Quote:
Originally Posted by ITD
Why would any sane moderator sign up for that? I'm telling you, I've seen it on 3 other forums, they all ended the same way, with the off topic sections being shut down, plus scores of posters booted because they couldn't control themselves. If it were put to a vote, I would vote no.
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What's wrong with booting scores of posters who can't control themselves? What I'm suggesting is very common in forums---many have an "Off Topic" subforum. Here at the Winnipesaukee forum what we have is a tendency to post off-topic comments just about anywhere, and then dissatisfaction when threads are closed, which invites ideas for improvement. Hence my suggestion. This could be done a trial basis and shut down if people behave too outrageously. Then they would be instructed once again to not make non-Winnipesaukee posts. The contradiction is that people are showing a desire to make and read non-Winnipesaukee posts (e.g., international energy trends) and congratulating certain well-informed posters for their well-written but off-topic posts---and then being upset when those threads are closed down. Then the forum owner's choice is to let things run rampant, close down threads and remind people to post only Winnipesaukee topics, or accommodate those who want to have non-Winnipesaukee discussions. In the past the forum owner has occasionally stepped in and stated that this remains a Winnipesaukee forum, as conceived in the beginning.
Based on the experience in the Covid thread, there's a good possibility that an Off Topic subforum would decline into hostility and fake news. So the onus is on forum members to not do that.