These huge, 'official x' threads...

Can I just ask a question?

I posted this information (about the revamped Central News West Set) first on my own topic, however it has been hijacked by tvmercia and the conversation is continuing on tvmercia's 'BBC MIDLANDS/CARLTON CENTRALK THREAD/ thread... it seems that any other user would have their thread closed if they had information that had been previously posted but not the above one... because it's a BILLION page 'official...' thread.

I'm not sure about anyone else but this site is terrible for people opening a thread, calling is 'official x thread' and then more or less pushing users to put everything related to it in that thread,... and we all have to sort through loads of pages of old news to find the start of the newer stuff. My thread would have done perfectly for people to place info about Centrals new CSO set, but tvmercia places his info about it in his thread and my thread has become defunct...

I thought threads were supposed to be about certain subjects i.e. an specific event and NOT about whole companies or issues... otherwise, we may as well have a BBC forum, ITV forum, SKY forum etc.

These official threads are set up just so a few users can, to a degree, control threads (titles, descriptions etc) while therest of us have to trawl through old info to get to the info we want.

There have been many times I have seen people create legitimate threads but because someone else has a giant 'official' thread, all new info goes in there.

My appeal to mods:
Is it just me who finds this practice annoying? If not, can people start to create individual threads for individual topic instead of converging them with a giant thread that is far too big to be navigated around easily. Let me know your thoughts here.

People shouldn't have to reply to specific dedicated threads about specific topics. Your thread Mark was perfectly valid as a standalone thread but I'm not surprised that it's being talked about more in the 'official' (I prefer 'dedicated' - nothing on this site is official!) thread. Regional based threads especially are there for the number of members mainly from the area as a place to talk about their local programme and the purpose works well. I don't think a rule/guideline can really be created on this issue other than we shouldn't have multiple dedicated threads (such as the well established "CiTV and SMTV" and new "CiTV only" threads). Obviously having threads about a particular topic is useful - we'd all be pulling our hair out with lots of threads being created about the N24 relaunch for example so that's a good place to keep all the comments and going-ons.

For it is well known that I am a power-hungry control freak.

I'll speak for the Wales Thread, just by the fact I happened to start it. Back in January of course I had no idea it'd still be here ten months and, as you say, a billion pages later. Half of it is complete nonsense really, but it's just a natural evolution of things remotely pertaining to the west.

People also get annoyed that there are too many regional threads at once and even once entertained a regional board on its own. A lot aren't remotely interested in regional things [news channels or mocks might float their boat] -- while some of us find that dreary, and the regional stuff is the only reason we visit this forum.

In fairness, the Central West CSO was new today so you wouldn't have to look far in tvmercia's thread to see if it was covered -- and I'm surprised certain people didn't shout at you and threaten your life with poison for not posting in that thread [not that I'd want them to, it's very immature].

When HTV or BBC Wales pull their finger out and update for the first time in 3 and 4 years, there may very well be a special thread started by someone else [I certainly won't do it], or it could just be in the Wales Thread. Never has it been 'official' -- I think that would be a little rich to be honest.

So erm yes. On the fence as usual.

I have to say that I agree with you about these "official" threads. I don't mind them in the case of channel relaunches, or the launch of a new ident etc, but having 'general' ones is really annoying especially when they are nearing the end of the forum list, so someone bumps it back up to the top when the question/comment they have posted is completely irrelevant. For example, rather than have the general 'Newsreader and Reporter Thread', wouldn't it be better for people to post things about presenters ad hoc in their own threads - at least this way it is easier to find it again if you do have a worthy comment or question to add.

oh for goodness sake, leave some of the toys in the pram PLEASE!

as tvdragon has said previously, some of us like local telly, many do not - even if we do like local telly - we only usually like the bits that come from our part of the country. i personally, as a mere member of this forum, think its neat to keep bits about the northwest in their on going thread - the same with wales, yorkshire and south - that way, i do not have to encounter masses of threads when events happen in one of the many regions - because they're all neatly tucked away and easy to avoid/find.

no one has ever referred to the central bbc mids thread as official - its just *there*. i posted my caps there a) for the reasons above and b) its nice to be able to scroll back to find dates of when things happened - by which time the thread you created would have fell off the end of the forum.

and you theory about thread creators wanting a degree of control ... its funny, is it not, that you're the one making such a song and dance.

luv, kisses and a pat on the bum
television mercia
creator, editor, contributor, caretaker, headline writer and publicist for the central west and bbc midlands thread (now discussing the new central virtual set)

I don’t see why my comments should be trivialised... they're valid points on making the site easier to use... I don’t care whose thread the central stuff was in but I was annoyed that rather than going to see if there were any comments or updates in a thread that I knew I had created on a subject bound to evoke comment, that 'obvious' thread (my thread) was empty and I had to trawl through outdated comments on centrals "new" 'text' shortcode to find the info I wanted.

I suppose we need to strike a balance... so we can access local interest stuff without having to go through other local news/comment that isn't local to us... but I do think these giant threads where the topic often changes dramatically (and some even go off topic from time to time) are a little tedious.. and as the poll shows, a number of forumers think the same.

"Clever" belittling comments like yours only starve the forum of new input from newbies and make a forum thats only inputted by a small number of 'megaposters', which obviously will starve diverse discussion.

I am a little confused here, Mr Snowdon.

As far as I can see, you have suddenly returned to the forum after not posting for a considerable number of weeks, yet you seem to think that the rest of us, who have been propping the place up in your absence, must suddenly confirm to YOUR way of doing things.

Is it not odd that these "mega" threads seem to have been working perfectly satisfactorily in your absence, and nobody has complained till your return?

The only problem with that is that more egotistical forumers well then rush to create a raft of threads on every conceivable subject so that they 'own' the 'official' thread.

And there are certainly plently of them here!

Yawn! Another hostile post... it seems very evident on this forum especially more than others I use that if somebody seems to express an opinion, they seem to be targeted with hostile replies... like yours in fact Mr Harvey (perhaps because this forum doesn't evoke 'political' conversation like others and because this forum is on the lighter side, people think they can deride your views/opinions, which I believe each individual is entitled to and to share are they not Mr Harvey?).

Why is there this intrinsic 'dislike' for people when they express their own thoughts? We all have different opinions, but isn't that the whole point of D - E - B - A - T - E and discussion?

No I haven't posted here for some time, but it is more likely because when I come on here (which IS every day) and just see the most updated threads as 'The Wales Thread', 'The TV Presenters Thread', 'The BBC MIDLANDS/Central Thread' and no new topics SEEMINGLY being discussed, I leave the site... because a) how am I supposed to know if a certain new subject is being talked about in one of these large threads and b) where do I find it in the hundreds of pages in the thread?

I wasn't talking for others, but it is something I've felt for some time and wanted to know if others felt the same. Clearly, you do not, but some people do. Am I not entitled to raise this point? I am? Well then your reply is inappropriately hostile.

I hope you're not confused anymore Nick Harvey.

I'm thinking of changing this into the 'TV Forum Disgruntled Thread' where I can reignite this discussion when it is long gone by clumping loads of other topics in it and adding 'The Official' at the start of the thread's name....

Er, no.

Well at 14:36 the majority of people polled agree with me, Nick... any comments?

The ones I object to are the ones who start a thread saying, "Put all your views on such and such in this thread" but don't actually start by saying anything!