Replies and Relevance

[devoid]

Hi Friends,

 

Lately I find more than ever that threads in which a question is asked or a discussion is started are being hijacked by members who inadvertently direct the discussion in question off topic in their never-ending pursuit of personal recognition as well as to flame each other.

 

I am not only talking about "the Dynamic Duo" here although they may be the cause of this outburst. Seriously speaking, I think that every member of this forum (myself included!) ought to consider asking themselves a few questions before hitting the "Add Reply" button.

 

IMHO relevant questions relate to asking one-self (before posting) to consider whether the new reply mainly adds to the discussion in question (the initial post #1 is a good place to look rather than the last post in which one may have felt personally attacked). If one cannot honestly and wholeheartedly answered yes, then give it a rest for an hour or even better a few days.

 

This said, nobody is perfect - I will happily admit that I also occasionally fall pray to my own ego and temper (in real life as well on TTB) - all I am trying to say is: please consider it (especially those who post a lot).

 

Thank you for your attention.

Edited January 10, 2011 by devoid

[Marblehead]

Hi Devoid,

 

Well, as I am one of those prolific posters I feel qualified to respond to your post. Hehehe.

 

Yes, at times posts are made to threads that add nothing to a discussion. However, what the post had to say was important enough to them to warrant expending the energy to make the post.

 

Who is to say that something I say might be of value whereas something that someone else says has no value?

 

However, I do agree that hijacking a thread is not nice nor is posting solely for the purpose of ego inflation.

 

And I agree, we should take a moment to consider if what we have to say will add to the discussion but then there are many people who respond intuitively rather than only after considerable thought of what and why they are going to respond.

 

Anyhow, I think the moderators are doing a pretty good job at over-seeing the activity in the various threads.

[strawdog65]

I have to agree that there are many times where (recently) a post has been made

and the replies are not even close to the original topic. Why there are so many people

feeling that there is no need to reply to the original question/post, I have no idea.

 

We can only endeavor to control our own actions, not the actions of others.

 

And either way the Tao is accepting of all.

 

 

Like MH has said, if the person has posted, they obviously feel strongly enough

to take the time to post.

 

And even so, sometimes the tangents that arise are interesting and meaningful.

But I would still like to read a thread and see where the OP has been addressed

meaningfully and then take the tangents as they arise for whatever they may

present that is of use.

 

Peace!

[3bob]

Devoid, if you are mainly talking about VJ I suggest making that clear, for asides are mainly underhanded.

 

Imo VJ mainly needs to start and have his own website. And VJ you could even name it:

"VJ's all consuming dependent orgination blog, anything less is ignorance"

[adept]

I am not only talking about "the Dynamic Duo"

 

I wonder who they are.

[Sloppy Zhang]

It's the internet. And a free forum (mostly).

 

People can, and do, post whatever they feel like. If you don't find it relevant.... skip it.

 

I will say, however, that on more than one occasion, the information found post-"hijacking" tends to be very valuable, though oftentimes, not immediately.

 

Later I'll realize that something important was in a post, then I'll try to go back to it, only to realize I can't find it because it was an obscure comment, not in line with the thread title, lost amidst tons of replies. Just a figment of my own memory (imagination?).

 

Or I'll be able to draw on a piece of information I had read in passing from a "hijacked" section of the thread.

 

So it's not all bad.

 

I think we should kindly ask people to stay on topic and be respectful, but I also think that some very valuable stuff comes up when you give people "free reign" to roam and whatnot.

[devoid]

Hi Friends,

 

All, thanks for picking up on this and picking it up in the spirit which was meant by it.

 

Marblehead: As with all your replies, this one adds perspective to the discussion in question.

 

I sense there's an open question on moderation. I guess what I am trying to advocate with my initial post is self moderation - no more, no less.

 

I also agree that a deviation from the intended thread topic sometimes helps the discussion. My main point of concern remains that occasionally on some threads it seems to go viral when up to a handful of members start battling out in rhetorics. Of course, I could simply skip such posts (and mostly I do) - it's just that I find it a shame if there's a good discussion going on in perhaps 5-10 posts, these drown out in the 117 unrelated posts making it difficult to navigate through the topic in question.

[Marblehead]

Hi Devoid,

 

Thanks.

 

I guess what I am trying to advocate with my initial post is self moderation - no more, no less.

 

I also agree that a deviation from the intended thread topic sometimes helps the discussion. My main point of concern remains that occasionally on some threads it seems to go viral when up to a handful of members start battling out in rhetorics. Of course, I could simply skip such posts (and mostly I do) - it's just that I find it a shame if there's a good discussion going on in perhaps 5-10 posts, these drown out in the 117 unrelated posts making it difficult to navigate through the topic in question.

 

Now, with this, I am in complete agreement with you. Self-moderation. (That would allow the mods more time to be more involved in the discussions instead of being just watchdogs.)

 

And I also agree that a thread should not be hijacked or taken way off topic for any reason while there is a faithful discussion of the thread's topic on-going. And I agree, the non-topic posts and bickering distracts for the value of the discussion and makes it very difficult or even impossible to follow.

 

However, once the discussion of the topic has died I seee no problem with fine-tuning thoughts that had been inspired by the discussion. Or even joking around and trying to cause smiles or laughter.

 

Afterall, life shouldn't be taken too seriously - it's only a temporary thing, you know.

 

Anyhow, good subject you presented and I think you got some good responses.

