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The Ban GC Debate – This post DOES deserve a reply
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Many posts – particularly in General Chat – discuss the proposition to close down, suspend or somehow limit the activity in GC. I thought it best to have a single post to discuss/debate this issue.
For me, we still have a vibrant site with contribution, critique and input from a wide spectrum of people.
Others, however, have a different view: all opinions are valid and welcome.
For me, I think that PI provides an excellent opportunity for like-minded people to enjoy and improve their photography and has provided a great arena for friendship, discussion, informed debate, entertainment and light relief. GC is an integral part of the attraction of PI.
As at the time of writing:
Critique topics: 11,683
Critique posts: 66,805GC Posts: 1,438
GC posts: 17,205I don’t think anyone is suggesting closing it down-
just suggesting ways in which its importance and visibility might be curbed.Or rather, how to transfer comments back into the critique section.
On other sites, this feature is often an attachment to the site,
and posts made there don’t contribute to post count-
so that a member’s post count might only relate to photographic topics.It’s also an area that has to be navigated to,
so a search for all posts in 24hrs wont automatically show any general chat topics.This actually works quite well, I hardly ever go to The Lounge, as it’s called on the other site,
and certainly don’t get drawn in so much-
Recently, here, there have been whole pages in the 24hr search function which have been filled with General Chat topics-Not that any of this matters, of course….
I tend to rely on human intelligence or at least common sense.
Personally I think that we can see where this has raised from, and we can moderate ourselves.
no need to open twelve threads for a dozen of jokes……
that’s my opinion. oh and I don’t really care about post number… so it won’t make a difference to me excluding GC post from the count.Two issues for me –
1. There’s the fun, laughter, debate, ribbing, wind ups, incident… and then there’s total and utter stupidity and silliness that makes little or no sense. I can’t take the latter, it gets to me. It’s going to be debatable what each one of us would categorise as stupid, I guess some people would class some of my posts as stupid, fair game.
2. General Chat is too in your face. I use the “View Posts Since Last Visit” function all the time… I press it, GC, GC, GC, GC and so on, so it makes it impossible to ignore… and you end up getting sucked it.
I don’t think the volume of activity is the issue, it’s the fact that you almost can’t avoid it.
Plus… I think as it is a Photography Forum we’ve all got to ask ourselves “what are we contributing from a photography perspective”. Its fine to produce high level site statistics and feel fine knowing that others are covering your arse, but I think people need to look at their own statistics and ask themselves “am I putting in as much as I take out?” and anything GC related would be taking out if you ask me.
J
hmmmm,
It doesnt bother me, put me off or turn me on. I tend to wander in here during work (dont tell anyone), mainly because I cant view the images in here whatever way big brother has set the computers. So in work I pop in here every so often to enjoy the show.
But what would be achieved by banning GC? Who is to say that the posters would use their spare posting energy to C&C? Who knows?
If I log on in the evening at home, invariabley I will pop in here to see the latest carryon…….. if its gone, i will simply carry on to the other sections….as I do now.
The thing with the numbers at the end of the post is that its not a like to like comparison – a photo topic may get a couple of posts (if its mine max 2! and one of them was me) if its a GC topic, it gets hundreds of replies and often plenty of LOL’s or :D . And there to me is the actual reason not to close it! It can induse laughter…… if it upsets individuals, then the individuals should either not bother with GC or better still….. dont take the bait.
As for post count….. who is counting? I didnt know I was in a race!
So there you go….. my longest post!
MOST of the contributors to this thread so far are huge contributors to GC – interesting.
I’m still lost on why this question is being asked – is there a special proze most of us don’t know about
linked with post nos.?Those who want to use GC will (threads with this type of question are the largest contributors) will, and at whatever
activity level that suits them, so what’s the problem? Or are we just (me included) indulging ourselves in
some navel gazing? :DGeneral Chat won’t be closed :)
I’ve just made a change to the 24hr search function; it won’t show any General Chat posts.
Hopefully that’ll help a bit.The whole “don’t add to post count” – where did that come from and who really cares…is that all we’re here for?
I indulge in GC – some days I wonder why it goes the way it does and it bugs me and other days when the air is thin I’m in the thick of it adding my gibberish as good as anyone. But one thing I have noticed – when I log in first thing in the morning it gives me a chance to scan the posts since last night. I then log in at work and it’s then that I get to comment most on images. As the day goes on the amount of threads dilutes the photography aspect of the site and you don’t comment. To be honest you read the posts on top which tend to be GC and virtually ignore the purposeful threads that originate. If this GC section didn’t appear in “posts since last visit” and was a search only section I think we would have a productive photographic site…with an avenue for those blue days without presenting to the general public a high level of “nonsense”. I think similar is suggested above?
DOn’t get me wrong – I enjoy GC and the top tens, etc – it does promote a bond on the forum as people get to know each other.
Alan
irishwonkafan wrote:
Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy GC and the top tens, etc – it does promote a bond on the forum as people get to know each other.
this is the main reason not to close GC, in my opinion.
besides that, yes Alan I know that your only ambition is to be alone on top of the hill of ‘PI posters’.
I think has something to do with your cycling background.:P
OK, ‘posts in the past 24hrs’ and the ‘posts since last logged’ in now exclude the General Chat forum.
If people want to see what was posted in the General Chat forum, then they just need to visit it directly.Hope this improves thing a bit for all.
Thanks for the ideas
Oooo…I’ve just seen this…been busy with college work so no chance to browse the forum….
For me it’s sort of like the constipated alcoholic…he can’t pass a pub… :) Ok that’s an old one but seriously, it’s kind of like the pub, if I see it, I’d like to pop in but if it’s not on my way home, it doesn’t bother me too much!!
Sometimes you need a bit of entertainment, life can get a bit ‘technical’ without it, no?
Michella.
Well done Mark. I’ve only come across this now, because GC topics are no
longer appearing when I click on ‘View posts since last visit’. Clever man…I logged in this morning.
I clicked “View Posts since Last Visit”.
I wrote a couple of photo critiques and update a thread where some guy was looking for assistance.
I then clicked on “View Posts since Last Visit” again.
I scanned the list.
No General Chat? I scratched my head.
I went directly to the General Chat forum with two lines of thinking –
1) Nobody had posted in General Chat
or
2) Mark had changed the search function
I then discovered it was a case of the latter.
I was happy. I finally found those shoes I had been looking for the past while and was able to step into them for 5 minutes.
Mark’s done his bit, now I will do mine. No more Top Tens, no more rants… well, at least not for a few weeks.
If it wasn’t too difficult to implement I’d also request that GC be moved to the bottom of the forum listings. It still sits in a spot that tempts me a little.
Thanks Mark. Excellent.
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