Proposal - Non BC Related or Off Topic Chat

[ericspin]

Beside being nuts about my new BC puppy and trying to soak in all the info I can here I also am an avid cyclist. I am an active member of a cycling forum that recently tried this by creating on OT section. It died pretty quickly. It seemed to be just a bunch of rambling about nothing in particular. I am new here but I kind of like the peppering of OT subjects mixed in a General classification. I agree with others that if you follow the forum throughout the day the OT subjects add a little variety.

[borderlicious]

I like the idea of an OT section, but that's because I'm a chatterbox and will gab about almost anything. I don't have a problem with wading through OT posts but I think it would be nicer for people looking for Border Collie information to be able to go to "general" and read about BCs instead of global warming or the fur trade.

 

I support it. It doesn't have to be rigid, but for the super OT things I think it'd be a good place to post.

[juliepoudrier]

I still think it would be nice to have a separate section for OT chat. It could be called something catchy like "Chatterbox" or "Coffee Break" so it doesn't sound dismissive, but it sure would be nice for the main sections of the border collie boards to actually contain posts mainly about border collies. I would like to be able to help folks with border collie-related questions sometimes (I'm one of those folks Becca mentions who gets a bit tired of the same old questions and refusals to use the search function--another reason I don't post often in the general section--but that's a personal thing), but I don't have tons of time to wade through a bunch of OT stuff to find posts I might wish to read and reply to. Sometimes I like to join in with the OT discussions, but it would be easier to have them all in one place so if I had time I could scan the subjects but wouldn't have to dig through them to find the on topic stuff.

 

J.

[smileyzookie]

Originally posted by kajarrel:

I vote to get rid of the OT stuff all together.

Kim

Ok, first I have to say wow. Is it really that big of a hassle that you have to get rid of it?

 

I like the way the board is now. I feel like with my recent issue with Rohan, that having an O/T thread in general got more responses than a O/T forum would. I agree with Kat

[donna frankland (uk)]

i really dont mind which happens (stays the same or a new section) but please dont get rid of ot stuff altogether (sorry kim, nothing personal hun )

cos i know there are many times, sad as it may seem that i need these boards just for someone to chat to or get stuff off my chest. i know there are 1000000000000000's of other forums etc out there that i can talk nonsense to, but you guys arent on there (sniff) and i feel safe here. i have a sneaking suspision that i am not the only one who is as wet as me about the boards

[Carson Crazies]

I could go either way, really, but lean more towards having an off topic forum. A lot of the forums I belong to have an NDR (Non-Dog Related) forum - and typically they are pretty well active. I think it's a pretty cool feature. I frequently visit the NDR forums on other boards because every now and then I *am* in the mood to titter about husbands or discuss world peace. Other days I'm all about dogs though, and having a specified NDR section helps to keep them somewhat seperate.

[IronHorse]

Julie Poudrier;

But don't we already have an option with the "Todays active Topic" icon that allows you to do pretty much what your asking?

Not to have to wade though O/T postings that don't interest you?

[KrisK]

JMO about the 'search' function not being used. I don't think it's always a matter of not wanting to use the function but a matter of HOW to use it properly. I still don't know how people actually put the "LINK" into the reply (like Julie did in the OT depression talk)

Some of us are not as efficient at computer jargon as others (like avatars! that took awhile for me to figure).

Perhaps a sticky on how the search can be used, might be useful. Like I said, jmo.

And I have to agree with donna....I do feel safe and respected on this board.

Whatever the outcome, I'll be here

[PSmitty]

Ditto Laura's post. (how's that for lazy? )

[Kat's Dogs]

One other issue with the search function (that can't really be helped though) is that some of the best threads on House Training or Pulling on the Lead eventually get deleted because of age, so then when someone does a search they just find a ton of posts linking to a post that doesn't exist anymore. I have had that problem before...

 

Maybe if more of those kinds of thread were put into the Archive section (or FAQs) then that would help. Basically like what Miztiki had started.

[MrSnappy]

Originally posted by juliepoudrier:

I agree with Rebecca as well. Most days I just skim the subject lines in the general section and it seems there's more and more off topic discussion.

I completely agree. The OT posts are becoming very prevelant.

 

I joined this board for a discussion of the dogs (border collies)--I can find all the other stuff in other places.

Ditto again.

 

If people must go off topic, I would rather they did it in a section specified for this.

 

ETA - on a local rescue board I scan periodically, the "white noise" or OT forum seems to get some of the most activity, more so than the actual rescue forums. This partly the culture of those people, but it goes to show that there is clearly a place for a well attended OT room, and that would probably be the case here as well.

