Off-topic thread closed WHY?

[Slymm]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

I will really miss the Off topic thread. I got to know a lot of posters better there. Since it closed I've still caught myself going back to the OS Neighborhood forum to read it, only to realize that its closed. I had never been to that forum really before that thread. I can understand both viewpoints definitely but I wish it could stay. Needless to say, my time on OS will probably decrease because of it leaving, but I will still be on, just probably not as much.

RIP Off Topic thread

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[auburntigersfan]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Now all OS Neighborhood consists of a bunch of dumb news stories.

Os off-topic was the best thread on the whole site, and now it's gone.

[CMH]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Here's a suggestion.

Another board I visit also has an Off Topic Forum.

First some history. From the beginning of this forum (I joined in 2001) until last year, the Off Topic Forum was available to anyone that registered to the site. The site is OOTP - the text-based baseball game.

During those years, the forum had a few people banned from the forums, added again, banned once more, and then added with the rule that they could not post in Off Topic. There were threads that mods didn't like and they locked or deleted. Most of the time, everyone was just having a good time.

The presidential debate created a mad house in 2008. Thread were getting closed all over. I'm sure at one point, half of the threads in one page were closed by the Off Topic mod.

So, they needed a solution. They didn't want to take away what a lot of the members enjoyed doing - having a good time in a forum. But, they also wanted to eliminate the problems.

First thing they did was remove any political talk. OS already does that and they do a great job of warning us to stop if we ever bring it up. (More on this in a few). The next thing they did is where my suggestion comes in.

The Off Topic forum became a membership only forum. So, if you registered in the site, you needed to click on a box in your profile that allows you to see the Off Topic forum and post in it. If you don't click on that box, the Off Topic forum might never exist to you. This helped keep Off Topic away from the general idea of the forums - discussing the product - but gave the regulars an opportunity to continue being involved in off topic discussions. If a new member of the forum wanted to join in, he/she would already know that the forum was by membership only (clicking the box).

Once that settled in, the same site also created a sub forum of that mystery forum that included all political debates. OS doesn't need to go that far.

Now, the Off Topic forum still has a moderator, though he is a bit more lenient (not entirely) since he knows that the forum is a membership only forum.

What harm would it have for OS to consider doing something like this?

[CMH]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Now all OS Neighborhood consists of a bunch of dumb news stories.

Os off-topic was the best thread on the whole site, and now it's gone.

I'd suggest that if a membership off-topic forum was created then OS can get rid of Neighborhood. There really is no need for it if an Off Topic forum exists.

I can understand E & T because sports gaming includes the technology involved in making sports gaming possible. You have to open the door for technology discussion. Once you open the door to technology, you have to open the door to entertainment. It just goes hand-in-hand. However, talking about what my dog did last night or whether or not a man should slap a woman with his front hand or back hand is not necessary in any forum unless it's Off Topic.

I really never understood the general purpose of Neighborhood. Whatever it is, it surely isn't being presented that way.

[SPTO]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Y'know I never thought i'd miss the Off-Topic thread much but clearly I've missed it greatly. It's the one thread i'd start off with every time I log on here.

Oh well....

[Husker_OS]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Its always been stressed on here that OS is a community that's dedicated to sports gaming.



But it doesn't really feel like a community when you can't talk about stuff going on in your life like we talked about in the OT thread. I came here for news on the NCAA Football series. And I stayed because at the time, OS was like a community. But if all you can do is come here and talk about artificial things such as PS3's, TV's, or other electronics, then there really isn't going to be a community anymore.

[CMH]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

I don't understand that.

Maybe people don't like talking about real sports; they only like to play them. But, also, maybe they hate seeing everyone complain all the time about the games.

They enjoy talking about gaming and so they visit Entertainment and Technology because they can talk about the technology and entertainment of sports gaming and other forms of entertainment.

