Hello all - Forgive the length of this, but it has been a long time coming, and other recent comments seem to lend credence to the following question filled post /rant...
Has anyone suggested to "the big cheese" a little restructuring to the main headings by adding categories (beside myself (eg. "A Mouth Full" - for descriptions of oral consumables))? It is clearly needed based upon how much posting under the "wrong" categories goes on (whatever that means) and considering the even less than general scope (if there is such a thing) in which the current categories cover. Although a recent thread "digressed" quickly from word comparison to food to architecture, it did seem to settle the word issue, offer a collection of words about food I was unfamiliar with and... How about those categories "Mac Specific" or "Seasonal Greetings" or... (I'm sure y'all can come up with some more appropriate and inclusive).
Why is a recent thread called "Words learned in genealogy" in Misc, and not in Q+A? -or- why isn't "Interesting word site... in Info+? I do not mean to pick on anything or one specific, but what about transferring one thread from one category to another when so clearly misplaced? How about having the current subject(as current as the last newly posted response) listed next to the original subject? (anyone who knows databases knows this is already "set-up" to do so).
Or here's a better idea! Those of you who have reached Old Hand Or Veteran (whatever level is appropriate) can announce a stop (by post) to a specific thread and/or "order" or initiate it's transfer to another subject line when appropriate (we trust you). This will of course need more categories to accomodate these actions as well as a little white flag signifying its surrender. Could we leave it up to the original poster who would be able to change the original Post Icon? (is this true?) It seems to be the time to "do this" as a recent post is collecting all the board rules and etiquette.
I could see each of Wordplay, Q+A, Misc., all divided into 6 (or so) sub groups. Anyone else care to suggest what they might be called? This is a growing board and it can't survive its whole childhood stuck in a playpen! rant/
Where is that wise ol' person who "talks to the big head"?
ps. This subject may indeed have been touched upon before on some thread that is buried so deep in the history that I (as all the YARTs that occur) will never have enough time to find. As I suggested above, it is you "veterans" (with a well stocked memory) who will be posting connecting threads and should be (as you do already) in charge of these structural modifications.
>Has anyone suggested to "the big cheese" a little restructuring to the main headings by adding categories ...
I know what you mean. My partner says the world is divided into "splitters" and "lumpers", those who tend to put things together or find all the nifty sub-categories. I am, by nature, definitely a splitter. The problem sometimes arises when my complex thought processes baffle even myself and papers sit around for eons until they get to exactly the right category (by the time, I've decided, the best place for them is usually the bin). Similarly my C: drive is elegantly arranged into a veritable maze of directories and sub-directories.
The short answer to you question (IMHO - did I say that, eek!) is that Anu don't seem too keen to change nothin'. You could try an e-mail but we haven't had a lot of success.
Setting up new threads is easy, if you spot a suitable sub-category, then anyone is free to do it. Maybe there should be a Mac Specific of Seasonal Greetings thread, like the others, they will either sink or swim.
We did try moving a few threads early on. In at least one case, I copied the previous discussion (mainly mine and with the permission of the other people who had posted!) over to another forum as it had become rather unwieldy. The problem is that some threads take off and others just sink. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason, often just sparked off by one comment or a bit of innuendo. Don't you think that if we set up a new thread, every time there was a thread started in the wrong place it would be even more of a mess and we'd look a bit over authoritarian, as Tsuwm said "We don't want no steenkin' rules", some of us are real Mavericks here! I'm not sure that some of us who have been around the longest (and may not be here forever) necessary want to be thought of as the "thought police". I'll leave this as a comment and see how others react, they may like to undertake it. In the meantime, I'm happy to provide links, when I spot the relevance to other threads, as that way, I feel, people can take them or leave them as they choose.
I'll leave it to others to express an opinion. What do y'all want?
Whoa, my noted notated noteworthy friend, this post sounds like you've been bugged about this for some time.
how much posting under the "wrong" categories goes on (whatever that means) Well, now, you hit one of the main problems. There isn't anyone to decide what the "right" and "wrong" categories are! True, some posts seem pretty clear-cut, but there are more in the gray area. Would you have Anu swoop down and move your post to some unknown place?
Why is a recent thread called "Words learned in genealogy" in Misc, and not in Q+A? -or- why isn't "Interesting word site... in Info+? I do not mean to pick on anything or one specific, but what about transferring one thread from one category to another when so clearly misplaced? How about having the current subject(as current as the last newly posted response) listed next to the original subject? (anyone who knows databases knows this is already "set-up" to do so). Okay, here's evidence right off the bat of the above problem. I don't see why either of the two threads you just mentioned should go where you suggest that they should. And other people may have different ideas of a "correct" location. As far as moving a thread goes, anyone who can copy and paste can do it. But I, at least, would not appreciate somebody doing that to a thread I had started! So, if a thread is going to be moved, I think good manners would call for either asking the originator to do it, or for permission to do it yourself. That database current subject thing, now--that sounds really helpful!