 

I realize that some folks really view the BC Boards as a little virtual family and they want to share news about their knitting, gardens and thoughts on animal skinning but the fact is - these are boards for border collies. They are called the BC Boards. I don't really enjoy wading through topics that are unrelated to BCs and I come here less and less because the OT contigent is growing bigger. There is less of interest for me here, sadly. I think having a "room" for people to talk about knitting/gardening/skinning animals would be a reasonable solution.

 

RDM

[Catu]

I'm drifting off of the thread, so ignore me if you want, but with all the new board thing and then with what Donna said (and I agree)I were thinking in the possibility to have a Chat Room. I don't really know how much does them work, as I use just MSN Messenger, but... I don't know, flame me, but I think it would be nice and we could discuss all the off-topics we want

[juliepoudrier]

Ironhorse,

The active topics function pulls up active topics (obviously), so if the OT stuff is what's active, that's what you get. On top of that, it seems the function lists topics by most recent posts, so that you get a list that doesn't even group posts by section (general, companion, etc.). Not a great time saver that.

 

I joined these boards some time ago because I wanted to discuss border collies--not world peace, personal health, religion, politics, endangered species, the weather, news of the moment or anything else unrelated to border collies. If I want a serious discussion of those other topics, I would find a forum dedicated to them.

 

I am not against the occasional off topic post, and I know that often discussions wander off topic after a while, but really, didn't we all join here because we wanted to talk border collies? What's the harm in putting the OT chat in a separate section?

 

***wandering a bit OT here***

KrisK,

Anyone who used a search to find these boards or anything else on the Internet can figure out the search function here. You don't have to be a computer geek to do so. It's not a difficult form to fill out. You put in your keyword(s), choose the forum you wish to search (or all forums) and hit the search button. Really not much different from using Google.

 

As for the URL links, it's simple, but I had to figure it out for myself. Generally if you scroll to the bottom of a discussion there's a blank box into which you can write your post. But if you choose the "full reply form" option it will bring up a form that includes the buttons for all the gremlins, for putting in a URL with a catchphrase instead of just the address, and other things as well.

 

While a sticky on searching might be useful, I would bet that it would be ignored about as much as the "Read This First" sticky at the top of the general discussion forum.

 

***back on topic***

Back to the topic at hand: People like Kim and others we seldom hear from anymore used to post lots of helpful information here. Some of them get tired of posting and go their own way, but I can't help but think that some of those losses could be avoided if we kept OT chatter to a minimum in the border collie sections of the boards.

 

On the other stockdog- and sheep-related boards I'm on there is always a section specifically for chatter, and they are all well used.

 

ETA: Kat, a couple of years ago, there was some sort of crash and a lot of archived posts were lost. I don't think there's a routine of deleting old threads, but Eileen would be the best person to answer that question. That said, it doesn't hurt a person to search first and *then* post a question if satisfactory answers couldn't be found by searching first. Personally I think not searching first is just a symptom of a "me first" society that wants everything handed to them without any great effort on their part.

 

J.

[nancy]

I would be happy with a separate category for Off Topic posts. But I sure don't want to miss the chance to post or read such topics, somewhere on these boards.

 

I have found the discussion of depression very informative. I think it's wonderful that we feel such friendship with people we have never met that we are willing to discuss things that I, for one, would be wary about discussing with neighbors or even most of my friends at church.

 

And I did a bunch of web searches and forays through gardening books without getting the useful information about lantanas and primroses that i got here. I'd hate to miss out on the knowledge and expertise in so many diverse fields (pun intended) that I find here.

 

Heck, even when all posters stick to the specific forum subject, I often skim the subject lines and read only those that interest me. But I want to be the one to make those choices.

[KrisK]

After reading Julie's, RDM's, Kim's, Rebecca's posts again, I will get off my fence post and to vote in favour of a dedicated O/T site.

 

The reason I'm saying this - because I don't want to take the chance of losing these very knowledgeable people. They are people whose opinions I respect (although I might not always agree) and that is important to me. I can also trust that what they are saying has been well thought out.

 

BTW,thanks Julie for the url info. I'll be sure to try it.

[muggs]

My vote would go to a separate section. I think it would make it easier to sort through posts at times when you haven't been on the boards for a few days or weeks. To me off-topic or breaktime or whatever you want to call it would be all "non-dog" topics. I would think anything having to do with dogs (of any breed), dog legislation, etc. would stay on topic in the general section. Also that way someone who likes to post OT can do so as much as they like.

