[user=412]BLG[/user] wrote:

[user=8]MikeC[/user] wrote:

I'm assuming then that it's fine to ignore your posts in future.

Yes, certainly :cheers

Now should this post be deleted :question:question:question  :doublethumb:doublethumb:doublethumb :Red Card:Red Card:Red Card :cool wink:cool wink:cool wink

And in the red corner we have…………………………..:roll::roll::roll:

Steady on guys take a deep breath everyone.   It's only a discussion and everyone is entitled to an opinion…………………………just as long as it agrees with mine !! :cheers:cheers:cheers

This is a classic :exclam:exclam One of the all time  best YMR wind-ups on record. Re-read the last batch of posts, guys, with the words "Bryan's little wind up" in the back of your mind and join me in a damn good titter. thumbs:thumbs

First of all everyone should understand that I will not tolerate intolerance! :twisted:

I have voted for never - the banter is what makes this forum special.  If it ever became a problem re bandwith etc then I would reluctantly agree, but otherwise I want no part of any sanitised text book style with no soul.

When we have conversations with mates nobody attempts to edit out the "off-topic" parts.  I know that we are not trying to stop this, but surely if we do remove historic "off-topic" banter we are altering our outlook and if people start being conditioned to thinking about what is irrelevant they may stop posting it altogether.

 

[user=3]Gwent Rail[/user] wrote:

This is a classic :exclam:exclam One of the all time  best YMR wind-ups on record. Re-read the last batch of posts, guys, with the words "Bryan's little wind up" in the back of your mind and join me in a damn good titter. thumbs:thumbs

Sorry, Jeff.  I can't see it.  Bryan's post was 14th at the time he made it.  None before, so it must be something he said in the post which was funny?  Maybe it's Cornish humour . . .

I have considered the options offered for voting and noted that "Abstain" is not there.  It would be educational to have seen how many had taken that were it available.

My post in the related thread sets out my opinions and does not need to be repeated here.

My vote, since an abstention would go unrecorded and this is a participation forum, is for "Other".  I am happy to have those few posts which are completely unrelated to the topic removed from my own layout thread after perhaps six months.  I am also happy to identify to a Mod those which may go.

But I am not in any way supportive of the excision of the banter and light-hearted comment which makes this place special.  Neither do I see posts which offer feedback, advice, support and constructive criticism as "back-slapping" and they should be kept as an integral part of the record.

Does the time scale offered refer to the last post or when the thread started please?

Below is a copy of a post I have just made in a topic in the Shunters Return. Ricks post can be found here : http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=4944&forum_id=35&page=2

"First off I would like to applaud Rick's post above as it expresses a view of the forum that that I hope a lot of members hold and if that is so then the forum is doing it's job and doing it well.

I have spent the early hours of the morning and also a couple of hours after breakfast going through various threads that could possibly be thinned out. The first thing that struck me was that using the criteria mentioned we would lose hundreds of posts by various members that have spent a lot of time building up a 'character' on the forum and have had nothing to do with modelling at all. These 'characters' have become an integral part of the forum and are part of the 'glue' that holds the whole thing together. That being the case their posts are as valuable as anyone elses and are not going to be culled by anyone, including myself.

Because of this late thinking on my part I wish to apologise to those members whose posts I have deleted in Sol's topic and admit that I jumped in feet first without thinking what I was actually doing.

Of course every member has the right to ask a moderator to edit or delete posts that he or she has made but not posts made by other members. Unless a member's post breaks forum rules or is causing dissension on the forum then no one has the right to delete it except the poster.

I have had a look at the poll votes so far and if they continue in a similar vein then the topics on the forum will remain as they are.

Because this subject has never arisen before, covering the whole forum that is, we don't have a 'system' in place for dealing with unwanted posts. From now on therefore if the authour of a topic wants a post, or posts, from another member to be removed from his topic then his/her first action will be to contact the author of the unwanted posts and get their permission to have them removed. If permission is granted then the Super Mod or Admin can be contacted to have those posts deleted.

PS. I have posted this same message in the three topics that are discussing this matter.

I am jumping in this topic a little late I know, but I have often gone back into a post to re-read a topic. I do this because I have forgotten (senior thing) what was said on how to do a particular thing.

What I find is a lot of reading that is not what I am looking for. So using that thought, I wonder if the forum could be set up to somehow identify a post that is not, how shall I say this, 'how to" related.

If there was a "check box" available in every post that someone, either a moderator or the person doing the posting, could check off that signified that this post was banter. Another button would then be required to turn on/off the banter, when a post was reviewed. You could even make this button available only after a certain time period if that is an issue.

If this could be done on the forum then when people want to go back and re-read a post they would have the option of turning off the banter, which would reduce dramatically the amount of posts to go through to find a specific point within the thread, or they could turn on the banter and enjoy the thread as originally written.

