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RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Mindnova — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:12:48 GMT

[quote]Nep2Ns PlumR (4/28/2008)

Mindnova has specific interests. Not necessarily interested in digging thru betas and guppies to get to rams.[quote]

Yes I see haileys point too, but I would Like to slightly correct the idea of specific interests. My interests jump all over the place and change like the wind. That is the reason I like focused topics so I can read and digest everything.

Yes the search engine is a very important tool for me to group and learn things in chunks and for quick reference. I even read the saltwater not because I have one but I can dream.

So unless someone can come up with something that won't create the clutter my original idea could I guess create, I'm just gonna cross my fingers and hope the IT guys can create a really good search function in time. (I'm rooting for you)

I just hope others will join in and contribute so we can entice and keep more members.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Miller — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:50:45 GMT

If the topic is popular it will keep near the top of the list until people stop replying to it. I do agree that we need a better search function. Pherhaps a box to type in like for instance guppies.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Hailey — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:14:42 GMT

Thank you for your input guys...you made a lot of sense. I guess I do take the broad, general approach to the forum because I try my best to read everything and offer advice any time I have any. I've gotten so used to doing that, that if the forum became too complicated I would end up very frustrated, and not visiting nearly as often as I do. I think that is why the long "fish chat" threads kind of bother me...I just can't follow them like I normally would and I end up feeling like I'm missing a lot. Obviously these are pretty specific to me issues, but I can see fillpem's point about not wanting to sort through it all to read all the threads, so I guess it isn't just me.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

filipem — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:24:39 GMT

I think what Mindnova suggested is a good idea, but I like the site the way it is. The problem with to many topics is that it's to time consuming to go through all of them. If there was 15 or 20 more topics to sort through I wouldn't bother going through all of them all the time. I would miss out on reading a lot of threads. Most threads contain valuable information in them that are not always highlighted by the topic title. It's nice to be able to read all of the posts in a few areas a opposed to going through all of the topics one by one. IMO of course. :)

I also think that the search engine stinks but they mentioned that they are working on it, so I guess we will have to be patient.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Nep2Ns PlumR — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:35:23 GMT

I've enjoyed following this thread. Some of the best exchanges in any forum are those generataed by differing points of view.

My $00.02:

There is a "Pinned Topic" at the top of each section that asks that before you ask a question, check the archives to see if it has already been covered. The purpose for this of course is to keep from clogging up the forum with questions repeated time and again. (Of course this happens anyway and sometimes generates new input/information so not always a bad thing.) If the search engined doesn't work well, it just won't get used.

There are 2 schools of thought here. One prefers a more generalized, open format. Hailey is a jack of all trades with a broad expeience base and provides valuable input in every section in this forum. I can see that she would prefer fewer, more generalized categories to read thru. Mindnova has specific interests. Not necessarilly interested in digging thru betas and guppies to get to rams. Easy to see the validity of both points of view.

IMHO the two of you have ultimately hit on the best solution. If the search engine were more efficient it would be much more useful. (Easy to suggest, not quite so easy to emplement.) I think it could be made much more prominate as well. Maybe give it a section of its own (I know I know.....another section:D) so that peolpe would be enticed to use it first, then post if they can't find their topic. (Its kinda burried now, I personally just don't think about it.) Folks with special interests could find and revive burried posts without having to spend a lot of time digging or trying to navigate a slow search engine. And it would allow for more general sections.:)

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Hailey — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:58:57 GMT

Thanks for understanding. I clearly should have taken the time to explain better the first time, but I was in a rush.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Mindnova — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:29:33 GMT

"but when I disagree, I think I should be free to express that too"

Same here; I guess we can agree to disagree:). I just think the RIP section could be put to better use. Pin it in emergencies, and yes my main problem is no efficient search feature.

Putting fish specific sections into a single pinned section, as the moderators are doing now is what I'm suggesting. I don't want the forums filled up with pins either. I see your point of going through pages of questions but it's just a way of letting a few focused fish keepers have their running thread.

