Any suggestions for dealing with very long threads which go off topic, often pointlessly?

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Why rate threads? Seems unnecessary judgmental.

Just report a thread. There's mostly a mature group of people in this forum. No need to make it complicated.
 
I'm not sure the best place to have the new reactions is behind a button labelled "Like". Is it possible to add another button, and have it trigger a notification to the mods when used?
 
Seagull said:
I'm not sure the best place to have the new reactions is behind a button labelled "Like". Is it possible to add another button, and have it trigger a notification to the mods when used?
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“React” might be a better name than Like.

FWIW the Off-Topic and Boring options have no icon for me, just an empty box, not sure if that’s the same for everybody?
 
Zenith63 said:
FWIW the Off-Topic and Boring options have no icon for me, just an empty box, not sure if that’s the same for everybody?
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Hi Z. I haven't figured out how to attach an icon to it. But it should work? Try marking this post as off-topic.

Brendan
 
mathepac said:
"Report", bottom left
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Brendan Burgess said:
On reflection, this might be the best way to do it.

If people hit the Report button with the simple phrase "one to one conversation" or "off-topic" , the mods can make the call.
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This makes sense.

Could the "Report" popup include some explanatory text like:
Common reasons for reporting a post include:
  • It is off-topic
  • It is part of a one-to-one conversation/private argument between two users that is derailing the thread
  • It is advertising
  • The thread is in the wrong forum
  • <Some of the other main points from the posting guidelines>
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And maybe edit the Posting Guidelines slightly, e.g.,
4 Please stay on topic
Some threads stray off topic to such an extent that the discussion bears no relation to the original question. If you want to introduce a new question, start a new topic. Off-topic banter or a one-to-one conversation between/private argument two users which distracts from the original question will be deleted. If you see such posts, report them. Don't respond.
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To be honest, I think your reinventing the wheel here.
50 posts in on what should be done when a post gets derailed!!

It sort of reminds me of the Public Service creating a new position to fulfill a need that's not really required.

Your going to have folk who will be replying to posts in a stifled manner, and the snipers will be out there ready to pounce.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
So we introduce our own Section 21 ban on discussing Sinn Féin outside the Letting Off Steam forum?

Brendan
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Even if SF don't end up having a profound impact on our personal finances, there is plenty of legitimate anxiety that they might. So I think opening a new thread asking how an incoming governments' specific policy might impact my tax/pension/business/tenancy is legitimate, random comments within threads less so.
 
LS400... said:
To be honest, I think your reinventing the wheel here.
50 posts in on what should be done when a post gets derailed!!
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I think this thread is well worth it. If we get it right it will make the mods' lives easier and the site better.

LS400... said:
Your going to have folk who will be replying to posts in a stifled manner, and the snipers will be out there ready to pounce.
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The mods still have the Posting Guidelines to follow and of course their own judgement. The "snipers" will quickly learn that not all of their reports will result in the post being deleted.

And the approach has the large benefit that the mods will (hopefully) be made aware of spats/threads going off topic quite quickly without having to closely follow every thread.
 
NoRegretsCoyote said:
No thread has ever recovered after the introduction of the words "Sinn Féin".

I don't think a rule is needed, but if people talked about policy instead of politics things would be a lot better.
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Or "union" or probably "bitcoin" for that matter.

Where it gets tedious is when it just becomes 2 people disecting each other's posts and attempting to score points when it is clear that 2 diverse opinions are never going to change
 
The Report button and a thumbs down icon seem like enough, to me.

Let's also try and ensure that we don't turn the site into a "nanny state"
 
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