Otis

This has been bothering me for more like a month rather than a day to be honest.

The 'Muppet' and 'Non Scooby Related' forums represent over 30% of todays topics at the time of writing. They're great for a laugh and it is good to talk about something other than Scoobies. However, to be honest I don't know how I will feel if we ever pass the 50% threshold. May never happen or it's maybe what the majority of members want, I don't know. I just wouldn't like to think the serious Impreza issues cease to become the main thrust of the BBS.

Sincere apologies if I've offended, just thinking out loud really. .

Otis.

Boost

Perhaps just because we have been between models for a while. Most things to do with Scooby1 are known and can (could have been ) searched for and nobody's bought Scooby2 yet??

Boost

Hmmmmmmmm, between models!!!!

Just dreaming again.

DavidRB

As long as the humour/chitchat/drivel/non-Scooby stuff remains mostly in General and NSR then I don't mind. It's when it strays into the technical forums that I get annoyed.

Recently, it seems that every thread in the technical forums has ended up on a discussion of cruising the streets & picking up young girls.... (mentioning no names here! )

IMHO, the BBS will suffer if the signal/noise ratio drops too far in the technical forums.

GranTurismo

As a person who spends a lot of time in the non-scooby stuff I would like to say that I like to discuss thingsother than scoobies. It makes the site more interesting and people are more likley to have a general chat. How many post can we have about tyre choice, clutch judder and fitting a uk stereo in a double-din gap????

I do however get annoyed when people take a thread off topic and start having "domestic arguments" about stuff.

SimonM

I was thinking the very same things earlier this week, but decided it was best not to post, but seeing as you've started this thread:

I posted a serious question the other day (

beatle

Isn't this why this is a forum , at the end of the day its down to freedom of choice , you don't have to participate in any thread that you deem irrelevant . If you post a sensible thread and get 2 serious answers and 5 non-serious answers , then maybe the 2 serious participants have answered your question and the BBs has served its purpose

Mr.Cookie

If i may join in i think that their is still the same level of posting, its just that scoobynet has grown quite large and so their are more joky (is that a word and more to the point is it spelt right) like minded people here, and at the end of the day a post on say, where can i find a rear wiper arm will only get so many answers where as, empty forum so i though i'd fill it, well they just keep rolling

Regards
Simon

ex-webby

Hmmm tricky one.

I'd like to address a few points...

1) 'Saving' bandwidth is NOT a concern. Improving the hardware to cope with the demand (which is MUCH higher than expected) including all the functions such as search, etc is priority and will be happening very soon.

2) The Muppet Show, Non-Scooby Related and (to an extent) General forums are designed to accomodate the discussion of people in the scoobynet community. It is not to discuss "Subaru" and nothing else. The Muppet show is a great foum IMHO as it keeps the irritation away from the minority that can't cope with it, and keeps the threads alive for the minority who LOVE to play with it.

ScoobyNet is here to enable us all to communicate. I love that. I love the fact that there is no hidden agenda or rules. It is a community.

To be honest, i personally would go right off reading the board if it was all technical information and facts and figures. I love the humour, etc...

However...

I do agree that in the Technical Forums particularly we should moderate slightly more carefully. The thread that Simon (cool name!) mentions is clearly a bad example of a thread being turned into a muppet thread.

Stuart H (general forum moderator) and I came up with an idea for this....

Muppet threads are moved to the muppet show. This is fine. Simon's thread however is not a muppet thread. But it had been turned into one. We may start operating a system where we will move the whole thread to the muppet show, then re-activate the original thread in it's original forum but delete the offending posts.

Thoughts?

best regards

Simon

Blackscooby

SimonM,

Hope mine was one of the "sensible" replies

When someone has a problem is good to read who else has experienced it (if any) and what their resolution was etc.
In terms of the misfire from cold ~ yeah I just live with it. But IMHO its kinda re-assuring that other people have had the same kinda problems.

There is a time and a place for muppet threads, and responding to a genuine query or concern with drivel does annoy me to be honest as you see that someone has replied to your posting only to find its bollox.

I'll get off my high horse, and collect all my toys back up now.

Ta

Mark.

logiclee

Simon,

I'm all for people having a laugh and enjoy the banter in the Muppet section and your suggestion seems a great idea for keeping serious threads going.

I don't see this as the main problem causing a supposed "dumbing" down of Scoobynet the road race threads cause more of a problem, I think a lot of members would be upset if we got down to the RS bbs level where 80mph in a 30 police chase threads are accepted.

Cheers
Lee

[This message has been edited by logiclee (edited 06 December 2000).]

RB170

I don't think that we should remove the fun threads or non scooby related topics...All work and no play makes Scoobynet very boring.

Is there anyway of purging the data base of threads that have not been responded to for say 60 days?

By the way Otis, how's the car

[This message has been edited by RB170 (edited 06 December 2000).]

SimonM

If bandwidth is NOT a problem Si, then disregard what I said about removing the muppet forum... I too enjoy reading the posts in there, and think it is an excellent way of disposing of muppets! I only suggested removing it as a possible solution to the recently reported performance problems.

What I would say though is that lots more 'muppet-type' posts have appeared since the forum opened... it seems posts in there find their way into other forums.

The solution that you offer Simon is an excellent one! I assume though, that it puts a fair amount of extra work on yourself and the moderators, and would suggest that we can ALL help by simplying not hijacking serious technical questions in the first place.

Mark,
Your post was indeed one of the serious ones, and you might want to take a look at

Blow Dog

Leave the muppet forum alone!

ChrisB

I quite like the other forums, especially “Non Scooby Related”

I know very little technically about cars, but I’ll always try to help out on an IT question (or other topic I might know something about) in Non Scooby Related. I see it as a way of trying to add my little bit to ScoobyNet.

