Larian Studios Forums General About this website Colors, colors, everywhere.

Couse for 24 years he's been "living next door to Alice"
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" /> and <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" /> and again <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" />

I have nothing against a little funny remark here and there, but I visit the specific parts of this forum to read about specific related topics. Whenever there is a reply to a thread I click on the link expecting to find opinions or discussions about the topic that is described in the headline, or at least something that has to do with the sub forum the thread resides in.

But it's really tiresome to visit a thread with several new replies, only to find out that those replies are all random chatter. I don't mind in the chat areas, but the official forums like Divinity or About This Website should really stay on-topic as much as possible, to make it easier for new (and old) visitors to find information. So please, try to be a bit more considerate.

Meow...
Arhu

I don't know, it was just stupid imho

It's strange how once Lynn posted something, a group of followers start posting the same.
It's like with the war with Iraq. A few start yelling they're against it, more follow, and soon 90% of the world is against it. It's a shame 95% of that 90% have no idea why though and just join in becouse it seems to be the thing to do.

I was one of the first (maybe the first) to point out that offtopic posts in the help section ware getting in the way of helpfull posts.
My reply here was simply to easy to not do it. In a thread that starting going nowhere anyway.
Most of these threads of the first week are going nowhere now and will die, like I already posted before. It's already happening. So instead of keeping them alive by keeping on going on about it, it's better to just let it end slowly.

~It's strange how once Lynn posted something, a group of followers start posting the same.~
Except that I'm not a follower and actually posted before Lynn, at least in this thread. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> But did it help?

Sure, you can let a topic die, slowly and painfully... but what then? The thread has died and no one is the wiser, even though it may have been an important topic at some time in the past. And even if all these topics have died, do you think that the flooding of threads will stop forever?

This issue already existed in the old forum. The only things that can be done about it are:
a) move the thread to a more fitting location - this should only be done if the topic itself is "off-topic" in my opinion. Newbie issue, just happens.
b) delete spam posts - way too tedious and no real solution.
c) close the thread - quick death, hurrah. No real solution either.

As far as I am concerned, neither of these options is a good option, and I would much rather have no spam posts in 'official' topics so a they can literally "live long and prosper".
But unless the symptoms are cured I believe that there will always be infested threads, which is a real pity.

i must agree on this too.
in chat, do wathever your doing, and do it with style,
but i find it sometimes frustrating to find a treath concerning magic the gathering were there are 3 post on topic and 40 off topic.
but ok the treath woould have only had 3-4 replays before dieing out otherwise , i think..
i"m not going to nag on these forums, everybody is free to do wath he/she wants, but try to post in normal parameters <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

-the bean- always post nonsence since 2002

really, just since 2002 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

OMG, I've been here since I've read the article about <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> in Computer Magazine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> ca January 2001

i don't know realy, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> was released in mid september 2002 i think? then i was registered a few months before that..

I don't know it either but it's about 2 years now I think

Well, it's not so much about whether the thread would have died anyway if there was no junk -- the goal of the forums is not to keep as many threads alive as possible <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Instead, the question is : will people still bother to read (sections of) this forum if they always find it full of off-topic posts ? It would be unfortunate if some important announcement about the site, such as changes to the forum, were not read by most of the visitors because they have been trained to think "new posts = new blah" instead of "new posts = something important about this website"..

I didn't know about <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> until about a week ago. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

That's just why there are different "sections" on the forum.
Ppl who look for help (hopefully) look in the help section.

Sorry, but I don't quite get the point of this reply. Rat's argument was, if I didn't get it wrong, that it isn't really helpful if in every section of the board there are mostly off-topic posts since people tend to visit specific sections for specific information. "About this website" is indeed for information and questions about this website, the help sections are for help issues, and chat sections are for chat sections.
So what?

-My point being this isn't the place where noobs come looking for help. They useally are smart enough to go directly to the help section of the forum. The only ppl who come here regular are the regular posters.
On the old forum hardly anyone posted in this section.
-My point also being that I told Lunn about offtopic posting in the help section long ago. And that this will die out by itself in time. It almost did...
-My point also being some trying to give another poster, who posted here every now and then, a hard time instead of complaining to the ones who post offtopic regularly.
Sorry, but I don't quite get the point of this reply.
So what?

And what do you think is the relevance to Rat's post who was just "condemning" off-topic posts in general cause they tend to be contra-productive in the different sections? Or do you want to disagree with the fact that off-topic posts are not really helpful in "more official" forum sections where you would expect important information about website specific matters?

Besides, this section is not for helping newbies but for information "About this website" (as the name indicates). So, newbies might directly go to the help sections if they seek help, but if people seek information about the website, they will surely come here, or is this a wrong assumption?

Sadly I must agree to Rat.

This is "About this Website", not "Chat".

Where do you get your right from to chat in non-chat-area ?

I know this sounds harsh, but eveb as the Founder of the Guild of Offtopic Posters I feel this "About this Website" is the wrong place to Chat.

So they come here and see you going on against me, about me, ...
Becouse I post something here every now and then too. They don't see you going on to the ppl who regurly chat here.
But I guess that's a wrong assumption too!
In general I don't make to much assumptions. I also don't go on about something that's been said a couple of times before. And in general I don't like getting acused of things I didn't do.

WHO'S CHATTING???? Did you even bother to read the thread?
I know this sounds harsh. I posted one little thingy and before even posted about offtopic posting too. You and Elgi are way out of line. If you wanna complain, complain about the ones who really chat or flood the forum with posts. And make sure you got your facts right.

You obviously missed my point. I don't get on people, I just asked you a question, a question about your reply to Rat which was not very easy to understand in my opinion (and still isn't). You might think that this is gettin on you, but you can believe me, this is far from being getting on you even if you get defensive about whatever. I would strongly advice you to relax and not seek a fight where there is no need for such a thing.
My intention was just clearing your reply on Rat's post and nothing else. But I am afraid, you will misunderstand this once again... nevermind... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />