[munter]

How do you feel when you initiate a thread?

You don't know who will respond or if anyone will respond but do you feel some sort of ownership?

Can anyone own a thread anyway?

How do you feel if someone comes on the thread and rains on your parade?

It has happened to me in the past and I did feel some degree of deflation.

Any comments, thoughts or feelings shared are welcome.

 

[gus3049]

I have no problem at all.

I start a thread because I am interested in the subject or want advice (or maybe show off a bit

). I'm quite happy for anybody to add what they want. The more the merrier so long as the spirit of the forum is upheld.

 

[Dopamine]

When you start a thread, you're starting a conversation, not making a speech.

To avoid deflation, the person starting the thread would probably be better off making his speech on a website over which he has full control. If, hypothetically, that person was also a moderator, he shouldn't use his moderator privileges to edit or remove posts which cause him to feel deflated, nor the PM system to send admonishing messages. This is a forum, not a primary school.

It's been raining where I am all day.

 

[Kevan]

Thread evolution will always take the OP off on a wild goose chase at times only to be dragged back by someone who thinks threads should stick to topic until the next wild goose starts wandering off.

 

[dangermouse]

If you are sharing a build of something you have created and someone else chimes in with 'here is one I have made' - and then others start commenting on that person's build - well I tend to think - why didn't that person start their own thread.

If you are asking a question or discussing an a topic and someone else chimes in and the thread starts to take off in the direction they commented - well I guess that is like any conversation. As the initiator of the thread you either let it go or you try to bring it back to your topic line.

 

[RikoRocket]

When you start a thread, you're starting a conversation, not making a speech.

Nicely put. I run a lot of training, if you talk at people they don't absorb anything, you are wasting time. Engage in a conversation and they come along for the ride. Simple psychology.

Anyone that posts a thread on here and won't engage in discussion is also wasting their own time.

So as Kevan says, let it meander, but if it goes too far then start a new thread...

Does the OP have IP? No. But they have the right to feel aggrieved if someone takes over the thread to take it in a different direction.

 

[scuderia_turini]

Sadly the "Topic Drifts" are all too common (unless the moderators are ruthless). As mentioned the scratch-builders suffer a lot from other people posting their versions.

This happens in face to face conversations all the time of course and people get "ex-communicated" for it. On forums its not so easy to avoid people so the op basically has to abandon their topic.

Of course its the second person who adds to the drift that causes the damage - one post can easily be ignored and little damage is done.

Leo

 

[Dr_C]

I think the whole area of social media is still emerging... and what we participate in on sfi probably to some extent mirrors what young people experience through social media as they grow up and learn the values they wish to live by.

I have found participating in sfi a real eye opener. Long live respectful and open debate. I believe as participants we all jointly and collectively own this debate. At the same time, we should allow others to judge us and our hobby by the quality, care and mutual respect we show to each other in our discussions and debates... it is afterall an open and global showcase for the hobby.

C

 

[injectorman]

Ive seen 3 posts this week where the OP has taken it off topic. Go figure!

 

[vfr750]

If I post a topic my main aim is learning or the sharing of knowledge. I'm quite happy if it goes off at a tangent as long as it's informative and/or entertaining.

Cheers

John

 

[stumbley]

How about them Dodgers?

See how that happens?

I am happy to contribute to conversations online if I have something to say; if I've started a topic and it strays, that's the nature of the beast. I don't feel "deflated," these things happen.

 

[StuBeeDoo]

You don't know who will respond or if anyone will respond but do you feel some sort of ownership?

Can anyone own a thread anyway?

No, and no.

How do you feel if someone comes on the thread and rains on your parade?

It's happened to me more than once. If that someone can back-up what they're saying with facts/citations then I'll defer to them. Usually the reason why I've posted is that I require clarification on something I have little or no knowledge of. Old as I am, I'm never too old to learn.

I never claim "ownership" of a thread if I've started it. This is the internet. It's a public domain. When I'm posting, I'm well aware that once I hit the post button I could be laying myself open to all sorts of comments (and, yes, even abuse.....) from any number of keyboard warriors.

I do take offence, though, if someone tries to "rain on my parade", as you put it, and it is (or becomes) clear that they are actually feeding me "duff gen.". This used to happen a lot on a 1:1 car forum I used to frequent, and not just to me. There were a hard-core of "bandits" who had nothing better to do than to be disrespectful to other members, or even to deliberately give misleading answers to their queries in an attempt to make the OP look stupid. Believe me, that forum at that time made present-day SFI seem very tame. I remember a couple of times posting that certain "info" was incorrect, only for the poster of the "info" to come back at me with something along the lines of "

*** StuBeeDoo, the OP is obviously stupid asking a dumb question like that. Doesn't deserve proper help." And, yes, I'm ashamed to say it's a UK-based forum. IIRC the only time anyone got moderated was when he posted an actual threat of violence.

Nothing contained in this post is SFI-specific. I have lost count of the number of internet forums I have been active on (some as moderator or admin) over the last 25 years. My comments here could apply to any one of them.

 

[Aurora]

I don't think I feel a sense of ownership of the very few threads I've started, and I like to see people engage in the topic. I'll take any comments I can get - good, bad, or ugly!

But I can imagine if someone were to try to force the OP's topic into their own personal direction, I might think it was a bit impolite.

I also prefer to read threads in which the OP them-self sticks to one single topic. If the thread drifts, it becomes muddled.

I like the ethos of the Formula 1 rule: "More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted." A comment that swerves a bit, as long as it shares context, even in juxtaposition, with the original topic, is appreciated. It adds to the discussion. But if the replies continue drifting, changing the original topic of discussion, it detracts from the discussion and it would be more engaging to start a new thread.

 

[Grumpy Gaz]

I feel absolutely no sense of ownership to any thread that I may have started. Invariably the conversation takes a few twist & turns, consequently the tread takes on a life of it's own.

That is what happens to every conversation in the cafe or bar room etc.

 

[Pete-slot]

i saw a thread recently that went completely off topic

initially talking a particular car

it ended up about photography and someone showing their camera etc .....

it was interesting initially ..... it ended up as a conversation between 2 people.

on a totally unrelated subject.

at which point i stopped reading.

Hijacking threads happens a lot on here.

If ever i have something to say to someone thats unrelated i send PM.

so to answer the question ... no you do n't own the thread and you have every reason

to be p'd off that it has been hijacked.

 

[Coides]

No, not in my opinion. You just start the thread and then it's open to the community, with all the guidelines/stipulations/cautions/demands/ultimata/threats/congratulations that go with any other post. I personally don't mind others posting their pics in 'my' threads, I've done this myself and nobody minded.

Andy

 

[beardy56]

If I start a topic that is to inform other members about my collection or builds I hope it stays more or less on topic and am happy to see other members photos relating to the topic. If a member wishes to butt in on the topic I would hope they ask first, as I have done a couple of times. This is after all just good manors.

If I am looking for information or advise then all replies are welcome no matter how obscure.

The worst thing is to start a posting and get no response bit like being the person stuck in a corner at a party that everyone avoids.

All I really want is for other members to be polite and friendly and and above all have some replies.

 

[munter]

Thanks to all members who have read and or commented on this thread.

There are some great opinions and thoughts being expressed.

One thing that sets me and Coides apart is this:

I personally don't mind others posting their pics in 'my' threads, I've done this myself and nobody minded.

I hope you dont mind Coides but if I share a build of a car and someone posts pictures of theirs then I am bothered. I call this piggy backing. If you have a build that is the same or similar then please share it in your own thread.

 

[injectorman]

What do the rules state?

 

[munter]

It is a matter of etiquette not rules.