP if someone had a breakthrough theory about something we’d all been discussing for weeks. I think this has been pretty well done and is not part of the problem as most “regulars” I think do a pretty good job of filtering and self-regulating. As was said above, I think the biggest influx of true duplicates are the influx of people joining right after episodes and are so excited they just post away. Normally true duplicates get pushed down like you said, but I think on Sundays-Mondays the influx is so much that everyone is commenting everywhere and ahhh! Lol. It gets a bit crazy. Like it is now. I think the more threads generalizing about Tamara’s identity, the easier it is to miss a really good new theory. New topic for a brand spanking new theory is one thing which like I said “regulars’ seem to do well with. But if there are so many threads on general Tamara theories its easier to miss the actual new ones in the midst of the same people posting the same theory in a different thread titled just a little differently.
The tazer thing was great and different. And props to slurpeez for creating an updated generalizing thread.

Keeper Nealfire's/Bae's scarf, Henry and Neal's bribery ice cream sundae, Baelfire's sword, the coconut map, and more.

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