Okay, at the risk of sounding like a grumps, can I ask you all to consider how you reply to threads. I know there is a temptation to hail your friends and go off topic (and I know I've done it) but can I make plea that we try and remain on topic? I think it's okay here in the shed if topics meander a bit but elsewhere I find it a tad disrespectful. Or am I alone?
Gx
Georgie Not a grump at all in my opinion. As you say we are possibly all guilty of it at times. However, as Tim pointed out perhaps we could start threads under the correct headings. I for one will try and discipline myself and try to stay on topic.
Lorna
Yeah, lets stick to the topic in question. Anyways, been lovely weather over here in Ireland - even got a bit sunburnt in Bundoran today! ;D Bit wet back home i here.
Gosh i am terrible for going hijacking threads - sometimes it seems pointless posting another thread about something similar, so i tend to add a related question or comment to a thread already moving. Didnt realise it was bad manners - sorry! ;)
Quote from: OliveOil on July 25, 2007, 07:41:18
Gosh i am terrible for going hijacking threads - sometimes it seems pointless posting another thread about something similar, so i tend to add a related question or comment to a thread already moving. Didnt realise it was bad manners - sorry! ;)
Yes me too. Sorry.
If the comment is about something related, is that still hijacking?
I think a successful thread is one where it appeals to people so much that the conversation continues for lots of messages. And in that case it develops a bit.
That's how it seems to me anyway.
For me, evolution is fine, going off a tangent, less so.
Every now & again I see a topic has lots o freplies to what sem slike a simple post & have a look - usually turns out there is a lively discussion going on, which is fine as I say if it's about related stuff, but odd if not.
...and I hate missing out on a good discussion!
Quote from: pigeonseed on July 25, 2007, 10:46:21
If the comment is about something related, is that still hijacking?
I think a successful thread is one where it appeals to people so much that the conversation continues for lots of messages. And in that case it develops a bit.
That's how it seems to me anyway.
I agree with Pigeonseed going round the houses a bit is how a good conversation go's sometime's
Perhaps someone can tell me how you respond to a question that comes up in a thread that is actually not part of the original thread.
eg Post about flooding and someone says does anyone know how to grow rice ?
If someone actually knows , do they answer or ignore,
Is this then hi jacking if it is answered and everyone then starts talking about their rice harvest.
I am asking seriously by the way, I have often wondered about that.
XX Jeannine
For me the only problem is when looking back through posts to find a useful tip or comment (or picture). If the topic has "meandered", as they do sometimes, it can be difficult to find unless one can remember "what we were talking about". We are all guilty of hijacking threads, but I think that if we were too rigid about starting new threads all the time we would lose the spontaneity which is the success of a forum such as this.
Well I don't have a problem with it either although I agree with Asbean that it can be irritating if you want to find something later.
Being sentient human beings we are much given to lateral thinking as in "one idea may conceal another" so we go off at a tangent. Mostly when I realise I am doing it I will apologise and try to end my post back on topic, but sometimes things evolve and one topic becomes a different one. I don't mind that. I don't think I'd like the thought police to be patrolling our forum.
I like to think of posts as conversations, which are notorious for wandering. I didnt realise anyone was annoyed by this.
I used to be on a wine making forum. That was so 'self policed' that you were told to go and search if you asked anything that could be remotely found elsewhere. I appreciate that the same question can come up more than once, but that is part of being in a 'community'. I stopped using it, as I was always worried about getting told off. :P
I think if real conversations were policed to make sure we stuck to the point, life would be very tedious. I like the friendly , chatty atmosphere here.
It will be a shame if the chat goes 'underground' and has to be sent by PM, so as not to clutter the threads.
Anyway, thats just my opinion. I will try to keep it on track from now on :-X
cj :)
I have had a topic completely taken over by someone, and in fact you would have thought it was originated by that someone else ::). Can't say I liked it much.
I realise most of us are guilty of meandering, and as Grawc says, as long as we come back to the topic somewhere in the post it's acceptable. (to me anyhow ;))
Hope it wasn't me... :-[ :-[ :-[
One of my many failings... like putting the Open Day Notice in here rather than News..
