MTFCA Forum

I have a question. What is off topic and what is not? I posted a question about trailers and it got off topiced. After a guy buys a Model T what does he buy next? A trailer most likely. There is a post on the for sale page for a chevy engine. Why is that on topic? AT the least there should be a post that your thread is moved to the off topic page. I guess that this is going to the "OFF TOPIC" page too.

Careful Dan, this post is off topic too. One more outburst like this and you may be exiled to "no topic", where you can post all you want, but no one will ever see it. Just remember, big brother is watching!

Agree Dan. Questions about a trailer for your T should be considered on topic.

Dan, if you had titled your thread "Question about trailer for transporting my Model T," it would probably still be here. They're judgment calls in my view. Based on my CompuServe days, I was the one years ago who suggested the "OT" prefix for off-topic post. The theory was that people who regularly got bent out of shape by off topic posts could then easily avoid them and go through life unperturbed (or less perturbed, in any case). Unfortunately, some of the people who go ballistic whenever they see an off-topic post read them anyway (perhaps so they'll have something to go ballistic about. )

I'm afraid that people miss interesting posts this way.

Yes we have it all with a few clicks,but i miss the free flowing forum!! If it was my reply that got your post misplaced i say sorry! I looked the other day and our 14 has spider webs under it! I hope we do not improve the new forum until it is like the international club!! Bud.

Don't feel alone. I asked about Bob's Antique Auto in Loves Park, IL and the Midwest Flooding to see if they were ok and it got "booted" by someone to the OT section also. Very disappointed.

My guess is you titled it Midwest Flooding. If you said Bob's antique it would still be on the regular forum.

I never would have guessed someone moves them if they think the post should be OT

Whats the problem? Click "Quick Links" then "new posts" (upper LH corner) or "Quick links"then "active topics" if you`re not logged in and they ALL come up in "General Discussion Forum" Avoid the OT posts if you don`t want to see them....

The decision as to what's "on topic" or "off topic" can be vexing to say the least. Face it.......the moderators have a tough job to do. They want to keep anything T related on the main forum, but folks are going to be tempted to start talking about everything from a new litter of puppies to how a divorce should work. It's human nature, nothing more. Just sorting through the topics has to be a PIA, but they keep at it for everyone's benefit.

I think Dan's trailer topic was appropriate. He had a problem and turned to the community at large for possible suggestions. Although he could have posted in the "OT" section, it wouldn't have gotten the exposure it deserved.

Just remember, the mods are doing their best to keep everything T related and sometimes the decisions might gripe someone.....but it's WORLDS better than some other websites I visit that have little or no control at all!

And....”they’re off”....

Such a question could have (read ‘should have’ but I’m a progressive who tries hard (grin)) contacted ADMIN with a PM stating their case...

Not that ADMIN is waiting with baited breath for his inbox to ping...but give the guy a break as he’s learning too?

I decide. Yup, it's me! There, now let's move on.

I think the OT forum is a good idea but OT posts in the main forum are good too if marked OT. When I saw the OT forum it looked like a good place to post things that are non-Ford so I posted about my 25 Indiana thinking some people would enjoy it while it would not bother those who could care less. Then the post was moved out of OT and into the main forum where it has more traffic but I still felt it was an OT post and was not able to put OT in the title since it can not be edited. On the other hand, I see posts vanish that should be in the main forum and then show up in OT. Maybe the person posting the topic should decide where the post should go and then the ones that are clearly OT but not marked could be moved if someone asks for it to be moved. I had no problem skipping over a post marked OT or posts from people that I don't care to read or want to read later in the main forum and the new OT forum just makes it easy to miss some things that I would have read at some point because who has time to jump around to all the sections every day? It was enough to follow classifieds and the forum before the upgrade but now I find it overwhelming.

Did I not predict this?

Dan:
I have wondered why some topics are apparently removed … a recent posting that expressed sympathy for our New Zealand members and the mosque shootings has disappeared … an interesting alternate view was expressed that perhaps offended some ? always an optimist ...Gene French

Gene_French wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:12 am

Dan:
I have wondered why some topics are apparently removed … a recent posting that expressed sympathy for our New Zealand members and the mosque shootings has disappeared … an interesting alternate view was expressed that perhaps offended some ? always an optimist ...Gene French

I feel that all religion and politics should be avoided on the Forum. Both subjects can get so ugly and hateful so fast that they turn off those who come here for T info. If the Forum is to be welcoming and inclusive for all, religion and politics can't be allowed.

Some people go through life looking for an argument or something to complain about.
It gives them "meaning". The job of any forum mod or admin is to guide "the ship" through
shark infested waters. Forum members *should* have the common sense and restraint to
know that certain subjects are bound to fire up the easily offended, and for the sake of
of the larger group, refrain from hitting the "send" button. But that isn't always the case.

Here's a straight fact: If enough people piss in the pool, no one will want to go swimming
anymore. After 40 years in many different hobby groups, I have seen in more times than I
can remember. A few guys just can't filter their own mouths and it ultimately makes all the
others go find somewhere else to play, until those say personality types force it to happen
all over again, ..... and again .....

Burger is 'hitting the nail right on the thumb!'

Tim Rogers wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:08 pm

It appears that it's the poster and not the post that is the deciding factor for moving a thread to OT.

I can certify this is absolutely not the case.

Tim Rogers wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:08 pm

For example why is the Model K thread not moved? The creation of the OT section is just another tweak that makes the new forum frustrating.

because we as admins dont spend every waking moment reading each and every post. we're trying to keep the forum up and operating (like when I was up at 4am yesterday rebuilding the entire site after we got hacked). When someone "complains" or reports a post as OT or I stumble across something that looks OT, I move it. it's not a perfect process, but it seems to be working.

FWIW (for what it's worth), there are usually just as many folks browsing the OT Forum as this one. you can check yourself. The users browsing any forum are listed at the end of each forum. There are often more folks browsing OT than the main forum. Lastly, there are 950 posts in OT since I created it March 14th - 1 week ago. That proves several things that I had postulated previously but had no specific evidence or data on until now:

- most users know how to find OT
- lots of users enjoy reading and posting in OT
- those who don't, don't visit the OT Forum

Jeff

As someone who runs another old car forum, I couldn't have said it better myself Jeff.

Thanks for what you do for the Model T community.

sweet23 wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:56 am

Careful Dan, this post is off topic too. One more outburst like this and you may be exiled to "no topic", where you can post all you want, but no one will ever see it.

Hmmm.... i think this thread is a healthy OT discussion and very much ON Topic. In fact, you can now find it in BOTH places. How's that?

Jeff

Jeff,

I blame Argentina for all this strife.

Argentina? I thought it was Venezuela....

That is the ploy, .... get everyone thinking it is Venezuela and then *whammo !*
Argentina gets you !