Is Off-Topic gone forever? [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Where will I post mindless dribble? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
Is Off-Topic gone forever? [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Where will I post mindless dribble? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
Hmmm, maybe Muhammad's next website will be OffTopicbyNet? [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
Chris
We won't be having an OT forum here... [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
Muhammad Chishti
Administrator
<font color="blue"> We won't be having an OT forum here... </font color>
No guts! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Pete
I think it's a good choice not to have an Off-Topic forum. I'm as guilty as anyone for using it to get into political discussions that just tend to cause friction between the members (on the TBN one). I know the jokes are good and all, but there are plenty of other sources for jokes on the web. I'm going to try to do better as far as sticking to country living topics and tractors!
Someone once wrote about TBN and said that it should be like an old country store. You know most everyone there and you can just stop in to chat. That's kinda the way I feel about the off-topic forum. Sometimes I just feel like talking (or writing) about nothing in particular. Yes, there are other boards and places I can go to talk about nothing, but the TBN and CBN people are my kind of people that I would like to talk about nothing with. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
That's why we have the PM system...
Muhammad Chishti
Administrator
Aw shucks! My one and only post was on the Off-topic board. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Since I always have to put in my two cents' worth... I agree with the person who said that this should be like an old country store where you can stop in and chat about anything. Having an off-topic board is a good thing for a lot of reasons. I've participated in several other topic-specific communities and those that have an off topic board or allow off topic posts are always more of a real "community." People get to know each other better and become friends more easily than they can when everyone is required to stick to just one area of discussion. PM is not the same and is no substitute for group discussions.
Off Topic on a particular web site generally means a topic that is related to the primary purpose of the web site but does not fit into one of the predefined forums.
Experience teaches that pretty soon the things discussed in the OT forum are in no way related to the primary purpose of the web site. Not only aren't they vaguely related to the primary purpose of the web site, posts to the Off Topic forum represent 5%, then 10% then 15%, etc. of the total posts on the web site. This is because OT posts tend to generate point-counterpoint posts, with everyone wanting to get in the last word. Or thinking that "Just one more post will convince them I am right and they are wrong." BTW, I have yet to see anyone have their mind changed because of information exchanged on a chat site. More often than not, the best result is wasted bandwidth. The worst case is a flame war.
Once this happens, the primary purpose of the web site is forgotten and it becomes a general chat site. Then people who joined the site based upon its primary purpose become 'the outsiders' and fade away.
To continue with the country store analogy...
A nice little chat starts amongst the staff of the store. (On CBN/TBN/xBN we are all here to help one another so we are the staff). More staff gets involved, because, afterall they have an opinion too. Pretty soon, everyone forgets there are other people in the store who really don't care about the topic. People with CBN or TBN questions enter the store, wait around for assistance but there's no one there to help because everyone else is off in the corner participating in simultaneous monologues. So, the CBN/TBN 'customers' end up leaving. End of analogy and end of web site.
Bravo Mike...extremely well said...!
Between you and Muhammad... that about sums it up... No Off Topic...
Now we can get back to... CountryByNet... and relax with great country living...[img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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