:-\
Nonononono Saddad. Person doesn't seem to be around nowadays. ;)
mmm i,m one of those peeps who has a grasshopper mind :-[it just hops around with a will of it,s own . OH got mad at me this morning saying NOW what are you on about :'( but there is always a link somewhere a bit obscure
i,ll try to be good promise marg
Peter's Dad (96) is a master of the non-sequitur, partly because he's deaf but mostly cos he has never learnt to listen. You can be in the middle of a conversation about something when he'll suddenly make a statement that has absolutely nothing to do with what you are talking about as his contribution. You then have to abandon your conversation and backtrack and do detective work to find out what the hell he is talking about and how , if at all, it relates to the topic you were discussing. And then he's all injured self-righteousness and we're making a mountain out of a molehill and.... Aaaaargh!! :o :o
Hi - back again with my thoughts. Hopefully I am not too bad at this hijacking thing but apologies if I am! :-[
The thing is a lot of the time the original question that started the thread has been answered with a few different opinions and there is nothing really to add. Often it's a useful place to ask a related question that is not worth starting a new thread about, especially if some-one you know to be pretty good at a particular plant is contributing to the thread. I dunno. I am rubbish at internet etiquette really. ::)
Jeannine - I think that would be considered hijacking but then again - it wouldn't bother me if I had started the thread and then it went on a rice tangent. Like a normal conversation, it moves on and can always come back to flooding once the rice issue has been discussed!! ;D
Ooops, i think i'm guilty of this too, and I apologise. :-X
I too think it's a bit rude to almost start off your own thread inside someone else's thread, it seems to me that the thread often never really gets back on track after that, and it can be a bit annoying if you haven't quite got the answer to the original question yet!! ???
I also agree with carolinej though, i used to go on the bbc gardening forum and there were always posters whose stock answers were 'if you google bla bla you'll find lots of info' which isn't that helpful at all really, and negates the whole point of having the forum!
Anyhow, thanks for bringing it up G, it's good that we can all have a discussion about it and perhaps just bear it in mind a bit more from now on x
There are people on here who suggest you go back to previous threads as well but I have found it very difficult to access the thread I am looking for or that they suggest. Anyway I don't have a problem with starting from scratch.
On reflection I think maybe I'm just quite a tolerant human being?
Maybe if folk find something irritating they should let us all know and we can deal with the instances, since most of it doesn't seem to irritate anyone at all?
You are all naughty peeps for going off on a tangent and not keeping to the topic in question.
I have now put you all on "ignore" ;) ;D ;D
Say no more Fork!! ;D ;D
Thank you for all the replies so far, it has certainly sparked a debate. :) I'd just like to make it clear that that I didn't in any way wish to imply that I want to discourage natural conversation. Of course one comment leads to another and that is what makes many threads here so interesting. But as a few people have said, staying pretty much on topic helps us all if we are looking back for advice. For instance, if I opened a thread about growing strawberries in 'Edibles' and found it had turned into a discussion about the merits of Lennon and McCartney's Strawberry Fields then I wouldn't find that helpful.
G x
Strawberry Fields ...
Walked past earlier today.
Do you know the children's home there is closing?
Sorry couldn't resist.
Snork! Yes I did as it happens, shame. :(
Is that a slap on the wrists then Dan? ;) Will I lose all me posting points as I get drummed out?
G x
While we're on the subject of strawberries ... ... ;D
I personally do not think that going off topic is to serious peeps should not be apologising for doing so , i agree with other members who say one thing leads to another. I feel & hope we are all one big happy family on A4A, & understand when things go slightly off topic but also wander back to the subject. Lets not take this to seriously, it is after all for pleasure, not schooling. Rosebud.
Quote from: Admin aka Dan on July 25, 2007, 21:22:11
Strawberry Fields ...
Walked past earlier today.
Do you know the children's home there is closing?
sorry couldn't resist.
Suppose you're allow 'cos you're admin :D
For what it's worth, I think that wandering off topic is how we get to know each other. I don't have a problem with it at all, it can be a bit frustrating if you're searching for crucial knowledge but otherwise it's what I enjoy about A4A xx
There's hijacking & 'colouration'.
I know I use 'asides' - hopefully pertinent & friendly comment. If I hijack, please smack me.
Where I know I do wrong - in the eyes of the searcher - is what I preached against years ago, to no avail - the use of cryptic, 'come on' titles, instead of explicit ones. It's the fun of 'fishing'!