This is just a thought, because I have no idea if it could even be done.
Wayne

At this stage of the development of the forum software I'm afraid that's not an option Wayne, nor is it likely to be in the near future. Sorry, as it's a good idea.

Of course there is another option and it's one that I mentioned a long time ago. It relates especially to the many "how to" posts that are part of the forum archive.

There is an option to have some threads under a "recommended reading" button. This could be changed to an "Instructional how to" button and some of the good threads of this nature could be copied here and edited, leaving the original thread in place and intact. I know it isn't an option to do this for member's layout threads, but I have no problem with the banter on these anyway.

Such a button would be a good reference for anybody wanting to look up an appropriate method for a job they were trying to do. It would be a time consuming task, but much less time consuming than sanitising all the threads that we have been talking about.

I appreciate the point that many have made concerning the "atmosphere" of this site and agree it's one of our strong points, but a separate section where members could read an instruction only (and modelling comments) thread could be an advantage.  

Firstly let me apologise if any one thought that all non-modelling posts would get the axe - I know I may not have indicated initially that consultation would occur & that is still available as per Bob's responses. ( But Ido not expect that we as Admin/super mods to get too many requests)

Secondly my comment in reply to Mike's post about text book appearance & that I had not thought of that & perhaps this should have been put on the back burner - well to me, putting on the back burner does not mean the subject is closed, just that more info be obtained. Yes certainly the poll questions could have been better set up but at least something got started & posts about the banter, etc have been very informative I think to all of us.

The question by DD re the time scale & deletion - yes I thought it would have been based on the last post.

 

Lastly, I have read all the various posts on the 2 topics dealing with this subject of cleaning & I can see that it would not only take a lot of time to either clean the exiting thread or create a new one with just the modelling info but the relationships that we  that have all created with each other may get strained & the forum would suffer.

To that end, I would be very happy if the 2 topics are closed off being this one and http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=4944&forum_id=35

 

The 3 threads that have had some cleaning I think will be the only ones to my knowledge

 

regards

I have had a say back there somewhere and now for a final one if i may be so bold.

Now as a member for well over 2 years i think, lost count been having a ball since i joined , learnt so much, even tried getting those who like GWR converted but alas it is too late for them, so the dark side they shall forever be, .

What i want to say is this. I looked at and indeed joined many Forums over the years, lasted maybe a couple of weeks and left why because it was too serious, joked and you was frowned upon or ignored for ever more. I then found this one all be it 3 crashes ago. Why did i say, well the friendliness and laughter we have, as well as being serious at the same time, we have as i like to think a family.

For us to edit any banter or anything to do with a thread about something would in my view ruin the Forum. That is what makes the Forum as it is today, a serious Forum but with banter and stuff thrown in. We as someone said have met up with different members, so we are fairly close in some ways. W e have threads about what is happening within our private lives, this is great.

So what am i waffling about, well to cut out parts of threads would make new members leave very soon after joining. They may be like me looking for somewhere that is fun and enjoyable and finding non would as i say leave.

I mean one final point how could you say cut mine down, most of my threads always get hijacked, why me i know idea. Maybe its that picking on the youngest thing :roll:.

So i did vote and i voted never.

SO LEAVE IT ALONE, IT AIN'T BROKE SO WHY TAMPER WITH IT, MAYBE CAUSING IT TO BREAK.

Phill

One thing which may help with your query, Wayne, is the Word Search on the home page.  I'm about to start a thread showing what I have done to Sol's decapod since I bought it from him.  To find the thread he started, for a reference point, I keyed in "Decapod" and quickly found the relevant one.

I could be wrong, but I think that Martin Wynne was the instigator of this function. I have found it an excellent tool for locating old stories.  Of course, the Index is a superb resource as well.

Cheers.  Max.

A good hint Max.  I often use the search tool and it's a superb aid.   It's often quicker than going through the "Memebers Layouts" etc trying to remember who's layout the info was posted in. :thumbs

As far as I'm concerned, this discussion has not been a waste of time. I believe it has given us a clear insight into the mindset of the forum and how members like it to work. The consensus is strongly in favour of the status quo and it's good to hear the members supporting strongly the way things are. We must be doing something right. 

The discussions have run their course and should now be closed. However, I think we should leave them open for another 48 hours thereby giving everyone a chance to add anything if they wish. If nobody has any objections I will close them off then.

Sounds good to me Jeff. That will give most people a chance to air their opinions if they want to.

What about this idea, which would help both the 'Trimmers' and the 'Seekers after knowledge' brigades?

I humbly suggest that should a poster choose to post in green, he indicates to both the above camps, that he/she is adding nothing of intrinsic value to the post, and, should a 'trimmer' wish to trim it later, he has no objections.

Further, should a Seeker be trying earnestly to locate the exact dimensions of a L.H. Thrupple nut within the thread he knows he/she can ignore a green post within the thread…..

This could be the preferred way of adding things like 'Nice colour loco!' or 'Good luck' or 'Blue diesels are best…'

[N.B. This post is all in green…]