Those of you who have reached Old Hand Or Veteran (whatever level is appropriate) can announce a stop (by post) to a specific thread and/or "order" or initiate it's transfer to another subject line when appropriate (we trust you). God in heaven, not me! No way, no how, under no circumstances would I EVER presume to give orders here! Geez, how utterly rude that would be! Unthinkable, for me. Can't prevent others from doing it, certainly, but I would be affronted, on behalf of the people who posted, even if I hadn't made a post there. GEEZ I can't imagine doing such a thing--please don't ever, EVER, suggest that to me as a possibility, ever again. I'm sorry, I have to go now. The very idea has me upset.
One of the major attractions of this board is the ambivalent attitude taken by its owner towards what happens on it. Anyone who's worked with a moderated board (which I'm sure includes most of us) will know that it is much more frustrating than the usually genteel anarchy which prevails here.
As for agonising over whether a thread belongs in one category or another, I don't even understand the problem. I simply check all of the categories every day and look at the threads/posts which interest me immediately. When I have more time, I check out the others. Sometimes you miss the opportunity to offer some bon mot or trot out your favourite quip or hold forth on the usage of some word or phrase, but so what? Other opportunities will come up.
If control is your thing I suggest you seek out boards where it exists. But from experience you'll know that someone else's idea of what's right and wrong very rarely correlates with your own.
The flow and ebb of ideas is the main attraction for me. They don't all interest me, of course not. But I'd hate to think that someone's views weren't available to me because some moderator was deciding what is and isn't kosher!
And, like Jackie, no way, no how would I want to be the moderator in any event.
I would like to endorse CKs wise words, which are much as I might have writ myself, had I got in first.
Whatever else, this board is a force for world unity, peace and brotherhood (well - some of the time!). Who would ever have thought to hear me, the acme of Old English reactionism, actually agreeing with an ex-colonial from the antipodes!!!! Especailly one who had the temerity to have the same idea as me before I'd had a chance to put it in, myself!
BTW, is there a non-sexist but succinct way of expressing "brotherhood"? And is it necessary so to do? (says he, ducking behind his desk)
BTW, is there a non-sexist but succinct way of expressing "brotherhood"? And is it necessary so to do? (says he, ducking behind his desk)
'Sodality' comes to mind, which may even be particularly appropriate to this forum since it carries with it nuances of collective devotion (albeit in this case to words and to our dear Anu, as opposed to the more traditional Roman Catholic usage)
Comradeship would probably work as well.
Regarding the original subject of this thread, i think CK hit it on the nose; he looks at *all* the major categories and only reads what is interesting to him, admitting that by doing this he may potentially miss out on a few would-be intriguing threads that have digressed into something more personally relevant. my suggestion, then, would be that when a thread takes on a completely different hue after multiple entries, someone might suggest that the thread be restarted (as is often the case, of late) with a more appropriate title. this seems to work fairly well, and without anyone having to commandeer the position of Official Thought Enforcer.
Okay, I've had time to calm down a little, now. I was unable, in my last post, to continue on and say that I abosolutely love the unpredictability of where any particular topic will go next! This is also why I love reading in flat mode--I want to see what was said in what order, and who cares whether it's on topic or not? As far as I am concerned, this is a place of conversation, not a class in which lecture notes are given and taken in outline form.
Whew--glad that's off my chest. Now--Bridget96, I had to look up sodality. I like the fellowship def., and the nuance of worshiping our Great Originator . But, (Rhuby, are you listening?) there is brotherhood, and there is sisterhood. So, why couldn't there be--wait for it--siblinghood?[ducking flying rotten vegetables emoticon]
About the AWADtalk confraternity ..How about : friends? I like to think that. --------------------------------------------------------- An dear Musick I hope you have gotten your frustrations off your chest and are feeling a bit better ... To me, those Misplaced Posts are are part and parcel of the Board. The board is like a big party with everyone having a good time! You meet new people, exchange views, tell jokes, make puns, learn a bit here and there, agree, disagree, welcome the children when they come into the party to do their piece, try not to spill anything on the rug ... all the while remembering that you owe it to the host to behave decently to one another. And if you make a particular connection you can go into a quiet corner for a few moments and exchange Private Messages. So, dear Musick, Throw up your hands. Yell! Stamp your feet! Do whatever it takes to shake off your frustration. Then cheer up! And come back and join the party. We would miss you if you went away. wow
Meanwhile, my only real quarrel with how things are arranged here is that the Q&A board is so full of threads that sometimes I have to go back a page or two to see everything. And that takes time. Meanwhile [beating/flogging deceased-equine emoticon] the Weekly Themes board is sadly underused.
Where things go doesn't worry me too much because (as I mentioned before) I don't always put things in the same boxes as others and I do enjoy the way things pop up in strange places (except maybe here, in Information and Announcements, which someone once said was good because it was slow moving and not full of junk, then it started to fill up). There were definitely a few raised eyebrows when Q&A started to fill up with recipes and there have also been a few comments about keeping politics out of Q&A.
My machine and connection are both quite fast, so I don't experience the frustration of waiting ages for something to load then find it has wandered a long way off topic. For example - how many steps did it take to go from "help" to "Transvestite"> .