Yes, but Tim, with your posts, regardless of the exact topic, we know they're going to be interesting, informative and with an enviable degree of expertise thrown in.
...and when I move in to your greenhouse I shall tell you so in person
;D
Quote from: Amazin on July 26, 2007, 21:45:57
Yes, but Tim, with your posts, regardless of the exact topic, we know they're going to be interesting, informative and with an enviable degree of expertise thrown in.
;D
And nearly all Tim's posts have a picture - I really like pictures [sad person].
Back to the thread :) I too like the way our conversations meander in a natural sort of way - I'm sure we actually learn more by following lateral connections, if we want straight information we can Google it.
I do agree with Tim's distinction between colouration, which is part of the natural ebb and flow of a discussion, and hijacking, which is immensely irritating - even just on a practical level, for those who don't have the luxury of broadband to help them whizz through the chaff to get back to the wheat.
Thing is, on a site like A4A, which is full of such knowledgeable people, if the answer to someone's question isn't within the first 10 or so posts, then it's not going to be there. Which means there's no need for a reader to meander through any posts after that if they do not wish to read the off-topic replies?
You know Savageb you're spot on!
Dan I thought they sang "strawberry fields for ever"??
Strawberry fields? gosh that takes me back ...
(sorry Georgie, I agree with you by the way ...)
I also agree on the colouration issue, and I agree with smacking your hand Tim, incomplete titles are annoying !!!
Wonder if this thread will make it into the top ten ...
"let me take you down..." surely? ;D ;D
Just a suggestion but what if when we start topics, we put something like
Look at my pumpkins WA
the WA standing for Wandering Allowed. That way, anyone searching would know if the topic would be strictly to the point or not. Also, it would relieve my newly formed paranoia of wandering off topic and getting told off. I love the friendly banter that we get on here, and would find it really restrictive to have to give very short concise replies incase I offended.
cj :)
WA - great idea, carolinej.
Just one thing - I think most of us love this forum because it is the way it is, informative but friendly, easy-going and without too many restrictions.
Perhaps, if clever Dan could ensure that every new topic posted came with a 'WA' label, then peeps who wanted only concise, to-the-point answers could choose to opt out?
Or - (easier) - maybe those peeps could just add a 'NO WA' when they start a topic?
I love it just as it is! xxx
So do I but then
'Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about' :)
QuoteI used to be on a wine making forum. That was so 'self policed' that you were told to go and search if you asked anything that could be remotely found elsewhere. I appreciate that the same question can come up more than once, but that is part of being in a 'community'. I stopped using it
I found another allotment site just like the above. It was very tedious searching through old threads looking for information, especially when half the time I didn't know what I was looking for. I was afraid to post a question in case it had been covered before.
On a4a, whatever I post, (sometimes I feel really silly when I see it in print later) I love the conversational type replies I get along with all the helpful information.
If I come across a post that bears little resemblance to the subject that caught my eye then I just go back to the beginning, but a bit like a good book, can't leave it till I've read the last page.
For me, a4a is not just about allotments, however, I do like it when the specific fruit or veg is in the title of the post. On the other hand, if I hadn't caught the word 'casteration' I would never have found out about my baby sweet corn. I thought it was about pets, my favourate subject. ;D
Caroline , that is a brilliant idea. For the record by the way, if I start a topic feel free to meander., I can bring it back if I need to.
I can see the original posters point though but sometimes it is difficult not to go off topic as it is in conversation.
If I had to grumble it would be because folks don't always read the whole thing and often ask a question that has already been mentioned and I feel uncomfortable ignoring it or stating that it has been answered.
The only point that actually annoys me a bit is when someone corrects someone else's posting etiquette. I agree going off topic or posting in the wrong place can look rude but it is often unintentional or a mistake,but correcting ones manners on the other hand is deliberate and I think is much more rude ,unless of course it is Dan who is here for that purpose. I was always brought up to believe that correcting children was appropriate but correcting adults etiquette was the height of bad manners.
XX Jeannine
Quote from: Jeannine on July 25, 2007, 12:20:30
Perhaps someone can tell me how you respond to a question that comes up in a thread that is actually not part of the original thread.
eg Post about flooding and someone says does anyone know how to grow rice ?
