my suggestion
 

HERE is my suggestion:

Add a new button beside "post reply", and the name of the button: "new side topic thread"

Whenever people have something they know that's not going to be really related to the original message, they can click that button, and comment about the side topic.

What's going to happen is that this button will create a new thread in whatever forum the poster want it to be in, and add a message (with the comments and a link to the new thread) under the original message.

Here is a demonstration:

A thread in “general” talking about the "design of a drive system", a lot of people joining in that discussion expressing their different opinion. Then suddenly, say... Dr. Joe mentioned a little side comments about the drill motors in one of his message, and say... Raul caught that when he is reading through the whole thread. So Raul is going to click that "new side topic thread”, type whatever he want to say about the Dr. Joe’s side comment, then choose the option to make the new thread in "tech". What that did is post a message in the "drive system" thread saying, by Raul, 'hey... Dr. Joe mentioned something about the drill motor...", and there’s a link to the new thread.

So finally, someone else goes into the "drive system" and read through all the messages. Then he sees Raul's drill motor message with a big title “STARTING ANOTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT DRILL MOTORS”, and click the link... A new window pop up showing the new thread in the "tech" forum... Problem solved! No off topic message in the original thread to lead people off, while side topics are still fully discussed as well.

What do you think? Not too hard to make happen, right?
;)

Re: my suggestion
 

Excellent suggestion Ken. A button like that would help people spawn off new topics when appropirate.

Mike who didn't know this topic would turn into a big debate

Human conversation has a way of drifting from topic to topic.

If there is a particulary "serious" topic i think its one thing, if its just a casual off-season thread its completely different :)

Im not saying its a good thing, but it just may be part of life.

Why must I always be referred to with a last name included? Didn't we go over this in the old forum? ;) Bah.

Matt who finds it ironic that he's going offtopic on a thread about going off topic

I very rarely have a problem with the first person to make a thread go off topic. In general, the first off-topic post is either unintentional or funny. The second and third people, who respond to the off-topic post are the ones who drag the whole thread off-topic.

It is next to impossible to get a thread back on topic after a few people have replied off-topic.

I realize that I often make it easier for a thread to go off-topic. Often times I reply not only with a response to the thread but something off-topic as well (see below). I don't expect a response to the off-topic part, but often times someone responds to that part and drags the thread completely off topic. In other words, if I say something off-topic, ignore it or start a new thread :)

Joe who ignored Leese's off-topic post.

The High Priest agrees with JR on that. While one person can reply with an on-topic post, and still have something off-topic at the end (which isn't totally bad if you think about it), it's that person who reply's to the off topic part that drags the thread down. Of course, you can be like The High Priest, and reply on-topic, but then reply to the off-topic part as well in the same post. That doesn't help much. And then some people (The High Priest included) will also just downright post to the off topic part. Neither side is really to blame, it just happens, and is a habit of a lot of people.

-Ed "who ignored JR's off-topic ending about Lesse's off topic post" McDonnell

where did all this "High Priest" stuff come from?

Long story. If you want the info, IM The High Priest.

EddieMcD121

Have a nice day. :)

Yay!
 

i think i read somewhere up at the top of this thread about a lot of people not being on cd lately...i know i personally was off looking at colleges...
i hate how when you go away, then when you come back theres always a ton of catch-up reading to do...

I know what you mean, Mike..I've been gone two of the last three weeks..missed a ton..at least I'm not gone for more than a day at a time until school starts

~Angela

Good Idea or Scary Logistics Nightmare??
 

Ok here it goes.

Is it possible to have a way to have the forums set up like they are now but also have a choice of viewing it as the old "tree" style. Of course this will maybe mean that the tree style will only be text and no smileys or images.

But it WILL let you skip the conversation that you don't want to read!

Not just off topic... the quantity of post is daunting
 

I've heard many people mention that the CD forum is getting cluttered up with useless banter these days.

I realize that there is a place for this, it's in "Chit-Chat". The people who are use to the new format of this forum are use to that.

BUT, there are many people who don't post in here yet and won't because they are turned off by what is being posted in "chit-chat". It's a turn off, since meny of the posts are obvious reactions, or chat that needs to be taken somewhere else.

This happens so much that people are being turned away.

Think of it this way: FIRST reads this forum. Woodie and Dean probably read this forum. People from over 300 teams across the Western Hemisphere read this forum.

I'm all for making friends and keeping up good contacts with other teams, but please cut down on the quantity of your posts. Don't post just to increase your post count... which, in my opinion, should not be there.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

Andy B.

Re: Not just off topic... the quantity of post is daunting