[bailey44]

I'm currently reading "Animals in Translation" because of a discussion on the board. I was also able to contribute to the discussion about Jon Katz because I'm familiar with his books. We recently had an eleven response thread on gardening that had absolutely nothing to do with border collies, but pleased me because it was an interest I have as well. I too am a cyclist, as is my husband, and we would like to someday include our b/c in this activity.

 

My point is that it would be a shame to lose the OT--however it is decided--because I am always excited to see how people who love border collies seem to have a lot in common. I think the underlying passion is the love of the breed, but the similar interests are what makes a forum the same, but diverse.

 

One note about "newbies." As a relative new-to-border collies person myself, I am always anxious when a new person posts that truly is clueless about the breed. I remember early on when I joined someone came on and posted something like: "I just got this dog from rescue, I leave him in the garage all day and he is ruining everything in the garage--I thought these dogs are supposed to be smart" I was too new too offer advice, but I remember how you "vets" stepped up and helped this situation. I don't mean to make fun of the poster, she was really in crisis and had no idea what she had gotten into. I'm saying that however you decide to handle the newbies and their questions--as annoying as they may be, I feel that you are saving "red flag" situations that could have very serious consequences. You all were a godsend to her in this situation--and that's just one I thought of off the top of my head, there have been many more that I have admired the way a new person was brought along to the world of border collies.

 

Charlene

[smileyzookie]

My opinion about the search issue is this. Most sites have a side bar or something on top with space to type what you're searching for. The button "search" is kinda hidden in there on these boards.

 

Secondly, if we had a chat room I'd never leave the boards lol. A chat room would be freaking awesome.

[kajarrel]

sorry kim, nothing personal hun

No offense taken, Donna. I was simply being honest - I have gotten to the point where I rarely participate because of the "off topic" chatter. I think that when the Board looses its focus (tries to be everything to everyone), you risk having the quality of the discussions about border collies also deteriorate (as I believe they have). But I could be wrong . . .

 

Kim

[kelpiegirl]

I think if there is a sticky at the top of general section, that deliniates what a typical post's o/t subject matter is, then people can write "o/t". The neat thing about this particular board is it's diversity. If everyone tends to gravitate toward one demographic- pet owners, working dog owners, trainers, then we lose a very nice aspect of this board. Yes, some posts are way o/t, but I just suggest that they be listed as o/t.

Julie

[INU]

A while ago, we had a similar discussion and if I remember correctly, that's how we started 'BC companion' section. Some people were getting tired of OT and cutsie dog topics and we were encouraged to post those in that section.

 

I tried that for a while but I noticed most people go straight to the general section so you don't get a lot of responses if you post in BC companions section.

 

How about we replace that section with OT posts. A lot of people made good friends on the boards and enjoy sharing OT topics. I enjoy reading some of them but yes sometimes they can be overwhelming when you are trying to find some good discussions to read.

 

I think the FAQ section is supposed to be for new-to-Board people. It has tons of basic information and we can send new people there if the question was asked before?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

How about we replace that section with OT posts. A lot of people made good friends on the boards and enjoy sharing OT topics.

I like that idea! And I agree, sometimes I'm in a chatty mood (like now, dead of winter, pre-lambing) and sometimes I'm just too busy and wading through OTs starts to annoy me. Hypocritical and selfish, I know, but I can't believe I'm the only one.

 

And I feel like this would encourage and organize the diversity, not discourage it, as we who sponsor the Boards wouldn't have to worry about whether we are turning into some sort of vague chatroom that used to be about Border Collies.

 

And I don't forsee anyone would need to be the "OT police" - just like right now no one is saying, "Hey, shouldn't you be talking about this in the Companion section?" I just imagine it would be a tool to siphon off a little of the more, let's call it community-oriented talk.

[KrisK]

This is what I like about these boards...there are great problem solvers! I like the idea of using the Companion section for O/T posts. So, I'm going there right now to post an O/T dear to my heart

[toney]

I vote for an O/T or more specifically, a Non-Dog related area of the Boards. I used to read this daily, but this is the first time in about two weeks I have visited here. It seems this is becoming more of a "general" board now than a "Border Collie" board. It seems that lately the Board has lost it's focus a bit, which might be because the clientele has shifted a bit. I know there seems to be less activity from the a lot of the dedicated working people nowadays and their knowledge and expertise is invaluable. Kudos to Rebecca, Bill and Julie and the few others who continue to post and share.

[Zoe]

I vote for a seperate section also.