If someone actually knows , do they answer or ignore,
Is this then hi jacking if it is answered and everyone then starts talking about their rice harvest.
I am asking seriously by the way, I have often wondered about that.
XX Jeannine
In this sort of case, the practical thing to do is to say, "Let's start a separate thread on this subject", and do so in the appropriate section.
Never forget that some people use the search function to try and find information. It's a nightmare when you come across pages of random stuff, and it takes ages to sort the wheat from the chaff.
My husband is always saying to me ... " ... now what are you talking about !! ??? Having a brain that thinks flat out all the time is often very hard for others to keep up !!
However, sometimes hijacking can be highly entertaining .... ::) ;D :-[
... the point is that ... if you start a thread ... and it doesn't go the way you would like it to ... SAY SO ... DONT be afraid or too embarrassed to bring us all back into line to achieve the answers that you desire ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I've asked questions ... not here I hasten to add .. and the topics have got rubbished ... simply have a grump!!!
Be brave, be bold ... be like me and come back here !!!! ::) ;D ;D ;D
I wrote a reply to this earlier today and then lost it...hurrah you all cry but hold on...please don't refer to Georgie as "the original poster" You know who she is' use her name! That, I find is rude . I'd be gutted if I was to referred to like that.
I am very guilty as regards to meandering. I stand accused but I am big enough to take all blame and carry on regardless lol ;D
I remember using the search facility and constantly coming up with utter rubbish from a certain clique who followed each other around the boards continuing conversations that they had started in the Shed. It was totally ANNOYING ! I've not used the search since. That is the only situation I haave found irritating.
I don't see any harm in banter and I for one have not read anything in Georgie's post that seems to suggest she wants to ban all chit chat.
Just have a care thats all.
Simple folks, don't get so stressed and...bitchy. It aint nice to pick on a person for airing their views. For ficks sake you all go on about how friendly you are...someone then says something you dont like and you are bitching about them in other posts. You saddos! Look at yourselves !! Atleast Georgie voiced her views to ALL of you.
There is hijacKing and there is colouration Tim is spot on. Stop being so paranoid .
Carry on chaps
H xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Heldi I used the phrase original poster but I was not refferring to Georgie had I been doing so I would have used her name out of courtesy. By original poster I meant anyone who starts any post anywhere on the site and I was talking generally about posts going off topic, this was not in reference to Georgie at all.
I also don't think Georgie gave the impression that she wants to ban all chat, I think she brought up a very valid point which has clarified many things for me.
I am personally grateful to Georgie for that and respect her comments.
As I don't know what you mean by about bitching in other posts I cannot comment on that.
However I am more than a little hurt that you would call me rude re the original poster comment.
XX Jeannine
Well. I must be honest I think this is getting silly now. People are getting hurt, and for what?
Lets all call a truce and just get on with things. This is supposed to be a fun place to be. Lets keep it that way
cj :)
Jeannine. I am sorry I singled your comment out ...I was thinking about other remarks in other posts too. I didn't intend to hurt you and I am sorry. I should have used broader terms. I'm not out to point the finger at anyone in particular.
I do think it is rude referring to G in this way ("just because "she" doesn't want... etc etc")(not you Jeannine) knowing G might read those comments. I don't suppose G will care a jot but I do. I find it hurtful/uncomfortable to read actually, if you must know. She only made a plea for us to think about what we are doing ffs. She hasn't murdered the family pet or anything!
All this feel free to hijack my post comes across as tad bitchy to me. What else is it? A joke? A dig? Intended for G to see? I haven't looked though the boards but I hope this sort of comment isn't being repeated everywhere. Sad if it is because it aint neccessary. Funnily enough becoming just as annoying as the thing G was having a grumble about. Possibly even becoming the thing G was having a moan about.
The jokes have already been made within G's post. Why must G's post be dragged around and commented on in other threads? I remember full well the last time certain people dragged their shed comments and "laughs" around the boards. Totally spoiled it, created a nasty atmosphere and eventually a big rumpus came about. I gave up posting on a4a for ages because of it. I wasn't involved by the way. I just didn't like the boards any more.
I do think people have been a little silly about a view G has presented. I've not seen people saying they are "paranoid" before. Why even say that?