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

And since we're on the topic, I'm cooking some lovely biscuits; shortbread base with a caramel filling and chocolate toping.

 

Enlightenment in a biscuit, I think you'll agree.

[Marblehead]

 

Enlightenment in a biscuit, I think you'll agree.

 

Yeah. But I prefer a little low-salt butter and lots of honey on mine.

 

(Talk about going off topic!!!!!!!!!!)

 

Hehehe.

[TaoBee]

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

And since we're on the topic, I'm cooking some lovely biscuits; shortbread base with a caramel filling and chocolate toping.

 

Enlightenment in a biscuit, I think you'll agree.

 

 

Great now if you'll just send some of those my way...nommy nommy!

 

Off topic indeed lol!

[devoid]

C is for Cookie - that's good enough for me!

Thanks for reminding me of this all time wonderful song:

 

 

This thread has been hijacked in the most unexpected yet inspiring way

[三江源]

ninpo, that's called millionaire's shortbread. Did you do a lot of visualising ££££££'s coming flooding in while you made it?

 

 

 

Happy Christmas!

 

 

I have been eating chilli rice cakes. It's all very nice and that, but I just cant access the 'cake' aspect of them. I try repeatedly.

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

[Birch]

I don't see how this thread is irrelevant

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

C is for Cookie - that's good enough for me!

 

Thanks for reminding me of this all time wonderful song:

 

 

Ahhh, Cookie Monster! One of my favorites, superseded in my view only by Oscar the Grouch, our very own Daoist hobo. I will say I was quite traumatized as a child when I noticed that none of the cookies cookie monster ate went down his throat!

 

 

I don't see how this thread is irrelevant

 

That's because you yourself know Kate that cauliflower cheese is always relevant, in absolutely any context. Global warming - cauliflower cheese. Arms to Iraq - cauliflower cheese. Theory of relativity - cauliflower cheese. I lost my keys - cauliflower cheese. The list goes on and on....

[Mal]

insert TOTPD(Ninja) !

 

it's just that I find it a shame if there's a good discussion going on in perhaps 5-10 posts, these drown out in the 117 unrelated posts making it difficult to navigate through the topic in question.

 

That does seem like TTB

 

p.s. why am I thinking about cookies?

 

p.p.s. They are called biscuits!

 

p.p.p.s I was given a cookie monster puppet as a child. When opening the wrapping paper all I could see were these huge eyes, apparently I screamed and threw the box across the room

 

p.p.p.p.s He did have an opening in his mouth, so he got to eat his biscuits properly, unlike the one on TV.

 

(where are all the other +1,000 posters )

 

{oh I love cauliflower, but my partner doesn't so I don't get to cook it}

 

 

oh yeah Hijacking Threads - New Policy Under Consideration Your input welcomed

[9th]

[Kali Yuga]

LOL @ trolls.

 

 

....

 

 

if you guys are tired of vajra and ralis trashing your topics, I have a few tips..

 

 

don't mention buddhism.

 

in fact, don't talk about anything.

 

and finally,

 

don't become a member of taobums.

 

[Marblehead]

Have we adequately destroyed this thread yet? Hehehe.

 

Yes, I speak American, not English.

 

I go walking in the park, not in the paaaaak.

[Apech]

Have we adequately destroyed this thread yet? Hehehe.

 

Yes, I speak American, not English.

 

I go walking in the park, not in the paaaaak.

 

Ah, but do you park on the pavement? Cos that's really annoying to some. I'm mean pavement by the way ... because a side walk is what crabs do.

[Marblehead]

Ah, but do you park on the pavement? Cos that's really annoying to some. I'm mean pavement by the way ... because a side walk is what crabs do.

 

Yeah, I paaak my caaa on the pavement and sometimes I walk on the pavement and sometimes on the sidewalk.

 

That was funny about the crabs. First time I heard that.

 

Something I noticed many years ago is that when the Brit songsters are singing their diction is perfect. But then, listen to that same person in an interview and I can hardly understand what they are saying. They are almost bi-lingual.

[adept]

Yeah, I paaak my caaa on the pavement and sometimes I walk on the pavement and sometimes on the sidewalk.

 

That was funny about the crabs. First time I heard that.

 

Something I noticed many years ago is that when the Brit songsters are singing their diction is perfect. But then, listen to that same person in an interview and I can hardly understand what they are saying. They are almost bi-lingual.

 

 

If only you could hear me speak, you definitely wouldn't understand me.

I have a strong Geordie accent. It sounds more Scandanavian than English at times.

[Marblehead]

If only you could hear me speak, you definitely wouldn't understand me.

I have a strong Geordie accent. It sounds more Scandanavian than English at times.

 

Hehehe. And I have a slow, Southern speech pattern. Althogh I was born a Yankee I felt right at home when I was stationed at Fort Gordon (Augusta), Georgia. Folks there actually take the time to talk 'with' each other and they're not in any rush to get things said.

[三江源]

Cauliflower cheese is a treat. I also add mustard: a pinch of dried Colemans. Sometimes also ham! or bacon!

 

But nutmeg?.... well. This is what we call sophisticated cooking. Thanks ninpo. I will try it.

 

I dont know where you are, but you know the little bottles of the Schwartz herbs and spices? They do one called mustard mash,which is grrrrreat. Really good on noodles as well, if you are a bit cool in the pool about food weirdness.

 

Cauliflower mash is very good with saussagges.