There's community built through there. I don't visit the hockey forums much and there are guys here that I consider OS friends that always visit the hockey forums. I have built an OS friendship with them because of E & T. How is that not community?

[mgoblue]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Its always been stressed on here that OS is a community that's dedicated to sports gaming.



But it doesn't really feel like a community when you can't talk about stuff going on in your life like we talked about in the OT thread. I came here for news on the NCAA Football series. And I stayed because at the time, OS was like a community. But if all you can do is come here and talk about artificial things such as PS3's, TV's, or other electronics, then there really isn't going to be a community anymore.

I think it was fine until there was talk about illegal things...That's just not what OS wants to project themselves as. The Off Topic thread works as long as people have self control, but like the EE forum people had to be too crazy and ruin it. Sounds like that's what happened to MM's SoapBox too.

Acid was in the OT thread tons, I'll respect his opinion since he was a regular poster there (as well as mod).

[Brandon13]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

I don't understand that.

Maybe people don't like talking about real sports; they only like to play them. But, also, maybe they hate seeing everyone complain all the time about the games.

They enjoy talking about gaming and so they visit Entertainment and Technology because they can talk about the technology and entertainment of sports gaming and other forms of entertainment.

There's community built through there. I don't visit the hockey forums much and there are guys here that I consider OS friends that always visit the hockey forums. I have built an OS friendship with them because of E & T. How is that not community?

It's community, but the Off Topic thread allowed people to get to know each other in a way that any other forum or thread can not. It was a place for everyone to just come in and shoot the ****. Just like a bunch of friends hanging out in real life. You might have had some little thing happen to you during the course of the day but it's not something worth starting a thread over. Well, you would just post it in the Off Topic thread.

It was the strongest part of the community here, the newbs never really made their way in, and if they did they didn't stay around for very long.

Yes, the marijuana talk was probably out of line and shouldn't have been allowed. I don't see the problem with people talking about drinking. I've never seen one of those "favorite beer" threads get shut down (my apologies if I just ****ed that one up).

So basically, yeah, there is a community here, but the Off Topic thread was the best and most significant part of the community.

[ezekiel55]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

I think the comparison of the Everything Else forum to the Off Topic thread doesnt make much sense. How can an entire forum be compared to one thread?

I agree the EE forum got out of control and needed to be eliminated, but I dont recall seeing any posts that were in OT that warranted locking it.

The News & Technology forum was policed heavily at first but slowly became the exact same thing EE was without the obligatory "I kissed a girl, how awesome is that" thread.

I dont agree with locking it and I dont see how it was warranted but it is what it is.

One more thing though...Were you gettin complaints about the content of OT, Millenium, or was this decision made based off OS staff's opinion.

[Millennium]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

There was definitely complaints on content of the Off Topic thread from multiple people who POSTED in the thread.

Just to throw this out there - if there was a "Twitter" like feature on OS, would that be an alternative that people may enjoy?

Not saying this is set in stone, but it may be something I am pitching.

[av7]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

Just to throw this out there - if there was a "Twitter" like feature on OS, would that be an alternative that people may enjoy?

That would be similar to the Arena/blogs.. pointless imo since I dont really want to go to every single person's page to get caught up. The single thread just made it alot easier.

[Millennium]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

That would be similar to the Arena/blogs.. pointless imo since I dont really want to go to every single person's page to get caught up. The single thread just made it alot easier.

I actually believe this is tied to the forums, not the Arena/Blogs.

[cubsfan203]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

There was definitely complaints on content of the Off Topic thread from multiple people who POSTED in the thread.

Just to throw this out there - if there was a "Twitter" like feature on OS, would that be an alternative that people may enjoy?

Not saying this is set in stone, but it may be something I am pitching.

What would be the benefit of having that instead of the one thread?

[baumy300]

Re: Off-topic thread closed WHY?

If they did that I would find something new. Before it was ! now it is Time to find something new. Maybe this

Ahhh, I see now.

I too must use a trademark emoticon.


This is it.