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I'm not sure about the demoting the thread, but otherwise agree with you. My previous comments weren't intended to suggest that we do anything different, just acknowledging that while I feel like Sydness does (e.g. after what we've put up with IRL, poorly worded responses aren't going to scare me away), some might have a different reaction.


I may be a bit alone in this, but I lean away from actively limiting diversions. On the other hand, I am more global than linear in my approach to most things, so I tend to like when conversations go in new directions. I can see where it might occasionally cause a problem, especially if the meander happens too early in a thread. I think it is appropriate (and helpful) to suggest to someone who jumps in with their own scores to start their own thread so that no one gets confused about which comments go with which scores.

Since I believe I am the person who posted the "No hijacking" guideline suggestion, I'll chime in on what I was thinking. Both of the examples above might warrant at least one new thread, not only to allow both the OP and the new poster(s) to get better answers without having to wade through replies that don't relate to the topic or question of interest to them, but also to be sure that people who are interested in the new discussion topic(s) but who aren't interested in the old one realize that the new discussion is happening. Pointer posts linking both ways in the old thread and the new one are a great way to handle the transition. The intent is not to stifle the flow of conversation, but to stimulate it in a way that makes it more useful to everyone on the forum.

I am right there with you - I started telling my DH I am the thread killer!!!

My understanding from the way that that particular situation was publicly addressed by the moderator was that the poster's actions did at least border on spamming the board, if they didn't actually cross it, and that the correct action in the future, should similar situations arise where there was some question as to whether a posters actions were spam or just unfamiliarity with the board etiquette, would be to contact the moderator and let him him handle it.

kcab, I think that spam is a special sort of problem that probably deserves its own guideline. I could have flagged all of the posts with the links and let the mods handle it. I will do that in the future, and if I'd thought to do it this time the whole issue could have been resolved more cleanly, no question. There would never have ensued any claims of "bullying", and if found to be inappropriate by the mods the linking would have been stopped at some point.

The current rule says that users are encouraged to email the moderator if they find posts offensive. Based on what Mark wrote, there are some changes/additions to the guidelines in the offing. I think for solicitation or spam, probably an explicit definition and prohibition will be good. A suggestion or hard requirement that suspected solicitation be handled by reference to the mods could appear in the same place and be hard to miss.

If newbies are required to read the rules at sign-up, that could help clear up the problem of unintentional solicitation. That looks like an oxymoron now that I've written it, but you get the idea.

Ok, I am having a little issue with your automatic spam thing. I was trying to post the title of a book

Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan

in the book thread... it keeps getting marked Spam?

Islandofapples....go to the post that isn't working properly and press the notify button...ask Mark for help....sometime the Forum just acts weird.

Thanks
Grinity

k thanks. I circumvented it for now with some spaces and dashes. ;D

That blogger gives her side of the story in a thread at the Well Trained Mind forum http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295804 .

Useless trivial factoid: in a similar situation I also jumped to the same conclusion that it felt like "cyber bullying" because it was done online. So I googled it to get a clue how to deal with it. Cyber-bullying is more about impersonating another person and ruining a reputation, or in that one case making up a fake heart-throb to taunt a young girl. Either way cyber bullying seems to include fraudulent persons with cruel intentions. When a pack of members treat a newbie or prospect cruelly it's closer to the description of "workplace bullying".
Although bullying would be more like badgering and harrassing and following her from thread to thread incessantly, IdoRC. However I see that happening in another case which I would not call bullying or badgering because two people have opposite philosophies, are coming from totally different angles, more drastically different than opposites, therefore they often respond against each other in thread after thread. I wouldn't call that bullying or badgering, I'd call it family. Just my 2c.

Plus, I don't see why you can't talk about one board on another when prolific posters are often members of several boards, there's only so many active major boards. Socially that's like saying don't talk to your friend at the gas station about what your neighbor told you at the grocery store. OTOH, boards are made with a mission and a purpose and somebody's paying to host them, not to support your gossip habit.