Again sorry Jeannine it wasn't my intention to pick on you. But we are just you and me...G seemed to have a few having a dig at her. Not fair in my opinion.
I read your post Heldi last night and knew I would have to respond eventually. I have only been an a4a member for a couple of months and wanted to sleep on it first.
I have posted in Georgie’s thread and also in the other thread, 'Please hijack this thread', started by OllieC, to which I think you are referring.
If I have offended anybody, particularly Georgie I am truly sorry, it was not my intention.
In my defence, and that of others, at the moment a lot of lottie holders are affected by extreme weather conditions and it is not only their plants they have lost. Other members like me, who got off lightly, care for and feel very deeply for the unlucky ones and all the other people who are affected by the floods. I read peoples posts and watch the news and it makes me weep.
A little light humour and a bit of fun is a diversion, a way of coping. I have noticed, as a new member, how this has come to the fore in the last several weeks in many threads.
I, and a lot of other contributors to Georgie's and OllieC's threads are not 'bitchy'.
'Simple folk', may be. 'Stressed', yes. Saddos!', that's up for debate, but definitely not picking on any particular individual, least of all Georgie, x.
I took OllieC's thread for what it was, a little escapism in tough times.
I agree with caroline, lets just get on with things. :)
Nuts.
;D
Oops, i'm in the wrong Thread hijacking thread
sorry
Heldi, I can only answer about the free to hijack my post bit and I mean this most sincerely...................
I do not mind if someone does this to me, I can bring the post back if I need to, however that is just my choice,I don't feel I am being bitchy to state that anymore than Georgie is bothered by it.
There is no right or wrong here.
I appreciate fully what Georgie said and I can see why the hijacking would bother many folks, she was not bitchy in the way she put forward her opinion. On the flip side I am not concerned about the hijacking for me personally and I can also see why other folks would think the same about that too by stating their point I do not feel is bitchy either.
Perhaps you are seeing something that I am not, I think it is a valuable posting that has given 2 sides to a topic.
I do however think a few folks are nervous about posting wrongly now which is why they are stating that,perhaps in a jocular manner which folks tend to do when uncomfortable. I don't think that Georgie has done anything to make them uncomfortable but perhaps they are wary of spoiling something for someone.
The reason I stated I have no problem with my posts being hijacked is to prevent that discomfort to others. I have also noted the folks who are botheres by it and of course will try hard to respect their posts in the future,another good thing to come out of this debate.
For Georgie... my original reply to your post was one of gratitude as it gave me the chance to ask a question I was confused about,, and I did get the answer to my query. If I have offended you in any way I am deeply sorry, I respect you and your postings very much and I thought it was a good topic to bring up. It made me aware of my failings as a poster and gave me a chance to think twice before junping in sometimes. It also gave me the chance to inform others that I didn't mind if they did that to me, that in no way was a put down on you.
I now intend to read through the whole thing again...
XX Jeannine
I think everybody who's read Georgie's original post has taken on board her request, which is only fair and I imagine they will make a conscience effort to not hi-jack (too much) her threads. On top of that, I think people just wanted to add their own comments too - which is also fair. I hope this makes sense! :) With regards to the other thread, I'm 100% sure it wasn't meant as a pop to anyone but I do see Heldi's point, from Georgie's point of view it may feel like a bit of sarcasm.
LOL @ KAYPERS ;D
I remember the crock a4a turned into the last time people thought they were at liberty to hijack posts throughout the board. It wasn't pretty. Incredibly irritating. Unbelievably thoughtless too.
I haven't looked at ollie's post. The comments were made in other threads. Not in ollies or this one.
Thanks savageblue. Sarcasm. Maybe I should have said sarcasm instead of bitchy?
G doesn't need me to defend her...no way ;D I defend anyone's right to make a valid plea and not be subjected to sarcastic remarks in other threads.
I think people are making it more of an issue than it was intended to be by making these comments and since I am also dragging it along...
I'm cool with letting it go.
I have re read the whole post again and I can see only two things that may have been considered a tad disrepectful, both jocular, but Gerorgie joined in one of them.
The other post on the board is a bit of nonsense.
XX Jeannine
whole hazel
;D
nuts, Cadburys make them and there covered in..... Sorry guys, just couldn't resist it.
