Rant How off topic should the off topic forum really be?

[Krys]

Most women gossip, there are a few who don't.

That's quite a generalisation. Some women gossip, some men gossip, I don't think it is fair to say most women gossip. Having a conversation does not mean a woman is gossipping. "Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature." I'd say most of my conversations in real life do not fit under any of those topics - nor does it for most people I work with.

I mean, what n72.75 is saying is not to close the off-topic forum, he was just suggesting to spread some nice non Orbiter related ideas over the internet instead of limiting them here on the off-topic forum.

I think I explained myself in my previous posting, however I'll try again - I don't go elsewhere because I prefer the comments and conversations with the people on this forum. That is not to say I don't discuss things on other forums, for instance I don't go into details about my gynae issues here, I leave that for specific medical forums, or problems with my car - I use the C4 forum for that.

 

[Tex]

Hi Matthew,

Thank you for your feedback on the forum. :tiphat:

Personally I am happy with the variety of topics we see in the off-topic forum. I know a lot of communities offer an off-topic forum, but most of them limit the discussions forbidding things like politics & religion. I love that we can have intelligent and civilized discussions (most of the time ) on just about any topic. Everyone is different though, so eventually you will see somethings that stray from your comfort zone, and that is perfectly understandable. People get comfortable in a particular community, so it is only natural when they want to discuss a wide range of off-topic things with the members they've come to know. They know here members appreciate mature discussions where flame wars and disrespect won't be tolerated ensuring a peaceful environment for real discussion and debate.

In the case with the sex partners thread, why not just avoid the thread? Simply don't click on the link when viewing the new posts list. I know you can still see the title, but that is the best solution I could recommend at this time because we have no plans to change the off-topic section. Perhaps we may consider a modification that would allow you to ignore select forums, so you would not see the forum or any new posts from that forum in the new posts lists. I can not promise anything here though since we have put a hold on implementing major new features for the time being.


Let me just say to everyone that the Mods and Admins have all been monitoring the sex partners thread and have been discussing whether it's appropriate or not since it was created. This is indeed a family friendly forum with some members as young as 13 years old, so we do monitor the content as closely as we can to keep the real inappropriate stuff off the forums. On the other hand, we try our best to give you all free speech to discuss a wide range of things. The sex partners topic in particular is borderline. I praise all of our members who participated in that thread who have really done a great job staying civil and mature about the discussion. For that reason, we have left it alone. Obviously if the discussion were going in a more graphic direction, then we might feel it was going too far.

Thank you everyone for your kind words! We are very happy to volunteer our time for the community here and it's always great to see you all enjoying the forum.

 

[Rtyh-12]

Well, you really do make a great job :thumbup:

 

[Mister Mxyzptlk]

Over the past year or so, I've noticed that there is an increasingly large number of off topic threads. While some of this is fine, I feel that many people are using Orbiter-Forum to discuss off topic material in an on topic way.

There have been a few things that have strayed out of my comfort zone, lately enough so that I feel obligated to write this. I want to be clear though, I in no way intent to attack or berate those who post a lot in the off topic forum, I my self do so often. I think that it's important to have things like the random comments thread and the off topic forum. It gives people a little "breath of fresh air" and makes the orbiter stuff a little more interesting.

What I'm trying to say is: if you're passionate enough to write so much off topic stuff, you probably have an interesting life. Why don't you join some forums related to what you're talking about and then just link us to there. Or for that matter you could start a forum.

We have a great community with great things th talk about. We should spread that to other communities.

Sorry if I've offended anyone, that was not my intent.

Interesting that the solution for a poster who posts something "out of YOUR comfort zone" is to post elsewhere. Hmmm.......maybe your comfort zone needs a little self examination? Whenever I have a problem with what I feel comfortable with I first look inward to see if my feelings are valid or idiosyncratic. As someone once said "The unexamined life is not worth living."

 

[jinglesassy]

I have just been avoiding the sex partners thread. I may of come across as wanting the off topic forum removed but its just the opposite that i was trying to say. Off topic forums let communities grow and thrive more so then without them. We are all a part of a gem community that is in a sea of bad communities.

 

[Pablo49]

Actually, we have 6 off-topic forums at the moment: Off-Topic, Space Flight News, Space Math & Physics, Astronomy & the Night Sky, Backyard Rocketry, International Forum. All those are off-topic from Orbiter, and the general Off-Topic is for generic topics which don't fit into other off-topic forums at Orbiter-Forum, like this one.

If I'm not mistaken though, right there in the banner it's an "Orbiter and Space Flight discussion board" Which covers a couple of those. And I'm assuming most everyone here won't look at most of those as off-topic. Though technically they may not be on topic, their topics go hand-in-hand with the main topic. Minus the Off-topic section of course.

 

[Ark]

IMO, every good forum needs a completely off-topic section, and O-F's is one of the best I've ever seen. I don't know of anywhere else that can handle the topics we discuss here in such a civilized manner.

 

[orb]

If I'm not mistaken though, right there in the banner it's an "Orbiter and Space Flight discussion board" Which covers a couple of those.

Well, I don't have that banner, as I use Apollo (fixed) forum skin, which only says "ORBITER FORUM".
My statement was based only on the fact, that all the forums I listed are in the "Off-Topic Forums" category, which implies that they are off-topic from the main topic of the bulletin board.

 

[insanity]

The Orbiter Community is one of the few places that give me hope that the internet can be an invaluable tool for bringing ideas and cultures together. We have a wide-range of people here, both in terms of geography and age, and that has created classic discussions about a host of issues. From Orbiter to space, politics, religion, and yes even sex I find myself constantly impressed by the intelligence and maturity of this community.

Personally, I'd hate to see the topics of discussion limited because some members aren't comfortable with the topic at-hand. As long as the thread is handled maturely (and our mods do a great job with that), then I fail to see a problem with having these discussions. If the topic is of no interest or you find it too taboo, then don't participate.