And too all those who read this thread please pipe up and join in, the moderators asked for our opinion. I know there are things people would like and good ideas floating around out there.

Thanks hailey for joining in.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Hailey — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:48:23 GMT

I guess what I said didn't come out right (which is what I was a afraid would happen). Maybe this will be more clear. I see what you're saying about keeping topics going, but that gets pretty cumbersome if you have a lot of them that are going for long periods of time, and new ones added all the time too. If they were pinned it would bump the new topics off the front page.

IMO what we need is the other suggestion that I believe you had made, if I'm not mistaken...better search functions. Then old topics could be searched through and seen easily by anyone looking for the particular subject it was on.

I mean, what you are suggesting in this thread is something like turning this forum into WetWebMedia (the way they archive everything and have it all on a page you can get to from a menu). Not that it's a bad suggestion...it's just that there already is a WetWebMedia (which is a great site), and this forum has a different way of going about things. Changing it fairly dramatically (by having "chats" and things like that) just doesn't make sense to me, when people came here and stayed because of what it already was. Frankly, if this turned into a fish chat room, I'd leave, because that isn't what I am looking for, and I can't imagine that I'd be the only one. I feel like if someone is looking for that, they could just find a place that already was a chat room, and use this as a forum.

I don't know if that helped at all. I don't want to be a pain...I just feel like this forum works better as a regular forum. I mean, the guppy chat had several questions by new people in it, and normally I would try to answer them, but I'm not going to plow through ten pages of replies to find the new questions. And how do you answer the questions of ten people, all within one thread? If they were each a separate thread, they would be more likely to all get timely and complete answers.

I, like you, want this place to be the best it can be. With that in mind, I agree with some of your suggestions, and others' suggestions too, but when I disagree, I think I should be free to express that too. I want people (whether new to the site or regulars) to make suggestions they have, but please, if I comment that I don't agree, don't take it as an insult or a shut-down. The moderators need to see in the suggestion threads whether others on the forum like an idea or not. Lots of us should be commenting on them in fact, otherwise, how will the mods know if it is a well received idea or not?

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Mindnova — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:01:51 GMT

Well I guess there has been a renewed interest in the site and people with varied interests but little experience are trying to create an informative and easy place to find information.

Your post indicates that we discus items and put them behind us. That is fine if the members never change and we all have the same interest and experience. Some of us are finding new interest in things such as the Blue Rams and would like to learn and share.

Postings are buried and the search function is slow and cumbersome. Obviously if the forums do not grow with the new users, then this so called FAD will allow the readership to remain with the select few.

And your harshness came across loud and clear. So I guess the rest of us beginners need to shut up and listen. With that out of the way hailey, I am always impressed with you knowledge and informative answers but the moderators did put a suggestion section in the forums.

RE: Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Hailey — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:20:33 GMT

I don't want this to come off as harsh, because I am honestly lost and just trying to express that. I just don't understand why everyone is asking for pinned topics and extra forum sections lately...it's like some weird fad or something. If we all have a pinned thread, the forums would be nothing but pins. This isn't a chat room where we all talk about the same thing for a while and then switch to something else, so I'm not sure where all these "fish chat" suggestions are coming from all of a sudden. Why can't we just post what we want, and if the thread is interesting to people, it will get posts and stay on top, and if not, it will get buried? That is how forums work, is it not?

Change RIP to fish specific pinned topics

Mindnova — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:30:10 GMT

I noticed Mr. lass starting a post on rams and stating he would like to get a thread going.

How about changing RIP to fish specific pinned topics, and pinning RIP in freshwater emergencies. Since most when posting about their pet passing would also maybe like to know if anyone has ideas on what happened.

The users or moderators could request a pinned species topic and then could build on the thread. This would allow us to have a special topic thread that would not get buried among general questions.

This would help compile knowledge into tight groupings instead of being all over the boards.

Thanks again.

Mindnova