Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Apr 9, 2018 18:08:05 GMT -5
Because of the fixed structure of the old forum, in whichever category—which translates to a board here—you participated in, you may have been stuck in a single topic (a.k.a. thread) for all discussions. This was especially true for niche subjects that did not have a mass following; you either posted in the one pertinent topic or stood to not connect with it's audience. This article is about moving away from that mindset, because we are now free from the old limitations that fostered it.
In this forum, you may have observed, the number of subjects has been greatly expanded. As we learn of more member interests, boards may be added according to their desires or even their anticipated desires. Consequently, not only is there is no longer a need to confine all aspects of a subject to a single thread, it becomes a disservice to readers to do so. A new thought may (inadvertently or not) take some readers off into what is a separate conversation. In a one-thread world, carrying on multiple conversations (a.k.a. Forking the thread) is difficult for participants because the software does not conveniently support it*; it can be confusing to readers if all the necessary referencing is not done (and many authors were and are not up to it). When the forum structure is fixed, meaning not responsive to the need for new subjects, members are loath to leave their familiar niche nests and just put up with running a topic like a cocktail party, with different conversations babbling in the same room. Enter the new era.
The structure here can be quickly altered to suit the members; Congress need not be called into session. This means subjects can be more finely granulated into sub-boards if the traffic warrants. This frees up the "conversation space" and allows multiple threads on different aspects of a single subject. For example, football can have separate threads on passing and running; the two conversations no longer need stumble over each other within the confines of a single thread. However there is one thing that prevents taking advantage of this new freedom: old habits.
"Must... stay... within... this... thread...!" That is the old mindset that we have to overcome. If you have a new thought that you expect will start a conversation separate from the subject of the current thread, then get out! Start a new thread for just that conversation. You can, if you wish, link to it from the original thread. You might even use a bigger font in blue and yellow with red polka dots to draw attention to it, but imagine the benefits to readers of not having to keep up with all the side discussions that inevitably develop. Very likely (at least at this stage of this forum's life), there will be so few threads that readers will notice your new thread in the category index on their own, link or no link.
Is it logical to have a, say, photography board, and within it a single photography thread into which is poured every post on every thought on the subject? It's like keeping one giant Ziplock bag inside your refrigerator holding every kind of food you have (Mmmm, liver-flavored cranberry sauce!). Buy smaller bags and lots of them! Please change your mindset for the new forum structure and be consciously aware that you will no longer lose your audience or miss out on conversation simply by being outside of whichever thread started first.
Further, because registered members have unlimited edit and delete functions for their work, you can even go back and move what should have been the start of a new thread to an actual new thread. And, at no additional charge, if appropriate, admin can easily move associated replies of others to the new thread as well. That can flesh out a new thread and clean up an old one. It's practically magic!
SUVFan has suggested that those who reply in a thread may not realize that they are forking, or that they consider their reply to be a merely a different aspect of the subject and therefore does not rise to the level of forking. This all may be true. This thread asks that those who reply consider these issues and create separate threads when appropriate; they should not stay in thread simply because the previous venue created a psychological pressure to do so.
*There are some flavors of forum software that do deal nicely with forking; branching off is provided for. Ours does not, so we must have operational discipline, a commodity that unfortunately is in very short supply.
In this forum, you may have observed, the number of subjects has been greatly expanded. As we learn of more member interests, boards may be added according to their desires or even their anticipated desires. Consequently, not only is there is no longer a need to confine all aspects of a subject to a single thread, it becomes a disservice to readers to do so. A new thought may (inadvertently or not) take some readers off into what is a separate conversation. In a one-thread world, carrying on multiple conversations (a.k.a. Forking the thread) is difficult for participants because the software does not conveniently support it*; it can be confusing to readers if all the necessary referencing is not done (and many authors were and are not up to it). When the forum structure is fixed, meaning not responsive to the need for new subjects, members are loath to leave their familiar niche nests and just put up with running a topic like a cocktail party, with different conversations babbling in the same room. Enter the new era.
The structure here can be quickly altered to suit the members; Congress need not be called into session. This means subjects can be more finely granulated into sub-boards if the traffic warrants. This frees up the "conversation space" and allows multiple threads on different aspects of a single subject. For example, football can have separate threads on passing and running; the two conversations no longer need stumble over each other within the confines of a single thread. However there is one thing that prevents taking advantage of this new freedom: old habits.
"Must... stay... within... this... thread...!" That is the old mindset that we have to overcome. If you have a new thought that you expect will start a conversation separate from the subject of the current thread, then get out! Start a new thread for just that conversation. You can, if you wish, link to it from the original thread. You might even use a bigger font in blue and yellow with red polka dots to draw attention to it, but imagine the benefits to readers of not having to keep up with all the side discussions that inevitably develop. Very likely (at least at this stage of this forum's life), there will be so few threads that readers will notice your new thread in the category index on their own, link or no link.
Is it logical to have a, say, photography board, and within it a single photography thread into which is poured every post on every thought on the subject? It's like keeping one giant Ziplock bag inside your refrigerator holding every kind of food you have (Mmmm, liver-flavored cranberry sauce!). Buy smaller bags and lots of them! Please change your mindset for the new forum structure and be consciously aware that you will no longer lose your audience or miss out on conversation simply by being outside of whichever thread started first.
Further, because registered members have unlimited edit and delete functions for their work, you can even go back and move what should have been the start of a new thread to an actual new thread. And, at no additional charge, if appropriate, admin can easily move associated replies of others to the new thread as well. That can flesh out a new thread and clean up an old one. It's practically magic!
SUVFan has suggested that those who reply in a thread may not realize that they are forking, or that they consider their reply to be a merely a different aspect of the subject and therefore does not rise to the level of forking. This all may be true. This thread asks that those who reply consider these issues and create separate threads when appropriate; they should not stay in thread simply because the previous venue created a psychological pressure to do so.
*There are some flavors of forum software that do deal nicely with forking; branching off is provided for. Ours does not, so we must have operational discipline, a commodity that unfortunately is in very short supply.