Cheers,

Chris.
0RON.

Mr.Cookie

Blow Dog
Blow Dog
Blow Dog
Blow Dog

banshi

Thoughts?
If NSR and "drivel" remain in an appropriate forum it should't cause concern. In fact some of the NSR topics can, on occassions, be informative. As I recall no one diverted the thread when Otis was recently looking for support, nor has it happened with Steph's engine quest. Regretably this wasn't the case for Simon, but am I wrong in thinking this is the exeption?

You have, as usual, delivered a constructive suggeston. However it does run the risk of legitimising the hi-jacking of serious threads. The "muppeters'" are in the main established members of Scoobynet who would probably respond reasonably to requests to self moderate.

Is that worth a try before we conceed to anarchy?

BN

Chris L

I think there is room for all the forums. It does make sense to keep the 'less' serious posts out of the main areas - as far as I'm aware it is certainly not the intention of anyone to upset people with forums like 'Muppets'. After all we still get accused by the RS boys of being too serious. I like the board as it is.

I am pleased to have met many of the people who have posted on here and I now regard many of these people as friends. I think that speaks volumes for the whole Scoobynet community. Long may it continue.

Chris 'Muppet' L

Otis

Dear all,

Yes I am happy with it as it is . My main point was I don't know how I will feel if the 'fun' stuff becomes the dominant style of thread. How would this affect the image of the BBS? More importantly how would this affect the credibility of the BBS? Would the likes of Prodrive and Richard Burns still want to be associated with us if the Subaru stuff gets lost amongst the more light hearted stuff? Who knows?

I suppose all I'm saying is that we should perhaps keep a close eye on the balance and for example resist the temptation of setting up a 'Friends of Vicky Butler Henderson' forum if the Muppet and other non related forums are going well. Works both ways though, if we start to get a little too serious then stick something in. I'm sure you know what I'm trying to say.

Webmaster,

Hope you don't mind the feedback, that's the only reason I originally posted. I just hope it stays constructive and proves helpful.

RB170,

Car is going like a missile, thanks for asking. I don't so much drive it now as hang on!! For the benefit of IM I have based this judgement on the car's performance upto 70mph. I have not been near any tracks or airfields .


Otis.

Dave T-S

SimonM
So where do I sit where your cold start question was concerned - serious or Muppet??

AWD

Having looked at the thread in qustion it looks as if Dave answered it in seriousness and then got sidetracked by another..... at which point it became a conversation between them for a couple of posts each.

I like the muppet forum personally, but it doesn't stop me from adding serious stuff if I can help.

I do like the general god humour of the board and would hate to see parts of it culled off...

AWD

...errr I meant 'good' humour

Diablo

Many of you know my thoughts on this.

Keep the Muppet Forum - gives me somewhere to put the *crap* from Non Scooby Related.

More seriously, it keeps the rest of the board generally good quality which was a big problem before.

SimonM - unlucky one with your post, that sort of thing is really annoying.

Simon DB - rather than muppetise the thread and reinstate the original, in the case of that particular thread why not just delete the offending posts....Sunil & Dave unlikely to be too offended after all!!

D

AWD

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by SimonM:
<B>I posted a serious question the other day (

Nimbus

I agree with SimonM on this one.

I've read many posts here in the general section and elsewhere only to see them turn into a two way slagging match (in good humor) and completly OT. P's me off when I see it.

I do think that humor has it's place here, and I cirtainly don't want to see the BBS turn into a tech only place where you can not have any fun, but maybe the 'fun' replies can be a bit more restrained...?

Self moderation is the key.

Cheers.

AWD

My point is that all threads can be redirected back onto the original subject when they stray (whether they stray off to another serious topic or off into muppet comments). Almost all threads stray from the original topic at some point.

Surely it's a lot easier for the thread initiator to try to redirect the thread than to have people moderating threads, splitting them up, etc.

In the thread mentioned above nothing like this was even attempted.

It's all very well blaming the 'muppets', but a little effort could have sorted all this out IMHO...

Nimbus

AWD,

I don't think that the moderator splitting and deleting posts is the way either.

I have on occasions tried to steer a hijacked thread back OT, which does work. But the point being that it should not have deteriorated into a one liner posting duel in the first place.

AWD

Nimbus

Be that as it may, many threads turn into little conversations between people for a little while and then usually they are steered back on course and the topic reverts to the original one.

I just thought that it was a bit off for SimonM to not bother to say anything on the original thread (like "hey guys - I am after some serious advice here, please can you take it elsewhere") and then later to attack the people who had their little 6 post conversation on the thread.

IMO if the thread was important enough for Simon to get annoyed that others were posting non-serious posts to it, then it was important enough for him to try to steer it back on course. He attacked the 'muppets'. Yet there were 2 serious replies to his question. Did he thank the posters of these serious messages? Did he mention that one of the 2 serious answers was also from one of the people he branded as a 'muppet'?

Edited 'cos I can't spell


[This message has been edited by AWD (edited 07 December 2000).]

Nimbus

AWD,

True, maybe if we do try to re-direct OT threads a little more then we would not get as many being hijacked (however, there have been many threads that went OT and turned out to be more interesting ).

I can understand SimonM's sentiments, as I feel the same way. You are right about the example given, but it does seem to be the way things are going at the moment.

It's down to all of us to make the BBS into something we want to use and would be happy being associated with. Some people don't mind the OT stuff, some do. That's what makes this community such an interesting place...

AWD

I'm all for a bit of give and take...

Tolerance is the cure to all this IMHO

SimonM?