OFF TOPIC!!!

Do you take any steps on your forums if members are constantly going off topic and chatting about their daily lives within on topic threads? If so, what do you do in these situations if anything

 

i usually let em go...if it gets to out of control..myself or a mod will tell them to take it to the OT section... but usually we dont care.

 

i'd remind them, if there are more than 15 posts about it.
Usually i'd just close the thread.

 

Same, I'd just close the thread/delete the posts.

 

In AA's early days (just a few sweet months ago ) going off-topic was a big issue. We always went off-topic in all of the threads (by 'we' I mean the members as well as the administrators -- well, at least Chris and I :lol but we quickly realized it was becoming a problem. Depending on the discussion that went on we either deleted the irrelevant posts (if they were totally random and unnecessary) or split them into their own new thread in the Miscellaneous forum (if they were worthy of actual discussion).

Never would I leave the off-topic content there and just lock/close the thread. There are two major issues with this:

1. In the future, when readers happen along the thread they will be annoyed and "turned off" by the off-topic posts that are intermingled between the helpful and content-relevant posts. Nobody wants to hear about what Johnny ate for breakfast when they're trying to read a thread about why vBulletin is better than IP.Board. Also, (and this may even be considered its own individual issue) the irrelevant content mixed in with the good content is not very healthy food for the search engines (so to speak).
2. Locking the thread alone is an issue. Going back to the future readers coming along: if they decide to add a reply, or make an inquiry - they can't, because it's locked. This is a turn off.
   More importantly though, consider things from the thread starter's perspective. Realistic scenario: Johnny creates a thread asking how to do something on his vBulletin forum. Robert and Richard come along and junk up Johnny's thread with their off-topic junk. I - the administrator/moderator - lock the thread and warn the offenders. What about Johnny? He's angry because 1) his question didn't get answered and 2) he has no hope of having it answered since his thread is closed. It's not Johnny's fault that two bozos decided to pollute his thread, so he shouldn't be punished by having his thread closed. I would be angry if I were Johnny and this happened to me. Eventually I would stop visiting the forum since the moderators aren't handling the situation effectively.

After removing the posts from the thread, I would issue a public warning in the thread - asking the users to remain on topic in the future. After a couple of times, I would then resort to PM warnings. A subsequent offense would result in an infraction and possible post moderation for that user.

 

Nope. Don't care. They can talk about anything they want to in the thread.

It's one of the forum's biggest draws ... not moderating thread drift. They can come back next day to see the same conversation still in progress, regardless of thread title.



There was one thread that was hitting I think 30 pages ... lots for us. It was a political thread title and I thought 'better see what's going on' to make sure everyone was still polite. Found they weren't talking about the thread title at all for about 15 pages, they were onto walking dogs or something.

 

Yeah Nick, I think you are right about the need to keep AA threads more on-topic. People come here for technical and specific information ... it matters more to their perception of forum value if the threads are 'junked up.'

In my hobby forum it is a different culture and dynamic. The majority of the members aren't worried over thread drift. For those that do care there is another hobby forum that is mod'ed more strictly.

 

Yes, we got a bit carried away with the "off-topic" chatter earlier on. It was fun but entirely unnecessary.

It's easy for members to get distracted and begin discussing another subject entirely within a single thread. It's a natural reaction - when one brings up another subject altogether, you simply cannot (or choose not to) ignore them entirely. Instead, the tendency to converse with them about the subject of discussion mentioned naturally arises. You cannot escape human nature!

Depending on the niche of the community, this can become a problem. I tend to proactively monitor various threads for suspicious discussion (i.e. off-topic or off-course).

 

If I do find myself going off topic, I'll always try to end the post in a way which brings it back on topic also, even not on my own sites.

 

I always wondered - why is it a "problem?" What makes it a problem? The posters/members don't seem to find it a problem, and they are the ultimate customer of the forum content. (Of course unless they do think it's a problem.)

 

I've only witnessed a member complaining about this "issue" once. The thread at hand was nearly entirely derailed and the replies were rather pointless. I'd say that it's more of a matter of thread organization if anything. Or, if a member creates a thread specifically based around a unique topic, off-topic replies could throw the entire discussion out of balance.

I guess it depends, really. :shrug:

 

We suffer from members going off topic quite a lot especially a specific group who tends to derail every thread going some how lol I think it can help a forum allowing some off topic nonsense now and then but their is a line that needs to be drawn especially when it has gone back 60 pages of general chat. I see it as a problem as it doesnt help the original poster at all, not much usually anyway. I am unsure how much members care about going off topic, I can imagine the only one really offended or upset by it would be the OP. Personally I wouldnt care but it can become annoying when every thread is being derailed especially the niche threads.

 

For us, it was a problem. It really flustered and annoyed members. I remember only one incident rather boldly, where the member contacted me and the other administrators, stating that he would leave if every thread on the forum got derailed like his did. I truly did sympathize with this member, and that's when I really realized that the problem needed to be corrected.

 

I don't have any strict rules about going off-topic. It depends on what the thread topic is, and I always take it on a thread by thread basis.
At worst, I split the thread and take the off-topic posts to another thread. I very rarely, if ever, close a thread. I hate it when mods do that.

 

I used to be anal about it, but nowadays I really don't care that much. And yes, AA had a lot of off topic and raunchy chat the first few weeks, LOL.

 

I like to refer to them as the "good 'ole days".

 

:lol:

So they don't happen anymore?

 

Eh, every now and then we'll see a thread derailment in action. The problem usually resolves itself after a short period of time, though... nothing too major.

 

Raunchy:speechless:

 

Or you say...


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