So I tend to skim read a lot, miss a lot, when I'm busy (or meant to be) and I don't really have an opinion on this subject. When y'all decide, let me know if I need to change anything in the "Info for Newcomers" thread. I do get the impression that we have appeared a little unfriendly recently and I wouldn't like us to give any more "strangers" the wrong impression!
> I do get the that we have appeared a little unfriendly recently and I wouldn't like us to give any more "strangers" the wrong impression!
I know this has been said before by others. It's my turn. I think everyone on AWAD is great. Not only do I get to learn a lot about the language, I also enjoy learning some word, writing it carefully in my book only to find it doesn't exist, and that the person I picked it up from was having a bit of fun with it. Love it when that happens!
>You said, Thank you Anusaheb and y'all. Now dagnabbit, will ya quit mixin' your languages together? Whaddaya call that, anyway--Hinglish?
Saheb (pronounced Sa'ab) is a respectful way of addressing a man in India. And "y'all" is the way they shorten "you all" in the US. But Jackie since you won't know anything about that - I'll be happy to learn ya.
Oh! And the "eh" in the title I picked up from the Brits.
My $.02, for what it's worth (not that much), is similar to what most of our colleagues/brethren/sistren/sodalites/whatever have already noted. I am often amused by the labyrinthan course which postings take, starting out with one thing and morphing, sometimes more than once, into something else. Sometimes it's confusing when you are trying to remember where you saw something, since what you saw may have no relation to the title of the original post, but that's a small price to pay for what we get. I guess basically my reaction to any proposal to "regulate" postings is about what I would feel if someone proposed to "regulate" the conversation at a dinner party or any other gathering of friends, like a bunch of people sitting down with pizza and beer. A lot of what we do on this board is glorified conversation, carried on in a rather strange and roundabout way, but conversation nevertheless. And I happen to think that the best conversation bloweth where it listeth, even when it blows hard. And what isn't conversation, but more like a lecture, and we get that too, and very valuable most of it is, can be more rationally fit into the categories available. Since I too tend to read averything in most of the categories, it doesn't really matter too much where anything is, since I'll get to it sometime or other. I guess the bottom line is that I don't think the possible benefits of messing with the system will be worth it.
I have yet to galumph in on this weighty topic because we all seem to agree that things are as they are and we like them like that (mostly). but I thought it might be appropriate to tack on the end here (this is winding down, isn't it? ) that maybe the difference between this board and those unmentionable ones where true anarchy prevails is that, at the end of the day, we take words seriously; and these occasional threads serve to remind us (and inform others) of that.
Apparently my sarchasm got lost in the shuffle of ideas...I shall refrain in the future from posting such a long collection of foolishness... (or a wink after each line may be necessary)
"If control is your thing I suggest you seek out boards where it exists. But from experience you'll know that someone else's idea of what's right and wrong very rarely correlates with your own."
Thank you CK. It took someone like yourself, who is more "direct" (don't take that personally) to the point, to reduce my “question filled post /rant” into a “answer/sentence”. (BTW WOW and Jackie - would it have made less of an impact without the word rant.?.)
I've played devils' advocate before, but never with such a wonderful group of people as here, and I will say I'm sorry for doing so (especially to Jackie) 'cause I see the point hasn't gotten through to those who I thought would understand. (Feel free to "rip me up" privately for this one...)
I have to say, this subject came from the fact that I got a chance to (re)read some "not-so-old" threads, and there is a certain amount of hypocracy that exists (as if I didn't just prove how that impression can be gotten)... let us say after doing so and hearing what y'all had to say about this subject, I feel much more free to say what I think... as opposed to the impression that I got when I first started here. Does anyone remember the response to Father Steve (“We are not alone”) “comparing” this board to the NYTimes group.?.yikes! (I'm glad this post is here now for newcommers to see, but unfortunately, like some topics, it will "slowly sink into obscurity"...)
I don't understand why there are categories at all! I know (from personal and posted messages) that some people are clearly not happy with the lack of "structure", yet there are no boundries in which to assume structure exists. I would usually amuse myself in finding structure where it doesn't exist, in this case I have to say, the fact that we use words here to talk about words leaves us open to ALL topics, especially the basics (i.e. food, shelter, and clothing(need I say more?). I'd be the "first to leave" if I thought there was a "thought patrol" on board, and although I do believe we could use more categories, nothing I said was suggesting the idea (as some of you interpreted) of "controling thoughts". However, pointing some of these examples and inconsistencies out was part of my main point, the "Veterans" on board are already doing this "deed" and any attempt at applying structure is calling in "the authorities"...
I thank you all for your thoughts (as if that needs to be said), and let me leave you with two more of mine
1) imagine the beautiful chaos in attempting to describe music using only music to "speak with"
2)I have a VERY healthy lack of repect for authority, yet I see no need for either one here!!!!
As Tsuwm suggests, I officially (whatever that means) call an end to this thread (talk to me privately)!
Yes, anarchy still prevails, despite some valiant attempts to curb it. Better yet, Anu still doesn't seem to give a fig about what we do or don't do ...
Yet cosy agreement as was largely reflected in the first tranch of this resurrected thread will not always be possible. That's the nature of the constantly changing active membership and the attitudes of the current members. [shrugs-as-he-walks-away -e]
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rant/