This I hope is my last word on Hi jacking. It happened to me in one of my early posts, put my nose out of joint for a bit.
I think gerogie has a valid point and this discussion will make people think a bit more about what and where they are posting, which is a good thing.
I 've got used to you lot now and as Jeannine says you can always pull the topic back, if not, I think this discussion will give us the opportunity to make such a request.
Just for the record, when I read my topic back it was just about exhausted anyway, so I started another one. ;D
just my tuppence worth, on another board i used to frequent, the hijacking was legendary and a thread very rarely ended up in the same direction it started.
we were quite proud of that.
anyone for a rolo ??
;D
is it ya last one. :-*
The point, surely, is this. A4A is a hugely useful source of information on all aspects of gardening, and its offshoots of cooking, preserving and so on. People need to be able to access this information easily, without having to sift through a lot of extraneous stuff. If useful information is swamped by off-topic chat, it becomes increasingly time-consuming and difficult to find. Heldi has also made this point.
So I think everyone should make an effort to remain on topic, whether the OP* approves of digressions or not. When someone asks a question, they are in effect asking on behalf of everyone who wants the information, including those who may come along later.
There is plenty of scope in The Shed for general conversation and banter, as well as a chat room. Let’s try and keep the other sections for their intended use.
*(OP = original poster: this is an accepted Internet expression used for clarity, and shouldn’t cause anyone offence)
Hi all,
I just want to say that I totally asgree with Greyhound's last post. I also totally support the sentiments expessed by Georgie and Heldi.
You can call me a miserable bugger, or, anything else you want to, but I find the attempts at 'humour' on the off topic theme pretty pathetic, juvenile and plain un-funny.
So there you go. Thought I may as well have my say, seing as though it's a forum.
All The Best-MarkyB :)
I also agree markybe23. As I am not at all techy minded I am wondering if Dan has enough room on the site to enable us to get back to posts that either create interest or ask questions. Lets hope so.
Lorna.
Quote from: carolinej on July 25, 2007, 15:37:58
I think if real conversations were policed to make sure we stuck to the point, life would be very tedious. I like the friendly , chatty atmosphere here.
In a nutshell.
Quote from: SavageBlue on July 26, 2007, 23:04:14
Thing is, on a site like A4A, which is full of such knowledgeable people, if the answer to someone's question isn't within the first 10 or so posts, then it's not going to be there. Which means there's no need for a reader to meander through any posts after that if they do not wish to read the off-topic replies?
Ah, now you see I disagree with this point.
Just because no one comes along straightaway with an answer doesn't mean no one will. Not everyone visits the forum every day; and new members are joining all the time. But filling the thread up with off-topic chat in the meantime will put a lot of people off reading it, and they might miss the fact that the question still hasn't been answered. Granted, it will keep the thread near the top, but the OP can easily bump the thread up him/herself.
:-X
ffs
::)
Thank you for those mature, considered, constructive comments.
Just about sums it all up, really.
OK I'me out
Oh heck. :(
I don't know what I've missed in the last couple of days but I seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest. This was quite unintentional.
Jeannine, you have not upset me. No-one has upset me in this thread.
I've re-read my original post and I cannot understand why some posters have taken on so. It was a geniuine request and I wanted to know what others thought. I've read your replies with interest. For what it is worth I remain of the view that it is good manners to remain on topic. That doesn't preclude conversation, and if that adds a bit of colour, I for one am all in favour. ;D
G x
Three cheers for Georgie, looks as though she is also having a smile about all the stuff and nonsense. Of course it cheers us all up so don`t go getting uptight about it peeps CHILLLLLLLLL.
Thanks Georgie, actually I would have been surprised if you had been cross as you seem to have great sense of humour and a sensible attitude. Alls well XX Jeannine
QuotePosted by: Georgie Posted on: Yesterday at 18:22:23
Insert Quote
Oh heck.
I've re-read my original post and I cannot understand why some posters have taken on so. It was a geniuine request and I wanted to know what others thought. I've read your replies with interest. For what it is worth I remain of the view that it is good manners to remain on topic. That doesn't preclude conversation, and if that adds a bit of colour, I for one am all in favour.
G x
Says it all Georgie, RESPECT. as they say. xxx