Poll: What do you think of the OT forum?

In light of Steve's comments in the "cartoon" thread, I started wondering whether I was in the minority in finding the OT area the most interesting part of this site.

Whaddya think? Would you be upset if it vanished?

Chris

I like it a lot. But the only thing that should be left out are the politic/religious threads. Not because they cannot be interesting, but because they always turn into meaningless heated debates.

I like it a lot. But the only thing that should be left out are the politic/religious threads. Not because they cannot be interesting, but because they always turn into meaningless heated debates.

Fine - I could equally well go for refining the rules to be somewhat less inclusive, and I'd cheerfully exclude those two categories. Can you think of any more that I could exclude? There are some obvious ones - I think that we could also keep out anything blatently sexual (actually I think that these would probably be deleted anyway). Oh, and I mean sex, not gender.

I can't figure out how to add another poll item. Maybe: "Keep it but not allow politics or religion"?

I was going to add that option initially, but the idea of an OT area without politics seemed sort of silly. Still, if someone can tell me how to add that option I will (or maybe you can do it, Steve?).

Chris

 Still, if someone can tell me how to add that option I will (or maybe you can do it, Steve?).

I think that it might have to be me...

I appreciate OT-forums since it livens up forums a bit I think Sure, the main purpose of the audiomasters forum is audio-related topics. But I think that sooner or later people will say something that's off-topic in those audio-topics which makes it harder to follow the original discussion then. Better to have a separate OT-forum then maybe?

If it's off topic, it's off topic. It may not be entirely freedom of speech but it's off topic. I say leave it. (Is that off topic or freedom of speech?)

Mark

Well OK then, just another one for my 500th. YYEEEAAHHH!!!

I like it the way it is. With politics and religion - and with threads locked sometimes when they cease developing, but just go into circles of quarrels.  In my opinion the moderators have a very good judgement when to do it.

The OT area is a value.  It's good to talk about things beyond 'how to refresh effects list' or 'why did my session crashed'.  The OT area is entertaining and sometimes enlightening. The rest is just useful. Except maybe the 'how to remove vocals' stuff, which is of course enlightening as well.

Leaving out religion and politics is not an option because it's hard to decide on a boundary sometimes.  I read a forum which has a rule 'no politics at all' except in a single politics thread.  And this sparkles arguments all the time, like when someone posts a question about economy which is seen by the admin as a question on politics.  And those people screaming all the time: hey, you deleted my thread but thread No. 34901 has more politics in it and you did not delete it? Why? ... disgusting.

When Syntrillium, M.D. locked the "Condolences to America" thread on the old Synt forum, after the attack on the World Trade Center, he did so with these words -

 Hello all...

I will simply say this - I realize that all of the recent posts are presented with only good intentions (and honest opinions). I can only wish (and sincerely hope) that everyone has embraced what I mentioned before as the 'togetherness' idea rather than 'division' concept...and it would seem that you have. Ice cream for everyone!

I am simply trying to keep it simple here, and really not turn this into a CNN forum; nor do I want to see anyone (inadvertently) stir up any [politically-flavored] controversy, as this is simply NOT the place.

Happy recording,

---Syntrillium, M.D.

That's the way I've always seen technical forums - if you have an OT forum, discussing any issues of the day is likely to breed discord, and in the forums where I've been involved where it has been permitted, it seems to become the biggest problem in their management, to the detriment of their specific purpose.  Having OT discussions that build a community seems fine to me - having discussions that may divide them is perhaps unwise.  There are enough other places, real and virtual, where such discussions are more appropriate.

But it's a matter of personal opinion.

Having OT subjects that builds a community seems fine to me - having them that may divide them is perhaps unwise.

It depends of course on what the goal is. If the goal is simply to keep things safe and friendly and provide technical info (per the old Synt forum), the OT area is probably a bad idea.

If, on the other hand,  the goal is to have an actual community... well, I would suggest that without subjects that could (potentially) divide the community, you don't have much of a community.

That is to say: the people opposed to OT seem to always say that it causes "discord". But it seems to me that at least as often, it provides a quality of interaction between the participants that simply isn't possible when the subjects remain on purely technical issues.

I would say that this forum is FAR superior to the old Synt forum (and the current Adobe forum) for this very reason: there's more heart here because people are ALLOWED to give more of themselves. You actually get a more fully rounded sense of the participants.

Yeah, sometimes it means you end up not liking someone as much as maybe you would have if you'd never heard their views on abortion, or whatever. But is that the real danger? That we might actually get to know each other? That we might argue and piss each other off now and then?

I have yet to see ANY grudge develop out of these discussions that permanently tarnished relations elsewhere on the board. If anything, I think it has fostered more respect for each other, as we're a little bit less just "names on a screen".

But as has been said, it all depends on what the goals are.

To be honest I still haven't quite figured out why people who don't like the OT area can't just stay away from it and let the rest of us enjoy it. I mean, I never even glance at the Radio forum.

Chris

I believe Chris and agree on this topic 100%.   I don't see eye to eye with him on every issue.  I always look forward to his off topic posts, however, because I appreciate his insight and point of view.  To think that a community can exist without discourse on all topics doesn't really make much sense to me.  Besides, my most heated arguement on this board was with Steve G over an audio topic.   No one here suggests that the solution in that case was to eliminate the audio forum containing the discussion.  To do so would strike someone as over-reacting.  No?

In the end, no one is forced to read or comment on any topic.  For anyone to complain about their content strikes me as much ado about nothing.   If anyone really had a real issue with the content of the OT discussions, they wouldn't read them.  

An OT forum like this can be a worth-while addition to any forum.  However, its acceptability is bound to depend on careful and consistent moderation; in any discussion it has to be recognised that there is a reasonably clear limit at which it will be stopped.  The moderation of this OT forum is the best of any I know - long may it continue!

Paul

[completely unmoderated]

An OT forum like this can be a worth-while addition to any forum.  However, its acceptability is bound to depend on careful and consistent moderation; in any discussion it has to be recognised that there is a reasonably clear limit at which it will be stopped.

I disagree.  I have been an active member of an overtly political and completely unmoderated forum for almost three years now.   It has an extremely active membership with very politically diverse ideas and membership on 3 continents.  Considering the purpose of the forum has always been cars, it would be difficult to call the political section as anything but off topic.  It is also the busiest section of the board.   The membership of this board is the tightest knit group I have ever been a part of and the reasons as to why completely fly in the face of the comments I just quoted.

I think the value of the OT forum varies with the state of the software (AA).  Before the release of AA2, the rest of the forums here were pretty quiet - not a lot of new material to cover - an occasional tune in the recording showcase, and the usual questions from new users.  The OT forum was the only place with significant action sometimes.  I can image that some of the longtime folks could have tired of things and wandered away if it weren't for the OT forum.

I think the debates in the OT forum are more CONstructive than DEstructive in terms of community.  I think the only rule needs to be to RESPECT the opinions of others, even if you strongly disagree with the opinion.  Moderation, IMHO, should be restrained - Folks are going to throw dirt sometimes - when the large rocks start flying, then it's time to call in the riot cops.

peace out.